Indescribable . . . that is what “love”
is. It is indescribable. No words can describe “love” once you have
discovered it. People have written books
attempting to describe “love”, and yet those books often come up short in
describing “love”. Think about it . . .
think about that moment you fell in love . . . how did you describe it to the
person you “love”? How did you describe
that feeling? You can’t do it. What most of us, if not all of us, end up
doing when we describe “love” is to talk about how we respond to it . . . what
it makes us do, but we have a difficult time describing it. “Love” is that big . . . that magnificent . .
. that powerful . . . that overwhelming.
It is the most valuable possession any of us could ever have.
As a people of faith, the followers of
Jesus, think about when you first fell in “love” with Jesus . . . that moment
when you were overwhelmed and dedicated your life to following him . . . how
did it feel? How did it feel stepping
into that intimate relationship with Jesus . . . with the Holy . . . into the
realm of God’s Kingdom? Pretty difficult
isn’t it?
And, it is. At the same time, it doesn’t stop us from
trying. In our reading this morning
Jesus gives it a shot. Jesus attempts to
describe this wondrous gift and the feelings it smacks us with. We heard him try to explain it using four
parables. The first is the mustard seed
. . . the smallest of seeds, yet the largest of plants—big enough for birds to
build nests in! The second is yeast . .
. mixed with flour it explodes in size.
The third is a treasure that is so valuable that the person discovering
rushes off to sell everything in order to purchase the property and thus
possession of the treasure. In the
fourth it is a pearl in which the individual sells everything in order to have
it.
In each parable the “gift” goes beyond
expectation. It goes beyond
imagination. And, in each
parable—especially in the ones about treasure and pearls—we are told that the
individuals are so overwhelmed that they go and sell everything in order to
possess the “gift”. The people are
willing to do anything to have and experience the “gift”. That is how God’s
love is . . . we desire and are willing to do anything to have it once we
encounter it.
That is what Jesus is trying to describe
in these four parables . . . and, we get the point because we have experienced
such love in our own lives . . . and we would and have done just about anything
to have it.
Early in my relationship with Dana, my
wife, I was overwhelmed by the love I stumbled into. It turned my whole world upside down. Prior to us “falling in love” I had a pretty
routine life . . . I went to my seminary classes during the week . . . Friday
afternoon I would head to where my church was and stay the weekend . . . and,
then I would return on Monday mornings and start all over again. It was like clockwork. But once Dana and I fell in “love” that all
flew out the window with our common sense.
Soon we were spending as much time as
possible with each other. I was no
longer heading to my church on Friday afternoons, but waiting until Saturday
evening or even early on Sunday mornings.
There was less time with the church and more time with her. We’d do anything to be together because we
were in “love”.
One weekend we went out on a Saturday evening,
which meant I would have to get up real early to get to the church an
hour-and-a-half away for Sunday school and worship. On that Sunday morning I got a call from Dana
saying she was in a lot of pain . . . excruciating pain . . . and would I
please come and take her to the emergency room.
Well, that was sure a conundrum . . .
It was such a last-minute request. If I took her to the hospital, I would never
make it to the church in time to fulfil my duties. It could put my job with the church in
jeopardy . . . I could lose it. I
couldn’t afford to lose my job. On the
other hand, it pained me to hear and know that the person I love more than
anything else in the world was hurting.
I wanted to stop the hurt. I
wanted to comfort her. And, if I didn’t,
would it be like failing some sort of test of my “love” for her? Would she quit loving me if I didn’t rush
right over to her apartment and help her?
Well, that is when I learned that our
love for one another was the most valuable possession either of us had. No sooner had I put the phone down, I was in
my car and rushing over to help her. She
was in pain. She needed my help. There would be other jobs . . . and, knowing
this—putting my job on the line, I knew I would pass the test if it were a
test. I’d do anything to keep that love.
Well, it turned out to be kidney
stones. The doctor told her they were
uncomfortable and painful, but that they would pass. In the meantime, he suggested that she drink
more cranberry juice. I didn’t lose my
job. The church was quite understanding
of the situation. Our “love”
survived. Within six months we were
married.
So, was it worth it? After 39 years . . . yeah, I would say it was
worth it.
As we hear these parables, we discover
that within life there are certain things that are worth gambling everything we
have. That there are things worthy of
throwing caution to the wind and going for what we believe is the “greater”
gift. One of those things, at least as
Jesus is equating it for us this morning, is that relationship with the Holy .
. . with him . . . with God. That
relationship is indescribable . . . it is immense . . . and,
over-powering. It is awesome . . .
filled with awe. It is invaluable. And, so struck are we by such a “love” and
relationship that we will do anything to possess it and be in it . . .
anything! That is how it is when we fall in love with Jesus . . . with God . .
. with God’s kingdom. It is worth the
effort.
That is how it is with “love” . . . with
being in “love”. We are different
people. We feel different. We see the world differently . . . the grass
is greener, the sky is bluer, the sun shines brighter! We are overwhelmed by what we are feeling and
experiencing. We act differently towards
others and ourselves. We cannot contain
it all . . . we want to share it with others.
In the sixth parable Jesus tells us this morning, he tells his listeners
that this is the response to such “love” . . . it has got to be shared. Jesus says that such “love” “. . . is
like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well
as old.”
To put it another way, consider the hymn
Pass It On. In the hymn
discovering, accepting, and living in love with God is overwhelming to the
point that it just must be shared. It is
so powerful that the speaker declares that he or she must shout it from the
mountaintop. The individual states,
“That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it, you spread His
love to everyone. You want to pass it
on.” Or you go and sell everything you
have in order to buy the property where the treasure is or to buy the
pearls. You do whatever it takes. . .
. . . and, yes, it is worth it.
Thus, it is that Jesus explains this
“holy love” . . . how big it is, how filling and fulfilling it is, how
impactful it is . . . how awesome it is.
It is unimaginable . . . indescribable!
And, it is worth risking everything to have and to be in. He tells us that it is such a powerful force
and factor in our lives that we cannot contain it . . . it just bursts out of
us . . . we have to share it with others.
We want others to know what we are feeling . . . we want them to feel
like we do.
To have such “love” are we willing to go
to the extent that the people in the parables are willing to go? Are we willing to sacrifice
everything--physical and spiritual--to have such a “love”? Is such love worth it?
Yes, it is. Another church hymn, They’ll Know We Are
Christians, tells us that is how others will know . . . by our “love”. That is what will separate us from others . .
. our “love” for God, our “love” for others, and our “love” for ourselves. And, that is how God will know us . . . by
our “love”. Such “love” is worth the
effort. May such “love” overwhelm us and
be our purpose as we journey through this world. “Love” is always worth the effort. Amen.
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