10.9.20 1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
I have a little wooden German hiker on the shelf in my office. You can open him up and put incense in him and smoke comes out of his mouth. The hiker was given to me by a foreign exchange student that lived with us for a year back in 1998 or so. When I use the incense burner, I think of her for a bit. I see her in him. That’s the way life is. Little things in life bring up memories from the past.
This is how God works in this world as well. God leaves remnants of Himself in a sinful and fallen world. You can see His power in a thunderstorm. You can see His beauty and wisdom in the ecosystem and the design of trees and animals. You can see His life in the flowers of spring. These aren’t only memories of the past, but also reminders of the PRESENT. God wants to tell the world, “I’m still here! Come and find me!”
But this world is so ugly in some ways. It’s history is full of sickness, death and destruction. Families are split apart by divorce. More and more people are feeling abandoned and alone as they fear death by Covid. People say to themselves, “Where is God? If God is in this world, He certainly doesn’t care. I don’t think I want to find him.” So John writes, No one has ever seen God.”
But God is here, and He wants people to see a different side of Him: a loving God: a faithful God: a forgiving God: a compassionate God. We only find this God in the person of Jesus Christ, who chose to come into our world and live with us to make Himself visible. He made Himself weak. He made Himself crucify-able. God held out His hands on a cross to give us life and forgiveness. He wanted us to see the God who could conquer sickness, disease, and death. He wanted to save the world and give us hope in the midst of death, through faith in Jesus Christ. He wants to be our life, our hope, and our salvation. Through His mercy He wants us to enjoy His gifts in the here and the now too! We find this God in the Bible, in Jesus, revealed in the Word, given to us in the sacraments.
But here’s another neat thing, God also wants to be seen in you and through you. John writes, if we love one another, God lives in us. The story is told of a couple who couldn’t get along, so the counselor told them to have a donkey live in their house for a week. By the time the week was over, the couple was getting along great, but they both hated the donkey. It was making a mess of their house! God doesn’t do that when He moves in. God is love. God is forgiveness. God is mercy. He comes in to change the way you live. You can’t help it, for God is more powerful than a donkey.
Marriage is meant to be a special way, a special opportunity, a special picture of how God’s love works. In Ephesians 5 Paul talked about how God’s love is supposed to be illustrated to the world: through the relationship of a husband and a wife. Jesus, the Groom, died on the cross and sacrificed Himself to make the Bride, the Church, look holy and forgiven. The Church, in turn, admired Him for His sacrifice. We praise Him for His sacrifice. We submit to Him, knowing that He will take care of us and provide for us. He loves us, and we love Him. Kevin, you are to love sacrificially for Karen. Karen, you are to love submissively for Kevin.
Love, according to the Bible, is not only bound to feelings and sex. It is bound to sacrifice and duty, putting the other person first and wanting them to be what God designed them to be. When love works this way, it works well, even in a sinful world. It gives us the ability to stick with each other through the thick in the thin. God’s love gives us the willingness to suffer for one another and forgive one another. It sounds archaic and old fashioned in the ears of the world, but who are they to judge? They haven’t exactly been successful with their marriage practices now have they? The devil’s version of marriage is to stick with it for a few years, see how you feel about it, and then decide from there. The devil wants you to bristle against God’s version of love, so that you call it chauvinistic or unromantic. This is revelation from God, not the opinion of man. This is how God wants to show His love to the world. This is how He wants to live in you, through a loving marriage!
Then, John says, if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. It was an iconic moment in cinema when Tom Cruise, acting as Jerry Maguire, told his assistant, “You complete me.” As he got to know her better and work with her, he realized that she was indispensable to him. She made him be the man he wanted to be. God says that when we love his love, His made complete in us, it does what He designed it to do. He has chosen to display His love to the world THROUGH us and IN us. It’s what He designs love between Christians to be, the love of God showing in them and through them.
What a risk for God, to show His love IN US! How often we fail! How sad it is that Christians fall into the same sins of lovelessness and selfishness that everyone else falls into as well. But God doesn’t give up on US so easy! His is not a romantic love based on how well we respond to Him. When you believe in Jesus and are baptized, our perfect and holy God feels wonderful about being with you, even with your failures. Zephaniah 3:17 says, The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. To think that the Holy God is excited to save you and to love you, even through your sins and failures! He actually rejoices over being with you, in spite of your sins. The more you realize that and learn to enjoy that kind of love, the more that His love will overflow in the way that you love each other. The more you will be willing to forgive each other and sacrifice for each other. You will say, “If God loves ME this way, then I can surely be more excited to be with my spouse.”
Unfortunately, it’s kind of a rare thing in this world when you have a husband and a wife who truly enjoy being in God’s company, along with each other’s company. It is a rare thing to see a husband and wife love being together. They get along well. They laugh together. They work hard for each other. They take care of one another. They work hard to help each other through their weaknesses and sins by forgiving each other and picking up the slack for each other. They coordinate their time and money for the good of the family. They like speaking with one another and spending time for each other. They put each other first.
When you meet a couple like that, you love going to their house or going out to eat with them. You get along better with your own spouse when you are with them. Their love is contagious! You want what they have, and you try to emulate their behavior. This is how God wants to show Himself: through you and in you! If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Maybe you’ve seen those Fixer Upper shows. The old shack looks like it’s going to fall down. Chip comes in with the muscle. JoAnne comes in with the vision. They take an old shack and make it look brand new. This is what Jesus has done with both of you, by dying for you, and giving you His Holy Spirit to live with you and in you. Now you are moving into this new home together as Mr. and Mrs. Melhose. You are both bringing the love of Christ in this home together. Keep Jesus in your house. You will need Him. You won’t be disappointed. He will fill your house with His love and His mercy. He will make His love complete in you and through you. Others will see Him in you. God bless your day and your life with His love. Amen.
