“’ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:30-31).
What does it mean for love to be the true foundation of our ministry? How is our love for God expressed in our worship, in our daily living? What does it mean for love to guide our interactions with each other in our faith community and with those outside our doors? If we preach love but live gossip, mistreatment of one another, and personal agendas, people are not buying it.
As we consider how we love our neighbor, with Jesus’ life and teaching as our example, we know our neighbor is not just the person next to us who we may feel comfortable with, but also the person in need of care who may go unnoticed by the world. How do we show love by building community among and with people around us who may feel disconnected? When our neighbors see us, do they see the love of Christ?
This message is excerpted from “Welcome all” by Tiffany C. Chaney in the September 2013 Café online magazine. Today is the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.
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