Filling the World with Love
/We are getting closer and closer to the big day when we celebrate the birth of Christ. Hope, Peace and Joy have led us towards this Sunday of Love in Advent.
In these troubled political times, when conflicts and conspiracy theories and media spin are constantly a threat to our peace of mind and stability, it can be easy to want to hide and protect ourselves. In the face of those who seek to destabilize, who believe that some people are of more value than others, who base decisions on increasing their power and wealth, it can be tempting to respond with hatred, fear and anger. But, as the song says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
John 3:16 reminds us that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to the whole world, not just those who believed, but everyone. God’s love is the beginning of everything good, everything healing, everything worth fighting for. We have the awesome opportunity to shower that love on our learners and to model ways of sharing it with others who need it. Here are some ideas for making love come alive:
1. If you haven’t already had some kind of collection of toys or clothing or food for those in need, consider doing this over the rest of Advent and right up to Epiphany, mirroring the gifts the Wise Men brought to Christ. As Jesus taught, whatever we do for others we really do for Him. A great book to introduce the idea of giving and sharing is The Sparkle Box by Jill Hardie. While it climaxes at Christmas, it could also inspire an attitude of giving into the New Year.
2. Talk with your learners about how there are people who follow Jesus all around the world. This is an amazing thing! Find out where your denomination has churches in different countries. Talk about some of the needs around the world that followers of Jesus and others are trying to help meet (i.e. safe shelter, food, education). The global church works with partners and even other faiths to help people. Consider choosing a specific project to support in 2017 to make life better for others.
3. Building on the previous idea, talk about the refugee crisis in our world. Jesus was born in a time and place where the government was corrupt and abusive. The Holy family themselves were forced to become refugees to be safe. Has a Syrian family been welcomed into your community? Have other refugees found a new home near you? If possible, invite them to come and share their journey, as they are comfortable. Talk about practical ways that the church can help people who, like Jesus, had to flee.
4. Talk about what loves feels like, looks like, sounds like, and even smells like. Make up heart-shaped coupons and ask your learners to write or draw on them ways they could show love to friends, family and others they meet. Brainstorm together to get the ball rolling with ideas (i.e. give a hug, help make supper, listen, give away extra toys and books). Encourage the giving of these coupons to be part of Christmas giving.
5. God is love, and wherever love is, God is there. Do a popcorn prayer (participants say things randomly as they think of them when given space in the prayer) or a squeeze prayer (holding hands, the squeeze is passed after each person says or thinks what they want to add) thanking God for the love they have received and been able to share.
This is an amazing time to experience God’s rich gifts and a time when communities typically come together to make everyone’s Christmas a bit better. The needs surround us. Be creative in coming up with ideas that will bring home Jesus’ direction to share God’s love with a hope-starved world. And don’t forget to remind yourself, your leaders and learners that loving ourselves is important, especially at this busy time. If we can’t love ourselves, we will struggle to share love with others.