'Love means nothing'?!

On Sunday morning it was a great delight for us at AFC to host an All Age service with included Church Parade for our Guides, Brownies and Rainbows – a service enhanced by the participation of our musicians forming a much larger music group than normal.  It all seemed to go well and at one stage we even had a light hearted quiz based on the scoring found in tennis. 

At the end of the service I was nudged by at least two people who, with a smile on their faces, quoted back to me a line I’d said in the quiz whilst explaining the scoring – they wondered if it had any theological significance – ‘Love means nothing’!

Actually whenever I go ‘off script’ whilst leading a service something like this tends to happen!  They are the sort of ‘howlers’ you find in those church joke books – rather like the secretary’s one liner in the notices: ‘Next week’s preacher is hanging up in the vestibule’!

Well I’m not sure any Blog that mentions tennis this afternoon is all that appropriate after just learning that Andy Murray has been knocked out of The Championships.

This talk about ‘love’ and what it means came back to me today in a chat with my Spiritual Director.  I know that sounds a grand term – in practice such a person can be a great ‘gift’ as a ‘listener’ and someone who reflects back what you are saying.  One of the requirements about belonging to The Order of Baptist Ministry is that you have a Spiritual Director and I’m always pleased to spend an hour with mine every other month and this morning she asked me what was the ‘foundation’ on which I was seeking to build faith.  ‘The love of God’ I replied – it strikes me that only takes a second to say but a lifetime to experience.  At times it feels to me that almost everything else about faith is fluid and evolving – the one constant is God’s love – so ‘no’ I absolutely didn’t mean on Sunday that ‘Love means nothing at all!

Oh - by the way - this morning my Spiritual Director left me with a piece of writing by Mother Theresa – I’ve been thinking about it all day and believe it’s worth passing on – goes like this:

“People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.”

I think that’s great!

Best wishes,

Ian