12.4.21 - Love (Kenny Camacho)
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1.67-80 (Zechariah’s Song)
“Here’s the thing: real love seeks another’s good. It’s not just about convincing somebody that we like them. It’s about putting their wellbeing, their growth, their wholeness, their fullness above our own. In some ways, that’s a kind of self-sacrifice…but I think it’s more than just the old words about dying to ourselves. It’s also the joy of seeing someone open a gift! Our God sacrifices himself; our God paves the path to redemption; and our God invites Jesus’s cousin to tell folks that Jesus is here because God is so excited for us to discover how much we are loved, to see with his eyes. He wants us to participate in the story–not just to be the objects of his affection. This means that God’s love is aiming at our wholeness, our true joy…in addition to our salvation. I wonder if we reflect on this often enough: Jesus isn’t medicine God is trying to convince us to take! Jesus is a gift we are invited to unwrap, to claim, to embrace, to enjoy.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Talk for a moment about the story of John the Baptist. What is his role in Jesus’s story? What does it mean to “prepare the way” or “make the pathways” straight? What does he preach, and how does it serve the Gospel?
Now, read through Zechariah’s song together: what do you see? Why is Zechariah thankful?
On Saturday, Kenny compared John’s ministry to “unwrapping” the gift of Jesus. How might this resonate with you? What do you think Kenny meant by that?
“Jesus isn’t medicine God is trying to convince us to take, but a gift we are invited to unwrap, to claim, to embrace, and to enjoy.” How does this quotation sit with you? Does it challenge any of your ideas about Jesus?
How is our invitation to participate in God’s story connected to God’s love for us?
What can we learn from any of this about what it means for us to both accept and share love?