1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's hard to say more than what the author says here.  The fullness of God is the fullness of love.  We search high and low for proof of the existence of God, and we find it everywhere, in every loving act.  In the sweet embrace of a small child, we find the love of God.  In the selfless service of the church, we find the love of God.  In the caring devotion of a couple married for fifty years, in the tender outreach of one friend to another, in the sacrifice of one person for another, we find the love of God.
  In this world, Jesus tells us, there will be troubles.   In the hate-filled diatribes of those who attack synagogues and mosques and churches, we stare into the blackest part of human brokenness and sin and, if you're like me, you despair.  You wonder what has become of us, of what will become of us, of what road humanity is heading down as we seem to be divided by words of hatred that easily lead to acts of hatred.  We are divided by so many things, and we dehumanize one another, and we find things we hate, and we weep at the acts that such hatred leads to.
  In these times, when we despair at the large acts of hatred that cover the headlines and the tiny acts that cut us deeply, look for love.  Look for opportunities to hold closely those you already love, and look for ways to love those around you -- your friends and neighbors and coworkers.  Look for ways, loved ones, to love the stranger in your midst -- the alien and the homeless, the hungry and the lonely.  Find small ways to love them, for in loving them, you show them the beauty of the Kingdom of God, and when someone has had a small taste of selfless love, they're likely to want more.  When we are invited to participate in the Kingdom of God, to taste and see how good God is, we then want to love others, to show them the same grace and experience the spreading joy that is love.
  God is love, and we see the love of God demonstrated supremely in the face of the world's hatred as Christ hung upon the cross.  Love conquers fear, conquers death, as light conquers darkness, and love will set us free.  Find someone different than you and pray for the wisdom and courage to show them love, that Christ may bind us together and join us in one heavenly choir that will gather around the throne, multitudes from every race and every nation, and sing as one body for ever and ever.