Love Is a Verb

Psalm 100; 1 John 3: 16-24, by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 8, 2015
Stewardship Sunday


Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. – Psalm 100

16We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. – 1 John 3: 16-24


Simon Sinek is shifting the way leaders envision the identity of organizations. He has been sharing his speech entitled, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” through websites, books, and seminars. He says:

All the great and inspiring organizations and leaders of the world, whether it is Apple or Martin Luther King, Jr. or the Wright Brothers – they all think, act, and communicate the exact same way. And it is the complete opposite to everyone else. It’s probably the world’s most simplest idea. It starts with asking three questions in this particular order: why, how, and what.

This idea explains why some leaders are able to inspire, whereas others are not. Every organization knows what they do. Some know how they do it. But very few organizations and leaders know why they do what they do. By first asking the question “why,” it is to ask what is our purpose, our cause, our belief? Why does our organization exist and why should anyone care? *

Most of us communicate by asking Sinek’s three questions in the reverse order: we usually start by asking “what are we working towards,” “how will we do it,” and then “why are we doing this?” But all inspiring leaders and organizations communicate opposite from this. They start with why.

John’s first epistle (letter) gets to the heart of why it matters to be a follower of Christ. We find our purpose, our cause, our belief in verse 23: This is God’s commandment, that we should believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Christ has commanded us.

Christ gave this new commandment to love one another right after he had washed the disciples’ feet in John’s Gospel (John 13: 5, 34-35). It was a humbling sight for the disciples to see their Rabbi and Lord lower himself to his knees and wash their dust-covered feet. It was a humbling act of self-giving love. And then Jesus rose up and said: I give you a new commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

The love Jesus talks about is not the love we find in significant relationships or the loving friendships that sustain us. Jesus talks about agape love. It is a sacrificial love. It is a love that puts others first. It is a love that meets others where they are. It is a love that takes risks. It is a love that gives up something in order to bring God’s healing and wholeness that restores.

This love that Jesus and John talk about is a verb. It urges us to respond to God’s love that was most revealed in Jesus Christ. We are invited to participate in God’s work in the world to continue Christ’s ministry as the body of Christ. But we are also to reflect and struggle with our connection to follow Christ’s new commandment. That is to love one another in truth and action.

I remember one of the first comments I read about Van Wyck Presbyterian Church. It was that we are a “small church with a big heart.” The past 131 years this body of Christ has taken risks to live out Christ’s commandment to love one another. Through the years we have been committed to grow in spirit to nurture the gift of faith. We have long extended care to members and friends in times of joy and illness, sorrow and bereavement. We are connected to the greater communities of Van Wyck and Lancaster to serve others. We took a risk to further extend God’s hospitality by building a new fellowship hall and kitchen. God’s faithfulness has allowed us pay off that debt.

Today we find ourselves in a new chapter of ministry. Together we are discerning the next steps that God is calling us to love in truth and action. In this next chapter we are praying for the Spirit to guide us deeper into our sense of purpose, cause, and belief. Our hope is that this small church with a big heart will grow more into our vision to Grow in Christ (the love of Christ) in Spirit, Service, and Number. The hope is to follow God’s invitation and Christ’s commandment to be transformed by love and also to transform the community and world in truth and action.

We gain a deeper conviction that love is a verb if we see it holistically. We learn that we might be good stewards of God’s love in 4 key areas or spiritual disciplines: through worship, discipleship, mission, and sharing.

We grow as stewards of God’s love in worship. Time and space are suspended in this time set apart to be in God’s presence with a grateful heart. We allow God’s story of transforming love to redefine our lives and purpose. We learn who God is and who God is shaping us to be. We lift our voices in bold ways to trust God is working through the celebrations and challenges among all God’s children. And then God empowers us to live out the good news in the ordinary places of life.

We grow as stewards of God’s love in discipleship. As we commit to follow Christ we continue to grow in his way of life. Our hope is for everyone to find a space to study, pray, and fellowship. We do this in Sunday School classes, small groups, socials, and personal devotions. There are deep roots of faith here in this body of Christ, but God is not through with us yet. God is still yearning to shape us into the people that God intends us to be.

We grow as stewards of God’s love in mission. When we share our time and talents to put our faith into action, then we see the truth of Christ’s love. Jesus’ ministry was relational. As he came beside others Jesus listened to their stories, affirmed their location in life, and extended his love to bring God’s healing and wholeness.

The spiritual leaders of this church are becoming more intentional about mission and ministries of compassion. In a few weeks our growing mission team will be taking Thanksgiving baskets to families in our community who need a hand up. Relationships matter to this church with a big heart. Prayerfully consider the ways God is nudging you to share your time and talents to love our neighbors. Continue to pray for our faithfulness to share God’s gifts to better this community. Continue to pray for our faithfulness to extend God’s hospitality and hope to our community and world in life giving ways.

We grow as stewards of God’s love in sharing. It is easy to think of spiritual disciplines as worship, discipleship, and mission. But our sharing or giving is also a spiritual discipline. We do not give out of obligation or duty. Rather our giving is rooted in gratitude for God's faithfulness.

When we give a portion of our treasures to God we are reaffirming that all we are and all we have are gifts from God. When we give through the formal commitment of a pledge or a tithe we are daring to trust that God will use these gifts to further God’s kingdom. We trust that Christ’s love will continue to break into the ordinary spaces of life that need God’s healing and restoration. It is a blessing for God to work through each of us to continue Christ’s ministry. Our giving – no matter how big or small – makes a difference in pointing to God's coming kingdom.

When we holistically engage the love of Christ as a verb we experience God’s presence in genuine community. We recognize that we are a part of something greater than ourselves.

Why does it matter to be a disciple of Christ at Van Wyck Presbyterian Church? First we remember Christ commanded us to love one another in truth and action. Secondly we share the vision to Grow in Christ in Spirit, Service, and Number.

How do we live out our belief, our purpose? We are striving to grow as stewards of God’s love. We are living into the spiritual disciplines of worship, discipleship, mission, and giving.

Why do you connect with this wonderful community of faith we call Van Wyck Presbyterian? May the Spirit help us to reflect and to be good stewards of God’s true and active love in this next chapter.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

* Simon Sinek, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action," TED Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en