Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Love is not the answer—love is the assignment.” Can we get an “Amen” on that?

And if we’re going to be about announcing and sharing God’s scandalous unconditional love for the world, there’s going to be some serious action going on. Being part of a church community isn’t like signing up for membership in a club. It’s all about discipleship.

Repeat: It’s all about discipleship. And so we take our cues from Jesus who lived among us, fed the hungry, welcomed the outcast, healed the sick, stilled the storm, and with a love stronger than death gave his life for all the world.

One of our core values is “expect God’s love to change us.” That’s what death and resurrection are all about—transformation. Thankfully, the more we jump in to following Jesus, the more we are changed. . . more often than not, by the very people we set out to “help.”

If love is the assignment, what does it look like?

 

Cornell West once said (on the Stephen Colbert Show): Tenderness is what love feels like in private. Justice is what love looks like in public.