Holy Week 1...the importance of love

And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Pursue love...
1 Corinthians 13:13, 14:1

 This week the events and importance of Easter begin to come into sharp focus. We remember Jesus' last week on earth, and because we know the events still to come, the people he chose to be with and he things that he said to them carry extra significance. John spends 4 chapters of his gospel telling us what Jesus said to his disciples as he prepared them for what was to come next.

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father.
John 13: 1

 Jesus said:' Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come." I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.'
John 13:31-35

 This week as our exploration of character comes to an end, we listen to these words and they remind us again that this is not a place to end but a place to begin. We begin by loving each other. We love one another because Jesus commands us to, because He enables us to and because that's how we reflect the image of the God who created us. We love because that's who we are meant to be, and in loving others we truly find ourselves. We love, not because those around us are especially lovely, but because each of them is also made in the image of God, and contain in themselves the potential to become glorious. We love because in the end, love is the key to becoming truly human.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. 
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:8-12

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