We are the embodiment of LOVE!
As many of you may know, I am a musician and my primary focus for my music is contemporary Christian music. I was a Music Director at a few different churches for 25 years or so, and leading and making music was my number one way to connect with God. It goes way beyond just what happens directly between “me and God” while making music…it’s offering the gift of music to others, coming together with other musicians and singers to combine our voices and instruments to create a sound I could never make on my own…and it’s the spirit and energy of the music that is created and how that affects others and those of us making that music. Just writing about this fills me with joy remembering so many beautiful moments of making music together with my friends and parishioners.
Music for me is the “embodiment” of the Holy Spirit. I put that word in quotes because obviously music does not have a body, but it does have a form, a structure, and mostly and energy. We experience and share the presence of the Holy Spirit in various ways, and for me, music is the most central.
The other day, as I was listening to KLOVE (Christian music radio station 106.9 FM) I heard a new song by an up and coming artist (Terrian) The name of the song is “Honestly, We Just Need Jesus.” The refrain says “honestly, I think we just need Jesus.” Whenever I listen to Christian music I always think about how the song applies to all people, not just Christians. For me, if it is “of God” it has to pertain to everyone…not just a select few. So, I asked myself…”who is Jesus to non-Christians?” and my immediate answer was “Jesus is the embodiment of Love.” BOOM! Christians believe that Jesus is “God with a body” (well, that’s not exactly how everyone would describe him…but it works for me and many other.” Jesus is “God Incarnate” meaning that he embodied God. So…back to the song and us. Scripture tells us that “God is LOVE.” (my high school students will never forget this as I worked that statement into every single test they took as I never wanted them to forget that!) So…if God is LOVE, and Jesus is the embodiment of God, then he is the embodiment of LOVE. So…if all we really need is Jesus…then all we really need it the embodiment of LOVE!! YES! We can do that…we can be that…we are that.
You don’t have to believe in Jesus to save the world. You just need to embody love…in much the same way he did! You don’t have to be crucified the way he way, but I bet you have had experiences that felt like you were being crucified. You don’t have to be betrayed exactly as he was, but I bet there have been times you felt betrayed by family and friends. You don’t have to rise from a stone tomb like he did, but if you are here reading this…you have risen from your own tombs! And…you will rise again…several times over. You are LOVE! Nothing can change that. Be that love. Because, honestly, all we really need is embodied love. We got this!
