“Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1–2
For fifty-seven years, Steve Henning of Huntley, Illinois, could not hear music, laughter, or human speech and longed to hear the voices of those he loved. In the winter of 2001, he learned of a surgical procedure that would allow sound waves to bypass the nonfunctioning part of his ear and travel directly to the auditory nerve. On January 30, he was operated on, and after a six-week recovery the day arrived to activate the device. As Steve waited nervously, the audiologist programmed the cochlear implant. Then he invited Steve’s wife to say something. Pat Henning leaned toward her husband and gently said, “I love you.” Able to hear for the first time in six decades, Steve’s face broke into a smile. The first words he heard were of love. (adapted from Greg Asimakoupoulos,“Hearing God’s Word of Love)
The Holy Spirit calls us to faith by the Gospel and enlightens us with His gifts. This means you can know God’s love and be the first to speak of God’s love to someone, to show God’s love to someone! By God’s working, they can truly hear and see! How? Imitate Christ. Humanity doesn’t naturally know God’s love. We learn it from the Bible and also by observing others do the unnatural works of love that are empowered by the Holy Spirit: the repentance and a daily denying of self and bearing their cross while following Jesus (Luke 9:23). “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us… (Ep 5)” if not for the personal joy of it, than for the goal that the world would encounter truths of God, of His love through it. (May you know the joy, though, and the world know the truth of God.)
The actions of God’s love through His children take place everywhere. Your treatment of others at home, at work, while shopping, while vacationing, while worshiping… The parent preparing food for a child, a police officer stepping into harm’s way to prevent a crime, a child saying “thank you” to the baby sitter for a safe, enjoyable evening…
The actions and words of Christians don’t always reflect God’s true love. We know this as we review the ten commandments and other scripture and realize we haven’t been true to the mind and ways of Christ. This realization returns us to God’s call to repentance. It returns us to God’s baptismal assurances: sin will have no dominion over us (Rom 6). In the grace won by Christ, we return to the joy of a new day in service to God.
This summer, dive deeply into God’s Word and Sacraments and the renewal, transformation of your mind in the depths of His true love (Eph 4). Oh Lord, open our ears to hear of You, of Your goodness and love. Open our hearts to want to repeat your loving words and imitate your loving ways.
—Pastor Stephen
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