A Potluck Kind of Love

At my church this week, we are focusing on the study of loving each other, using Matthew 22:27-29 as a springboard, then moving on to passages in the New Testament to explore the meaning and application of Love, as used in this verse and others.

Since I enjoy word studies, I looked up the word translated "Love" in this verse. It is transliterated "Agapeo" and means:

to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing.

Agapeo is the verb form of Agape, so I looked that up, too. That's where it gets fun:

brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence...

.....love feasts

After I read that, my first thought was Potluck! Isn't it nice to know there is a scriptural basis for Dinner on the Grounds, as they used to call it?

I don't want this to sound flippant, because it's not. The reason this makes me smile is because it is so true! It is really hard to share a meal with someone we don't like. We've all been there. Christmas at a distant relative's house, business lunches with obnoxious co-workers (or bosses), even dinner at home when in the midst of a disagreement.

This could be a useful tool for us as we strive to have loving relationships in the body of Christ. When we encounter a brother or sister in Christ we can ask ourselves, would I enjoy having lunch with them? If not, we might want to assess whether we are truly loving (agape) them. And there is the challenge.

We need to strive to have a potluck kind of love for each other.