For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Love, though seen and experienced differently in different parts of the world, is a concept that pervades all of mankind. When we look across the scape of human culture and history, we find a myriad of translations that weave themselves into a colorful tapestry held together by our common experience of this phenomenon and made beautiful by our variety of views on the subject.
In what different ways do you use the word love? Love of family? Love of wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Love of friends? Love of God or even country? The Ancient Greeks had several definitions, definitions we find mirrored in many other cultures and religions. Friendship, or the love of friends, was (and in Modern Greek still is) called Philia, a dispassionate and virtuous love that includes loyalty to friends, family, and community. Storge described the affection felt between parents and children, what in Japanese you might call Amae. Xenia was a form of love that might be defined as hospitality, an extremely important practice in Ancient Greece. It was an almost ritualized exchange in which the host would feed and shelter the guest, and though the guest might very well have been a complete stranger, he or she is only expected to repay with gratitude. In this sense, Xenia holds much in common with the Roman concept of Caritas, or the Buddhist and Hindu principle of Karuna, both of which may be translated as charity.
Eros is passionate love, sensuous and longing; it is love of the body, what in Buddhism and Hinduism is known as Kama. Although important and an integral part of any healthy relationship, it was considered one of the baser forms of love, and when experienced alone is invariably short-lived. Thus, Eros was often considered the doorway to a deeper form of love, much like physical attraction to another is our initiation into a relationship. This other form was known as Agape, which is in fact the Modern Greek word for love, though in Ancient Greek it might best be translated as “love of the soul”. It is a pure and ideal form of love that all desire but few experience. It was this Agape love that Paul glorified as the most important virtue in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.”
This is the love that God feels for mankind, this agape love. He feels it so strongly that he sacrificed his only son so that we might be reunited with him in the end. And this is what the Christmas season is all about: it’s an expression of God’s love for man through the birth of his son Jesus Christ. Never forget this fact; dwell on it, speak it, celebrate it. This winter, let love cascade over your whole body, let it fill your heart and pulse in your very veins; draw in the whole world in an embrace, for God is the source of all love, and he is reflected in every loving thought we have, in every loving word we speak, and in every loving act we do. Amen.
Buddy, What a beautiful speech! I loved it. I'm proud of you. Love, Mom
