As I sat with him, unbeknownst to me, God was working something out. Their daughter, two church deacons, and a chaplain who happens to be my wife figured out how to have the party at their house. Maybe the man’s wife wouldn’t be able to experience what they had hoped, but she was still alive so there was reason to have a party.
They came up to us after everything was set. Food was going to be delivered to the house, people would come play music, all the family was going to be there, it was still going to be a celebration. This was explained to her husband, and then the sweetest thing happened. He smiled and said, “I am so happy.” Then this near 89-year-old man began crying. And maybe there were some tears of sadness, but also there were tears of joy as he knew he was going to be able to celebrate 65 years with his beloved.
In the whole scene I saw the love of God. I saw God’s love in a husband’s love for his wife. I saw it in family and church family working together to ensure a celebration could occur. I saw what could have just been a sad event become a celebration. I saw people who knew of God’s love and thereby loved those around them. And because I saw love, I saw God.
Where have you seen love? Where have you experienced love? Wherever there is love, there is also God! The reason we ought to love one another isn’t just so we have another commandment to obey. The reason we ought to love one another is so that God can show up in situations where people wonder where God is. There was a cross where a man was condemned to die. Tortured and beaten before his execution many may have wondered where God was then… and yet God was there. An awful instrument of torture has become a symbol of hope through the power of God’s love. If God can do that, what else can God do where love is present? Let’s find out!
Written by Rev. Garrett Andrew, minister of First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Georgia. Read his blog.
