By Our Love

 

I recently came across a new addition to the neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a peacock had moved in down the street. What captured my attention immediately was the plainness of this bird. This was a rare monochromatic peacock. It was very detailed, except for one detail - the one detail peacocks are known for the most - color.

I think that too often these days, we who call ourselves “Christian” are missing the one detail we are to be most known by in the world. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Like my neighborhood peacock, we can be very detailed in other ways. We can have the language down. We can quote from the Bible. We can go to church. We can know the words to all the songs.

But even with all that, we can live without love being the overriding characteristic of our lives. When that is the case, we hurt, not help, the witness to Jesus in the world. Oh, we stand out, but we stand out like a colorless peacock. Something is just off. And the people around us notice. Words of God’s love fall flat when spoken in anger and judgement. Words about the joys of community ring false when all are not welcome. Words that point to grace, offered by judgmental voices, push people away rather than draw them close.

The chorus from a popular song from my youth put it this way: “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love; yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Why not let our colors show today? The life that is changed just may be our own.

Peace.