Love is a Verb (1 John 4:7-21)

By Rev. Emily Larsen

There used to be a cartoon in my church office that was a picture of a board room full of people. The caption read, “I don’t know why everybody is so frustrated with our committee. We didn’t DO anything!” 

As part of a denomination that prides itself on the number and type of committees we create to accomplish tasks, and in honor of General Conference happening this week, I was reminded of this cartoon and the punchline that reminded everyone in my office that our task- that of building the kingdom of God by spreading the divine message of love and reconciliation- requires ACTION. True love demands action. 

The word “love” in today’s scripture appears so many times, it can almost seem redundant. Beloved, let us love one another. God is love. Those who abide in love… Love has been perfected among us in this… There is no fear in love…Love casts out fear. Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters….” 

The word “love” appears 13 times in the first 7 verses alone!

The one I really want to focus in on is “God is love.” 

In one of many many texts that I had to read for seminary, I came across the idea to consider God is love to mean that God is ACTION. God is a verb. The being of God as a person is easy to imagine (Father, Son, Holy Spirit, or even Lord, Redeemer, Counselor, etc.). All of these names we give to God we can put a human equivalent to…

But, it can be a little more abstract to consider God as LOVE and (to quote the John Mayer song) Love is a VERB. Love is a choice, an action. And love comes from God. 

Thomas Aquinas referred to this absolute perfection of God as  “Actus Purus”. Pure action…

It really shouldn’t be that strange to think of God in action form. We can see God at work in the world everywhere that we see love at work in the world. 

When Moses asks for God’s name to say “who shall I say has sent me to them?” God answers as a verb. “I Am that I Am.” 
God is…
God is love…
God is the pure action of love in the world.

But this love doesn’t originate from us. This love originates from God’s love for us. Not because of anything that we have done or anything that we are. But purely from who God is and what God does. It is God’s love that reaches out to us first. And it is the priority of God’s love for us which makes possible our love for one another.

God is love. So when we participate in this kind of love–in this kind of action–, we are experiencing and embodying love. 

Many times in ministry, I’ll have people come to me and say that they don’t know where God is. They don’t feel God in their lives. They don’t hear a voice from God. They are searching for proof of God. Where is God?  

So I ask them… “when was the last time you felt love? When was the last time you gave or received real love?” When we experience love, we experience God at work in the world. Just like any healthy relationship, we have to take the time to recognize and appreciate that love. 

How many spouse arguments can start and end with a lack of appreciation or a lack of action on one partner or the other? How many could be resolved if love were put into action on both sides of the argument?

The love of God, that originates from God, that can only come from God, is a love that motivates us to action. This love that goes to work in the world as we seek to love our neighbors. God showed us love by putting it into action; by choosing to come in the form of Jesus. By loving us enough to sacrifice everything for us. God is love in action!

This is a love that seeks justice for our neighbors; that practices radical love; that practices generous hospitality. This is love that breaks down barriers and dividing lines. This is the love that can change the world for the better! This is a love that MOVES. This love is a verb!

This love is the motivator for our actions as followers of Christ. God loves us. So we are now able to go and love others. Whether by committee or individually, we are called to action by this love.

Jesus told us that this sums up all of the law and the prophets. First, love God. Then, love neighbor. Love comes from God. Now it’s our job to go and share that love with the rest of the world. 

That’s the point. That’s where the author of today’s scripture takes us in verse 15…

“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and [here’s the really amazing part!] God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: …. because as he is, so are we in this world.”

As Christ loved us-this incredible, self-sacrificing love–so we are to now go and love others.