Love God, Love People, Change The World
This four-week series can be used at any time of the year. But, it might be best in the month of February when many people turn their attention to love. While worship services in this module pull from familiar Old and New Testament passages on love, the module itself centers on the greatest commandment from Christ, "...love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."
1 Corinthians 13:1-8a // The Greatest Gift
This worship service uses 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a to highlight a biblical framework for love. Perhaps a biblical understanding is not that far from Thomas Merton’s definition: “Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.” Here are some materials to help you create your own worship service.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 // The Greatest Commandment
This worship service centers on what Jesus called the greatest commandment − loving God with all of our heart, soul and strength. How do we love God with all that we are? This question is not easily answered, but here are some materials to help you create your own worship service.
1 John 4:7-21 // The Greatest Action
Next to the great commandment to love God with all of our being is the great command to love one another. 1 John reminds us that we can never get past the gift of God’s love for us in Christ and how that is lived out in one another. We experience the love of God when we love others. Here are some materials to help you create your own worship service.
John 8:1-15 // The Greatest Task
John 8 is the story of Jesus going out of his way – out of bounds – to show love to someone that was not like him. This worship service reflects on Jesus’ actions and calls worshipers to do the same for all people in the world. Here are some materials to help you create your own worship service.
