Doug, now a successful musician, spreading love at Room In The Inn.

December 21  |  The Fourth Sunday of Advent

And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

In these final days of Advent, our attention shifts to the greatest of things: love. 

Charlie Strobel often asked a deceptively simple question: “Is love a feeling or a choice?” Love, of course, is far more than sentiment or romance. It is a choice we make each day, sometimes with joy, sometimes with great effort. 

In a Christmas morning sermon, Charlie once said:

“For to love one another is the hardest endeavor there is. This is what all of us stumble against and what we still cannot completely do in this world. Yet inspiring us to love one another is what the miracle of God’s love does within us. And hoping for this divine love is worth waiting for—not just today, but every day we awake.”

At Room In The Inn, we see this chosen love made visible through acts of compassion. If you have been reading these daily reflections, you will recognize many of its expressions within our community:
•    Margaret Williams devoting her life to supporting people with HIV
•    Ron “Short Stop” McQuaigue providing hospitality to those surviving addiction
•    Guests giving away the points they have earned to ensure others can shop for their families in our More Than a Toy program
•    Congregational shelter volunteers like Carla Bellenfant seeing the Christ in her guests, no matter how “hairy and scary” they might appear
•    Robert Kent connecting with the students in his classes through humor and care

The Hebrew word for compassion is directly related to the word for “womb.” Like Jesus’ mother Mary, our compassion helps give birth to love incarnate. And like birth itself, that compassion is not always easy. It is a choice we make, a decision to help build the world that God dreams into being.

In these holy days of waiting and welcome, the question remains:
How will you choose love today?

As you move through the day, watch for one moment when love feels like a choice rather than a feeling—an opportunity to listen longer, to show patience, to offer generosity, or to withhold judgment. When you notice that moment, choose love intentionally, even in a small way.

God of faith, hope, and love,
you choose us again and again,
even when loving is costly.
In these Advent days, give us eyes to see where love is needed
and courage to choose it when it is hard.
May our compassion help bring your love to life in the world,
until your hope is born anew in us and through us.
Amen.