Love is a power, greater than death… just like the songs and stories told.  And when she built you brother, she broke the mold.  “Terry’s Song”  Bruce Springsteen

I’m a big fan of “The Boss”.  And I suppose it was Springsteen’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl that prompted me to play a few of his CD’s on my ride to and from work this week.

Music can be powerful and persuasive.  I’ve always enjoyed a wide range of artists and genres; from praise to hip hop to the twangiest of country.

You know how a good song, whether by tune or lyrics, seems able to touch your very soul sometimes. That’s what I love about music. And to me, there’s no doubt you can find the sacred amid the secular.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s Springsteen or Sinatra.  We process music largely based on our personal experiences.  I might be deeply moved by a song that you may think is the worst thing ever recorded.  It’s personal.

In the above sample lyric from “Terry’s Song” (off the Magic album) the “power of love” stands out to me.  Let’s see… love is a power, greater than death.  Now where have I heard that message before?

God may have been the farthest thing from Springsteen’s mind when he penned that lyric. But it doesn’t matter. I associate that powerful love with the love of the Father. The kind of sacrificial love that truly is “greater than death”.

For you country fans, recall Alan Jackson’s post-911 tribute song, “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”.  Jackson seems to possess a real gift for connecting with the inner self of “everyday man”.

One verse of that heart felt song says this: “I know Jesus and I talk to God and I remember this from when I was young. Faith, hope and love are some good things he gave us. And the greatest is love.”

Sound familiar?  Perhaps the Apostle Paul.

To what can we compare the love of God?  Think about it for a moment. We had a discussion about that very question in Sunday school class one day.  We were asked to discuss the various kinds of love relationships we experience here on earth.  Which is most powerful; most like the love of God?

A love between a husband and wife can be mighty. Commitment. Trust. Until death do us part. Unconditional.  Do you love your spouse like that?

Let’s talk children. The child-parent relationship can be one of intense love. Enduring and unconditional.  Fathers, you know exactly what I mean. Father daughter or father son. You’d do anything in the world for your child. Anything. The love I have for my daughter is indescribable.  It’s not that I don’t love my wife; I’m not asking for a competitive comparison.  Both love relationships are intense, but inherently different.

How about mother-to-child love?  It was the concensus of our class that this particular love comes closest to God’s love for us. Let’s face it fellas, mother-daughter love trumps daddy-daughter love.  (mother-son over father-son also)  The physical nature of that relationship is what makes mother’s love a notch above.  That child was one with the mommy before birth.  Sure, daddy had a significant role to get that miracle of life started, but mother carried that life inside and nurtured that baby from her own being.

You know what?  As strong as that mother-child love is, I don’t believe it comes close to God’s love for us.  “My ways are not your ways”  Sound familiar?  Our very notion of love is limited by our human-ness.  Sure, we can love and be loved. There’s no greater a feeling than love relationships, whether it be best friend, longtime spouse or your children.

1John is my favorite book in the Bible. It’s one of those short books near the end of the New Testament.  Short, but powerful.  It speaks about the love of God and what that means to us. In fact, the word “love” in its various forms is found 43 times in this letter.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”  1John 4:8

Ponder that for a moment.  God IS love.  Say what?  That’s right.  1John goes on to say, “we love because He first loved us”.  We are hard-wired by the creator to love and be loved. The letter explains how God sent his Son as an “atoning sacrifice” for our sins. He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might “live through Him”.

This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.

Paul Baloche put that message to music in one of his popular praise songs, “Because of Your Love”.

“Because of Your love, we’re forgiven; because of Your love our hearts are free”

“We lift You up, with songs of freedom; forever we’re changed, because of Your love”

Too often, I don’t pause to ponder that life giving, sacrificial love.  God thought enough of me, unworthy me, to give His all. Himself.

But don’t get too caught up in trying to reconcile or explain or envision the love of the Father. It’s not possible this side of heaven.

All God asks in return is relationship. Accept that gift and share the love.

- Steve
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