What do we need?

It was in early 1965 that Jackie DeShannon recorded the hit song… What the world needs now is love. Burt Bacharach and Hal David had cowritten this musical masterpiece. The song was planted in fertile soil during a season of controversy over the Vietnam War and the escalating Civil Rights push. A year later, Dionne Warwick released her own version.

https://spoti.fi/3ptFnN9 – Jackie DeShannon (Spotify link)
https://spoti.fi/2Yng0Rf – Dianne Warwick (Spotify link)

Love. For everyone.

Is it really what the world needs? Certainly, there has to be more.

But ages before a tune rolled in the mind of Burt Bacharach, God was writing a similar message. And the ink He used was the blood of His precious son. God loved the world. Us. You and me. And into the mess that we made, He sent His son. As a demonstration of that love. So why do I think that there has to be more to the formula.

It was the Apostle Paul who wrote… So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

The Greatest. Love.

And by “greatest” the Holy Spirit of God didn’t mean, sweetest, and nicest, and warmest, and most nostalgic, and most pleasant.

Greatest.

Strongest.

Most powerful.

Our all-powerful God describes Himself as Love. Not as an addendum to His resume, but as His essence.

It was in February of 1964, just before his fight with Sonny Liston, that Muhammad Ali announced to the world that “I am the greatest”. “To prove that I am great I will end this fight in eight. And if he keeps giving me jive, I’ll end it in five.”

And in fact, it took seven rounds.

But I doubt that anyone misunderstood Ali’s use of the term “greatest”.

God has declared, “love is the greatest”.

It is what will stem the tide of hatred. It is the only effective force against the cosmic powers of evil.

For God so LOVED the world…

Yes, what the world needs now is the love of Jesus, demonstrated with courageous self-sacrifice by the Church of Christ.

Love, unconstrained by the ballot box.
Love, uncontained by the halls of power.
Love, unleashed by the Spirit of God within us.

For too long the followers of Jesus have tried to fight fire with fire, and it’s now time to fight fire with love.

Love, that defends the defenseless.
Love, that protects the vulnerable.
Love, that welcomes the stranger.
Love, that feeds the hungry.
Love, that listens to the voiceless.
Love, that embraces the outcast.
Love… that does what only love can do.

Isn’t it time?

What are we waiting for?

Jesus came to earth with a single message. A single plank in His platform…

Love God. Love others. The greatest commandment.

Love – a word forged with steel. Love – a ransom paid. Love – the singular force that kept the Creator of the universe affixed to a cross.

Love.

Neighbors. Enemies. Rivals. Aliens. Family.

Sing it Dionne… sing it.

What the world needs now… and always.