But there's another expression, another way of thinking of love that I want to introduce. It's not original with me, I'm sure you've heard it before, but I think it's based on a Biblical understanding - "Love is a Verb". In other words, love is always connected with what you do.

When Jesus called on His disciples to love Him, He said "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) He evidently expected them to be "doing" something.

Some time ago, we looked at the classic story Jesus told about the "Good Samaritan" in Luke chapter 10. As we read that story, a story told in answer to a question about what it means to love ones neighbor, we can't help seeing all the "verb" words. And also notice that the story is bracketed by the command of Jesus, "Do". He said "Do this and you will live" (verse 28), and "Go and do likewise" (vs. 37).

The occasion for these remarks was when Jesus was asked to explain what were the requirements to inherit eternal life. In typical fashion, Jesus turned this question back to the one who asked it, who then answered it correctly, and in the process quoted from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, chapter 19. Evidently this must have been a rather well-known passage in Jesus' day, and it would be worth our while to take a fresh look at what it says.

Now there are some portions of this chapter which we might be reluctant to abide by today. For example, verse 27, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." Not many today would see this as a binding law, although this explains why orthodox Jewish men have long strands of hair along side their faces, and large bushy beards.

What for some is more controversial is verse 28, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

However, while we're looking at this section of the chapter, I do want to notice verse 29, "Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness." It seems that God is holding parents responsible for the prostitution of their daughters. Today we go after the daughters and punish them. Not only with regard to the sin of prostitution, but with other crimes as well, perhaps if parents would be held more responsible, our society just might begin to take parenting a little more seriously.

In the New Testament, the place we go to when we want to discuss the fulfillment of our obligations in respect to "doing", we gravitate quickly to the book of James. It is of great interest to me to note the parallels between what James writes, and this 19th chapter of the Old Testament book of Leviticus.

Look at some of them with me:

Leviticus 19:1 opens with the words, "Be holy". James 1:27 requires that we keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.

Leviticus 19:9,10 provides for the poor of the land by expecting farmers to leave grain and grapes for the poor to pick up. James 1:27 clearly defines acceptable religion as that which includes our looking after the needs of orphans and widows.

Leviticus 19:12 says we should not swear falsely by God's name. James 5:12 says the same thing, although generalizing it a bit when he writes, "do not swear".

Leviticus 19:13 tells employers not to hold back the wages of the workers. James 5:4 accuses the rich of holding back wages.

Leviticus 19:15 says, "don't show partiality or favoritism". James 2:2 says the same thing, "don't show favoritism to the rich".

Leviticus 19:16 and James 4:11 say the same thing, "do not slander".

Leviticus 19:16 gives this moral instruction, "don't do anything to endanger your neighbor's life." However, James pushes this even further in James 4:17, "therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin".

Leviticus 19:17 says, "rebuke your neighbor frankly", and James 5: 19, 20 writes, "He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death".

Leviticus 19:18 speaks against bearing a grudge. James 1:19 urges us to be "slow to anger."

And finally, as a kind of summary statement, the verse quoted to Jesus, Leviticus 19:18, " love your neighbor as yourself" is quoted again in James 2:8.

But when we think about love being a "verb", the greatest demonstration is the story of God sending His only Son, and Jesus giving His life for our salvation.

Let me share with you a story that was passed on to me this week from one of our members. It's called, "What Did It Mean?"

The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but three or four people are dead, and it's kind of interesting, and they're sending some doctors over there to investigate it. You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only they say it's not three villagers, it's 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs little blurb; people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. For it's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere and they have coined it now as "the mystery flu." The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, How are we going to contain it? That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen.

And that's why that night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: There's man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week before you know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. And then you die.

Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing."

Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about "What if it comes to this country," and preachers on Tuesday are saying, "It's the scourge of God."

It's Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made: "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu." Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.

And then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.

Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around, scared, with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on and if this is the end of the world.

Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me." Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. Wait a minute. Hold on! And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right type."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another-some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need...we need you to sign a consent form."

You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. "H-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says,

"We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all!"

"But-but...You don't understand."

"We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We-we need it all!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion?"

"If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign? Would you sign?" In numb silence, you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?"

Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying,

"Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say,

"Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything, happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?"

And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why - why have you forsaken me?"

And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU CARE?"

Is that what GOD wants to say? "MY SON DIED FOR YOU. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?"

A fictitious story, but the point is that God, through the sacrifice of His Son did something, for Him, love was a "verb".

There's one more application I want to make of this principle. James, this book of practical instruction, obviously taking cues from the Old Testament book of Leviticus - this book ends with an exhortation concerning prayer. We can only conclude that prayer is a love action, it's something we do for those we love.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16)

Just notice these three points

Prayer is what we do for ourselves when we're in trouble;

Prayer is what we ask the elders to do when we are ill;

Prayer is what we do for each other when we have sinned.