Dave Matthews and Love

I’ve been a pretty loyal Dave Matthew’s Band fan for 15+ years.  As I have listened to the band and various interviews that Dave has given over the last few years they/he have become much more vocal and outspoken about what they believe to be the main issues and tragedies that humanity has fallen victim to and faces today.  Some of these issues that Dave mentions in his songs and interviews are greed, war, religion, poverty, the power hungry, and so on.  One thing I appreciate about Dave is that he is not one to simply point out what is wrong but he also talks and sings about what he believes to be the solution and hope for humanity as well.  In many of his songs (most recently ‘Mercy’), Dave talks about how ‘love is the answer’ and how people need to ‘get together and begin loving one another.’  Who could possibly disagree and say that the world needs less love?

            But as I listen to Dave’s words and songs and many others who express similar thoughts, I am again reminded that love can be a very vague word.  Love needs definition.  If I told you I painted an ‘incredible picture’ or baked ‘an amazing meal,’ my words may sound exciting but you still don’t know what the picture looks like or what the meal tastes like.  My picture needs to be seen, studied and observed.  The description ‘incredible picture’ is not enough.  Likewise, my meal needs to be experienced and tasted (preferably my barbeque hamburgers) to understand what I mean by ‘an incredible meal.’ Similarly, love needs true, honest, and complete definition and without that definition we are left with lofty undefined hopes and emotions.

How do we know what love is?  Through the life, teachings, words, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As 1 John reminds us, “How do we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”  We come to know and understand true sacrificial servant love when we come to know Jesus.  The Church, the Body of Christ, is then called to go forth and embody that love through the way we serve, the way we give, the way we sacrifice, and the way that we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us.