Put On Love

February 12, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:14

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blow Hole in the island of Maui, Hawaii)

His Love For You

January 26, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:9-13

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Garden in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Love Is Action

January 14, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:10-11

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Love God, Love People

January 7, 2021 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

All actions and behaviors of violence and destruction are wrong…the actions and behaviors of violence that took place last summer were wrong and the actions and behaviors of violence that took place yesterday are wrong…both events are same actions and behaviors. Nobody can rightfully condone violence at one event and condemn it at the other…all actions and behaviors of violence are wrong, last summer and yesterday. We need more listening that is seeking to understand even when we don’t agree, more kindness, more compassion. If we choose to condone violence at any time…we are just going to get more violence. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:31-32

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Love One Another

December 10, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”

1 John 3:11

“This is how 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. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

1 John 3:16-18

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“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 3:23-24

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Living As God’s People

November 6, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13

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“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:14

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Put On Love

July 24, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Love is about actions…love is found in our behaviors and how we treat each other. Words are cheap…love involves sacrifice, it is not a roller coaster emotion that rises and falls on a whim. Paul describes the actions of love in 1 Corinthians 13…Jesus Christ lived the actions of love in everything He did and continues to do for you and me. If you are wondering what should I do next…put on love and see where the Lord leads you. Amen.

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:11-12

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Colossians 3:12-14

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blow Hole on the island of Maui)

Start With These…

May 24, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Love God. Love People. Too often we seek power or control over situations and people. That’s what gets us into trouble. For some of us we are protecting ourselves because we have been hurt in our past…the longer we proceed carrying around the hurts of the past the longer they will damage our future. Life is not about what others do to us…it is about how do we choose to respond? Choose God, choose love…Love God. Love People. Amen.

Love God Love People by Danny Gokey

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“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[b] ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”