Message: “The Opposite of Love” from Rev. Tom Hathaway

What if the opposite of love isn't hate, but fear? Drawing on the First Letter of John, Martin Luther King Jr.'s interpretation of the Good Samaritan, and one of the most infamous political advertisements in American history, this sermon explores how fear shapes our choices, narrows our compassion, and influences our politics.

Scripture References: 1 John 4:16-21

From Series: 1 John: Belove(d) | More Messages from Rev. Tom Hathaway

From Series: "1 John: Belove(d)"

We progressive Christians are good at asking how God wants us to live. We’re less practiced at living with God, treating faith as a shared life rather than values we admire from a distance. First John has a word for that shared life: koinonia, fellowship, the kind of relationship where you work things out together. Over three Sundays we’ll walk this short, fierce letter and its claims: that you are loved before you are useful, that honesty makes real relationship possible, and that such love casts out fear. The title has a verb hiding in it. You are beloved, so be love.