UCA SA - Reflection of the Week

Love made practical

by Clive Conway

Easter is not just about something that happened; it is about a life that keeps unfolding. In the lectionary readings for this week, resurrection faith is shown not as certainty wrapped in dogma, but as courage, curiosity, and love made practical.

In Acts 17:22–31, Paul stands in the Areopagus, surrounded by many gods, many stories, many truths. Rather than condemning the Athenians, he begins with affirmation: “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way”. Paul points to a God already present, “not far from each one of us”, “in whom we live and move and have our being”. God is not confined to one tradition or language but is already at work in the questions, poetry, and longing of the world. Faith here is not about superiority or exclusivity, but about finding words of hope that connect resurrection life with real human experience.

In John 14:15-21, Jesus’ words echo this same openness. Love, he says, is not proven by correct belief, but by how we live: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. And the commandment, again and again, is love. Jesus promises the Advocate (or Helper or Comforter) – God’s Spirit of truth, not hovering above us, but dwelling among us and within us. We are not abandoned with our hard questions, our grief, our trauma; the Spirit of truth stays, teaches, and reminds us of who we are called to be.

1 Peter 3:13-22 recognises that living eager to do good and right will not be easy. Choosing compassion, justice, and truth will not guarantee our safety and can still lead to suffering. Yet the resurrection story insists that suffering is not the final word. God meets us even in the depths, bringing life where despair seems strongest.

We are invited us to trust in a God so much larger than our boundaries and our imagination, nearer than our fears, and alive in our love and our loving actions. Christ’s passion and resurrection live wherever we dare to love boldly, speak humbly, and walk faithfully into a world already filled with grace.