voluntary

-Tertullian. in his 2nd century defense of Christians, remarks how Christian love attracted pagan notice: "What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. 'Only look,' they say, 'look how they love one another'" (Apology 39).

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

God is love.

Outside of prayer and meditation on the idea of ‘God is love’, I began to study the depth of this statement as well. While reviewing the definition for the word ‘love’ – agape in the Greek – I wrote down two words in my journal that caught my eye. The first word was unconditional and this word is continually something I am learning about both by definition and experience. The second word I wrote down was voluntary.

Voluntary is defined in a couple of ways:

(1a) done, given, or acting of one's own free will; (1b) law (of a conveyance or disposition) made without return in money or other consideration.
(2) an organ solo played before, during, or after a church service. A piece of music performed extempore, esp. as a prelude to other music, or composed in a free style.

If we combine the definitions for voluntary, it might read something like: the disposition of a person who gives extempore of one’s own free will without return or other consideration not just as a virtue, but as a way of life.

Voluntary is not only a disposition, but it is a musical art form. It is a free style, improvisational piece of music (based on the prepared music) that happens before, during and after a church service. It’s like a spontaneous, extended introduction to a song. It’s based on the prepared song that you are about to perform, but it is a spontaneous expression – a sort of personal touch – that the musician adds because of their deep connection to the prepared song.

Similarly, as ‘voluntary’ is a musical art form, it should be a way of life and living for you and me. Because we are so deeply connected to the Song, the prepare music – that being Jesus – we are continually ready to create a spontaneous piece of music or a spontaneous action of love through our very being and living. Love, as defined by Jesus’ life, is unconditional and voluntary. Love has no agenda, no strings attached and it is an action that is a spontaneous – almost second nature – expression and response to daily living.