Dear Trinity Family & Friends,

Love is at the very heart of who God is. Scripture does not merely tell us that God gives love – it declares that God is love. From the earliest pages of the Bible to the life and teachings of Jesus, love is revealed as the defining mark of God’s presence and the distinguishing sign of God’s people. As we continue our series, Shining the Light in a Divided World, we are reminded that love is not sentimental or shallow – it is courageous, sacrificial, and transformative.

In Matthew 5, Jesus offers one of the most challenging commands in all of Scripture: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” This is not a call to passive niceness, but to holy boldness. It is an invitation to reflect the very character of God, who pours out grace on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. In a world that teaches us to draw lines, build walls, and protect our own, Jesus teaches us to widen the circle.

The apostle John echoes this truth with unmistakable clarity: “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God… If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4). Love is not optional for the Christian life. It is the evidence that God’s light is truly shining within us.

This conviction was at the core of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ministry. In his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, King dared to imagine a world shaped not by hatred, fear, or division, but by justice, dignity, and siblinghood. His dream was not rooted in political ideology, but in biblical hope – hope that one day, people would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. His vision was, at its core, a vision of love in action.

Dr. King understood that love is not weak. It is not naïve. It is the most powerful force for change the world has ever known. Love confronts injustice. Love speaks truth. Love refuses to dehumanize. Love keeps showing up, even when it is costly.

This Sunday, we will ask what it means to shine the light of Christ through love in our own time and place. What does it look like to love in a divided world? To love across difference? To love when it would be easier to withdraw, ignore, or harden our hearts?

Reflect and Prepare

As you prepare for worship, I invite you to reflect on these questions:

• Who has been hardest for you to love lately, and why?
• Where might Jesus be inviting you to love more boldly or more generously?
• How does knowing that God is love reshape how you see yourself and others?
• When have you experienced love that changed you?
• What would it look like for Trinity to be known in Huntsville as a church that loves without condition?
• How might your words, actions, or attitudes shine Christ’s love this week?
• Where do you long to see healing, reconciliation, or restoration? And how might love be the first step?

Be the Light This Week

A Christ-shaped conscience is revealed through everyday choices. This week, we invite you to Be the Light by naming one intentional act of kindness, courage, or compassion you will practice in Jesus’ name. Write it down and place it inside one of the lanterns on display in our lobbies, or submit online and we'll add your flame into a lantern. Each small act becomes part of a larger witness and illuminates our community with grace and hope.

Walk the Journey Together

Faith grows best when we reflect and learn alongside others. Our Share the Dream small groups offer space to engage Scripture and Dr. King’s writings with honesty, curiosity, and grace. Groups meet on Sundays and Thursdays. Visit trinityhsv.org/events for more information.

My prayer is that the love of Christ would take root in us and grow through us – that it would soften what has become hardened, heal what has been wounded, and bridge what has been divided. May we be a people who do not just speak about love, but live it. May our lives reflect the truth that God’s light shines brightest when love leads the way.

Blessings,

Carrie