50 Days of Love

Easter will be here before you know it. And February is the month where love seems to be all around us. So why not practice what it means to love? Why not be evidence of love in the places we live, work, and play.

We’re inviting you (and your congregation) into an experiment. This 50-day experiment is an opportunity to practice being agents of Christ’s love. As we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we need to be evidence of the resurrection.

A 50 Day Experiment

For fifty days, will you practice, experiment, and engage in being an agent of Christ’s love?

Dr. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard writes,

“…the resurrection is a continuing event which involves everyone who dares be involved in it.  Easter is not just about Jesus, it’s about you.  Jesus has already claimed his new life.  What about you?  Easter is not just about the past, it’s about the future.  Your best days are ahead of you.  The proof of the resurrection is in your hands and in your life.”

So how are we “proof” of the resurrection?

For the 50 days let’s show God’s love as proof of God’s presence in our lives. Don’t worry, the first week is all about preparation and everything you need is below. You can do this over any 50 day days throughout the year, but right after Easter might be a great time to start. This is an opportunity to demonstrate Christian love to friends, neighbors, church members and non-church members in intentional ways over 50 days.

The goals of 50 Days of Love are to:

1. Become more like Jesus by engaging in acts of study, prayer, and action.
2. Develop and deepen relationships with both inside and outside the church.
3. Experience God’s love by sharing God’s love.
4. Invite persons to participate in and experience God’s love through acts of love and kindness.
5. Promote and embody love and kindness in daily life.

Feel free to copy and paste this information your email or written communication for your local church. We invite you to use #50DaysLove on social media.

We look forward to hearing from you about the ways Christ’s love is being shared in the community.

Overview

Week One – WEEK OF PREPARATION

This week, prepare yourself to share God’s love through Bible study and prayer. If you’re already reading through scripture, use your daily reading. If not, download our daily SOAPY Bible Study as a way of preparing your heart and mind. In addition, call to mind two or three people you know who would benefit from knowing God’s love. Pray for those persons.  Pray daily for their well-being and for their openness to God’s love in and through you.  While this is a week of preparation. It is also a week to practice what you will experience in the coming weeks.

Week Two –WEEK OF LETTER WRITING

During this week, write a letter of appreciation to at least one person. It may be a letter to someone whom you have long appreciated but have never formally expressed it; it may be a letter of reconciliation; it may be a letter of encouragement. Its message is one of appreciation, of gladness, and of loyalty and friendship. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.

Week Three – WEEK OF PHONE CALLS, TEXTS, EMAILS

Your gift this week is a telephone call, text, email (or snapchat). Identify someone whom you feel you have forgotten due to the demands of everyday life. Its message may be “I appreciate you,” “Thank you,” or “You are loved.” Reassure that person that you really care for them. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.

Week Four – WEEK OF LOVE GIFTS

Take or send a gift to someone you care for to express your love for them. The old fashioned practice of taking a pie or plate of cookies can help to build goodwill, appreciation, and love. Flowers and books are other possibilities. Preferably select a person to whom you would not normally send a gift. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.

Week Five – WEEK OF PRAYER

Your gift this week is prayer. Select one or two others and pray for them daily by name. Make them your special concern for prayer. It may be someone passing through a time of sorrow or illness, a time of decisions, a time of joy and celebration, or someone you would particularly like to help. Those for whom you pray may never know, but your prayers will be particularly blessing to them if you send a card, text, or email indicating your commitment to daily pray for them. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.

Week Six – WEEK OF VISITATION

Make a personal visit to a homebound person, an inactive member, a prospective member, or someone whom you would simply like to know better. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.

Week Seven – WEEK OF INVITATION

This week is a week of invitation. You are to ask the persons you have identified during the 50 Days of Love to be your guest in worship this Sunday. You are encouraged to take this week as a week of forgiveness. If anything stands between you and someone else it is time to reconcile your differences and make a new connection. Continue to use the SOAPY Bible Study to explore the scriptures and pray for others.