Somebody to Love

A successful song generally has a really good lyrics, instrumental arrangement, or musicianship. Hopefully all three. Most would say the Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” had all three. Kantner’s guitar work, a super clean arrangement, and Grace Slick’s laying down those lines, “You better find somebody to love” ranked the song right up with the most enduring songs of that decade, and earned some great spin-offs and covers since then. It opens,

When the truth is found to be lies,

And all the joy within you dies,

Don’t you want somebody to love?

Don’t you need somebody to love?

You better find somebody to love!

In today’s sermon at church the Scripture came up, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” So often that verse has sounded like it was about having the right attitude toward God, or toward people, but after a time of solitude it had a different ring. With the Spirit’s direction we can love God, as far as putting His agenda first, or seeking to spend time with Him in prayer, but “how can we say we love God, Whom we cannot see, if we aren’t loving our neighbor whom we can see?”

To see Western Christians today one might think that Jesus spent His days tapping folks on the heads, “You’re saved! You too! And you!” one at at time and sending them on their separate ways. In reality, He gathered His disciples together as a group, and even when people crowded in from Points Unknown to hear Him teach He tended to have them sit down for a meal together. All the Old Testament writings are to a people, and in the New Testament the four letters written to individuals are still in the context of the Church to which the addressee was part. In fact, while each of us answers individually to God for his or her own life, He sets us into His Body, and deals with us in terms of our place in that Body (for He is the head). Some things we want in life, and a few things we need. We need somebody to love!