It’s been a trying week. England lost in the semifinal of the World Cup. I recently found out that some bands in a scene that I deeply love are fascist and antisemitic. Later I watched another guy (from a band I’ve seen live) “preach” the most hateful and disturbing “sermon” I’ve ever heard. And you know what? As much as it sickens me, I can’t hate any of them for it. I feel sorry for them, for not really knowing the true love of the Lord–Jesus of Nazareth.
Sure, that’s a weird intro to a SOTD post. But all of this got me reflecting on the nature of love, as revealed in Christ. That got me thinking about the Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 13:10: “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
That led me to Leslie Phillips, and specifically this song. Phillips was a CCM alternative pop artist in the 1980s. She eventually married famed producer T-Bone Burnett, donned the name Sam Phillips and went in a more mainstream direction (though not leaving faith-oriented reflection behind). She released 4 albums as Leslie and another 10 or so as Sam.
“Love is Not Lost” is actually less a reflection on divine love, and more a reflection on the pursuit of romantic love, and how we get our hearts broken again and again. But her reflection here is spot on:
Have I lost it all if I hope for something more
Than feeling fatalistic pain?
And if true love never did exist
How could we know its name?
Love is not lost
It’s not a lost cause
Love is not lost
It’s not a lost cause
No. No, it is not. Love is never a lost cause. Amen, sister Phillips!
