Love This Way: John 13:31-35 - Maundy Thursday
Have you ever been “love bombed?” I hate to use the word “bomb” during a time of war, but love bombing is when a person or group of people overwhelm you with kindness, attention, gifts, affection, all for the purpose of making you feel more loved than they’ve ever felt before. It’s a technique used by cults, pyramid schemes, and potentially abusive romantic partners. Behind that “love” is a nefarious desire to exploit and control the person. It happened to me shortly after I moved to West Virginia when I was 24. I visited a nondenominational church near my apartment, and as soon as I walked through the door, I was met by their welcome team, who clearly recognized I was a newcomer. A woman, roughly my age, took me around and introduced me to several people my age who were part of the welcoming team, and pointed out the location of the bookstore, the coffee shop, and the restrooms. She then invited me to fill out a visitor’s card, which I did, though only including my name and email addr...
