Without Love

Thursday, April 2, 2026 - Maundy Thursday

The Rev. Morgan Annable

Allied Person of Faith

Quote

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now, I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:31-35 (NRSVUE)

Reflection

Like many who might be reading this devotion, I am a huge theater nerd. One of the defining movies of my childhood was the film adaptation of Hairspray. There’s a song in the musical called “Without Love.” The lyrics say, 

“Cause without love, life is like the seasons with no summer. 

Without love, life is rock ‘n’ roll without a drummer….

Like a week that’s only Mondays

Only ice cream, never sundaes

Like a circle with no center

Like a door marked “Do not enter!”

Darlin’, I’ll be yours forever

‘Cause I never wanna be

Without love.”

Maundy Thursday is Jesus’s “Without Love” moment. 

Gathered with his friends the night before his death, Jesus tells the disciples (over four whole chapters) all the last things he wants them to know, including the new commandment he gives them: love. That’s all that’s really required of you: to love. Because without love, the rest doesn’t matter. 

A person I see embodying this kind of love in our world today is Alok Vaid-Menon (they/them). Alok is an activist, author, comedian, and poet, who often gets hate comments on their social media accounts. Alok finds ways to respond to those harmful comments with truth and love, often stating “you clearly have the need for my love!” and “hatred is love that has lost its way.” 

As an ally, such comments amaze and move me, seeing the ways that someone who has been the recipient of so much hate still expresses love in return. I am continually inspired by the acts of love I witness from the LGBTQ+ community, their resilience, and the ways such love changes our world. What a beautiful reflection of Christ among us. 

As we look toward the cross and the tomb, and eventually to Easter and the resurrection, we are reminded that love is really all that matters to Jesus. Even to the end, even in the face of those who wish him harm, somehow, Jesus continued to show love. Because it is love that transforms the world’s hatred, and it is love that changes our world for the better.

Reflection

1. What does the quote “hatred is love that has lost its way” (Alok Vaid-Menon) mean to you? How have you experienced this to be true in your own life?

2. How can you cultivate love for yourself today?

3. What boundaries do you need (for yourself and with others) for healthy love to thrive in your life?

Action

Practice a Loving Kindness meditation to cultivate love for yourself and those in your life. You can find a written guide to the meditation at A Baltimore Therapist’s Complete Guide to Lovingkindness Meditation (https://www.elliemillertherapy.com/blog-/a-complete-guide-to-lovingkindness-meditation). You can also search for a Loving Kindness meditation guide on YouTube or Spotify.