Date Posted: 2025-12-13 02:43:33 | Video Duration: 00:26:32
At Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, the sermon began with a touching anecdote about a recent concert featuring Andrea Bocelli and the church’s own sanctuary choir. The pastor shared how the choir’s performance moved many to tears, serving as a balm for the soul during a challenging time. This introduction set the stage for a sermon centered on love, grief, and community.
During the Advent season, the congregation was encouraged to view the world through a “lens of love.” The sermon explored different forms of love, specifically focusing on “felio,” the brotherly or sisterly love that forms deep connections. This love is exemplified in the Gospel of John, chapter 11, where Jesus learns of Lazarus’s illness but does not immediately rush to his side. Instead, when Jesus finally arrives at Lazarus’s tomb, he weeps—a profound moment that reveals the depth of his love and empathy.
The pastor emphasized that Jesus’s tears at Lazarus’s tomb demonstrate that even divine love does not bypass grief. Rather, it accompanies us through our pain. This message was illustrated with an anecdote about a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, where a group from Preston Hollow faced a challenging stretch known as “Los Hospitales.” Despite the difficulty, they found care and support along the way, symbolizing how love meets us in our hardest times.
Jesus’s actions teach us that love does not wait for discomfort to pass; it shows up in the hardest places, right in the thick of grief and heartbreak. This is the essence of “felio”—love that walks with us through life’s valleys, reinforcing that we are not alone.
The sermon concluded with a call to action, encouraging the congregation to embody this love in their daily lives. Whether by offering support to someone climbing a metaphorical mountain or simply checking in with a friend, the invitation was clear: be “felio” for someone this week.
As we navigate our own challenges, remember that love transforms and sustains us. Let us live out this love, knowing that even in our darkest moments, new life awaits on the other side.
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