The Love Rally:
"All you need is love, love, love, love is all you need." The Beatles wrote these lyrics for their generation back in the mid 60's. The band members of the Beatles realized that love was an essential in life. That it was something everyone needed and longed for. Today more than ever, I believe people need to be reminded of the true message of God's love. Instead of us defining who is worthy, or what kind of lifestyle deserves the love of God, let's look at what God's word has to say about it. It says in Romans 5:6-8, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God demonstrated his great love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Christ didn't die for people who already loved him. He died for sinners...people whose lives were bound up and dictated by sinful desires that were contrary to God's will. He came to cure the sick, not the healthy. It seems this true message of love has been forgotten and buried in the pile of political stigmas we've placed on different people, as we judge whether or not they are worthy of love.
We saw that there was a need for people to understand not just love, but the love of God. With the need now identified, the interns and staff of Go International filled a busy street corner in Kansas City and began the very first LOVE RALLY to protest for love. There were thirty-one individuals standing on one of the busiest street corners of the city, as we each held a variety signs to declare one message, the message of love! The signs read: "God loves Republicans," "God loves Democrats," "God loves Prostitutes," "God loves Addicts," "God loves Homosexuals," "God loves Obama," "God loves Bush," and "God loves People"!! As we waved these signs in the air, the energy on the street corner was contagious. Cars rushed by honking their horns, rolling down their windows, and shouting, "LOVE" as they passed! Within a few minutes of standing on the street corner, Kansas City had begun to catch onto the movement of Love.
It wasn't too long before a group of girls came up to some of our interns and asked what it was we were doing. Quickly, the interns expressed the vision of the Love Rally, explaining that we wanted to share the Love of God with Kansas City and show people that everyone, no matter who they are, what their "label" is, what they have done, or where they live, that they are loved by God and by us. The girls suddenly were no longer strangers to Go International, but our friends as they took on our vision, or rather God's vision, as their own. So there we stood on the street corner that day united as one body, all-coming together to protest for love. We all came from different backgrounds, different races, with different life goals, but we had the common desire to share love. The smiles, the cheers, the volume, and the presence of love that day was something that cannot be captured by any photo. However, I do believe that particular day in Kansas City will resonate in the hearts of the individuals that we encountered. A songwriter once wrote, "Love conquers it all, crosses all boundaries and breaks down the walls." I believe this was accomplished that day in Kansas City. Walls of bitterness, rejection, of the fear of being alone and not being loved were all torn down. For some, seeing Go International standing on the corner was the answer that they needed that day, for some it may have brought them hope which was once lost. This day was a mark in history for many people's lives- for the interns, staff members, for the girls that came along side and protested for love with us, and even for the strangers that passed by us. Jesus challenges us to be love to those that we encounter, so I ask you to accept that challenge too. That doesn't mean you need to hold signs that say, "God loves you”, and you don’t even need to be in a foreign city. All you need is a desire to share love and the will to act.
Written by Go Intern: Lindsey Clark
