Images of Agape

Since joining Agape Hospice last July, I’ve been asked a couple of times, “What the heck is Agape?” On occasion, I encounter a perplexed face, as in, “What did you say?” when I tell someone the name of our agency. 

As a former church pastor, I’m naively surprised by these responses. After all, I have personally explained agape from the pulpit in no uncertain terms. I was tested on its definition by professors in seminary years ago.

As I  think about it, it makes sense that most people are unfamiliar with agape. After all, it is a Greek term and not English. Although it is used many times in the Bible for selfless, unconditional love, it isn’t actually seen in print as agape. Rather, it is translated into English as just plain “love.” In reality, the concept behind this word demands thoughtful reflection. It’s an idea that really can’t be reduced to mere words; it can only be understood through action.

For many years, I thought I knew agape, but I didn’t really know it until I came to work in hospice. Now I encounter it every day. I see it in:

●     The CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) gently combing a lady’s glistening silver hair.

●     A social worker holding the hand of a man who gasps for each breath of air.

●     A chaplain listening attentively to a young woman explaining her struggle with how to tell her teen that she won’t be there for milestone events, like hearing about her first kiss or celebrating her graduation from high school.

●     A volunteer sitting at the bedside of a dying man until the wee hours of the morning,  waiting for a family member to arrive, to ensure the patient doesn't die alone.

●     A nurse compassionately explaining to members of a family what to expect in their loved one’s final days.

I now understand agape to be a verb. My Agape teammates inspire me to be more selfless and caring, to embody what Agape is all about, and to awaken each day to the simple thought: “How might I agape today?”

Jeff Jenkins,  M.Div.

Chaplain