John 15:9-12 (The Message)
“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love.”
“Love one another the way I loved you” ... We all are familiar with this command. It may be the best known line in New Testament scripture. We are to love each other in the same way that Jesus loves us ... But what, exactly, is that way? Jesus explains it here in this reading by saying it’s the same way the One he calls Father loves him ... But then, again, exactly what does that mean? How does his Father love Jesus? How does Jesus love us? How are we called to love each other?
I suspect it’s not that the answer is really all that difficult. If we have trouble “getting it” it’s not because it is too hard to understand. If we don’t get it it’s because we are resistant to its truth. Because to love like Jesus requires us to love completely ..... Without reservation ..... Unconditionally. Because this is the way his Father loves Jesus and the way Jesus loves us.
We humans love to slap conditions on anything we do. “I’ll love you forever if only you .....whatever,” or “I’ll recognize you as a good person if you just .....” We may not always be aware of it, but we attach conditions to everything we say and do. Every relationship we have comes with conditions attached – even our relationship with God. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had people tell me, “I asked God to do something and it didn’t happen, so I’m through with God.” It seems we don’t want the God who is – we want a God who thinks like we do and loves like we do, and answers our prayers with the answer we want. Rather than shaping ourselves to be like God, we expect God to be like us.
This reading comes immediately after last week’s story of the vineyard grower, the vine, and the fruits of that vine, where the emphasis was all about the close connection between the grower and the vine — between Jesus and the One that he -- as a man of his time, always refers to as his ‘Father’. As we discussed last week, WE come into that story as the fruit that grows from that vine, and if we are to flourish it can only be within the love that flows between the two.
So how do Jesus and God love unconditionally? Sometimes by words, but more often by their actions. God creates, God gives life, God restores life where it appears to have dried out. God provides a way where there is no way. Jesus touches and heals, gives food to the hungry, he teaches in words that ordinary people can understand, and he publicly forgives those who have stumbled and failed — even those who will eventually betray him and kill him. That’s a very high standard of loving.
This morning before coming here to record this service, I spent some time catching up on my on-line reading, including this gem from John Pavlovitz’s newest blog: Jesus’ message was one of invitation and inclusion; of a table being expanded, of the least receiving love, of the foreigner being welcomed, of the lepers being touched, of the Samaritan being good, of the starving being fed, of the entire world being loved with ferocity.
So that’s how we do it -- we love as Jesus loves us — laughing with those who are simply enjoying life; weeping with those who grieve; holding those who are alone; listening to those who are voiceless and speaking for them if they cannot be heard for themselves. In the words of Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho: “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” Don’t tell others what you think about God’s loving – show them. Do the things that Jesus did, the things he taught us to do -- live in this world and BE love — that’s how Jesus did it. That’s how it works. Just love with ferocity. Amen.
I suspect it’s not that the answer is really all that difficult. If we have trouble “getting it” it’s not because it is too hard to understand. If we don’t get it it’s because we are resistant to its truth. Because to love like Jesus requires us to love completely ..... Without reservation ..... Unconditionally. Because this is the way his Father loves Jesus and the way Jesus loves us.
We humans love to slap conditions on anything we do. “I’ll love you forever if only you .....whatever,” or “I’ll recognize you as a good person if you just .....” We may not always be aware of it, but we attach conditions to everything we say and do. Every relationship we have comes with conditions attached – even our relationship with God. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had people tell me, “I asked God to do something and it didn’t happen, so I’m through with God.” It seems we don’t want the God who is – we want a God who thinks like we do and loves like we do, and answers our prayers with the answer we want. Rather than shaping ourselves to be like God, we expect God to be like us.
This reading comes immediately after last week’s story of the vineyard grower, the vine, and the fruits of that vine, where the emphasis was all about the close connection between the grower and the vine — between Jesus and the One that he -- as a man of his time, always refers to as his ‘Father’. As we discussed last week, WE come into that story as the fruit that grows from that vine, and if we are to flourish it can only be within the love that flows between the two.
So how do Jesus and God love unconditionally? Sometimes by words, but more often by their actions. God creates, God gives life, God restores life where it appears to have dried out. God provides a way where there is no way. Jesus touches and heals, gives food to the hungry, he teaches in words that ordinary people can understand, and he publicly forgives those who have stumbled and failed — even those who will eventually betray him and kill him. That’s a very high standard of loving.
This morning before coming here to record this service, I spent some time catching up on my on-line reading, including this gem from John Pavlovitz’s newest blog: Jesus’ message was one of invitation and inclusion; of a table being expanded, of the least receiving love, of the foreigner being welcomed, of the lepers being touched, of the Samaritan being good, of the starving being fed, of the entire world being loved with ferocity.
So that’s how we do it -- we love as Jesus loves us — laughing with those who are simply enjoying life; weeping with those who grieve; holding those who are alone; listening to those who are voiceless and speaking for them if they cannot be heard for themselves. In the words of Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho: “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” Don’t tell others what you think about God’s loving – show them. Do the things that Jesus did, the things he taught us to do -- live in this world and BE love — that’s how Jesus did it. That’s how it works. Just love with ferocity. Amen.
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