It's All About Love

This message was first delivered at Monroe United Methodist Church in Monroe, Virginia on May 6, 2018. It is based on the lectionary texts of John 15:9-17, Acts 10:44-48 and

1 John 5:1-6.

It's All About Love

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Several years ago – one of the first sermons I ever wrote, in fact – I penned a message based on the choir's anthem for that day: They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. It was the first sermon I wrote on Love and quite frankly, I've become addicted to the theme. I've spoken in a couple dozen different churches on the district and am probably close to my 50th message delivered. And 9 times out of 10, love comes onto the scene. I'm in pretty good company in that regard...

Jerome, in his commentary on Galatians, tells that St. John continued preaching in Ephesus even when he was in his 90s. Even when he was so enfeebled that he had to be carried in on a stretcher, he would lean up on one elbow and deliver his message, “Little children, love one another.” Then he would lie back down and be carried out. One day, the story goes, someone asked him why he said the same thing week after week. John replied, “Because it is enough.” It is Christianity in a nutshell. Love is the key. And it can't help weaving its way into my messages.

When I'm asked to speak at a church my first action after putting it on my calendar is to pull up the discipleship ministries' lectionary website to see what the scriptures are for that Sunday. I don't know if you are familiar with the lectionary – I really only became aware myself about 15 years ago when we had a pastor who came to Centenary who regularly preached from the lectionary and always printed next week's scriptures in each week's bulletin. A little background for those who may not even know what I'm talking about!

The revised common lectionary is a series of prescribed readings used by protestant churches in worship. It generally includes a passage from the Old Testament, a Psalm, the New Testament and a Gospel reading. It is on a three year rotation, we are in Year B right now. It is the connected worship of many denominations. A great many pastors look to those four weekly scriptures to determine their message topic for the week. Of course, there are also a great many who choose other topics to "preach on."

If you think about it though...if even 1% of the Christian congregations in the world preach on the same set of scriptures...that is 37,000 congregations all focusing on a particular aspect of our relationship with God and with each other. That can be very powerful, especially if we are intentional in the way we communicate with God - and with each other.

So I get into the Word and start looking at the scriptures for that week and thinking about the hymns and seeking God's direction. I read them in different translations and compare thoughts from commentaries written by wise and studied theologians and from time to time I even break out my copy of John Wesley's 44 Sermons. And I sometimes get myself so confused and overwhelmed I wonder when it will all come into focus.

And that particular sermon that I was working on was for the hardest audience – I was preaching at my home church, Centenary! So I was in full-on preparation mode that week when I walked into choir practice that Thursday night. And we started working on the anthem for Sunday, an arrangement of They'll Know We Are Christians. And suddenly, it all came into focus. And I knew what my message was going to be on. That Sunday morning I went into the choir room to pray with them before taking my place behind the pulpit and I do NOT know what got into me. But I basically told them that I had written my sermon around the anthem and threw down the gauntlet. They were going to need to put every bit of power behind it that could muster. I told them to bring it. And they did NOT disappoint.

From the beginning of the first stanza, “We are ONE in the Spirit, We are One in the Lord...” to a resounding “YES, they'll know we are Christians by our Love!” with the sopranos reaching straight for heaven. And I had tears in my eyes as I looked at these beautiful Christians showing me their love with their voices in worship. And they sat down and dared me bring it.

Today's passage from John is Jesus talking with his disciples. I know this will seem strange since Easter was weeks ago – but this is actually from the period of time just after the Last Supper. I can imagine the mindset of Jesus during this time AND the time between the resurrection and the ascension: almost like a coach right before the big game starts. He's trying to get these last critical thoughts into the thick-headed disciples. And he is a lot more gentle than I would be! I'd have been yelling in my stage manager's voice, “Boneheads! My time here is nearly over and you still don't get it, do you? I've got to simplify this one more time. Just stick to the basics – how about you do one thing? Love each other. Do you think you can do the one thing?”

Because what I'm asking you to do is IMPORTANT! Pay attention kids. Just as the Father loved me. I've loved you. Now do that.

Because, like the anthem says. They'll Know.

First of all, they are going to know we are Christians by the love we show to THEM. Who them? Who are THEY? Who is my neighbor?

With the recent tornado, I've heard a lot (and read a lot on Facebook) about neighbors taking care of each other. People collecting clothes, food and money. People clearing debris and gathering the few possessions that some folks were left with after their homes were damaged or destroyed entirely. Watching out for each other. Providing shelter and a shoulder to lean on. These neighbors are important. But we know from scripture that our neighbor is more than the guy who lives next door with the chainsaw. The whole world is our neighborhood.

So, suddenly – They and them are more clearly defined. They are the people on the outside who are just waiting to be invited in. I know that the last time I was here at Monroe UMC that I shared a story from Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit who began Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. The book is a collection of stories from the gang-intervention program that was started in the poorest parish in LA, center of the gang capital of the world. You don't get much more “they” than that.

In this book, Pastor G (as the homies call him) tells about the instance in scripture where Jesus is in a house so packed that no one can come through the door anymore. So the people open the roof and lower this paralytic down through it so Jesus can heal him. Although the focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic...there is something more significant happening. They're ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.

We need to rip some roofs off. We need to go outside and see the people who are hurting and need Jesus. We need to find every way possible to get them connected to the one who loves them – and let them know that he does.

I know that Monroe UMC has a rich history of reaching out. In fact when I was texting with Pastor Dalton he told me that the slogan on your T-shirts is “Love one another.” That is a great message. Jesus would wear that shirt.

There are people who are hurting out there. People who need to see the love of God. We have neighbors who don't have enough to eat, who need a listening ear, who need a helping hand to get back on their feet, neighbors who face barriers that we can dismantle. They are counting on us.

We have the power to show them God's love. But we have to understand something very important. They will experience God's love through the love we show. And they will be able to tell if it is genuine. They will know if we are helping them out of a sense of obligation or if our helping them is just an extension of the joy we have in being loved so much by God.

But who do we offer this love to?

Today's lectionary scriptures also include scriptures from Acts 10:44-48 and

1 John 5:1-6 – both of which touch on the topic of WHO should be included.

In Acts, Peter is speaking and the Holy Spirit falls on all who were listening. And the circumcised are astounded that the Gentiles are included! They know it happened, because they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God – but what the heck? And Peter baptizes them! Peterson's The Message phrases Peter's response in verses 46-48 this way, “Then Peter said, “Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.” Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.”

And 1 John 5 – the final chapter of that book begins with the awesome statement that “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.” Everyone who believes belongs. And they'll know by the love we show for them.

Is it offered to all? Is it offered without strings and conditions? Does God's love have conditions? He doesn't even demand we love him back! It is love freely and unconditionally offered – this is the love we are instructed to show to others. What they choose to do with the love is all up to them. What we choose to do with God's love is all up to us.

I feel Jesus' urgency in explaining this to his disciples. He says it's simple, keep my commands and dwell in my love. He goes on to tell them that his purpose for telling them this is so that they'll feel the same joy that he does! “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

And Jesus hits it from one more angle, just in case they don't get it (which is normally the case with us humans). Verses 12-15 in The Message, “This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.”

We are in on the secret – we know what the master is doing and why. So we aren't just blindly following orders...We Know! We are to love others the way that God loves us because it is the best way to love. Put our lives on the line for our friends. And before you get too comfortable with the concept that you only lay down your life for the people you call friends...as my youth class would say, “check yourself before you wreck yourself.” I don't think we get to limit it to only people we like. As my buddy Father Greg wrote, “Jesus says if you love those who love you, big whoo...” oh. man. He's right. How hard is it to love those who already love us? Sure, they'll irritate us and frustrate us – but loving people we already love isn't much of a challenge.

Maybe...just maybe, we're going to have to expand our circle of friends.

I am the middle child of five. Four girls, One boy – you can all pray for my brother...he deserves your pity and respect.

My sister Karen is one of those people who has never met a stranger. She can sit down at any table, on an airplane, in a church, standing in line for a roller-coaster and make friends. She just says that strangers are friends you haven't met yet. She'll ask questions, get people smiling and laughing – finding common ground with everyone. I'd like to be more like her – but I'm the person who has a random conversation starter app on my phone to help me strike up a chat with a stranger. Yes, seriously, there is an app for that. With questions like What is your favorite pizza topping? Or Where is the best place you've ever visited? Or What was your worst job ever?

Seeking common ground with and showing genuine interest in our fellow human beings is the answer to the question – what would Jesus do? Love God and love who God loves. Which is everyone – Jew and Gentile, slave and free, man and woman, no exceptions. No exclusions. No conditions.

If we are going to do what he told us – in the best way possible. Love one another as I loved you. Because they'll know. They are going to know we are Christians by our Love.

One more thought before I wrap up – an obstacle that I need to warn you about before you run into it yourself. Here is the wall that I slam into headlong on a regular basis. It can be hard to show the love of God to others if we haven't accepted it for ourselves. I'm going to own this statement for me – I have to believe God loves me in order to show that love to others.

You get me? I'm saying that I don't always feel worthy of God's love – so I reject it. I was brought up and taught to accept certain things such as God is love. I concede “God loves us,” and yet there is this lurking sense that perhaps I'm not fully part of the “us.” The arms of God reach to embrace, and somehow I feel just outside God's fingertips. Thinking that God embraces me begrudgingly and reluctantly... But that is false thinking. That is putting God's ability to love down with my defective human ability to love. As St. Paul wrote – when you completely know the one in who you move and live and have your being...then you see that it has been God's JOY to love you all along. God's joy to love me...not just put up with me. God LOVES loving you! It is his joy.

We'll know we are Christians by our love. Everyone needs to hear about this incredible. Unfathomable. Unconditional. Love. We need to hear this too. We need to come to the place of accepting this for ourselves. We need to know – we are wholly acceptable to God. And he loves us. Right here. Right now.

In Tattoos on the Heart, Pastor G relates a story about Willy. Willy has hit up G for a ride and 20 bucks. When Pastor G stops at the ATM to coax the 20 from his thin bank account Willy asks him for the keys so he can listen to the radio but G tells him to pray instead. When he returns to the car he finds Willy changed. Quiet and reflective and he knows that Willy has made a connection to God. Pastor G asks Willy how he sees God. Willy replies that “God is my dog.” (meaning his homie, good thing) Then he asks Willy how he thinks God sees him. After some thought Willy says, “He thinks I'm firme (spanish word).” In gang terms, it means “it could not be one bit better.”)

God thinks that we are all Firme. He loves us completely. When we recognize how much God loves us.

Right now.

Not when we do better.

Not when we get our checklist done: read bible daily, fast weekly, tithe, stop speeding, never lose our temper...

No, we are wholly acceptable. No conditions. Firme. Could not be one bit better.

When we dive into the depths of that unfathomable love, then we start to see the people around us differently. And this love thing starts to spread. And this just might catch on.