Acts
11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
This
short passage from John’s Gospel comes during the last supper; it’s a part of
the sermon Jesus gives to prepare the disciples for life after he dies. The
last part is so familiar, we know it by heart: love one another as I have loved
you. We know it in our minds, but it’s so hard to live it in our lives.
How
do we love like Jesus? To answer that question, we must first know how Jesus
loves. He heals the sick, casts out demons, raises from the dead, eats with
sinners, calls tax collectors and fishermen to follow him, talks about God and
God’s purposes with women and Gentiles.
Jesus
does lots of things the people of his time believed were against the will of
God. Jesus loves those who in his time were unlovable and untouchable.
… How
Jesus loves was very much on the minds of the first Christians. In the story
from Acts, Peter is telling the Jewish Christians about his encounter with the
Holy Spirit and some Gentiles. He faces the same kinds of criticisms that Jesus
faced – “Why were you eating with unclean people!?”
Peter
explains the vision he had, which sent him to a Gentile family. In this vision,
he suddenly understands that in God’s eyes there is no difference between Jew
and Gentile. The Jewish believers were dismayed, then amazed, and then agreed
that this is the way it should be. To love the way Jesus loves means to accept
all people into Jesus’ family.
… By
the time Revelation is written at the end of the first century, the believers
have had more time to consider what it means that Jesus loves us. His life, ministry,
death, resurrection and ascension mean that our God is in control, even though
crummy things happen in the day-to-day reality of living. Ultimately, those who
oppose God and God’s purposes will be conquered. When God’s purposes win, there
is new life.
We
think of this new life as an already-not-yet condition. Instead of heaven being
located somewhere above and beyond us, the revelation to John of Patmos insists
that heaven is here on earth. God dwells with us in God’s new dwelling place – on
earth. The old way of thinking about where God lives has passed away, and the
new way of thinking of God is now a reality. God’s dwelling place is not
somewhere far away, but right here with us.
Since
God is so close to us, God is able to tenderly care for us when crummy stuff
happens. God is able to wipe away tears, end hunger and pain. Recently, the
slogan or motto of the ELCA was “God’s work, our hands.” God accomplishes
divine purposes through us, sending us to wipe away tears, feed the hungry,
heal the sick. When we care for one another, we are doing God’s work, loving as
Jesus loves.
… In
real life, this happens in many ways. Here are two stories I heard this week.
You may have heard them too.
I
heard an interview Terry Gross did a few years ago with George Jones, who died
this past week. In the interview, Terry asked George about his early battle
with an addiction to alcohol. George laughed a little as he shared that yes, he
drank some as he performed and he thought the alcohol made his performance
better. However, after he entered a recovery program, he found out that his
assumption was definitely not true. Once he completed his program, he
discovered a new life free of his addiction. His relationships were better, his
performances were better, and it was a new life for him.
… Two
little boys tell their very touching story. Jonah has a liver condition which not
so many years ago was fatal. Jonah’s parents help him manage his disease and he’s
doing OK as long as they manage his condition exactly as required.
One
day, Jonah’s best friend Dylan decided he wanted to help his friend. His mother
suggested a lemonade stand or a bake sale, but Dylan decided to write a book.
By the next day the book was written and illustrated as only six-year-olds can
do. Family and friends raised funds to publish the book. The money raised goes
to find a cure for the disease. In the meantime, Jonah and Dylan are hitting
the road to publicize the disease and the book.
The
book is called Chocolate Bar, because
chocolate bar means awesome to Dylan. He says, “Helping my friend is the
biggest chocolate bar.” Whether these
families believe in Jesus or not, Dylan is teaching his friends and family and
the world what it means to love like Jesus loves.
As a
congregation, we try to love like Jesus loves. We make quilts, fill shoeboxes,
give offerings to the congregational budget and to ministries beyond the
budget. We bring in food and pack backpacks and buy Christmas gifts.
As
individuals, we try to love like Jesus loves. We are kind to strangers; we
offer a helping hand and a car ride; we bake casseroles and give cards; we show
up; we invite our friends so they, too, may know about Jesus’ love.
What
do you do to love like Jesus loves? This week, I invite you to think
about the big and little things you do for others as loving the way Jesus
loves. We are not perfect at it, but we make a good effort at being loving most
of the time. The more we connect what we do with how Jesus asks us to be,
the
more we will love as Jesus loves,
and
the more we will fulfill God’s purposes on earth,
and
the more we will discover that the world we live in is being made new by Jesus
every day.
Please
pray with me. God of love, you promise to make all things new, but we don’t
always see much that is new or good. Help us to be your hands and feet bringing
about the new life of a loving relationship with you. Help us to love as you
love, so that there will be places and times when your presence among us is
impossible to ignore. Amen
