Love One Another

by Pastor Kathy Barlow-Westmoreland

This week's focus scripture is John 12:31-35.

It seems odd…we are post Easter now, in fact we are almost standing with the disciples as the mighty wind and flames of Pentecost bring the power of the Holy Spirit to the church. And the gospel text takes us back in time- back before the resurrection, before the crucifixion. We are back in the upper room with Jesus and the disciples. He has washed their feet. He speaks those eerie words about someone betraying him. Judas has just left to do what he had to do.

And Jesus again speaks. He speaks of his glory and God’s glory- a glory that is to be realized in the present moment and the moments that will follow. Which is also odd, given that these will be moments, hours, in fact, when the Son of Man will seem anything but glorious. Vulnerable, beaten down, humiliated, yes…glorified? Not hardly. But we are learning that many of the words Jesus uses do not have the same meaning for him as they do for the world. His glory will not be in military or political victory, his glory will be seen in sacrificial love, in laying down his life.

Time is growing short, in few hours they will come to arrest him. He is leaving them, and they cannot follow. I can remember as a child that it did not matter when my dad was going, I wanted to go with him. To the hardware store? Sure! To his lab on a Saturday morning? Absolutely, even if it meant getting up while it was still dark to drive to Topeka. No place was too mundane, too boring…if it was with my dad. I don’t know how I would have felt if he had said, where I am going you cannot come along. I know I would have been hurt, but I also would have been worried—this place, is it dangerous, is that why I cannot come along? Is it only for certain people, like grown ups? I would have had questions and concerns, to be sure.

I am certain the disciples did as well. For they were following him everywhere, why he could not hardly get a moment to himself for the past three years! And this talk of death and betrayal…now he is going somewhere and they cannot follow? In verses that follow this, Peter speaks for them all, when he questions why, and pledges his allegiance. But Jesus’ answer remains the same- you cannot come with me.

But he doesn’t leave them without instruction-in fact a new commandment: love one another; as I have loved you, so you are to love one another. Love one another? A new commandment? I think not! Why it is one of the first commandments ever- love your neighbor as you love yourself! Why Jesus even said it was one of the most important commandments, right up their with loving God with all that is in us. Love is new? What is this about?

The new part comes in one very small word…the word as. Love one another as I have loved you. This love is not in the likeness of Christ’s love, it is not some human imitation. We are to love as we are loved by Christ. This is not some kind of souped up version of human love. The love of Christ is of a different kind and quality altogether. This is not just a warm fuzzy feeling. This is not just laughter and fun. This is not even deep heartfelt emotion. Although this often what we think of it, and how we try to fill in the gaps as we try to love in the way of Christ.

Think of how we are loved by Christ. Unconditionally, no matter who we are, no matter what we’ve done, no matter how many twists and turns our life path has taken, we are loved. We are loved sacrificially. Christ gave away all he had, including his life, because he loves us.

Now, I don’t know about you, but loving unconditionally and sacrificially does not come easily to me. I start to wonder if they are deserving of my effort. I often confuse liking someone with loving them. I keep wanting to put down conditions, guidelines for who I ought to love and how much sacrifice I should make for them.

There are times when it is easier to be critical than loving…and sometimes when it is easier to just be friendly, that actually love. You know, just keep the relationship at the surface- don’t go deep, don’t fully commit to the other’s well being. Just keep it at arm’s length.

Imagine if that was how Jesus had loved…who would have been healed? How many would have been fed? What would he have done when he was tired and ached to be alone? He simply would not have been Jesus.

The truth is, we can’t be Jesus either. We cannot on our own, conjure up this kind of love for one another. It isn’t in our make up- this is divine love, not human love. We cannot learn it as a skill, we cannot make ourselves more loving. For this love comes to us as gift.

I always feel guilty about gifts. When I first started in ministry, there was a strawberry patch at the parsonage where we lived. I did not plant it, and slowly learned about tending it. But I certainly enjoyed the harvest each year. These strawberries were gift, and at first, I did feel some guilt pangs to eat that which I had not sown. So, in succeeding years I would make jam and give it away, or I would simply share parts of the abundance with our neighbors, particularly Dorothy who lived across the street, who I am sure very seldom had fresh anything. Because this was gifted me, I had some of that gift to give away as well.

That is what this love Jesus commands of us is- it is gift. He has gifted us with this love to such an extent that we have an abundance, certainly enough to give away as gift ourselves- with no expectation of return or gratitude, given, not because they deserve it, anymore than I deserved those strawberries, anymore than I deserved the Savior’s love.

It is that love, lived out among that will be the sign that we are followers of Jesus. How will people know that we are a community of disciples of Jesus? Because of the cross on our sign? Because we have the word church in our name? No, it all comes down to this. The people of Delhi, our neighbors in Green Township, and Covedale and Price Hill, they will know we are followers of Jesus by the love we give one another. They will know we are following Jesus because they will experience us giving grace and forgiveness to one another, they will see that what we offer comes without conditions, without prerequisites, they will learn that our only agenda is to love…to give love as we have been given love.

How will that look? How will giving the loving of Christ look here and what will it sound like? It will sound like prayers going up, it will sound like words of forgiveness being offered. It will look like a willingness to give time even when you have a million more important things to do. It will be patience with one who just cannot seem to make the right choices. It will look like someone sitting with another for as long as it takes for them to unwind their pain or hurt. When our neighbors see that is how we treat each other, and indeed what we are ready to give to them as well, they will know that we are disciples of Jesus.

You see, we can never fully deserve the love of Jesus. No matter how good we are, no matter how much we pray and read scripture and try to be faithful. We cannot deserve it. Once we own that, believe that, then we know that this love is not ours to keep, but a gift to be given away.

In a few moments we will gather at the Lord’s Table, a tangible sign of this sacrificial gift of love. There is nothing we can do to be worthy of eating and drinking at this table. But we do not have to earn it- it is all gift, given in love- a love we can only experience, since we cannot even imagine its height or depth. And so we come, knowing we do not deserve it, but knowing that Jesus so wants us here, in fact delights in our presence.

As we receive this gift of bread and cup, let us remember all the gifts of love we have been given, and strengthen ourselves to start giving it all away. Amen.

St. John's Westminster Union Church
1085 Neeb Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
(513) 347-4613