Pastor Sean DeLawder
Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran Church
(7/1) "When the Pharisees heard that he (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Matthew 22:34-39 NRSV)
I have been thinking and praying about this passage often during the past few weeks. Every morning when I turn on the news I am inundated with stories about violence. War, mass shootings, individuals being shot, car jacking’s, and on and on. And so I return to the above passage and wonder where is our love?
What does it mean to love God and to love your neighbor? What does it mean to love period? Often when we think of love we think of the feelings that we have when we are in the presences of someone who is very special to us. This could be romantic love; that exciting and stirring feeling that we have when we were first attracted to our partner. It could be that all-encompassing and indescribable feeling that we have for our children. It could be that feeling of comfort that we have when we are in the presence of our best friend, that feeling of being able to be ourselves without fear of being judged. But no matter what type of love we are experiencing, generally we associate it with a feeling; so how do we express or feel that love for our neighbor? How do we feel love for a complete stranger? How do we feel love for someone that we actually do not like or have anything in common with. How do we feel love for God who is so abstract to many
of us?
Love is more than just a feeling. When we love someone we show our love through our actions, through our behaviors. How do we know when someone loves us? We know because of how that person behaves towards us; we know because of how that person treats us. If I say I love you to someone but my actions demonstrate otherwise, then even though I have said those words that person is not going to feel love from me. If I know that my spouse has had a hard day at work and I have already started dinner and have the children’s home work finished and then I tell her to go in to the living room and relax and unwind, she will feel my love. If she comes home from a hard day at work and I say "I love you, when will dinner be ready? I am going to go in and check my emails" she is not going to feel the love that I spoke.
The same is true for loving God and loving our neighbor. It is one thing to say the words but if our actions do not back up the words then they are meaningless. If I say that I love God and then do my best to live a life in service to God then my words are demonstrated through my actions. If I say I love my neighbor but then act unjustly towards someone whom I deem different from me, then I am neither demonstrating love towards that neighbor nor towards God. If I turn my back on someone in need, then I am neither demonstrating love towards that neighbor nor towards God. One of the biggest criticisms that people have towards Christians is that we act hypocritically, often citing that we judge others differently than we judge ourselves; when we do this we are neither demonstrating love towards that neighbor nor towards God.
"And whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:44b-45 NRSV)
As Christians we are also commanded to serve, which is also a tangible demonstration of our love for our neighbor. We are accustomed to giving and serving at certain times of the year – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter. And that is a good thing, but we are called to serve our neighbor whenever, wherever and whoever is in need. I would like to stress the "whoever" because going back to the above paragraph we very often (and may unconsciously) decide who is deserving of being served and who is not.
"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well," (Matthew 5:38-40 NRSV)
So often if seems like we are living in a world of fear and that leads to violence. Fear causes us to be on guard, to react to situations in a manner of self-preservation. If someone strikes out against us – physically, verbally or even if we perceive it to be so, then we strike first and ask questions later. But again, Jesus teaches us to respond in a loving and nonviolent way. As the above passage tells us, no longer are we to respond by the adage "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" and yet that is what I wake up to on the news each morning – and even worse.
"Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12 NRSV)
Sometimes I get discouraged with humanity – I wonder where the humanity is. But I never get discouraged with God. Jesus has told us that as long as we believe and have faith that we can do even greater works than Jesus himself did. And even though it may not be easy – in fact probably will not be easy, we are not left to ourselves.
"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:25-27)
May you experience the peace of Christ each and every day and may your faith inspire you to love as God loves.
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