Loving God, as you opened the tomb and raised Jesus to new life, so open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit that as your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today, and in confidence go forth to live what you show us. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today we speak in the name of Christ Jesus about love - about Christ-like love - about the kind of love mothers - and fathers - and indeed each one of us - are called to have - and by the grace of God - do have - should we in fact be following in his steps through faith.
We know the commandments concerning love - about who we should love and how we should love them.
What is the greatest commandment Jesus is asked. And he replies: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and the second is like it - love your neighbour as yourself.
A certain rabbi writing about the second of these laws, as it is found in Leviticus 19:18, tells a story that goes likes this:
A Russian peasant farmer who never left the small and parochial surroundings of his town had occasion to come the big city of Moscow. He arrived at the elegant hotel with mud on his boots and overalls looking completely inappropriate. The man at the desk assigned him to a room on the top floor and treated him as any other paying customer.
With key in hand and a few possessions he started the long climb to the hotel room. On the first landing there was a full-length mirror. The man who had never seen himself before was suddenly startled and frightened by the imposing image before him. He growled and barked to scare the him away - only to find that the image in the mirror was willing to threaten and shout the same.
He ran to the next floor and confronted the fearsome giant again exchanging harsh looks and almost coming to blows. On the third floor they stood nose to nose and exchanged simultaneous insults as a deepening war-like attitude was taking root in both of the them.
Realizing that there was no where to escape this ugly beast-like fellow who was aggressively stalking him in the hotel he ran quickly back to the lobby and to the front desk to file a complaint. After having given a detailed description of the perpetrator the man at the desk understood that the he had met the enemy and it was the man in the mirror. So as to save the face of his guest and to disengage the hostility he offered simple advice.
He said, "The fellow who you confronted is here to protect people. He is really quite harmless. Trust me. If you will show him a harsh and angry countenance he will do the same. However if when you see him you just smile pleasantly and continue on your way he will nod and smile at you as well. Enjoy the rest of your stay."
That's what he did and remarkably that's what happened...
King Solomon is reported to have once said: "Like the reflection of a face in water so is the heart of one person to another."
To love another is a difficult thing - especially when our experience of love is flawed, especially when we are unaware of how much we are loved, and most especially when the reflection in the water is full of anger or bitterness or resentment - as so many are.
To really love another we often need a standard or guide to follow and within that standard or guide - we need help - help to not only know what love is - but to know that the love we need is within us; that it is embracing us and has the power to embrace others through us, especially to embrace those others towards who we do not feel love.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself.
These commands, Jesus said - and all the Rabbi's agreed - summarize the Law and The Prophets, that law which Jesus says will not pass away until all is accomplished.
To that law - that law which can be most difficult for us to keep - Jesus added one commandment, and one commandment only, during the three years of his ministry - the commandment heard in our Gospel reading this morning - the one given by Jesus as Judas departs from the Last Supper to betray him to his death.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
As I have loved you, so you must love another.
And how is it that Jesus loves us? Is it not by giving himself away for us? By blessing us even when he knows that we are not following - and perhaps will not follow him? By being pro-active in love - rather than simply reactive?
Look at the cross. Look at this table where the Lord's body and blood are lifted up so that we might remember.
This is the love that seeks to embrace us.
This is the love that is more than simply our guide and our model.
It is the love that when received - is more than able to pour itself out upon others, no matter how we might "feel" about them.
It is the love of the one who gave himself for us while we were yet enemies of God; the freely given love of the one whose faithfulness destroys our death and whose resurrection restores our life.
A story is told about a teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on.
He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked and sure enough, they were.
It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off then it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet. He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to.
Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said,"They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them."
She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots..."
Ever have one of those days???
I think all of us do. The question is - will we bite our tongues - and do that good thing we desire to do? Will we face the countless little crosses that appear before us each day? Will we willingly taking on the burdens that should not be ours to take - despite a lack of appreciation and understanding among those whom we are helping?
This is what love does - it accepts the little crosses, knowing that the large cross has already been taken for us, knowing that because Jesus has accepted us, so we can accept others in his love - that we can trust them into his care, his judgement, his mercy, and his righteousness.
And never more so than with those towards whom love is hardest to show, the self that fears the evil within - that stranger that we see in the mirror - and the other strangers, those who are not in the mirror, but who stand before us in person screaming words like "crucify him" and holding in their hands the nails of execution.
Love one another as I have loved you.
This means be open to the new and to that which was previously impossible for us to be open to, to be open - as Peter, in today's reading from the Book of The Acts of The Apostles, was open - open in his imperfect - human - but inspired way - to those he considered unacceptable, to those that all the apostles had previously thought to be outside of the loving embrace of God, open to the gentiles - the foreigners - to those viewed by all as unclean - as unholy - as undesirable.
For us that may mean be to be open to those that our wisdom and our feelings tell us to be unclean, unholy, unacceptable, and undesirable.
For some that may be someone in their own family who has hurt them beyond words. For others it may be the nameless beggers from Mainland China who beg in our streets. Or the sinners who enter into our homes to steal not only physical treasures, but to rob the entire human family of its joy and hope. For still others it may be an employer, a debtor, or some group of persons that have done us or our world an injury.
God will judge all people. Not us. Blessed be God for that!
Blessed be the one whose love does not fail - and who wills to give us that love, and who vows to take care of all who follow him, to nurture them and help them to grow and to usher them into the blessedness of his eternal kingdom.
God will judge all people. Not us. Love one another as I have loved you!
God asks a question of his people through the prophet Isaiah, in the 49th Chapter of the Book of that Prophet. He asks of his people who are in exile for their sins: Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
And he answers: Even these may forget. Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Christ has inscribed us on the palm of our hands. He does not forgot us.
And so the answer to question of the love of God for us is also answered with a promise - a promise that came to pass for Israel, and even now is coming to pass among those of us who are willing to see: Your builders outdo your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go away from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall put all of them on like an ornament, and like a bride you shall bind them on. Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land - surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
Love one another as I have loved you.
God loves us most powerfully. And gives us the power to love others.
Would you love someone today that you find it hard to love? Then know that God loves you - that God loves you without condition and will make your life full and abundant as you turn to love others with his love.
Another story for today: An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws.
"You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a girl in the line said to the little fella. Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his head.
His grandmother knelt down next to him. "I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!"
The boy looked up, "Really?"
"Of course," said the grandmother. "Why just name me one thing that's more beautiful than freckles." The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face, and softly whispered, "Wrinkles."
May all our friends - and all those who would be our enemies if we let them be, have beautiful freckles and gorgeous wrinkles. Let go and let God, and love one another as Christ loves you - with a love that saves and redeems his people - both Jew and Gentile alike. Blessed be God's name, day by day. Amen.
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