Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
Original Manuscript:
There is a divisiveness that has been occurring in our society, one that has only grown deeper thanks to this pandemic. It has led to a lot of frustration with our fellow human beings. We can’t seem to agree on anything, whether we are dealing with the Truth, Race, or how to respond, even if to respond, to this pandemic.
None of these issues we disagree on are small, so when we are forced to face those on the other side, it can be that much harder to love our fellow human being.
This is when we, as Christians, turn ourselves to the love of God. However, we cannot separate our love for one another from the love of the Divine. As Jesus tells us this morning, those two loves are one and the same.
Jesus says in John that we will abide in His love if we keep His commandments. His commandment is this: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
What Jesus is asking from us is not a small thing. It can be extremely difficult for us to love our fellow human beings, especially in times as divisive as now. Our fellow person is the one who has hurt us, betrayed us, broken us. How can we love this person?
But when we stop and examine ourselves, we realize that we too have hurt, betrayed, and broken others. Yet Jesus still loves us. That is what Jesus means when He says “Love one another as I have loved you.”
It can be a difficult thing to love others, especially when they do us harm. This is not the kind of behavior the world calls us to. That is why Psalm 98 reminds us that God is working something new. It is why 1 John speaks of a rebirth in ourselves resulting from God’s love. It is why Peter and the others are so amazed in Acts at seeing God work something so unexpected and new.
To love God means to love our neighbor, even when they are unloveable. We do so because God first loved us, even through the times when we are unloveable.
If you ever need a reminder that your love for God means loving your fellow human being, turn to the Two Great Commandments that we read at the start of the service. There we see that intricate connection between loving God and loving our neighbor. There we see the duty God calls us to at the start of every week, the task we are called to every day of our lives: to love God and in doing so love others as God loves us.