May 28, 2000
Sixth Sunday of Easter

LECTIONARY READINGS
from the Revised Common Lectionary

Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

[ Read the texts at the Vanderbilt Divinity On-Line Library ]
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Everyone!

You have probably never thought of love as the most radical thing in all the world.  And more than that, you have likely never thought of love as a divisive thing.

And most times, love is not radical or divisive.  You love your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters -- and that's a good thing.  A loving person is a good person.  We would much rather be involved with loving, caring people than unloving, uncaring people.

So... how can love be radical or divisive?

***

Some years ago, I had a Jewish doctor who delighted in bantering about our respective religions.  During one visit, he asked, "Do you know what the unforgivable sin is?

"Well," I replied, "One interpretation of that question is that the unforgivable sin is to reject the work of God's Spirit."

"Nope," he said, "The unforgivable sin is to love everyone."

"Doesn't sound like a sin to me," I answered.

"Well, it is," he insisted.  "If a Jew loves an Arab, it's unforgivable to lots of Jews. Or if a Korean loves the Japanese, or a communist loves a capitalist.  Then there are democrats and republicans, labor and management, and on it goes.  No, in most places it is not acceptable to really love everyone."

When you and I look around our world, or perhaps even in our own neighborhood -- and dare I say it -- even in our own church, it becomes clear that my Jewish doctor was not too far off the mark.

Connections in the Text

The texts this week continue the themes of the inclusive nature of the love of God. All who will trust in the Lord are called to love each other with a familial love.  People of faith are those who heed the word of God and give themselves to the love of God for each other.

This is the "new thing" God is doing. Even though Israel is a special people to God, the divine intent is that the whole of creation be brought under the reign of God.  The kingdom of God is when the peace of God is in charge. When God's will prevails, all of creation is involved in the joy.  The sea roars, the floods clap their hands and the hills sing -- and all who dwell in the world rejoice.

But alas, the kingdom has yet to come.  The people of God are to be an outpost of the kingdom where the radical reign of God brings about mutual love and obedience to the divine will.

John 15: 9-17

There is an important dimension to love in this reading.  Remember the line from the old movie, Love Story where Ryan O'Neil says, "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  It is one of the dumbest line in cinematic history!

In the gospel, love, obedience and forgiveness are woven together into a dynamic whole.  Genuine love, as Jesus points out, is a love that honors and keeps the precepts (commandments) of the one who is loved.   In verse 11, Jesus explains that obedience leads to joy.  God does not make up rules and regulations to make sure than we do not enjoy life too much.  The precepts of the Lord lead to joy.  When Jesus centered the whole law in love of God and neighbor, he showed that the commandments are designed to bring fulfillment, not to detract from life.

There is "toxic" law keeping (like that which led to criticism of a man's healing because it was done on the Sabbath and there is "healthy" law keeping which is to honor the command of Christ.  Interestingly, Jesus centers the command in mutual love in the community of faith. "This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you."  In terms of the Great Commandment, love of one another is harder than love of God.  God knows that we will have difficulty loving some -- maybe even many -- thus authentic love of God is tested in our relationships with each other in the church.  Jesus notes that his love of God means that he keeps the commandments of God, which includes Jesus' self-sacrificing love for the flock. So also, the love of the disciples for each other is a mark of their love for the Master.

The message of this text is hammered home with a two pronged drumbeat:

* Keep my commandments!
* Love each other!

 Acts 10:44-48

The barrier of ethnicity is underscored in the stark words of 10:45:  "The circumcised believers...  were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles..."  The earliest crisis in the earliest church was conflict between the Jewish and gentile believers.  Did one have to become a Jew to become a Christian?  Even Peter and Paul struggled over the issue.

One of the points made in this text is that the work of bringing about unity and harmony among persons is the work of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, without that work, unity is unlikely.  Ephesians 4:1-3 is an excellent statement of this principle:

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Once the issue of whether the gentiles can be included, the next step is that they be allowed the initiatory rite of baptism.  Baptism was the first step of obedience in the Christian life.  

1 John 5:1-6

When we believe that Jesus is God's Messiah - the Christ, several things attend our faith:

* We are born of God
* We love our brothers and sisters in the family of faith
* We obey the commandments of God - choose the will of God
* Have a faith that overcome the world

The text reflects an intimate connection between faith, obedience and love.  Faith without obedience is so much talk and obedience leads to love of one another in the church.  It becomes clear that love is much more than "feelings."  The command is not "each of you should feel good about each of the others and have warm feeling for everyone."  Love in the community of faith does not exclude feelings, but it is not centered in emotions.  Love is a response to the work of God's Spirit in our lives.

Verse 6 has been the subject of much interpretation.  What does it mean to say that Jesus is the One who came by "water and blood?"  Augustine took this to refer to the piercing of Jesus' side when "water and blood" came out.  Calvin and Luther both perceived a reference to the sacrament of Holy Communion here.  Many take the reference to be to Jesus' baptism and death.  In any case it is the Holy Spirit who brings about faith in the message of Jesus who is the Christ.  However the "water and blood" is intended, it points to the incarnation of one who indeed shared our full humanity and yet was the Christ of God.  

Worship Helps

A Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 98)

Leader:   O sing to the Lord a new song,
People:  For our God has done wonderful things!
Leader:   Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth,
People:  Lift your voices in praise and shout for joy!
Leader:   For the Lord is a righteous judge who come in victory,
People:  And all the earth will worship his Holy Name!

A Prayer of Confession
O Almighty and everlasting God, our lives are ever open to your Spirit.  You know us better than we know ourselves.  Our thoughts are known to you before we think them and our words are already in your ear before we speak.  O merciful God, we acknowledge that we have often spoken without thinking and have hurt those you have commanded us to love.  We have closed our hearts when they should be open and withheld compassion when we should have cared.  O give us grace to live according to the commandment of your love and cleanse our hearts today from all wrong.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

The Lord has promised, "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." [ 2 Chron. 7:14]  Sisters and brothers, receive the good news that in Christ we are forgiven.   Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We rejoice and give thanks, O Lord, that your love is for absolutely anyone who comes to you with humble heart and a searching spirit.  You do not withhold your love and grace because of someone's nation, tongue or tribe.

We acknowledge that we are not so free from prejudice and intolerance. And yet, humbly we look to you for unconditional love -- and we rejoice with all of creation in your lavish gift of love  and tenderness toward us.  How blessed we are that we should be called children of the Living God! 

And there is something else we are aware of Lord.  At the heart of it all, we know that if your love should ever be withheld from another because of race, or clan or station in life, it could not but be withheld from us.  If you do not love all you could not love any.  We rejoice in this amazing truth!

O Lord God, we lift up our hearts in praise and open our hearts to receive the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to make our hearts your heart and our lives the vehicle of witness to your divine love!

Amen.

A Prayer of Dedication

For the beauty of the earth, the joy of human love and the wonder of your grace, we give thanks O Lord.  All of these things are gifts from you.  May the gifts we bring become instruments that will spread your gifts to others.  Amen.