May 6, 2018             As God Has Loved Us                                    

This past week, I read a story about a young preacher at his first church. This young preacher was out to save peoples lives and the world along with it. He was especially passionate about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. He preached in his sermons about the difference between love for ourselves and love for others. He preached about how love for ourselves was selfish and self-indulgent, and that the world would only be saved when we learned to love one another, as God loved us, in giving ourselves to one another as Jesus gave himself for us on the cross.

One Good Friday, the young preacher was asked to preach at the community service. There three churches gathered. In his sermon that day, he spoke about the difference between our love for ourselves and God’s love, and he spoke about how it had crept into our churches, and even into the hymnal. He held up the example of “In the Garden - he walks with ME, and talks with ME, and tells ME I am his own. It’s not about ME” he said, and then he spoke about the glory of Jesus giving up his life on the cross for us and for the world, and how in that sacrifice we needed to learn to do the same for one another.

A few weeks later, an elderly farmer, who had been wrestling with cancer, drew near to death. The young preacher rushed to the hospital to be with him and his family. Now this farmer was just like the salt of the earth people known in every church. Always there for us and for others, always finding ways to serve, always finding ways to bless others with their presence. The young preacher prayed a prayer with the family around his bed, about how God’s love in the farmer had touched the lives of the church, and how he would always be with them.

At the end of the prayer, the farmer smiled and told his family that he was ready to go, that he loved them, and he told the young preacher, how much he appreciated his constant care, his sermons, and his wonderful singing voice. And then he said, that he knew that young preacher, would sing “In the Garden” for him at his funeral, because he always loved that song. And then the farmer was gone. And sure enough, that young preacher sang “In the garden” for him, in front of the church, and the whole community who had gathered to give God thanks for the farmer.

This morning, in the gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has a greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  

I’m sure you understand, why I told the story of the young preacher and the farmer. The young preacher laid down his life, and sang that song, as an act of Christ like love for the farmer. As the young preacher had preached so passionately, God’s love is all about loving others, even if it means surrendering ourselves to their will. And that’s a struggle for people. It’s something we don’t practice a whole lot. In our worldly lives, we are in fact discouraged from practicing this kind of love for others. But this is not an abusive surrendering of our will, this is the surrendering of our will that allows others to be themselves, and frees us from the sin of needing to be in control of others. And at times, it does cost us not getting what we want, but many times getting what we want isn't good for us or others. It’s a skill that takes some practice, but it’s well worth it.

 The good news is, despite the world repeatedly telling us this kind of love is foolishness, that people have not been stopped from finding and forming friendships, the kind of friendships in which we can act on one another’s behalf. I have a number of good friends, who I trust can clearly discern the difference between their will and mine. Friends who I trust to act on my behalf, if I ever need them. Families learn to develop this kind of friendship, in which children learn to trust their parents, and parents in time, learn to trust their children. And husbands learn to trust their wives, and wives their husbands, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. They learn to act not of their own will, but in the best interests and will of each other. I know I have detoured into the word friendship, but this kind of friendship is “agape”, one of the greek words for love, specifically God’s love, the love in which we give one another life!

Where can one find this kind of love and friendship, well you can find it in your local church. Yes, there are people in churches who don't practice their religion, but there are also plenty of wonderful people who do. In 4 churches I have experience people who are truly friends to their fellow members, and truly love as Jesus calls us to love one another. 

And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ!