One of the most intimate
things Jesus told his disciples was this simple command, “Love one
another.” And these were not mere words
because Jesus reminded them that he had shown them exactly what this looked
like. There wasn’t any speculation. He showed them a love that was compassionate,
kind, peacemaking, service-oriented, and for all people regardless of race,
sex, or creed. Through his example, I
believe that Jesus expected this to be the guiding principle of his followers
and that they would learn to wear love like they did their favorite tunic and
sandals.
Because of the short
narratives of the books and letters that follow the gospels, it is hard to tell
the exact impact this command had on the growing community of faith and the
world beyond. It is apparent that the
love of God did not eradicate hate. That
persisted then and continues to persist today.
In our modern times, we
hear about hate and we see it on display.
We see battles between ethnic groups and nation states. We hear devastated families talk about their
hate for the fentanyl crisis. We talk
about migrants in terms that are considered hateful. We even talk about one another’s voting
record and do so with hate dripping off our tongues. Some even hate the idea of free speech
because their social media feeds are filled with hate speech from hateful
people. If you do a quick internet
search, you can read article after article addressing the issue of hate in our
culture and world. And because of the
voluminous accounts of this, you could easily find yourself feeling hopeless.
Fortunately, there is
still a remnant called God’s people who gather in our houses of worship and
serve in our ministries of mission and justice.
There still exists a collective community that is trying to listen to
Jesus’ commandment, “love one another” and to expand the vision of this beyond
their church community. Just as Jesus
showed his disciples love through service, many are doing what they can to
bring love back to the world through their service. Maybe as more and more of us learn to wear
love around like our favorite outfit, we will see love overcome the forces of
hate in our daily lives and world.
I invite you to take time
and read each of the scriptures above followed by reflection on the questions
below. Pause and contemplate how you are sharing God’s love with the world. Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s
Word and the meditations of your heart.