LOVING ONE ANOTHER

IS THE WORD FROM JESUS – that he kept repeating. He did not say love the ones we find acceptable or love others that you like the looks of today. There are many specific references to our loving one another. In each case it is a direct command, not a choice we are given. In Leviticus 19 is a version of the conversation God had with Moses, giving him the commandments for the people to use in living each day. It is very close to the version in Exodus. In this version though there is a direct statement about loving each other. ” ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.’ “ There are also the instances where Jesus directs various groups to love one another. In Mark 12, he has this to say to a teacher of the law. “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” In Matthew 5 we hear it expressed in a way that confronts excuses. “42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. 43 You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” This seems to make it clear that the behavior described is what we are to do, as children of God.

Two more versions come from John 13 & 15. Just after Judas left the upper room, Jesus tells the disciples: “34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Not only are we to love one another, but it is to be a mark of whose we are. Finally the reference in John 15 puts it in perspective. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”  Taking all these together, it is undeniable that our lives should be all about love – for God and one another. We may know this in our heads, but it needs to become part of our very being, as we grow in God’s love. Loving God, we thank you for the unconditional love you give us. Help us return that love to you, by loving all your other children, no matter how they appear to us. Help our capacity to love grow as we are continually transformed.   Amen.      PEACE

THE STATE OF SIN

AND HOW IT ENCOURAGES SINS – is the wrong focus for those who love God. The unfortunate practice, of punishing the body and mind to get rid of sins, is not only ridiculous and an insult to God, but is not the direction God wants us to take. It is unfortunate that some of us have taken the approach to impress God, by demonstrating our obedience through self-induced suffering. These practices have even been condoned by some churches, and are still indulged in today, with some modern twists. They still do not please God. There are some of us who seek to impress God by doing as much good as we can, or try as hard as we can to be a “good person”. Unfortunately we may be doing this on our own, and also fail to please God. God wants a relationship with us, and all these other shows of devotion are really sin. When we make either a good or bad show, we still may have a wall between us and God. When we give God our simple devotion, we are showing our love and the desire to walk the path with God, and it is God who will help us reach a level of doing good things, and help us find the opportunities to serve God.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of two men praying in the Temple. “ ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’ “ This was a Pharisee, a man of high standing in the religious community, whom people would be impressed by and even feared, because he had authority over other people’s lives. He was focused on himself, quite literally, so there seems to be no room for God. There is only what this man wants and considers important in his own little world. The good he did could not make up for a heart and head in the wrong place. Do we hear anything about love here? Then we hear this statement: “‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” This is a tax collector, a man who has a job others despise him for. He is in anguish and sorrow, and prays to God over in a corner, where he will not be noticed by others. He comes to the temple to change his life, and asks God for mercy and relief from sin. This is a person seeking a relationship with God. It is no wonder then, that Jesus says: “14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”   O God, we are thankful that when we reach out, you are there with open arms, ready to receive us in love. Take us in, and in your merciful love, abide in us. Show us the way you will help us to live a life of love for you and others.   Amen.      PEACE

TAKE HEART

AND SERVE GOD – because we are being led. As we rise each day, we have many possibilities ahead of us. Which ones will we choose? God speaks to us of what we are being called to do. Are we listening? We are given choices of the kind of life we can live, but we are at the same time being led to live a life of walking with God. It is not an easy life, but it is full of rich blessings. It is not a safe life, because we are called to meet others and love them. This is a challenging life, but the Holy Spirit has many ways to guide and support us as we live the life we are called to live. In Psalm 16 King David glorifies and gives God thanks for what God has done in his life: ” ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.’ “ When we know this to be true for us, then we are reassured and can confidently act for God in the ways God calls us to do. Knowing this in our hearts gives us the strength to love others, even when it is not easy to do.

Once we take the risk to do what God calls us to do, we are rewarded in ways we can not anticipate. If we take the risk and show mercy to someone, when we know we should, once we do it, there will be a change within us. This makes it easier or at least motivates us to do so again. We don’t do it for the reward, but because God calls us to do it. The reward is how we are growing as we follow what God needs us to do. Each time we answer God’s call is a step in our growth. As we hear from King David again in Psalm 16:  ” ’28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ “   Loving God, we are grateful for the guidance and support you offer us through the Holy Spirit. Lead us to a life of acceptance of your call to us, and show us how to love all others around us. Help us live life courageously.   Amen.      PEACE

GOD IS WITH US

TO HELP GUARD US – from selfishness and evil intent. It is a primary concern to stay focused on the elements of our lives that are most important. Having love as our primary goal is not as easy as it sounds like it should be. Beyond the usual complications of ordinary life, there is much out there that clamors for our attention, and trying to take energy away from our goal of loving others. A blog I read tells the story of a boy, whose brother had a part-time job of assembling bikes in a store. He frequently came home frustrated by the bent and broken parts he had to cope with. So the younger brother had formed an opinion of a cheap brand of bike. Then he was invited to be part of a marketing study. He watched a 90 second commercial for that very brand of cheap bike, and came away wanting one. Contrary to his brother’s experience and his previous opinion of the product, plus his families frugal approach to consumer attitudes he wanted that bike from the ad in the worst way. He had been psychologically influenced unknowingly by the 90 second experience of that commercial. How are we influenced by ads we see, for things we do not want or need? How much are distractions like this getting in the way of our primary goal of loving others?

So at this point I might suggest that we need to be on guard, and avoid these influences. Even Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 16: “13 Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” But this may suggest that we do this in and through our own abilities, and it is just not possible to do. There is too much to focus on, and we will ultimately fail, and then feel guilty. A more helpful passage here is from 2 Thessalonians 3:  “3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.” It is only through Christ that we are able to guard against all the evil around, most of which we are not aware of. We have been given the Holy Spirit to be our protector. That is the only way we are able to focus on the primary goal of love. It is in God’s plan that when God expects something of us, we are also provided with the means to do it, and so we are given the tools and resources through the Holy Spirit in order to be successful in that love. Our only stumbling block then is to allow all this to happen, and we can pray that it will. O God, that you for all the blessings and resources you provide, so that we can live a life full of love. We pray that we may be protected from all the intentions that would get in the way of us living out this love.     Amen.      PEACE

GOD IS ALREADY WITHIN US

AND WORKING IN US – to bring us closer to the work we are called to do. Many of us watch and are encouraged by the work of the current Pope, and there is a lot to give us hope for the future. Francis is working hard to be a faithful servant of God, and carry out ministry, especially to the poor. After addressing Congress, he declined a planned luncheon with the powerful, to instead serve lunch in a local soup kitchen. He reminds me of the Good Samaritan, who did the right thing in a situation where others of authority had turned aside, and failed to show mercy. Some of us may think he risks too much at times. He is said to give his security people a hard time, because of what he does. He rides a commercial airline carrier when he travels, instead of a private jet. He considers the monetary impact, and seems to consider the poor, and those who need mercy as he carries out his vocation.

When we lay out the course for each day, what do we consider? When the Good Samaritan saw the injured man beside the road, he was willing to put his traveling schedule on hold, until he had shown mercy, and met the man’s physical needs. Besides this story, Jesus also challenged the disciples, in Matthew 25, to minister to the least powerful,  ” ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’ “  and made it clear that feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and visiting the prisoners was a priority and work that should be part of the ministry we would do in Christ’s name. Pope Francis makes it an important part of his ministry, and by example, reminds us all just how much we are all called to do for those in need.   Loving God, we are grateful for the ways we are cared for and nurtured, in your love. Help us return that love to you by giving it to others we encounter, especially those in need. Through our gracious and loving savior, we pray.  Amen.      PEACE

GOD’S GRACE WORKS

IN US TO SUPPORT AND INITIATE – deeds of love. When we give ourselves to the power of grace, unconditional love from God, then we become new and different because God is beginning our transformation. When we follow the light, everything will start to look different to us, and we will see people around us in a different way. We will be given eyes to see those we should work with and be around, because they too are on a path of light. I find myself ever on the alert to see where those who are following God’s path have gone before. But it is not me doing this, because we are given new eyes through the Holy Spirit, to discern what has been done in love and not for others reasons. In another context Paul says in Romans 5  “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” This also applies here. When we consider something like this happening within us, because we have been redeemed by Christ, it is no wonder that we see the world and people with different eyes. Then it is our choice each day, through renewed commitment, to continue to see in this way, or let it go through neglect. It is not an easy thing to maintain this new sight, unless we are living in a relationship with our creator, redeemer and advocate.

So when we are able to live in relationship, every day we will be inspired to live a life that makes a difference to others around us. Have we seen results of someone else who has left a mark on the world that comes from the pure love of God? There are many stories of someone who gives and then inspires others to do so also, without need of recognition. There is one I found on Facebook that has touched my heart. “The Buddy Bench – Walking through my sons school yard, I noticed a bench on the pavement with bright paint around it. I asked my son, “Is that the only place to sit around here? And he said, “No that’s the buddy bench ! When someone feels lonely or they have nobody to play with, they sit there and people ask them to play.” I told him how awesome that was and asked if he has ever used it? He said, “Yah, when I was new I sat there and someone came to me and asked me to play. I felt happy. And now when I see kids on it, I ask them to play with me. We all do.” What a fabulous idea for a school yard.” Someone in that school has been led, and it continues in the kindness it engenders. It also helps to block the forces that would encourage bullying, in a very creative way. Such is the effect of God’s grace being unleashed in the world. Will we be a part of this transformation for the world?  God of light and love, we thank you for the grace that helps us create new ways to show your love to others. May we continue to be inspired to pass it through us, and so be part of the transformation for the world.  Amen.      PEACE

HOW DO WE STOP SINNING

AND LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT SINS? We are not in a relationship with God, if we are asking this question. We are in the majority if we ask it though. For far too long, from the time of the Old Testament, we have been asking this question. Sin in the broadest sense is the separation from God. When we ignore or deny God, we sin. When we are determined to live a life on our own, without the grace God offers us, we are sinning. It is a matter of commitment and focus. So if we commit ourselves to love God and others, we will begin to change our focus, from self, to God and others. Our behavior will change because we have opened ourselves to God, and our intentions begin to change direction because God is supporting it. It is a process of learning from God how to love. We have let down the barrier between us and God, and God has begun to change us. When we are on the road to being transformed by God, sin is no longer a threat. A light has entered us, and it will not be extinguished once it is there. Jesus reminds us in John 8 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Once we have entered the light, the Holy Spirit will help to keep us on the path God has set for us.

We will not be perfect, but when we intend to do each day what God wants, the focus of our lives is changed. Doing wrong will not be attractive to us, but love will fill us. As we walk in God’s path we will learn to stay on that path, and trust God to do what God does. When we pray, God will give us guidance so we are able to stay on the pathway. Our focus will be on learning from God, and there will be no separation between us and God. God understands us, since we are God’s children, and when we focus on God, by definition sin is left behind. We are one with God. Jesus has made that bond possible, by redemption for each of us. We may face the temptation to ignore God, but we can pray and the Holy Spirit will be our support. Transformational God, we thank you for the grace you offer us. Help us make the commitment to follow the light, and change our focus from sin to love. Wipe away the old ideas of ever-present sin, and replace them with the new focus of our relationship with you.  Amen.      PEACE

BE LED BY GOD’S GRACE

AND DO NOT WORRY ABOUT SIN – to live the kind of life that will fill us up with love. As humans, we dwell far too much on sin instead of love. We have gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick, and do not want to let it go. For centuries, the church has made far too much of controlling sins in ourselves, rather than focus on living in God’s grace. It goes back to a time when the church was the civil authority over everyone, and chose to use the fear of sins as a way of controlling people. If they had chosen to focus on love, the world would be a much different place. But we can choose to focus on love, and change our own lives, and also affect all who we touch in our lives.

It is not just the last few centuries where we have been consumed by sin, and trying to fight against it. There is far too much emphasis on it in the Old Testament, and the authorities in Jesus day even confronted him with a woman who had sinned in their eyes. So they tested him to see what approach he would take to deal with her. The story of what happened is in John chapter 8. “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” I am sure they did not expect this challenge, because they thought it was righteous to condemn her. Their eyes were clearly fixed on the Law, and had missed the message of love. So Jesus goes even farther to turn their ideas around. “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” Her accusers had quietly slipped away, and there was no one who would bring judgment against her. There is still the question of her sin here, and his next statement gives us the beginning of how she might deal with it and we might too. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”   Gracious God, we are thankful for the direction you give us, which always leads us to love. May we learn how to live in this way, and share it with all who we encounter. In the name of the one who is light, we pray.  Amen.      PEACE

ADOPTING A NEW ATTITUDE

CONCERNING SIN – is a product of how God transforms us. Long ago, when God’s people were given the Law as a blueprint for their lives, they began to think minutely, and not relationally. God wanted a relationship with the people, but it was easier to count up transgressions. This pattern has remained, and there is much more said about sins: what they are, the varieties there are, and all the ways they can be committed. We have developed a focus on sins, and forgotten what our focus is intended to be. When we make the commitment to love God, we are giving up sin. There is no longer a barrier between us and God. We were never meant to focus on sins, but we were intended to realize a better way to live, when we live with God. When we begin on the path with God, sin is left behind, and by definition, we have moved past sin. The wall between us and God has come down, and as we grow, the mistakes will become less. If this were not true, we would find it hard to continue. We have hope for the future, because we believe God has made the difference in our lives a profound one. Hans Urs von Balthasar, in his book Prayer, says “What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.”

When Jesus says, in John chapter 8, to the adulterous woman,  “Go and sin no more,” he is making a statement of what will be, as much as telling her not to sin. This is a statement of what God will do in her, as she is transformed from a sinful person, who had a wall between her and God, to one who is on a path of God’s making. We are not the ones who direct the future, but God will be showing us that path. Our job is to keep up the relationship, through thought, learning and prayer, and God’s job is to help us stay on the path we are given. God will transform us into a new person. That new person lives life differently than when we lived our lives without God, because we are given new resources that we didn’t have before. In Isaiah 40, we hear God speak of the difference that would come into one’s life with God.   “31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”    O loving God, who transforms our nature, when we commit ourselves to loving you, we are grateful for the way you renew us and help us grow into new persons. Show us that we need not fear when we make mistakes. Give us hope in our future with you, as we seek your guidance in the way we can live lives of consequence. May we serve as you show us how to love, in all things.   Amen.         PEACE

OUR PATH WITH GOD

IS DEFINITELY MYSTERIOUS – and each step is evidence of our faith. At the beginning of Hebrews 11 this statement is made.  “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Then there follows a long list of people in biblical history who trusted God’s plan and did something significant, without knowing the outcome. We are able to put our trust in God because of what we know of God. In Jeremiah 29 God gave reassurance to the people of Israel.  “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.” And in chapter 31 God renews the covenant with them. “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

Each step on the pathway with God is a measure of our trust that God will continue to love and guide us in whatever we are about to face – each day, each hour and every minute. We have some assurance because we have testimony from the Bible stories, of many who went before us, receiving that same love and guidance that we seek. The words that come to my mind most often are “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  These words make me smile, because they were proven many times to the people of God, and they have been my experience more times than I can count. They fill me with joy since I know the truth of them, and I because of that I extend my trust in God much further than I might otherwise. It is true that the longer we are on our path with God, the easier it becomes to stay on the pathway. This is because we learn to discern when God is directing us, and are able to reject the distractions the world puts in our way. We stop questioning whether it is really God speaking to us, and become assured that we are following the voice we hear. This pathway is our relationship with God, and like a garden, needs regular cultivation and nourishment through prayer.   Mysterious God, we ask for your guidance along the path you have given each of us. As we pray, may your gracious love give encouragement and hope, so that we stay on our pathway. Thank you for the reassurance of good intentions and plans for our future, that we may always walk in your gracious love.  Amen.      PEACE