A sermon based on John 13:31-35
When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
In the name of Jesus; amen.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.
Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.
Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed he stood up from his meal and washed his disciples’ feet. He told them that he was going to be betrayed and as they questioned which one of them it might be Judas gets up and leaves. It is at this point that our gospel begins with events that put into motion Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Judas goes out to alert the authorities of Jesus’ wherabouts and Jesus turns to his friends and tells them that the Son of Man and God have been glorified, are glorified, and will be glorified. Then he tells them where he is going, they cannot come, however, he gives them a new commandment:
Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
It wasn’t a small matter that night and it isn’t a small matter today. Throughout scripture, when asked what the most important commandment is, Jesus always responds with a command to love; love God, love your neighbor.
And this time Jesus puts a new emphasis on the command… to love as he loved.
Reading this gospel now, knowing that Jesus is about to show his love by going to the cross, might make some of us a little uncomfortable. Are we supposed to love by dying like Jesus did? No, and Jesus says this: “Where I am going you can not come.” But, Jesus is clear that we are to love others the way that he loved. Jesus who ate with tax collectors, welcomed children into his arms, and sat down with prostitutes wants us to love the way he loved.
In 1967 The Beatles performed “All you need is Love” in front of a world-wide audience via satellite. It was the first ever live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 350 million people (perhaps you were one of them) John and Paul, backed by Ringo and George, proclaimed a new slogan for the time: “All you need is love.”
With love, they asserted, all things could be accomplished. There was nothing you could do that couldn’t be done, all you needed was love to sing the song, learn the game, make the thing, save those in need of being saved, and be you, it was easy!
I don’t think they were entirely wrong. Love is a powerful thing. There is strength in love that cannot be matched in any other way. Knowing that we are loved can give us a whole new view of ourselves and our lives, but loving changes us and it makes the world different.
Jesus’ love changed the world, it undid death, it saved us. But it was the first part of the act. Jesus’ love wasn’t meant to end at his crucifixion or at his resurrection. It didn’t end with his ascension or with the coming of the Spirit. It was the first part of a continuous action. God was glorified, is being glorified, and will be glorified in the act of our being loved by Jesus and then loving others because of it.
But we are supposed to love the way Jesus did, in an unconditional way, in a way that is active and free of judgement. It’s not meant for just one group or kind of people. It isn’t meant for just the people we know and like.
This love that Jesus wants us to act out is love for one another. It’s love for those we like and dislike. It’s love for those we agree with and disagree with. It’s love for those we live with and those who live lives we will never experience.
And it’s an active love. It’s a love that spoke truth and kindness. It’s a love that embraced the sick and cuddled children. It’s a love that washed feet. It’s a love that valued the other regardless of race, gender, and social class and it’s meant to be a love that keeps on valuing the other regardless of politics, religion, and even sexual orientation.
When the Beatles did that broadcast it was a significant event in the age of technology. It was meant to make the world smaller, to bring people closer together. We live in a time not unlike that first century world where we are exposed to all kinds of people. But the world seems bigger despite the technology that was meant to make it smaller and we have found new ways of despising one another and acting out of that spite.
But love is meant to connect us and the love that Jesus gives us freely can do that and does that. It brings us together in our faith as brothers and sisters through baptism and then calls us to live out our faith in the world, not separate from those who are not like us, but with them in love.
If all we really need is love, then we have it. We have everything because Jesus loved us, loves us, will always love us and gives us enough to share with one another.
Amen.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
In the name of Jesus; amen.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.
Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.
Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed he stood up from his meal and washed his disciples’ feet. He told them that he was going to be betrayed and as they questioned which one of them it might be Judas gets up and leaves. It is at this point that our gospel begins with events that put into motion Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Judas goes out to alert the authorities of Jesus’ wherabouts and Jesus turns to his friends and tells them that the Son of Man and God have been glorified, are glorified, and will be glorified. Then he tells them where he is going, they cannot come, however, he gives them a new commandment:
Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
It wasn’t a small matter that night and it isn’t a small matter today. Throughout scripture, when asked what the most important commandment is, Jesus always responds with a command to love; love God, love your neighbor.
And this time Jesus puts a new emphasis on the command… to love as he loved.
Reading this gospel now, knowing that Jesus is about to show his love by going to the cross, might make some of us a little uncomfortable. Are we supposed to love by dying like Jesus did? No, and Jesus says this: “Where I am going you can not come.” But, Jesus is clear that we are to love others the way that he loved. Jesus who ate with tax collectors, welcomed children into his arms, and sat down with prostitutes wants us to love the way he loved.
In 1967 The Beatles performed “All you need is Love” in front of a world-wide audience via satellite. It was the first ever live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 350 million people (perhaps you were one of them) John and Paul, backed by Ringo and George, proclaimed a new slogan for the time: “All you need is love.”
With love, they asserted, all things could be accomplished. There was nothing you could do that couldn’t be done, all you needed was love to sing the song, learn the game, make the thing, save those in need of being saved, and be you, it was easy!
I don’t think they were entirely wrong. Love is a powerful thing. There is strength in love that cannot be matched in any other way. Knowing that we are loved can give us a whole new view of ourselves and our lives, but loving changes us and it makes the world different.
Jesus’ love changed the world, it undid death, it saved us. But it was the first part of the act. Jesus’ love wasn’t meant to end at his crucifixion or at his resurrection. It didn’t end with his ascension or with the coming of the Spirit. It was the first part of a continuous action. God was glorified, is being glorified, and will be glorified in the act of our being loved by Jesus and then loving others because of it.
But we are supposed to love the way Jesus did, in an unconditional way, in a way that is active and free of judgement. It’s not meant for just one group or kind of people. It isn’t meant for just the people we know and like.
This love that Jesus wants us to act out is love for one another. It’s love for those we like and dislike. It’s love for those we agree with and disagree with. It’s love for those we live with and those who live lives we will never experience.
And it’s an active love. It’s a love that spoke truth and kindness. It’s a love that embraced the sick and cuddled children. It’s a love that washed feet. It’s a love that valued the other regardless of race, gender, and social class and it’s meant to be a love that keeps on valuing the other regardless of politics, religion, and even sexual orientation.
When the Beatles did that broadcast it was a significant event in the age of technology. It was meant to make the world smaller, to bring people closer together. We live in a time not unlike that first century world where we are exposed to all kinds of people. But the world seems bigger despite the technology that was meant to make it smaller and we have found new ways of despising one another and acting out of that spite.
But love is meant to connect us and the love that Jesus gives us freely can do that and does that. It brings us together in our faith as brothers and sisters through baptism and then calls us to live out our faith in the world, not separate from those who are not like us, but with them in love.
If all we really need is love, then we have it. We have everything because Jesus loved us, loves us, will always love us and gives us enough to share with one another.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment