The 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C

Living a New Commandment

Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35

In considering the readings for this week I found myself wanting to know and understand what it is the average person on the street thinks about Christianity, and in particular about what we as Christians stand for. I turned to You Tube, and of course, there were many videos interviewing people about exactly that. From my perspective all of the stereotypes appeared. Christians have lost touch, are boring, judgemental, hypocritical, fanatical, strict and rigid in their beliefs, biased, prejudiced against gays. I heard that Christianity makes no sense; that Christians think they are perfect. Several thought that Christians are anti-science, discounting evolution and the existence of dinosaurs. Many people said that they had no need of organized religion or opined that it is simply propaganda. Others felt a sense of loss that they did not go to church but felt that they would be outsiders who simply did not belong. Many of them said that Christians are good hearted. They said that churches provided a place where you can go when you are in trouble. It was a useful process that reminded me of the plurality of the society in which we live and of how out of touch we can become as Christians. How do we become an inclusive community of faith that is able to minister to the needs of an ever changing society?

That is not a question unique to the twenty-first century. It is something with which the early Christians had to grapple. They were Jews who were redefining an ancient religion. Even beyond their difference of opinion with their Judaic roots, the early Christian Church in Jerusalem was divided into two further camps; Paul on the one hand was liberal, having done a ninety degree turn around from his Jewish roots, while Peter was conservative, kosher in his views. Suddenly Peter realizes and begins to proclaim that one of the sacred cows of Judaism has crumbled before his very eyes. It finally comes to him that “God is no respecter of persons.” Of course, that leads to a dispute with the Jerusalem Christians to whom he is aligned, so Peter recounts the vision that God has given him that has changed his perspective.

“I was praying,” he says. “I saw a sheet lowered in front of me and it was filled with four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles and birds. The voice told me to kill and eat. I protested, saying that it was unclean. The voice said to me, ‘What God has made clean you must not call profane.’ He explains to them that he had the vision, not once, but three times. He goes on to recount how God lead him along with six others of the community to the household of Cornelius in Joppa. There they witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his household. They were amazed that God could give the same gift to a Gentile as had been given to them. Peter recognizes that in every nation are people whose worship is acceptable to God. God is indeed no respecter of persons.

It is not something that we as Christians are quick to recognize, even about our own faith. We are a divided Church; there are denominations, there are sects within denominations; there are liberal and conservative views; there are fundamentalists. The question still remains: Who do we hinder from coming to the table? How do we come to terms with the diversity of the Christian faith? How do we even begin to understand that people of other faiths also serve God.

How do we learn that lesson? Is it not exactly the same way that Peter learned it? Is it not through our relationships with people that we come to that understanding? As a woman priest I have had to overcome stereotypical thinking in every parish in which I have served. I was the first woman to serve in my curacy and in both of my parishes. I have to say, as time goes by and more people experience the ministry of women it becomes easier. Perhaps you have watched The Vicar of Dibley. In the first episode Geraldine Grainger goes to Dibley to meet her congregation. She is met at the door by David Horton, the chair of the council. She notes the look of dismay on his face when she explains that she is the new Vicar. “Oh, I see you were expecting a bloke, beard, Bible, bad breath?” she says to him. “Yes! Something like that,” he replies. Then he introduces her to another of the members of the congregation. “This is Geraldine. She’s the new Vicar.” “No she’s not!” he replies. “She’s a woman.” I have to say, the conversation is not that far off what I have experienced from time to time. And yet like Geraldine as I have developed relationships within the parishes those responses have changed to positive ones. One dear person in my parish in Mississauga admitted that he had grave misgivings when he first heard that I was to be the new Incumbent. He left for a time, but was drawn back to his home church, and eventually became my warden and a real support to me in my work there.

What my parishioner discovered, what Peter discovered, what we all need to discover, is that no discrimination no matter how biblically based we believe it to be can stand in the way of God’s love. That is the overriding message of the gospel. Jesus offers a new commandment, that we love one another as God has loved us. The old commandment said that one should love neighbour as self. That means we love, not because we like or are bound by family, or because of geography, but because they are redeemed. That is a good commandment. It is the basis of the Golden Rule that finds it way into every religion. The new law goes beyond that; it demands that we love better than ourselves, so that we would die for our friends. Jesus does not just command us to love; he actually loves even more than we can ask or imagine. To follow Christ, to be disciples, we must by the grace made available to us love our brothers and sisters within the human community. What we do for our neighbour we do for Christ. Love is the evidence of our Christianity. It allows us to see Christ in others. It breaks down the barriers. It demands that we choose love, that we do the loving thing.

When did you choose love? When did you do the loving thing, maybe not perfectly, but a loving thing just the same? When did you offer love that put the other first even while it hurt you? When did you love someone who was difficult to love? When was the love you offered rebuffed? How were you able to resolve a situation with someone you just could not love?

The kind of love Jesus spoke about calls us to generosity. It is a giving, not of material goods, but of oneself, sacrificial giving. Not many are called to the ultimate sacrifice, but we are all called to sacrificial love. God’s grace is free; love, on the other hand, is costly.

It requires a commitment to a spirit of giving. It is something we experience and live. It is lived out in community by the care we have, one for another. That is why it is the mark of the Christian.

How do we show that kind of sacrificial love? Do we show it in the respect we have for the human family? Do we really care for our planet? Do we care for, and nurture others? Do we show it in our values in a society that struggles with issues that devalue human life? Do we show it in our response to the aged, the abused, the hopeless? Who do we love? Who should we love? It goes back to Peter’s understanding that God is no respecter of persons. When we exclude people because they are different than we are, or because they are poor, or uneducated or gay we give lie to this truth. We give lie to the truth of the great commandment.

Love clearly has to do with caring for others. If we do not care about others, then no amount of churchgoing, no amount of money, no amount of faith, will give us any cause worth working for. How can we even believe in God if we lack concern for others?

Love is not some sentimental thing. It is shown in our lives by our genuine, sacrificial, Christ centred love for others. It doesn't come naturally, or all at once. We must be empowered to do it. It begins with us, now, right where we are. Once in a while we are graced enough to recognize it and to come to a sudden, clear recognition of the risen Christ who lives in those we love.

Proper 30, Year A

Acts of Love

Readings: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46

“What is the most important commandment?” Jesus is asked. He answered with absolutely no hesitation. His answer, the shema, came from the Torah. Scripture comes in handy when you are put on the spot. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Jesus knew that there is ultimately one law only, the law to love. It is a law to love God with every part of our being, to love God totally. He knows that love of neighbour and love of self are inseparable from love of God. It is through opening up ourselves to love God, to come into relationship with God, that we learn to love. It is through experiencing love that we become loving people. It is through experiencing love that we enter into relationship with others and ultimately with God.

Unlike the Ten Commandments, the law to love is not simply a set of rules, but a way of life. I was reflecting on the overriding nature of the law to love. How different it is from the law as we know it. Are there other situations in life which are governed by such all encompassing laws?

This past week I was on the way to a meeting. I found myself driving through heavy traffic, something I am thankfully able to avoid most of the time. One driver was obviously in a great hurry. He cut me off forcing me to slam on my brakes. I must admit to you, my immediate thought was revenge. At that moment I wanted to chase him down, honking my horn loudly all the way, making certain that he knew the error of his ways. Instead I muttered a few uncharitable things under my breath, managing to restrain myself from any hand signals. I calmed myself and then had one of those ‘aha’ moments. There are many important laws that govern the way we drive. We had to learn them in order to pass our Driver’s test. Most of the time, we follow the rules of the road. We obey traffic lights. We refrain from speeding. Fear of getting a ticket or being in an accident gives most of us a sense of restraint. So if you asked me, “What is the most important commandment of driving?” I suspect my answer would be “Respect the rights of others”. We have a responsibility when we drive to be courteous and to drive with care. That is an overriding law that sums up all the rest. It is not that the need for the laws about speeding or driving on the right side of the road or stopping at a stop sign would disappear. It is just that by respecting others’ rights, we would naturally obey the laws.

So the overriding commandment for us as Christians is to love God and to love neighbour. Jesus makes it clear that 'loving action' is the ultimate authority. Love is beyond the claims of the law. There is ultimately one law alone, and that is the law to love. It is a law, first and foremost, to love God, to love totally in all that entails, to commit our lives to God. And the reality of our love of God is part and parcel of our love of neighbour. If we love God, it cannot help but result in loving action towards others. It cannot be lived out in our lives without looking at neighbourly love and at the question of social justice. It is a call to examine our responsibilities, not only to our next-door neighbour, but also to our global neighbours. It is no mistake that it is an integral part of our Baptismal covenant. Love of neighbour provides a simple guideline by which we can test our lives.

So the question remains, how are we doing in terms of love? Can I say that I love my neighbour and then get into my car and feel like running him down for cutting me off? Can I say that children are welcome in our church and then shake my fist at them when they make a noise? Can I say that I love my neighbour and ignore the pleas of the starving in Africa? Can I say that I love my neighbour and be complacent about the number of people who continue to die of AIDS throughout our world? To truly love our neighbours, and so to love God, we must learn to look and love beyond what first catches our eye. It must result in loving action.

Paul's ministry to the people of Thessalonica is a beautiful example, is it not, of what happens when one continues to lovingly minister even in the face of opposition. Paul's story is no fairy tale. His early ministry often took him to towns where he was stoned for his preaching and driven out. Ultimately he lost his life for the faith. Opposition to Paul in Thessalonica was particularly unpleasant. Yet he discovered something important about himself, about ministry, and about the faith from the experience. Despite the opposition there developed a real sense of commitment from many people. The communities became places of loving action and the beginning of a strong worldwide community of faith, one for which he was able to give thanks.

Loving action brings about radical change. A woman was seeking counsel for her marriage. “What is it that you want?” she was asked. “Revenge!” she said. And went on to list all the things she hated about her husband. The counsellor said to her, “If you truly want revenge the best way to get it is to go home and begin to do loving things for him. Cook him special meals. Go out of your way to be nice to him. And then when you have sucked him in, tell him you want a divorce.”

A month later she went back to see the counsellor. “How are things? Are you getting a divorce?” he asked. “Oh no!” she said. “Things are wonderful. I discovered when I was being nice to my husband that I really loved him. We are reconciled. Things have never been better.”

Things do not always work out that way. Marriages do break down. But we can put the Gospel of love into action every day of our lives. And it will make a difference. To know Christ is not something I think or intellectualize. Christ is a person to whom I respond by loving. And that love is shown by my loving action in the world. The Gospel calls us to more than words.

It is the small acts of love that happen every day that make this parish a wonderful, sustaining family. All we need to do to remind ourselves of that is to look at our apple tree banner. There graphically displayed are the acts of love that make this parish flourish. Those are just the beginning of the actions that you take. You pray for and visit the sick and those in need. You phone those you notice are missing from church. You cook food for the bereaved. You volunteer at the Food Bank. You take the time to listen to a friend in need. You send a timely email message to bolster someone who is feeling down.

A poem by an anonymous writer sums it up beautifully. "I sought my soul, and the soul I could not see. I sought my God and God eluded me. I sought my neighbour and found all three." Amen