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“Loving as Jesus Loved”
John 15:9-17
#2 in Series: What the World Needs Now is Love
January 21, 2007I recently read about a survey which posed the question, “What does love mean?” to a group of children. Their responses were poignant, humorous, and in some cases, showed a deep understanding of the meaning of love.
Karl, age 5, said, “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on cologne, and then they go out and smell each other.”
Mary Ann, age 4, said: “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
Rebecca, age 8, said: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore, so Grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.”
Billy, age 4, said, “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Jenny, age 4, pointed out that, “There are two kinds of love. Our love. God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them.”
Young Jenny has the right idea, don’t you think? If we want to know what it means to love, we should look to God, who is the Source and Perfecter of love. Last week, we were reminded that God loves us unconditionally, forgives us unreservedly and celebrates us unashamedly.
This morning, we note Jesus’ command to his disciples: “love one another as I have loved you.” Well, how are we supposed to do that? Does it simply mean being nice or polite all the time? Does it mean avoiding conflict and disagreement? Is Jesus’ kind of love merely a warm, fuzzy feeling?
No way! In God’s Word, Jesus displays a gutsy kind of love – that turns the other cheek, forgives his persecutors, sacrifices and suffers for the sake of the world. Jesus’ love is tough love! And if you have tried to sustain a loving relationship for the long haul, during difficult times, you know it takes commitment and courage to love as Jesus loved.
And yet, in his personal encounters with people, he also displays a “softer, gentler” side of love. This morning, I want to focus on these three qualities of Jesus’ love: love notices, love includes and love redeems.
First of all, love notices. Jesus was tuned into people – he was aware of and responsive to their deepest longings and needs. He met the Samaritan woman at the well – and offered her living water to quench her great thirst to know God. He looked up and noticed Zacchaeus – that lonely, despised tax collector – hiding out in a sycamore tree. Jesus invited him to come down and join him for supper. Even in the press of a crowd, Jesus took heed when the woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, simply touched his robe. He noticed and said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” If we want to love as Jesus loved, we’ve got to pay attention to people, be aware of and responsive to their needs.
It’s not easy! Our high-tech world makes it really tough to notice each other, doesn’t it? Psychotherapist James Hillmans describes the challenge this way: “I can watch 34 channels of TV; I can get on the fax and communicate with people anywhere; I can be everywhere at once; I can fly across the country. I’ve got call waiting, so I can take two calls at once. . . But I don’t know who lives next door to me. Who’s in the next flat? What’s in 14-B? I don’t know who they are, but, boy, I’m on the phone – car phone, toilet phone, plane phone . . . I have faxes coming in day and night. I can plug into all the world’s stock prices, commodity exchanges, I am everywhere, man – but I don’t know who’s in 14-B.” Friends, our world is full of broken, hurting, lonely, disconnected people that nobody notices!
Bob Edmunds describes what it feels like to be overlooked and ignored. He and his family were vacationing in the Washington D.C. area one year, and decided to visit a church there. This church had a reputation for great preaching and powerful music. And it was impressive! The sermon was riveting and the music inspiring. That much did not disappoint. But the congregation’s lack of hospitality did.
From the moment they arrived, to the time they left, not one person noticed them. No one spoke to them, greeted or welcomed them. No one directed them to the nursery – they had to find it themselves. No one invited them to fellowship hall for coffee. In fact, Bob says he deliberately stood in the center of that spacious hall for at least five minutes… looking as conspicuous as possible. But no one noticed him. He wrote, “We felt as though we were invisible. . . That church was as cold and lifeless as a corpse. I don’t care how good the preaching and music were. Nothing could make up for their lack of hospitality. No one noticed that we were even there.”
Let me ask you something. Would you have noticed? Would you have been aware of what that family needed? Would you have reached out to help? If you want to love as Jesus loved, you’ve got to really see people, hear their concerns, discern where help is needed, and look for opportunities to serve. Love notices.
Second, love includes. In January of 2005, I had the opportunity to represent our North Central Jurisdiction at the Leadership Summit of the Americas, which met in Havana, Cuba. There, I met some of the most influential leaders of our denomination. It was pretty intimidating for this pastor to stand toe to toe with bishops and authors, leaders in world Methodism; people I’ve heard about, whose books I’ve read, heroes of the faith that I admire.
It was the first day of our journey and we gathered in the Miami airport, waiting for our flight to Havana. I stood at the sidelines and watched the “bigwigs” have their “pow-wow.” Maxi Dunnam, Eddie Fox, Bishop Violet Fischer, Bishop John Bryant, George Freeman (who is President of the World Methodist Council.)
I felt shy and uncomfortable; WAY out of my league! Until a tall, kindly man broke from that group, walked over and sat down next to me. “Hi, my name is Bill.” he said. We chatted for a while, and I began to feel like I belonged, like somebody cared that I was there. It was another four days before I discovered that my friend “Bill” is Bishop William Hutchinson, of Louisiana.
Over the course of the conference, I noticed Bill did the same thing over and again. If he was in conversation with a group of people and someone walked up, he would immediately step back and open the circle to bring them in. He noticed their arrival and welcomed others into the group. Bill has a way of including you immediately… And do you know what people say about him? They say, “Bishop Hutchinson is one of the most Christ-like people I’ve ever met!” I agree.
Jesus brought people into the circle of love – it didn’t matter who they were – saints or sinners, lepers or Levites, prostitutes or paupers – Jesus welcomed ALL persons because love notices, and love includes.
And third, love redeems. To redeem means to rescue, to deliver, to save. It means to convert a bad situation into a good situation. It means to turn a defeat into a victory. Jesus’ love redeemed people. His love brought sight to the blind and healing to the leper. His love cast out demons and restored people to their right mind. Jesus’ love called Lazarus forth from out of his tomb and gave him new life. Jesus’ love rescued, delivered and saved people. Love redeems.
Mary Ann Bird wrote a short story entitled "The Whisper Test," which illustrates the way that love redeemed her life: "I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how 1 must look to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech.
"When schoolmates would ask, 'What happened to your lip?' I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.
"There was, however, a teacher in the second grade that we all adored --Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy --a sparkling lady. Annually, we would have a hearing test. I was virtually deaf in one of my ears; but I discovered that if I did not press my hand as tightly upon my ears as 1 was instructed to do, I could pass the test.
Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something and we would have to repeat it back ...things like, 'The sky is blue' or 'Do you have new shoes?' I waited there for those words which God must have put into her mouth, those seven words which changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, 'I wish you were my little girl.'" (As told by Spencer Morgan Rice, "The Drama of God," Trinity Church, Boston)
Friends, that’s a beautiful example of loving as Jesus loved. And that’s the kind of love the world REALLY needs – in our city, in our church, in our families, our marriages, in our friendships, with our co-workers and neighbors, with acquaintances and strangers. Love notices, love includes, love redeems.
And Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Children’s Message
Red Rover game. Purpose is to keep others out. Jesus made sure that no one was excluded. He loved everybody and invited them to become part of God’s kingdom. Our purpose as a church is to let people IN!
Create a chain of connection – link arms around the sanctuary . . . .
Offertory Sentences
It is possible to give without loving. It is NOT possible to love without giving! Parents love children and they give. Two people in love give cards and presents. God so loved the world that he GAVE. . . Out of our love for God – and our love for God’s world – we give.
Rev. Tonya Arnesen
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