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April 24, 2016 at Advent Lutheran Church in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Fifth Sunday of Easter. John 13:31-35. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
“QUESTION:Please take out the Thought of the Day so we can read it together:
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, but indifference between life and death.
Our Gospel and our theme for this Sunday is the question of what is love really? And most especially what did Jesus mean when he used that word?
The answer to this question of love may be more complicated than we think. It will not surprise you because of our recent discussions about the Greek words and forms of love that in today’s text Jesus uses the word “Agape,” when speaking of the Greatest Commandment, the commandment that we are to love others as he has loved us.
And I also imagine that it will not surprise you that no one has really been able to give us a definitive definition of what love actually is. It seems like the best we can do, just like with definitions of God, is to not try to define, but to experience and characterize what love actually is for us personally.
One such definition is; “love is an intense feeling of deep affection”. The example is given; "babies fill parents with intense feelings of love"
synonyms: / Words like deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment; Moredevotion, adoration, doting, idolization, worship;
passion, ardor, desire, lust, yearning, infatuation come to mind.
"his friendship with Helen grew into love"
are compassion, care, caring, concern, friendliness, friendship, kindness, charity, goodwill, sympathy, kindliness, altruism, unselfishness, philanthropy, benevolence, humanity, as in; "their love for their fellow human beings."
relationship, love affair, romance, amour, as in; "their love will survive."
- a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone.
"it was love at first sight"
become infatuated with, give/lose one's heart to; Morefall for, be bowled over by, be swept off one's feet by, develop a crush on as in; "she didn't mean to fall in love with him.”
A great interest and pleasure in something, as in; "his love for football" or "her love forfashion.”
Most sources say that an antonym for love or the is: / hatred, but Noble LaureateEli Wiesel disagrees, hence our Thought of the Day which reads:
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
I believe that. Indifference to the suffering of others is at the very heart of so much of unnecessary human suffering. Eli Wiesel was certainly schooled in human suffering having survived Auschwitz where his entire family together with millions of others was gassed to death.
And we don’t even have to go all the way the extreme cruelties of the Nazi’s or any other war. There’s plenty of indifference to be found right in our own cities and neighborhoods. It is astonishing that a nation like the United States can have the highest child poverty rate in the entire developed world, and more than 33,000 violent gun deaths a year, often between people who know one another, if that is not indifference than I do not know what is!
As a veteran, I am appalled that 22 of my fellow former soldiers take their own lives each and every day in the country that they served often with selfless courage. And please don ‘t tell me I am politicizing here, because what I am saying is that if these things do not get our attention and alarm us then we are at the very least being indifferent to the suffering of others.
I believe that the very heart and core of the life and message of Jesus was to wake us up, to be born again as he says, in the very Spirit of God so that we would NOT be indifferent to the pain and suffering of others. If that is all you would ever know about the early Christiancommunity and the ties of love that bound them together it would be enough. The rest is bells and whistles! Window dressing! Or as Luther was fond of saying, “Adiaphora,” unimportant details that have nothing to do with the quality or depth of your faith.
Jesus was even more direct and graphic when he said to the Pharisees regarding their hypocrisy:
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! (Matthew 23.24)
Judging from the way we treat each other I would say we are still swallowing camels!
If words and their meanings have any relevance at all it would make sense to understand that God’s love, which we claim is unconditional is the very same love that Jesus is telling us we should also be practicing.
“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
Not merely as acquaintances. Not as buddies. Not even as lovers, but with the same dignity, respect, compassion and love that God has for all of God’s people.
If we were able to do that, you know there would be no war, hunger, violence or any other madness that is a part of being human today!
If we loved the earth and all of creation unconditionally we would not scar and destroy its surface for monetary profit alone and erode its life-giving properties.
If we lovedthe very air we breatheunconditionally, we would not allow anyone to pour tons of toxic waste into the life breath of all living beings.
If we loved ourselvesunconditionallyas the precious children of God that we are we would not waste our lives in destructive behaviors that rob us of the very wonder of just being a part of the miracle of creation!
If we loved the beautiful garden of Eden we call creation unconditionally we would take more seriously the massive changes in climate that are happening all around us with the unprecedented flooding and deaths in Houston, Texas and other parts of our country.
I personally believe that religion, and especially the one I am most familiar with, the Christian religionfocuses so much ontruth that it misses the mark on the heart of Jesus’ message which isunconditional love!
As I spoke about so-called “Doubting Thomas,”on the Second Sunday of Easter and said that I do not believe he is guilty of weak faith but the opposite as expressed by none other than Lutheran Theologian Paul Tillich who wrote:
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith, it is an element of faith.”
One of my favorite authors whom many of you will recognize, Kahlil Gibran wrote:
“Say not, ‘I have found the truth,’ but rather, ‘I have found a truth.’”
And Indian philosopher and author Jiddu Krishnamurti wisely suggested:
“The constant assertion of belief is an indication of fear.”
I have certainly found this to be true most especially with religious people who absolutely insist that they, and only they are right and utterly refuse to even consider an alternative thought, possibility or opinion.
And finally Gerry Spence, American trial lawyer known for never losing a case wisely reflects:
“I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than closed by belief.”
You already know the truth; all you need to do now is to continue to practice the kindness that God’s unconditional love has graced you with!
And you will know with absolute certainty what love is because you will actually be living it!
AMEN.
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