Love One Another

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “Servants are not greater than their master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfil the word that is written in their law, “They hated me without a cause.” ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:12-27

We all really enjoy the concept of love, yet really loving others and living for others is extremely hard. Jesus made this a commandment specifically because it is so challenging. The ten commandments that Moses received and Jesus and his ancestors lived by, is summed up in this one commandment of Jesus. We have been made friends, indeed family because of Jesus' sacrificial love. Yet living a life of sacrificial love will always be difficult and the most blessed way we can be. We are reminded today that the following Jesus is challenging, is full of pain and persecution, but is also surrounded by great love.

Loving Creator, we are made in your image

slung between the eternal and the temporal

you call us to be those who care for one another

with the love that you shower upon all of us.

We don't do this very well and daily fail

the burden of loving is so hard to carry

we move towards self-protection and hiding

ignoring the needs and burdens of others.

Lord, help us to follow your commandment

let your love flow through us to others

help us to be fearless and kind in loving

so the world might be healed through your love. Amen.