April 26, I John 3:16-24
I have always had a bit of trouble with the sheep image in Scripture, so I won’t deal with it this year. I have many issues with my generation of sheep. Baby boomers whined and still whine about not being told they were loved enough. The frequent response, if it is given the time of day, is reminiscent of the response here. In My Fair Lady, Eliza stomps about mere words, words, words. Love is expressed in words yes, but it also expressed in actions. In other words John’s community is hearing about love expressed in word and deed, even sacrifice and martyrdom. It is noteworthy that a faith that was rooted in the pacifism of Jesus lives in a culture that uses the language of sacrifice only for the military. In the gospel and epistle love is defined as laying down one’s life.Thank God martyrdom is not on American Christians minds, but our fellow Christians are facing martyrdom at the hands of ISIS right now.
The epistle will not let us get away with leaving the issue of love to its ultimate test of sacrifice, however. It links laying down one’s life to offering what is important to us, time and money, to those in need. Love is more here than romantic puffery.In I John the phrase is actually close off one’s insides, as opposed to refusing to help-it is not even turning away as closing oneself off from another.Of course we have a lot of work to do. One person defines love as being nice and sweet, and another defines it as giving plenty of space for another’s autonomy, and another craves a sense of intimacy or concord.Care for the other as we care for ourselves, but some of our self-love is certainly strained, or wounded, or non-existent. Love in word and love in deed grow together. Far too often, I hear that the church should act without much concern about its source in worship. At the same time, Worship starts to look hermetically sealed if it does not eventuate in action.Untethered church action leads to burnout or aping other organizations. At the same time, can we make worship mere lip service to the cause of living god and neighbor.
The difficult point of indwelling lives in this letter. Rohr- Jesus left us his Indwelling Spirit as a permanent, strengthening gift. So the Christ, is not out there; the Eternal Christ is in here, inside us in the form of his Indwelling Spirit.We have been so afraid of this in most churches; most religious people have been told to look outside instead of inside.it means to abide in Jesus, to have a vital connection to the source of all. Jesus’ sheep are drawn into the unity of love and mutuality of knowledge between the Father and Son. in the assurance that they have been drawn into a love that stretches from before time into a future beyond time in the abiding presence of the shepherd-God....
Luther saw faith including a movement toward to loving one’s neighbor: “all one’s works must promote the welfare of one’s neighbor, since in his faith each has all the possession he requires and can therefore freely and lovingly devote his entire life to the service of his fellows.” We do not have two separate commandments, but to love God and neighbor together.. The points work together , .Loving as resurrected life-new life, abundant overflowing life. Being together is Easter life; living together is Easter life. To walk the talk; we do well to be clear on the words themselves and the walk itself.The hallmark of Easter life is love, love in action, for love is its source and aim.
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