May 16, 2022: More Than a Feeling
John 13:31-35
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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I saw a twitter post from pastor Derek Vreeland this week that intrigued me with its mix of truth and simplicity. I’ll read it to you—see what you think:
Christian Theology 101: God is Love
Christian Worship 101: Love God
Christian Spirituality 101: Love your neighbor as yourself
Christian Community 101: Love one another
Christian Ethics 101: Love your enemies[1]
What do all of these aspects of the Christian faith have in common? Love.
We could talk about theology today, and remind each other that God is Love.
We could talk about worship today, and remind each other to Love God.
We could talk about spirituality today, and remind each other to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
We could talk about ethics today, and remind each other to love your enemies.
But today our scripture text points to community. So today we’re reminded to love one another.
Let’s get started!
John 13 is the first part of the “Farewell Discourse” in the Gospel of John—an expansive teaching that Jesus offered in an upper room at the last supper. The section that we read needs a bit of context, namely, what happened immediately before this teaching Jesus offered.
It was the Passover celebration. Jesus and his friends gathered in an upper room to enjoy the Passover feast. In that day and time it was customary to have a servant wash the feet of guests—a menial, humbling task fit for a slave. We don’t know where the slave was in this story. Did s/he not show up? Was s/he late? Or did Jesus send him/her away? The latter option seems likely because the tools for foot washing were there. The pitcher. The basin. The towel. Jesus picks up the towel, wraps it around himself, and lowers himself to the position of a slave as he humbly begins to wash the feet of his disciples.
Peter, always the loud-mouth, objects. Jesus tells Peter in no uncertain terms: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Peter pipes up and responds, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” You can almost see Jesus shaking his head as he tells Peter his feet will be enough.
Jesus then sits down at table with his friends and the meal begins. He tells them that one of them will betray him, implicating Judas Iscariot. He sends Judas away, “What you must do, do quickly.” Judas gets up to leave in order to betray Jesus. I wonder if Jesus’ eyes followed Judas out the door?
And then Jesus begins to instruct the remaining disciples around the table.
What’s the mood around the table? This doesn’t seem to be the average Passover celebration—a party with lots of fun and a little too much wine. No. It’s a somber celebration. Jesus set the mood with the humble act of washing his friends’ feet. He seals the solemnity by speaking of betrayal. His nonverbal teaching, washing his disciples’ feet, has been completed. Now he begins his verbal teaching.
What does he want to communicate in this, his final meal with his friends? What does he want to imprint in the minds of his disciples—those who have followed him for three years? What will be his legacy? How will his message live on? Will it live on? Will these ragtag followers around the table be able to carry his teachings forward?
That’s the context for today’s scripture text. It’s Jesus’ deathbed speech—the most important things he will say to his dearest companions.
Into that space, hear the text once again:
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
In this most somber of moments, Jesus doesn’t give them a lesson in theology. He doesn’t give them a lesson on worship. He doesn’t teach them spirituality or ethics. No. He teaches them “Christian Community 101: Love one another.”
And just for good measure, Jesus returns to this very teaching later on in his farewell discourse. This teaching must be critical:
“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. (John 15:12-17)
If it’s important enough for Jesus to teach it twice on his “deathbed,” we should probably make sure we understand it so that we might live it.
What does Jesus mean when he says “love one another?” Did he mean, “feel affection for one another?” That may be part of it, but the love Jesus requires of us is far more than a feeling.
Back to the upper room. Jesus is anticipating his death. He wants his legacy to live on. He wants the movement to continue. How will that be possible without him around to lead them? He looks at his friends. He’s telling them: “You’re going to go through some things. The only way the movement continues is to love one another.”
The word he uses, that we translate as “love” from the Greek, is agape. Eros is romantic love, phileo connotes brotherly love. Jesus chooses the word agape. This is an active love that channels the perfect love of God. More than a feeling, agape is a doing.
When Jesus tells his disciples, “Love one another,” he’s telling them how to maintain community (Christian Community 101!) Let’s break down what this looks like in community:
ACTIVE
Agape love is an ACTIVE love. It’s more than a feeling. “Don’t tell me you love me; show me” the adage goes. What does that mean in Christian community?
One of the most famous quotes uttered by an American president was John F. Kennedy’s line in his inaugural speech, calling for civic action: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
The same concept can be applied to any community, even to a church community. “Ask not what your church can do for you—ask what you can do for your church.” The prerequisite for this is to stop thinking about the church primarily as a building, but as a people—a community in which you choose to participate.
To “love one another,” we must continually ask what we can do for our church community. Foot washing isn’t a common practice these days—so what might be the equivalent? How can we “wash one another’s feet”? How can we actively serve each other?
Agape love is an ACTIVE love.
COMMITTED
Agape love is COMMITTED love. It’s more than a feeling. It’s a decision. It’s saying, “I’m all in.” Agape love doesn’t get hung up on personal preferences. Agape love doesn’t seek the next best thing.
French theologian Hyacinthe Loyson once said “Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.” Committed love works for the good of the community, both now and in the future. Like paying for a life insurance policy, knowing it will be someone else who will benefit. Who takes out a life insurance policy if they’re not committed to someone or something?
It’s like someone in our church who recently told me she’s moving. “But I’m going to fulfill my pledge to the capital campaign.” I told her she didn’t have to do that. She said, “Pastor, all due respect, but I made that commitment and intend to keep it.” Circumstances may change. Commitment remains.
Agape love is COMMITTED love.
TENACIOUS
Agape love is TENACIOUS love.
The Apostle Paul says it like this:
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends . . . And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.
What does that kind of love look like in Christian community? It means we may disagree, and yet we still love. It means we may have misunderstandings, and yet we still love.
Jesus was saying to his disciples, “You’re going to go through some things. The only way the movement continues is to love one another.” The same is true for us. We’ve been through some things. We’ve been going through some things for about 73 years as a Christian community. Do you think challenges and hardships will finally cease to be? No way!
Chapel by the Sea, you’re going to go through some things, so agape one another.
Agape love is TENACIOUS love.
Let’s review:
ACT
Agape love is: ACTIVE, COMMITTED and TENACIOUS. A-C-T.
More than a feeling, agape love acts. We must enACT love, one for another.
What does that mean, practically? “So, preacher, I show up on Sundays and I’m nice to people. I might even smile. I give to the offering. And if enough people are singing around me, I’ll sing along with the hymns. I might do more if someone asked me.” Spoiler alert: here’s the part where someone asks you.
As a Christian community, Chapel by the Sea has gone through some things over the past couple of years. The whole world has. When we shut down in-person gatherings during COVID, every church volunteer was “relieved of duty” by default. It’s hard to hand out bulletins when people are only worshipping at home! And, there are a good many people who simply haven’t returned to in-person worship since that shut down, due to various reasons.
What that means is that we’ve been relying on the same dozen or so people for about two years. Thanks be to God for these amazing volunteers!
But as we’re regaining momentum and capacity and getting back to pre-COVID practices, we are in need of more people enACTing their faith, and their agape love here at the Chapel.
There are many and varied ways to serve in the community, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (Christian Spirituality 101). I could point you in lots of different directions if you want to serve beyond the four walls of the church. This is vitally important work for every follower of Christ.
But today, in light of our scripture lesson, I want to talk about loving one another, here, within Christian community. We’re going to (continually) go through some things. We’re going to (continually) need to enACT agape one to another. The movement here on Clearwater Beach depends on it!
In your bulletin, you’ll find a list of ways you can serve here in the church. Sixteen “job openings” that we need to have filled. There are no jobs listed unless there is a vacancy in that role. Jobs for different people with different interests and skillsets:
· Digital liaisons, especially for those worshipping primarily remotely
· Children’s Sunday school teacher
· Communion preparers/ushers/clean-up
· Trash pick-up (you wouldn’t believe how much trash is on our grounds after a busy weekend on Clearwater Beach!)
· Prayer chain
· Bereavement team co-chair (to minister to families holding funerals in our church)
And many more! (If you’re worshipping online, I hope you’ll open up today’s bulletin and look at the opportunities!)
Jesus picked up a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. No one is going to ask you to do that! But maybe you could pick up a gallon of orange juice and fill cups once a month. Maybe you could pick up communion trays once a month.
We’re going to go through some things. No doubt about it. But here’s an idea that warms my heart: we’ll go through them together. We’ll take care of each other. Because that’s what agape does. Active. Committed. Tenacious.
By this everyone will know that WE ARE CHRIST’S disciples,
BECAUSE WE have love for one another.
[1] https://twitter.com/DerekVreeland/status/1524899955906854913