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Love in Motion

A Love that Matters
 
Love:

Love really does matter.  Scripture tells us that God is love, and love comes from God.  We are only able to know love and to love others because God first loved us (I John 4).  Last week, Pastor Wes talked about God’s love that pursues us even when we don’t deserve it.  He reminded us that God’s love is powerful and is able to fix the most broken lives and relationships. 

God’s love pursues us, but always gives us the freedom to choose whether or not we will accept.  It is God’s greatest desire to be in a real, authentic relationship with us.  A real relationship is one that is chosen and where the people involved in the relationship work hard at knowing and loving one another.  If we choose to accept this love from our heavenly Father, we then have a responsibility to be involved in this relationship.   This kind of loving relationship is not easy, but it has the power to transform our lives.   

Love is a powerful force, and has the power to change things!   
 
It reminds me of a story. . .A Surprise for Mrs. Dodds—Kathy Long
 little boy really wants friends, sees boys and want to play with but they are making bad choices.  The love that he expresses to this old lady changes the hearts of those around him—love changes things.

Can you remember a love like that that changed your life?  As God’s people, not only are we able to know God’s love, but we are able to live this kind of love.  God’s love for us and our love in return, as well as our love for our neighbors and ourselves is at the core of our faith.  Just as God’s love has the power to transform our lives, so our love has the power to transform the lives of others

Our scripture lesson for this morning is a very familiar passage that reminds us of the importance of loving others: 

Mark 12:28-34 (NLT)

 28“One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.  He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”   29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel!  The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 

 32 The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other.  33  And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself.  This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required by the law.”  

 34 Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Context:  Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem at the temple.  They were gathered in the outer courts where rabbis teach and debate ideas.  The Sanhedrin—group of chief priests, scribes, and elders of the church try to trap Jesus by asking him many questions.  None of those worked, and this teacher of the law steps forward to ask a (sincere and legitimate) question.

Jesus was speaking to Jews who would have recognized this as the Shema—the word means “to hear” and declares that God is the one and only God.  This is the sentence that all worship services begin with in the synagogues.  The Shema was placed in little leather boxes that devout Jews wore on their foreheads and on their wrists when they prayed, and was placed in boxes attached to doorways so that they would be mindful of God in their comings and goings.  They knew this phrase and would agree that it is the most important.   

These were God’s chosen people.  They understood their place and position as God’s beloved people.  But Jesus took what they knew and added to it—He added a law from Leviticus that said, “love your neighbor as yourself” but referred to another Jew.  Jesus removed that qualification and told the people that loving God and loving others and self was the most important commandment of all!

*No one until Jesus had put these two laws together.  Jesus was saying that religion to him was loving God and loving others.  The only way in which a person can love God is by showing love to others.

Part 2:

After hearing this, the teacher of the law responded by affirming Jesus’ answer!  He agreed with Jesus that the Shema and loving God and others was the most important thing.  He said, “This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required by the law.”   

*So close, but not far enough.  You see, being God’s people had become a list of commandments—a series of rituals, sacrifices and offerings.  Following the law set the Jewish people apart.  They knew they were loved by God, but their response had become ritual.  The relationship was lost.  It was so lost that they didn’t recognize the Son of God in their very midst. 

So, Jesus told them that it is not enough to say that we love God and others—instead we must act on that love.  The kingdom of God is living out our love for God, others and self. 

What is our Response?

 Isn’t it easy to loose sight of relationship?  In the chaos of our schedules, it is so much easier to focus on the mechanical, “to-do” lists than to focus on relationships.  In my own home, with the people I love the most, I often get caught up in the checklists of life.  I find myself doing laundry, making lunches, driving my kiddos all over the place—constantly doing things.  I do these things because I love them, but I don’t take time for what really matters.  The relationship gets lost in the midst of tasks.  Jesus reminds us in this passage that there is no greater thing than being in relationship—with God and with each other.  

 As Christ-followers and participants in this love relationship, we have the responsibility to care for others.  God has charged each of us with the responsibility of becoming involved.  It is not enough to see a problem and to feel sorry for people.  Instead, we are called to do life together and to really love each other.  We need to recognize that each of us is made in the image of God.  When we understand this, we no longer can see color, race, gender or economic status.  We become brothers and sisters.  It is then difficult to sit and watch as one of our brothers or sisters are hungry or hurting.  We are called to become actively involved in fighting social, political, and economic oppression as we live out this Kingdom love here on earth.  We need to move from seeing ourselves as the audience of God’s story and move to being active participants in the story!  

 We don’t care for others because we have to, but because we love God so much that we can’t help ourselves!  God’s love consumes us and drives us to love others with the same passion.  It is love that drives us, not law.

What Kingdom Love Looks Like:

 It wasn’t the law that made the Good Samaritan stop and attend to the needs of a hurt man on the side of the road.

 It wasn’t law that made former Kansas City Chief running back, Joe Delaney dive into a lake to save 3 children that were drowning.  One child was saved, but he sacrificed his own life in the process.

 It wasn’t law that moved a 23 year old girl to fall in love with an AIDS baby while on a mission trip in Tanzania, leading her to adopt that child and to devote her life to caring for these abandoned children.

 It isn’t law that leads local families to take coffee and pancakes to the inner city streets on Christmas morning before opening Xmas presents or to ask for donations to the food pantry instead of receiving birthday presents. 

 It isn’t law.  It is a love relationship with God that leads them to love others.  Is it easy?  No.  But, This is LOVE.

Example of a life that is changed—I had the privilege of seeing this kind of love in action first hand.  I grew up in a very loving home.  My parents lived out what it meant to love God and love others.  From a very young age, I remember our home being open to whoever needed it.  I watched and participated as my parents looked for ways to serve and love others. 

The greatest lesson I learned was when I was 14.  I grew up knowing my aunt was sick and had many addictions.  She went through cycles—when she was healthy and clean, she would come and visit us.  She was the life of the party.  She was funny and sweet, and very loving.  However, when she was sick and consumed by her addictions, she would disappear.  I remember my parents getting phone calls to help bail her out on many occasions.  

But, when I was 14, we got a call that changed our lives forever.  My aunt’s neighbor called to tell us that she had left her two daughters, one 6 year old and a 4 month old home alone for several days.  My aunt had left and moved into a crack house, abandoning her girls.  My 6 year old cousin had taken care of the baby the best she could, but she ran out of food.  She had gone next door to ask for food.  I am sure that some conversation happened between my parents, but all I know is that a few hours later, we were in Michigan to get the girls.—what they looked like.

Was this easy?  No.  Did we have a house big enough?  Not really.  Did we have to make serious adjustments?  Yes.  But was it worth it?  Absolutely.  When I look at my 18 year old sister, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness.  I remember where she came from. I remember what she was saved from.  I see a beautiful, talented young woman who is seeking God’s best for her life.  Love saved her life. 

My other cousin was not as fortunate.  She was offered the same love, and the same opportunity.  But, it all comes back to choice.  She did not—could not accept the love that she was offered.  We have the same choice. 

God’s love is for all who will accept it.  Those who do, also accept the responsibility of caring for others.  Jesus calls us to love—love with no agenda, to love unselfishly, and to love with a “lay down your life-no matter what” kind of love.  As we close, I invite you to reflect on these 2 questions:  Whose love has changed your life?  And, Whose life are you changing with your love?  If you feel led, we invite you to write the answer to these questions on your gear that you were given as you walked in.  You can keep these as a reminder, or you can bring them forward.  By bringing them to the foot of the cross, you are saying that you remember the love you received, and you are committing to love God and love others with all that you are.

We invite you to reflect this morning. . .



2009/10/18