Faith Venture

Imagine that you live in a world where all relationships are governed by power—that is, who has power over whom. Most of us do not have to stretch our imaginations too far to bring this to mind.

Even family relationships were governed by who has the power (father) and who must obey (women and children).

The most God-fearing of the Jews were also power people. The power of the rule—and those who interpret the rules and those who follow the rules to the letter. These were the Pharisees. (Oh, yes, we have Pharisees among Christian circles even today.)

An ancient principle of writing and speaking holds that when your point is important you repeat it. So, let’s look at the Gospels.

What’s the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God, oh yes, and a second one of equal importance, Love your neighbor.

A new commandment I give you, that you love one another (John repeats this within two chapters).

Check out how many times Jesus repeats this. Then check out Paul, and Peter, and James, and John’s other writings.

What does it mean to love my neighbor? Jesus tells us stories as examples.

There is how to treat the lost son (an example of treating all lost people).

How to treat someone who is injured (helped by a despised outcast, namely a Samaritan).

Read James for more examples of how to love people.

This love turned the Roman world upside down.

Two thousand years later, we still have societies governed by power relationships. 

We still need to practice this love to turn the world upside down.

We draw power from the spiritual disciplines—study, prayer, meditation, worship, simplicity—so that we can pass the love of Jesus on to others (metaphor of vine to branches to fruit).

Imagine, if you will, a world governed by the principle of love.

We are one in the Spirit;

We are one in the Lord;

We are one in the Spirit;

We are one in the Lord.

And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.

As I’ve been meditating over these thoughts from John about the new commandment this old folk song popped into my head. 

Here’s an image. A positive image from today’s American political scene is as rare as finding an albino ‘possum. But one showed up yesterday.

One US Senator was tasked by his leaders for crafting a piece of legislation with high political visibility. He was supposed to achieve certain policy ends while getting enough stuff thrown in the bill to get support from just enough colleagues to pass it. His old friend had the courage of his convictions to oppose the bill sending it down to sure defeat.

Senator McClain absorbed much vitriolic response from some members of his party who called into question his ethics and character for being that opponent. 

The image? His old friend Lindsey Graham, the Senator stuck with the impossible task of crafting that legislation came to the defense of his friend with whom he disagreed on policy. The report said he was moved to the brink of tears defending McClain.

This meditation has nothing to do with the merits of the legislation. Or with the politics of the two Senators.

Would you, in a very public setting, come to the defense of a friend who was facing such rhetoric?

Would you, in a private setting, when someone “disrespects” a friend come to their defense? To the point of tears?

I seldom agree with the policies of these two men. But I respect them. And I’m moved by their courage and character.

We need more of that in Washington. We need more of that in Sidney, Ohio—or wherever you are.

We start with ourselves. We need the world to see we are Christians by our love.

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.

John tells us this new commandment twice.

One time followed Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet.

The second time was after he gave the metaphor of the vine and branches and fruit when he told them that no greater love can you have than to give up your life for someone else.

What else could Jesus have done to drive this teaching home?

He served. He died.

By what does everyone around us know us?

Would they say, “this truly is a servant and a disciple”?

Would they say, “this is truly just another hypocritical Christian who says one thing while the life they are leading betrays their true values”?

Let me change the title of this meditation to “How would we like everyone to know us”.

Where are we compared to the gold standard?

What can we do today to live up to it?

I interrupted my vacation with a quick business trip. Drove back from the Savannah airport to Hilton Head in the morning.

Saw that billboard again.

“Real Christians…Love their enemies.”

Former magazine guy that I am, I thought here’s a series.

Real Christians …

How would you fill in the blanks?

From the fruit of the spirit? From the Sermon on the Mount? Real Christians…are peacemakers. Real Christians…live with compassion.

Or maybe Real Christians…are filled with awe and wonder?

I was interrupted in my meditation this morning by the people I’m staying with in Hilton Head to go to the beach and watch the sun rise. A beautiful dawn, don’t you think? Made me reflect on many Psalms.

“In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!”

There we have it. For 2,000 years. Right there in front of us. This is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. But he wrote the same thing in other places.

We are struggling with this concept. Aren’t we? 

And by “we” I mean humans. Everywhere. In the US we are still struggling with some white people trying to come to grips emotionally with the existence of people with other skin colors or ways of living.

But not just us. Look at other “we” places. Myanmar. Terrible things happening there. Africa. Tribal divisions are still killing people. The Middle East. The areas around the Black and Caspian Seas. Britain. Germany. France.

As a society we have advanced much during the past 150 years. But we have a long way to go.

I was thinking about this sentence from Paul.

Why do we ignore it? Often even within churches. 

Does it apply only after they are “saved”? But how did they get into the church in the first place? Someone ignored the differences, saw Christ in everyone, and invited them in.

Jesus didn’t surround himself with Christians. He surrounded himself with people who wanted to learn to be like him. And notice how many different types of people he interacted with while not even leaving Galilee.

Then I wondered if this may be just an intellectual exercise for us? We can repeat the words. Maybe even agree with them in our mind. But then we go out and meet someone different–color, piercings or not, tattoos or not, Western dress or Middle Eastern dress–and fail to treat them all with equal respect.

One spiritual discipline is to study the Word. Another is to act like we have read it.