9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
We talked about these things extensively last week so we opened up the floor to everybody on Sunday. Jesus' strongest and most binding commandment to us was to love one another. What characteristics best define "love"?
We heard a host of answers: affection displayed, consistent action, commitment, respect, acceptance, support, endurance, sacrifice, forgiveness. It dawned on me as people kept bringing up different facets of love that we all know what this is. The only problem is, we don't practice it often or widely enough. We forget and let other things get in the way.
So this Monday Morning Sermon is simple. It probably would have taken you 5 minutes to read a normal Monday post and another 5 minutes to ponder and digest it. Take those 10 minutes and go find somebody to love today. Either make it somebody unexpected or find someone you're expected to love and love them in an unexpected or different way today. Surprise somebody! Don't ask for anything in return. Don't look for big rewards or results. Just go and love for free for 10 minutes today in a new and different way. In this way you'll be fulfilling Our Lord's command and I bet you'll have fun too!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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