Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship · May 10, 2009

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Prayer of the Day

Most gracious God, Master, and Savior of All Humanity: We greet you with all humility. We thank you for the love in a loving mother, a kind father, and an innocent child. Allow us to recognize your love in all our relationships. May the message of love reach far and wide, illuminating and making the whole of humanity into one single family in the parenthood of God. Amen.

Scripture

John 14:15-21

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Message

Concrete and Tangible Love

Larry Gallamore

This morning I want to talk to you about the most subtle force known, the strongest, latest energy humankind has ever encountered.  It is the central flame of the universe.  It is an emotion that defies analysis, an emotion that defines life itself.  It is common to all people, to all animal life, and it is evident even in plants that grow and respond to it.  It revives the heart, stimulates the emotions, and renews the spirit.  It is the light of the world, and it has a central place in all the world’s religions.  By now you realize I’m talking about love.  It is more than a sentiment.  It is the cause of all creation, of everything, and as you let it flow through you, you cannot help but feel happy.  Love is universal.  It is backed up by a dynamic power that is irresistible.  Nothing can limit love.

It is written that God is love.  That’s why it cannot be limited.  Love is so necessary.  Without love there can be no growth.  When love is stifled in an individual, real life dies.  Life simply cannot be expressed without love.

Love is a lifestyle.  Those who have succeeded in loving are doing some things very well.  First of all, to love one must love oneself.  Self love isn’t vanity or arrogance but is a genuine confidence in oneself and having a healthy relationship with one’s own inner being.  Remember that Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the greatest and foremost commandment.  The second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Love starts as an inborn, deep, and defining human trait.  God created us this way.  We are to love ourselves.  This is a given.  It’s not commanded; it is assumed. None of us can deny it if we want to be happy.  All people deep down want to live and to live with satisfaction.  You want food for yourself.  You want clothes for yourself.  You want a place to live for yourself.  You want protection from violence against yourself.  You want meaningful or pleasant activity to fill your days.  You want some friends to like you and spend some time with you.  You want your life to count in some way.  All this is self-love.  Self-love is the deep longing to diminish pain and to increase happiness.  That’s what Jesus starts with when he says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  It comes with the territory of being human.  Of course, this love for self can be distorted.  One can become narcissistic, loving only oneself.  One can distort loving oneself into a full-blown personality disorder.  However, God-given self-love is a good thing.  God created it and, in and of itself, it is good.

To hunger for food is not evil.  To want to be warm in the winter is not evil.  To want to be safe in a crisis is not evil.  To want to be healthy during a plague is not evil.  To want to be liked by others is not evil.  To want your life to count in some significant way is not evil.  This was a defining human trait before the fall of man into sin, and it is not evil in itself.

When you love God and yourself, you’ve taken the first step toward loving others.  Once you make God the focus of your life, seeking and loving God with all your heart, you are prepared to love yourself, and then you can love others.  God is our source for love.  God is a never-ending fountain of love and joy.  Be sure to make your own personal life a life of never-ending fulfillment.  You’ll find people everywhere who need love. You’ll need to absorb as much love as possible so you can love others.

Love is a lifestyle.  The goal is to be like God, to love everyone.  To get in touch with love, let’s turn back the clock.  When do we first experience love?  The first love is usually that of a parent for a child. If you didn’t experience love as a child, you’ll recognize how important it is to love your children.  Make sure you care for your children.  Milton Mayeroff has a tremendous book titled On Caring.  Mayeroff says, “We find ourselves by finding our place, and we find our place by finding appropriate others that need our care.”  Parents, love your children even when they misbehave.

We visited one of our sons and his family in St. Louis a few days ago.  We went up on Saturday.  On Friday of that week our little seven-year-old grandson was in school, and he asked the hall teacher, “What are the symptoms of the Swine Flu?”  The teacher told him the symptoms were fever, upset stomach, and coughing.  He went into class that morning and said to his teacher in front of the entire class, “Miss Smith, I have this high fever, I’m coughing, and my stomach is upset.  I think I have Swine Flu.”  He is a really great actor. Needless to say that got him a trip to the principal’s office and a call to his parents.  Of course, he didn’t have the Swine Flu.  He just needed a little excitement.

We all need a little excitement once in a while.  I’m not suggesting we make a scene, especially in the midst of a Swine Flu epidemic.  No one knows from day to day what that little guy is going to do or say.  He is so creative.  His parents love him, and we love him, and he knows it.

By the way, there is no age limit on loving your children.  That’s the story of the Prodigal Son.  The prodigal son was fully grown; at least he thought he was, when he asked his father for his portion of goods that belong to him.  His dad didn’t argue with him.  He didn’t tell his son, “You’ll be better off remaining at home.”  He didn’t say, “Son, you’ll come to want and suffer, perhaps starve.”  He didn’t tell him anything.  He gave him what he asked to his father’s house.  We never stop loving our kids.  We do everything we can for them because we love them.

Parents by the thousands have spent most of their years in the most menial, back-breaking, discouraging kind of work to make certain their kids are properly fed, clothed, and sent to school.  The well-being of their children fills their minds and their daily lives, and they’ll put up with anything and go to work so sick that they can hardly drag themselves out of bed.

When we see people hurrying home in the evening, we can understand that they’re heading for what gives meaning to their lives – someone to care for and someone who cares for them. They may not put it into words or even fully understand it.  But that’s what coming home is all about, and that’s what keeps them going week after week, year after year; others who need their care and whom they need to care for.

The next thing we encounter is a child’s love for the parents.  Kids really love their parents even when parents are not so easy to love.  It’s natural for a child to love his or her parents. If you love your child, they cannot help but love you in return.

The next love is the love of a grown child for his or her mate, the one chosen to be a companion in life.  This love is strong, true, and assertive.  It is a love of personal adoration.  It is the melding of two souls. The Bible is very clear on this.  “A man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall become one” (Ephesians 5:31).  Love is the most important thing in a marriage.

Over the years, some of the saddest words I have heard as a pastor are, “Pastor, we are getting a divorce.”  And when I have responded by asking, “What can I do to help?”  The response is almost always, “We stopped loving each other.  We’re not happy anymore.”

Happiness in marriage depends largely upon our ability to give ourselves unselfishly, thoughtfully, and lovingly to the rest of the family.  You must visualize yourself and your family as a part of God’s family, living in the house of God here on earth.  Adjustments are to be made daily in the spirit of understanding and love.

Many times as young people stand before me to exchange vows in marriage I say to them, “Continue the days of your courtship on through to the end of life. Don’t settle in.  Don’t take each other for granted.  A single rose brought home by a husband or wife is always appreciated. Saying I love you never goes out of style.  Develop a sense of humor, and use humor often.”  Everyone needs humor. We all love to laugh. That’s why comedians are among the highest-paid people in our society.

A few steps beyond the love for a spouse is the love that allows us to reach out and love all humanity.  This is the ultimate love.  You can love your children, love your spouse, love family and friends.  However, we are called to love everyone if God’s love is to be complete in us.

To love as Jesus loved always means that we give up our lives, and that we give up ourselves and become God-like.  To love as Jesus loves means quite simply that we will forgive others the pain that they cause us; that we will reach to bless those who seem indifferent to us, even hostile towards us; that we will care even when we do not feel cared for; that we will pray for others and seek the best for them, even when they seem bound to betray us, as Judas betrayed Jesus.

To love someone else as Jesus loves us does not require that we understand them; nor does it require that we approve of their actions or their lifestyle or their decisions. It most certainly does not require that they love us, though it is always very nice when they do.

To love someone as Jesus loves us, to obey Christ’s command and thereby discover that we are not alone, only requires that we submit the feelings of our hearts and the attitudes of our minds to the wisdom and the counsel of God.

Following and obeying Christ is the key to a life that is worth living, the key to never being alone, the key to knowing the comfort of the Spirit’s presence, the Spirit that communicates the presence of both the Father and the Son; the Spirit that leads us to the truth – the truth that sets us free.

On this Mother’s Day, and in all the days beyond it, love your mothers, and your fathers, and one another.

Where there is pain – love them.

Where there is laughter – love them.

Where there is hurt – love them.

Where there is joy – love them.

Always love them and you will not be alone.

Angels will speak to you.

God will whisper in your ear, and the comfort that you, and indeed all of us need, will come upon you and you will know the only truth that matters in the end, the truth that gives you life and sets you free – free to be what God intended you to be even before the day you were first conceived.

Honor your mother and your father.

Love one another as I have loved you.

I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

Before long you will see me.  Because I live, you also will love.

We are blessed by God, day by day.

So be it. Amen.

Benediction

Mother God, thank you for the tenderness with which you love us. Thank you for leaving the light on to remind us of your love. Thank you for your constant presence in our lives and for the way your Spirit holds our hearts. Amen.