1 John 3:16-24
The musical “Fiddler on the Roof” is about a Jewish family in turn of the century Russia, coming to terms with how their life is changing. Their culture is changing, the world is changing, and they are struggling to hold on to traditions that seem central to their life. As the three daughters reach the age of marriage the tradition of matchmaking and arranged marriages seem to be disappearing before their eyes. As Tevya and Golde the Patriarch and Matriarch of this family are watching their children fall in love and seek marriage, they begin to get sentimental about their own marriage. In one of the songs. Tevya asks Golde “Do you love me?” Golde has never given it much thought. They were told when they met on their wedding day that one day they would, but did they? As Tevya continues to ask, Golde’s response is a list of actions. For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, milked your cows, raised your children, lived with him, fought with him, starved with him. If that’s not love, what is? They lived their love for one another but had never said the words. In the closing line of the song they sing together: “After 25 years, it’s nice to know.” (https://youtu.be/6A2MBneb7lc)
It seems over the past several decades we’ve forgotten what love is. We equate love to a feeling, the warm and fuzzy, butterflies in your stomach, heart racing sexual tension of a new relationship. A feeling that often goes away, almost as quickly as it arrives. Or it is a word devoid of much meaning at all. A phrase of endearment that simply means- I think fondly of you at this moment. As soon as you do something I disapprove of then I won’t love you anymore. And at its worst, itis transactional. I’ll love you if you do ___ for me. None of these images of love which the world offers captures what God intended love to be. It isn’t just actions, nor is it just words, nor it is a feeling that passes.
Our reading from 1st John tells us if we want to know what love is. If we want to know how to love: Look at Jesus. How do we know God loves us? Every story, every word from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 is a love story. Telling us and showing us evidence of God’s love for us and for creation. Even the times of punishment are all signs of God’s love. God loves us too much to leave us the way we are, nor does God ever leave us in the depths.
God loves us so much that God became human in Jesus Christ. God became like us, lived through every emotion, struggle, pain, and loss we experience. God loves us so much that Jesus willingly sacrificed his own life, laid down his life for us. The love we see in God through Jesus is a love of action; sacrificial love. Jesus’ words and actions tell us just how much we are loved; flaws and all. When Jesus eats with sinners, spares the life of an adulterous woman, gives the good news of living water to the woman at the well who had 5 husbands, when he touches lepers and heals those possessed by demons and forgives the criminal on the cross beside him, we see God’s love for even the worst of the worst.
God’s love is shown through the abundant mercy, compassion, forgiveness, second chances and covenant promises. God’s love is seen in rainbows and sunsets, the whisper of the wind, the warmth of the sun, and the kiss of raindrops. God’s love is experienced in our hearts as we fail time and time again and yet even when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and makes us worthy to be in the presence of the Holy. God’s love is experienced in our greatest joys and deepest sadness.
How do we repay a love like this? 1st John tells us. Obey God’s command to believe in the name of Jesus and love one another. We are to be imitators of Christ. It isn’t just enough to say we believe in Jesus. Nor is it enough to do good deeds. The life we are called to live is one of word and deed, thought and action. Belief in the name of Jesus means not just an intellectual assent it means we have faith and trust in the character and nature of a person and everything that name represents.
If we truly believe in Jesus and love Jesus, if we have truly welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives. If we fully accept the unconditional, never-ending, overflowing love of Jesus Christ in our lives then we cannot help but be transformed into lovers ourselves. This love changes us, and we embody the one in whom we put our hope and trust. The love of Christ should ooze from our pours, into every action we take. It cannot be contained. We don’t simply obey God because we are told to. We don’t obey to avoid the consequences. We don’t love so that we will be loved in return. It isn’t transactional at all. Love is a one-way valve from God, through Christ, to all those who believe and into the world. It’s like one of those fancy champagne fountains at weddings.
Psalm 23 says my cup overflows, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Our obedience and the obedience of Jesus takes the form of sacrificial love. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. This sacrificial love doesn’t necessarily mean laying down your physical life. Although for some it does. For the person of faith living in a foreign land or protesting to advocate for those whom the world has forgotten, for the fireman or police officer who put themselves in harm's way to protect an innocent life, maybe this is what God calls them to do.
For the rest of us, John puts it this way “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” “It is the willingness to surrender that which has value for our own life to enrich the life of another.” (CH Dodd FOW).
What goods of the world do we possess? What do I have that can make someone else’s life better? For some of us, it is a physical skill or knowledge we can teach others. For some it is financial resources, for others it is time, just being present with someone in need. In what ways does your cup overflow? God has a way of refilling our cups, even as we give away what we have and what we value. The blessings of God don’t decrease the more we give. Instead of giving multiplies our blessings.
And even when it feels like obeying God’s command to love is a chore or inconvenient, when we don’t “feel the Love” in return for our generosity. It is important to remember it’s not about us. It is about loving God by the way we show love to others.
It isn’t about being appreciated because what we offer isn’t really ours anyway- it is God’s. And any thanks or appreciation should go to God- by the one who has it to give and the one fortunate enough to receive.
It is about giving glory and honor to the one who loves us simply because it is God’ nature to love, to give good gifts to those created in God’s image; even when we don’t deserve it. Because Jesus loves us even when we don’t love him back. God is generous to us whether we repay that generosity or not.
In these moments, our hearts condemn us. It is not possible for us to love perfectly, despite the fact that we are loved perfectly. Sometimes it will seem like glasses on the other side of the champagne fountain are getting more than their fair share or our cup isn’t overflowing as quickly as we’d like. Sometimes, we will just not feel like being charitable. There will be times when we feel our tanks are running low. In these moments of failure, guilt and shame, we can rejoice in God even more. Because God sees our hearts. God sees our shortcomings. God sees our love. God sees our desire to do what is right and to love more fully. This is when we can humbly enter into the presence of God as people who are loved and valued because of who God created us to be, and because of the unconditional, sacrificial love of Jesus; not for anything we have done to try to earn God’s affection.
True love isn’t a feeling. God’s love is consistent and never changing. God’s love isn’t transactional. God’s love is unconditionally and freely given and never-ending.
True love means saying you're sorry when you mess up. True love means saying I love you. True love is believing with our hearts, minds, and soul in the unfathomable love of God in Jesus Christ. And it means putting our faith, hope and love into action in real and tangible ways towards others- those whom we know and the stranger alike, following the sacrificial example of Christ- whether you are loved in return or not. This is love that Jesus willingly laid down his life for us; in the way, he lived his life with mercy and compassion and the way he surrendered his physical life as the ultimate sacrifice of love.
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
Amen
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