{"id":71,"date":"2010-05-02T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2010-05-02T16:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=71"},"modified":"2017-03-29T10:09:45","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T17:09:45","slug":"lets-be-known-for-our-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/02\/lets-be-known-for-our-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Be Known for our Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 13: 31-35 | May 2, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, \u201cNow is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.\u00a0 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
\n<\/em>33 \u201cMy children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
\n<\/em>34 \u201cA new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.\u00a0 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>What are we known for?\u00a0 If someone were to mention Living Word\/Christ Lutheran congregation, what would be said about us?\u00a0 Most people around here might not have much to say.\u00a0 Some may have noticed the work on our community garden.\u00a0 Hopefully no one has been stung by my bees. What would people say?\u00a0 What is our reputation?<\/p>\n

Well this morning, our Lord Jesus tells us what kind of reputation he wants his people to have.\u00a0 So we say this morning:<\/p>\n

LET’S BE KNOWN FOR OUR LOVE
\n<\/strong>I.\u00a0 Love that comes from knowing Jesus’ love.
\nII.\u00a0 Love that goes out to one another.<\/p>\n

This takes us back to Thursday of Holy Week.\u00a0 We call it Maundy Thursday.\u00a0 As Jesus prepared to go out to the Garden of Gethsemane to face his betrayer, he says to his disciples, 34 \u201cA new command I give you: Love one another<\/span>… Those few words are a tall order for each of us. The kind of love that Jesus speaks of here doesn’t come naturally. Yet we can be what Jesus wants us to be.\u00a0 We can be known for our love, a love which comes from knowing the love of Christ.<\/p>\n

We see Jesus’ love all around this evening. We see it when he stooped down to wash their feet, a lowly act of service. But for the moment let’s focus on these two words.\u00a0 He calls them my children Here don’t misunderstand.\u00a0 Jesus wasn’t putting them down.\u00a0 These are tender words that express Jesus’ great love.<\/p>\n

You see, Jesus knew what they would soon go through. They would see their friend torn from their presence.\u00a0 Some would see him beaten and spit upon, then killed on a cross.\u00a0 For a time, any hope they had in him would be dashed to the rocks.\u00a0 So Jesus’ heart goes out to them. He calls them my children.<\/p>\n

Of course, someone once said, “talk is cheap.” In other words its easy for people to speak lovingly, but when it comes time for action we might hear a different message.\u00a0 I’m too busy.\u00a0\u00a0 I don’t have the time.<\/em> We’ve heard the excuses. We’ve made them ourselves.<\/p>\n

Jesus is different . His actions line right up with his loving words.\u00a0 For he now speaks of what he will do not only for his children but for every person we will ever meet.\u00a0 He tells them, 33 \u201cMy children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.<\/span><\/p>\n

We know where Jesus was going.\u00a0 He was going to do for them and us and all people what only he could do as the Son of God.\u00a0 He was walking the lonely path to the cross to suffer and die in our placed.\u00a0 And don’t underestimate Jesus’ love. There Jesus took upon himself the wages of our sin. He took upon himself the death, the forsakenness of hell that we deserved. He took it all upon himself that you and I could have a restored relationship with God and the sure hope of life that death cannot touch.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 Through faith in Him.<\/p>\n

Of course, when some people look at the cross they see only grief and shame.\u00a0 They may see something ugly and offensive.\u00a0 I remember years ago, a friend told my son that his parents thought the cross on the front of our church was offensive.<\/p>\n

But God the Father is not offended by it.\u00a0 And neither are we.\u00a0 The Holy Spirit has brought us to believe that the cross gives glory to God and his Son Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

For there we find the source of that love which Jesus commands among you and me – His love for us.\u00a0 And the closer we are to Jesus, the more we know that love, the more it fills our hearts and lives. Think of the light bulbs we used to have before those curly ones. When you get close to it, its light is bright.\u00a0 You can feel its warmth.\u00a0 But as you further away it gets dimmer and dimmer until it barely has any effect on you.<\/p>\n

It’s the same with Jesus.\u00a0 The closer we are to him, the more we experience his love.\u00a0 So draw closer. don’t be so far away that his love barely touches you. Draw closer to him where he promises to draw closer to you, in his Word and Sacrament. Draw closer by his hearing his Word preached.\u00a0 Draw closer by reading your Bible at home.\u00a0 Draw closer by coming to Bible class. Draw closer by coming to his Supper where he comes to you with his true body and blood to assure you.\u00a0 You are forgiven.\u00a0 You are loved.<\/p>\n

Now let me ask you a question that might seem odd.\u00a0 Why do you charge up a battery?\u00a0 Do you charge it to sit in the garage and do nothing.\u00a0 You charge it so it can power something, do something.\u00a0 You charge it so electricity can go out from it. It’s the same with Jesus’ love.\u00a0 It’s meant to go out.\u00a0 As I have loved you, so you must love one another.<\/span> So let’s be known for our love<\/strong>.\u00a0 Love that goes out to one another.<\/p>\n

There is a great need for love among us Christians. We are like an AA group. AA is a place for recovering alcoholics.
\nThis is a place for recovering sinners.\u00a0 And because we are still recovering, we’re not always loving.\u00a0 We say things and do things that hurt and disappoint one another.<\/p>\n

But there’s another reason why love is so important. The world can be a tough place to live or as some people like to say, It’s murder out there.<\/em> And it is at times. So we need loving Christian friends.\u00a0 We need loving Christian congregations.<\/p>\n

That’s what Jesus aims to provide with his command.\u00a0 He aims to make his church an oasis of love in the parched desert of this often selfish, uncaring world.\u00a0 So let’s talk about some simple ways we can love one another.<\/p>\n

The first is time. What time do you give to your fellow Christians?\u00a0 Do you come to worship and immediately depart thereafter or do you take the time to set down and talk with someone. Or better yet to sit down and listen.\u00a0 And we’re not talking about just the Hi How are you.\u00a0 I’m fine. No friends we’re talking about spending real time with your fellow Christians here and during the week.\u00a0 That’s loving one another.<\/p>\n

Of course, you’ve heard the saying,\u00a0 Familiarity breeds contemp<\/em>t.\u00a0 And it’s true to a certain extent. When you get to know someone, you become aware of their annoying habits.\u00a0 And of course, even though we don’t like to admit it, they become aware of ours.<\/p>\n

Yet in Jesus, this is more the case. Familiarity breeds compassion.<\/em> In other words, as people open up to us and share the things that trouble them, their needs, concerns God’s people \u00a0are moved. We are moved to be a friend in their time of need.<\/p>\n

Here’s one example.\u00a0 Two members were going door to door in a community I once served.\u00a0 After some time together one began to share some real financial challenges he was going through.\u00a0 The next day, the other member quietly shoved an envelope under the front door.<\/p>\n

Here’s another example.\u00a0 A couple was having some pretty severe marriage problems. On their own, another married couple took the time to go out to their house.\u00a0 They \u00a0talked with them, pray with them and for them.\u00a0 They took the time to show them that they cared for their brother and sister in Christ.<\/p>\n

I could go on and on but it all comes down to one thing. Love means getting out of your shoes into another’s. It means not being so self centered.\u00a0 It means asking ourselves, what does he need? What does she need to hear?\u00a0 What can I do or say?<\/p>\n

35.\u00a0 By this<\/span>, Jesus says, <\/span>all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0 You see, people can’t see what’s in our hearts.\u00a0 They can hear us say I believe, but it’s love for one another that shows our sincerity.<\/p>\n

This was written about the early Christian church by an unbeliever about 120 AD.\u00a0 It is incredible to see the fervor with which the people of that religion help each other in their wants.\u00a0 They spare nothing.\u00a0 Their first legislator Jesus has put it into their heads that they are brothers.<\/em><\/p>\n

We are brothers.\u00a0 We are brothers and sisters in Christ.\u00a0 So let’s be known for our love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John 13: 31-35 | May 2, 2010 31 When he was gone, Jesus said, \u201cNow is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.\u00a0 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 \u201cMy children, I will be with you only a little longer. You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}