Love One Another

I am reflecting on Jaimeson's sermon from Sunday in conjunction with a book I am reading: Andi Ashworth's Real Love for Real Life. Both are concerned with the topic of showing love toward others, and nurturing others with the type of abiding-in-Christ love that Jesus talks about in John 15. Andi's book is very helpful and encouraging, focusing not only on showing love within the home but offering hospitality and caring for others. She notes that there is no question of "Who is my neighbor," but only "To whom will I be a neighbor?" That's a helpful distinction. That might be as simple as showing kindness to a stranger, to walking step-by-step with a friend through a difficult time or illness. It might be making sure that home is a place where I intentionally show love toward those who live there. It might involve making some extra food in the crock pot and encouraging Joel to bring home some hungry college students or others to whom he is ministering. It is all about looking for opportunities to bring beauty and care into the lives of others.

Sunday's sermon focused on John 15:12-17, and more specifically the point that since we are, as Christians, branches of the vine of Christ, we are to go and bear His fruit in the world. This involves embodying the love of Christ in the lives of others. He both demonstrates this self-emptying love and empowers us to show this love. That's important, because it's not a work we are commanded to try to do on our own. We are to be the conduit of the love of Christ to others. Otherwise we face burnout. We are commanded to love, but as a branch on the vine--extending the nourishing love of Christ to those around us, having that love flow through us.

Jesus says that we are God's friends (beloved) if we obey; being a branch is being the beloved, and vice-versa. We can't divorce our responsibility as branches from our love for Christ. They are one and the same. I remember that Martin Luther once said of faith and works that you cannot separate them any more than you could separate heat and light from fire. The same is true of this concept; if we love, we obey. Obedience is part of our identity. And as we revell in the love of Christ, we are filled with joy in extending this love to others.

My calling as a Christian is, above all, to bear fruit that will last. That may sound rather nebulous, but it is also clear in its implications: I am to abide in Christ, to preach the gospel to myself and hear it in His Word, to pray, to seek Him, and to see the fruit come. Out of this continual flow of grace I minister to others with the grace I am given. This fruit isn't mine; it's His, and that's important.

It's not about running on empty. Sabbath is an inherent part of God's design. That means that during Lily's nap time when I have a few moments of peace, I need to spend time in things that feed that love. That might include a nap and other physical refreshing. It might include a good conversation with a friend. Jaimeson suggested that we grow in this love when we dwell on the Trinity as an eternal fellowship of self-emptying love: there we see the pattern of emptying ourselves and being filled. The amazing thing is that it is Christ Himself who fills us by His Spirit and gives us something to pour out; without Him in the first place, we have nothing to offer.

In conclusion, Jaimeson encouraged us to be intentional about creating locations of grace in which we can missionally love others that they might see Christ. That might mean opening my home for a Bible study, having folks over for dinner, scheduling a play-date with another mom and her kids...there are all kinds of ways to show love toward others. It may be as simple as taking Lily for a nap when she's fussy, knowing that she will enjoy it.

One of the things that Andi makes clear in her book is that hospitality doesn't have to be perfect or complicated to minister to others. I appreciate that. Maybe there are toys on the floor and dinner is very simple; I can still include others in our home life and welcome them. I want my life to be an expression of the love of Christ, where that love is shown in many practical and meaningful ways. And in all of this, I need to keep in mind that it is a simple matter of walking in the good works that the Lord has prepared in advance for me to do: it's not up to me to do every good work on earth that needs doing, but to rest in the Lord and to be faithful as these opportunities to love other come along.