Sermon: May 18, 2025
Readings: John 13:31-35 / Acts 11:1-18
Jesus said, “Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Yet, there are those who call themselves Christian who weaponize the Word of God in an attempt to force or intimidate others to conform to their ideology. They twist the scriptures and distort a simple, beautifully worded commandment: "Love as I have loved you.”
Jesus doesn’t say God loves you only if you’re straight, if you dress a particular way, and God’s love is not dependent on how you identify your gender. Jesus doesn’t say to love someone depending on their skin color or ethnicity. He doesn’t say to prioritize one group of people over another or give preferential treatment to people from one country over another country.
In one of his final acts on the night He was betrayed, Jesus demonstrated God’s sacrificial love when he washed the feet of Judas, who betrayed him, Peter, who denied him, and the rest of the disciples, who abandoned him. Jesus' love is obviously not based on someone’s merit or any other factor except that they are a child of God. The depth of God’s love for all people was made abundantly clear with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for all creation.
Jesus commands us, his disciples, to “Love as I have loved you.” He establishes love as the defining characteristic of believers. We are to follow the example Jesus gave us. We are to do as he did; love as he loves; live as he lived, showing compassion by comforting those who mourn, liberating the oppressed, confronting the oppressor, feeding the hungry, welcoming the marginalized, and respecting the dignity of every human being.
As Peter told the gathered apostles and believers, who are we try and hinder God’s love by trying to define who God loves. We are to embody and follow Jesus’ commandment to “love as I have loved you,” and by doing so, everyone will know that we are his disciples, because we join with Jesus in glorifying God’s extravagant love for all; becoming a place where God dwells in the world, allowing His love to shine through us, guiding others home to God.
