Readings
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
What is it that makes us Christians? What is it that makes me, or you, someone who can claim that name? It may seem like an obvious question with an obvious answer, but for centuries it has divided the church and its members. My guess is that if we were to take a poll right this minute we wouldn’t get one answer, but a variety of answers shaped by how we ourselves have been formed over the years by the religious communities out of which we come.
Does being baptized make you a Christian? Does accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior make you a Christian? Are you a Christian because you go to church? Are you a Christian because you receive the sacrament on a regular basis? Are you a Christian because of what you believe about Jesus and/or God? Are you a Christian because you believe the Bible? Are you a Christian because of the good works you do?
Throughout the centuries, going all the way back to the origins of the Church, each of these has held sway. Different people at different times and sometimes at the same time (with great conflict) have argued for one definition over another of what it means to be a Christian.
Even now, there are competing understandings between different groups of Christians over who is really Christian. And while, in our grace and gentility, we as Episcopalians tend not to label ourselves as the only valid Christians, how many of us have been quick to point out the errors of our siblings in Christ when they run afoul of whatever definitions we hold dear?
The problem, friends, is that none of those popular understandings get to the heart of what it is to be a Christian. I’m not saying that being baptized, or sharing in the sacraments, or doing good deeds, or any of the other things I listed are bad. I just think that if we are attentive to the scriptures what we find is a very different definition.
In the passage this morning from the first letter of John we hear an exhortation and explication of what is at the heart of the Christian life. What is, in fact, the central defining characteristic of our life in Christ.
John calls us to love one another. He reminds us that love is from God and that by loving we know God. Ultimately he calls us to recognize that the way of Jesus, is the way of love. That if we are truly to follow in the way of Christ, in the way of God, then we are called to love everyone the way that God loves us.
The word used for love in this passage is the Greek word “agape,” which is usually translated as “divine love.” But what does it mean for us to express divine love to one another and to everyone around us? How do we embody such a thing?
Well, the short answer is that we live as Jesus lived and we love as Jesus loved. We take his teachings to heart and enact them in our lives.
And what did Jesus do and what did he teach?
Jesus loved everyone without exception. He forgave everyone, even those who would do him harm. He commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.
But this is no sappy or sentimental expression of love. It is not a call to simply hold affection for others. No this is a love that holds us and others accountable to the way that God loves. It is a way of being in the world that seeks the restoration of the full dignity of every human being. It is a love that refuses to be a victim to the sinful and broken behavior of others. It is a love that creates space for transformation and wholeness. It is a love that rises above our fears and prejudices to embrace even those who we find scary and/or alien.
And what is it that keeps us from loving in this way? Well today’s epistle names that as well: fear. Fear is the great enemy of love. Fear of harm, fear of loss, fear of destruction. Sometimes that fear gets expressed as anger because the sense of threat is so great. What happens if we love those who would wish us harm? What happens if we love those who are alien to whatever we hold dear?
But the love that we are being called to practice frees us from fear. It rises above fear and calls us to live, as I’ve said earlier, in ways that hold one another accountable when there is broken behavior. But it also encourages our curiosity in the face of the unfamiliar. It invites us into the mystery of God’s presence in everyone and everything around us.
We live in an age of fear with voices that call us to act on that fear in aggressive and hostile ways. Rather than recognizing our common humanity we are polarizing into camps that deny the humanity of the other and, at times, espouse violence in response. And sadly, the Church is not exempt. Divisive theologies abound that leave little to no room for healthy and holy debate. We draw lines and declare some inside and everyone else out. Worse more is that, in some cases, when partisanship becomes blended with theology, we actually contribute to the fraying of the Church and our society.
Does that mean we give up on our convictions? No. Not in the least. But if we are to be followers in the way of Jesus. If we are to claim the identity of Christian, then we are being invited to a different way of being in the world.
As we live passionately in this world advocating for what we deeply believe to be right. We must do so in love. We must not simply love those who love us. We must not simply gather ourselves into like-minded communities with the goal of feeling justified and comfortable.
No, we are called to be love in the world. To be steadfast, faithful, and engaging. To seek and serve Christ in all persons. To work to ensure that the dignity of every human being is honored and respected. And we must set aside our fears and trust that love, the love of God, will liberate us and transform the whole of creation.
Beloved, let us love one another. And in so doing, let us know and be that love in the world today.