In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus challenges us to see love, not as something to be received, but as something to give.
For Sunday
The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Collect
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Reading
From Luke 6:27-38
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “
Reflection
One of the images I’ve taken to in recent years is to see church as a school of love. We’re here learning to love, together. Like the disciples, we’re active learners. We learn and do; learning by doing.
One of the downsides to this image is that we sometimes make the mistake of thinking education is about learning “the right way” to do things rather than learning the things themselves.
This often comes out in the form of “shoulds”. As in all the things we should do if we’re really Christians. And what is a “should” but an unrealized and under-supported expectation?
For some of us, this is a scrutiny we level at ourselves and our own behavior. We name the list of things we should have done. Or done differently. And sometimes we level that scrutiny at others. To name all of the “shoulds” for them. Neither approach strikes me as the least bit healthy. But I’ve come to expect them.
The way Jesus talks about love in this sermon is utterly antithetical to our standard way of doing things. We love to operate under the assumption of reciprocity, economics, give and take. We are taught love capitalism and tell each other that love is expressed in hand-written thank you notes and deep acts of devotion.
In other words, we’re taught love is narcissistic.
We have to prove our love. Acts of love are received more than given.
Jesus flips that around. It is about our giving. Not our receiving. Or their receiving. Gifts that require thank yous aren’t gifts. They’re exchanges.
If this touches a nerve (as it does for me), then we can turn that discomfort toward learning! See how we care how loving other people are! Even this, which is about my expression of love, turns to you. Because we’ve learned in American culture that love is defined by giving and receiving “the right way.”
Jesus is redefining love for us. Which may be hard to learn. But it is beautiful. And freeing. Because the love Jesus describes isn’t built on evaluating the love of our neighbors. Or collecting love like presents. It is in offering love generously. And without strings attached.