“A New Commandment”
John 13:31-35
Maundy Thursday Homily 2007
The title of this past Sunday’s sermon was “Steadfast Love,” referring,
of course, to the steadfast love of God.
This steadfast love is described and portrayed in Scripture in a wide
variety of ways. It is the passionate-to-the-point-of-jealousy
kind of love described by God himself in the Second Commandment. It is the long-suffering, ever-forgiving, never-giving-up-on
kind of love demonstrated by Hosea in his relationship with his grossly
unfaithful wife Gomer.
It
is the throw-propriety-to-the-winds-my-boy-came-home love showered on that
prodigal son in the parable. It is the
love the risen Lord showed to a guilt-ridden disciple named Peter on a beach in
On
that original Maundy Thursday, at that Passover Dinner in an upper room, Jesus
had some powerful words for his disciples, “I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should
love one another. By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples…” He wasn’t simply asking them to love one
another. Nor was he merely suggesting
that they do so. He wasn’t making such
love optional. He was gently but firmly
commanding them to love one another.
Not
always like each other. Not always agree
with each other. Not always approve of
each other’s behavior. Love each other
with a Christ-like, steadfast love that would enable them support each other,
pray for each other, serve each other, and when necessary, make sacrifices for
each other. Not because any of them
deserved such support, prayer, service, or sacrifice, but because they were
fellow followers of Jesus.
The
service tonight focuses, as it should, on the steadfast love of God made
manifest in Jesus Christ. “See, from his head, his hands, his feet;
sorrow and love flow mingled down.” “Upon
that cross of Jesus mine eye can sometimes see the very dying form of One who
suffered there for me.” Those brief
lines from two of tonight’s hymns describe in ultimate terms the steadfast love
of God. He died so that we might
live. He suffered hell itself in our
place. By way of his steadfast love, in
the words of a U2 song, Jesus Christ, God Incarnate “conquered the great divide.”
We’re
going to joyfully remember, celebrate, and in a way reenact that love as we
take Communion. We‘re going to solemnly
ponder that love as we move through the Scripture readings of Tenebrae. As the lights dim and the shadows deepen we
will become more deeply aware of our Lord’s suffering on our behalf. And unless our hearts are thoroughly hardened,
when we leave here tonight we will know just how much we are loved by our
Savior God.
We
will also know something else. We will
know something about the kind of steadfast love we are to show one another. What might that look like? Not some kind of flowers-in-our-hair, peace-sign-flashing,
candy hearts, and teddy bear romanticism.
Not some ooey-gooey, let’s-all-stand-in-a-circle-and-sing-kum-ba-ya,
church camp sort of sentimentalism. Not
some everlasting seashells and balloons experience. Not anything resembling what this world calls
love.
The
kind of love our Lord has commanded us to show one another is the love we show
by kneeling in prayer with a brother or sister with whom just a few moments
earlier we had been arguing at a Session meeting. It’s the love we show by sitting through the
night in some hospital room with a fellow believer – or non-believer – as he or
she watches the life of a loved one slowly fade away. It’s the love we show by dragging ourselves
away from watching our favorite team and going out in the rain to have a cup of
coffee with a friend whose world is falling apart. It’s the love we show whenever we forgive or
reconcile with someone. Sometimes it’s
tough love. Sometimes it’s hard
love. Always it’s in some form or
another a sacrificial love. Never is it
an easy or convenient kind of love.
The
bad news is that even on those rare occasions when we’re living up to our
highest levels of discipleship we are going to fail to love one another as our
Lord commanded. The good news is that our
Lord never stops loving us. And quite
often in this fallible gathering of people that we call the Body of Christ that
person to whom we have been unloving will still find a way to love us. Amen.