Download Love? - Faith Lutheran Church Thompsons Station, TN

“Love?”
Acts 10:34-48
1 John 5:1-8
John 15:9-17
6th Sunday of Easter
From John’s Gospel, chapter 15, starting at verse 9, we hear Jesus say: “As the Father has loved
Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” Then a couple of verses later: “This is My commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bridge
A question for you: How many know you as their friend even though you don’t like them? Think
about that really hard. How many people know you as their friend even though you don’t like them?
…..
I hope the answer is many … and I hope that you can name lots of them, with others (many others)
who might not, immediately, occur to you.
See, for you to be a friend to someone, that requires of you a sacrificial love. You can be someone’s
pal, or buddy, or associate or even family member, but to be their friend means a commitment of will
to serve as needed … and the object of that friendship knows that they can count on that of you.
So vague is our use of that word “friend” in the American English language that (in describing
it) we have to talk in terms of “real” friendship to differentiate it from just-“friends” (without the “real”
in front of it). We have trouble talking about it … so defining it, or identifying it, is tough since just
saying it, even, diminishes what it really is. If we say, “I’m hanging out with a friend” but they’re,
really, just a pal or buddy, then we’d used the “friend” word in a way that shrinks its meaning.
“Friendship”, though, might be the best way to describe “love” as God discusses it. What He does
and demands is, perhaps, closer to “true” friendship than (I’d say) any other earthly concept is.
It’s “Mother’s Day weekend” … and mothers get thanked (especially now) for their “friendship”
because, technically (the way that we’re given to understand “love” as “friendship”) “friendship” is
what mothers “love” their children with.
Text
And Jesus said that the Father has been His friend and, so, He is, then, ours … and we are to be
each other’s. In a way mutual (but not necessarily so) God, Father and Son are friends to each other
(loving). Friendship, though, is not about mutually relating. While Jesus said that His “love (or
friendship) got shown in His laying down of His life for people He considers, now, friends, He’d made it
possible for friendship to be, with Him, mutual by being, first, a one-way friend (or, just friend).
“While we were yet completely at odds with Him (and not, at all, likeable), Christ died for us”. He
was (in other words) the greatest friend that anyone could have even while we were, still, no friend
to Him.
I’d ask all of you mothers to raise your hand if you’ve, ever, not-liked your children, but I don’t
want you to have to do that “show of hands”. Mother’s Day thanks you, though, for being their friend
no matter how they ever are to you. Motherhood is, probably, the best other example of love
because it, too, is a sacrificial friendship …
… counter to what Americans call love, which is, often, selfishly contractual. For instance, the
government’s expectation of marriage is different than God’s. In the civil realm, an official witnesses a
contract between two people, the vows expected being “I will if you will”, but God ordained marriage
as a “cleaving” to one person ... as a vow of “I will no matter what you will do”. “Friendship” (even
the friendship committed-to in God’s wedding) makes that kind of one-way vow.
But America puts a price on everything. Our culture values as worth-it or not everything, from
things to relationships to people. We’re trained to choose by a formula of “what’s-in-it-for-me”. As
an example of that, on the computer, I was able to find a lot more information on “how to find a friend”
than on “how to be one”. Do you hear the difference? The first even positions “friendship” as a costverses-benefit decision, hence society’s need to separately speak of “real” friendship … and God’s to
speak of “love”.
What our language calls “love”, Greek has, at least, three words for, so the New Testament Bible’s
Greek is very specific about it, using different words that we miss by translating all of them in, just, the
one way.
But “eros”, “philia”, and “agape” express 3 different ways by which one can relate to the object
of their interest. “Eros” isn’t in Scripture because it’s the opposite of anything Godly encouraged. The
English word “erotic” comes from it and it is 100% selfish by desire. In the Bible, “hatred” is,
probably, closest kin to it, since its expression almost abusively uses its object. “Profanity” happens to,
even, common things when the lustful exercise of “eros” gets directed to it. And even though love is the
word that we, sometimes, romantically use for this, it’s wrong because “eros” shares nothing with
friendship.
“Philia” is a purely contractual. Tragically, it’s the closest that corrupted flesh is able to do on its
own. We’re negotiators from the heart, and our hearts share (for the most part) only when our mind tells
us that a particular sharing “makes sense”. The city name, “Philadelphia”, comes from this Greek
word, and it’s a “brotherly love” recognizable only-that-way most places where, even, benevolence gets
exercised. When we really examine the phrase: “I love this church”, what’s expressed is, largely, an
acknowledgement of what it gives us as we invest here … and challenge your prayer-life to see what
form of (what we call) “love” you’re attaching to it.
“Agape” is God’s love. Every time Scripture describes His for us, it’s agape. Every time He
commands love from us directed to Him or others, it is what He orders. Agape is legitimately love
because it’s 100% self-less (sacrificial in every sense of the word). “God so agaped the world”, for
instance … doing it this way: by giving His one and only Son to die for it” … “the Good Shepherd’s
agape is this: that He laid down His life for the sheep.” And our calling is to agape God, our
neighbor, and ourselves.
Jesus had an interesting conversation with Peter on this. Over breakfast (shortly before His
ascension), the risen Lord asked Peter, “Do you agape Me more than these?”, and Peter answered,
“Lord, You know that I phileo You”. He didn’t answer the question, so Jesus asked again. “Peter, do
you agape Me more than these?”, and Peter again dodged, “Lord, You know that I phileo You”. Maybe
giving up (but, probably more, to make the point) Jesus asked, finally, “Peter, do you, at least, phileo
Me?”, and Peter responded with the affirmative but would (probably later) catch the difference. ….
“As the Father has agaped Me”, Jesus said, “so I have agaped you. Abide in My agape.” Peter had
not yet made it through Pentecost when Jesus questioned him that way, but, just a few weeks later, he’d
know, better, of that agape … even, then, get credited for doing some of it himself. See, Jesus tells
disciples to whom He gives His Holy Spirit: “You are My friends”, and we know that (as our friend),
He can always be counted-on … but with His Spirit in us, He makes, also, us to be His friend, so that
we can be counted-on a bit by Him, too.
Application
That’s the great gift that His Holy Spirit graciously gives to us: that we (baptized into the Divine
agape of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), get called “His friend”, so credited for loving.
There’s nothing perfect about how we do it, of course, but what we do (abiding in Him) is perfectly
forgivable, so our efforts are enjoyable (they make for joy)… and how thankful we can be for that.
We have an idea of something different on this love-topic than the world (apart from God) does, so
our awareness and attempts can be more successful … focused … empowered, even.
Outside of abiding in Jesus’ love, mother’s aren’t credited for agape-loving their children (God
works through them, but doesn’t credit their work as agape from her … He, just, makes the most
of their efforts from His own agape of children). So “abide in My agape”, Jesus said (which is love
so that you can love) … again, connectedness has everything to do with the outcome (the fruit). ….
Look around. How many here know you as their friend. No matter what you’d be willing to do for
them, how many know that they could count on you to “love” them. I hope that’s not too depressing of a
question, but maybe it is. Agape has to start here more credibly than, even, at home (home can be an
extension of what the Church is only when it’s God’s agape that it extends).
If there’s a question mark as to what really gets done by you that God calls “love”, then this is a
good time to repent and ask that the Holy Spirit to create a new heart in you. Jesus said, “agape one
another as I have agaped you” (and, maybe, we’re, just, not letting God agape us enough). And you
will be challenged in this world, because it professes a mistaken notion of what love is, so God’s love,
through you, will be dismissed, ridiculed, and, even, fought. But He has “chosen” you by baptism. He’s
“appointed” you (according to our text). And if we ask for the Father’s help in this, Jesus said He will
give it to you through His Spirit … it’s what He wants us to have (His agape).
As we receive what He wants to give, the Lord finishes this reading with the words “you will agape
(love) one another”. He didn’t say “should” or “might”, but “will”.
And, so, we ask (really simply) may that be so, always, with us, in +Jesus’ name. Amen.