Download EASTER 6: SUNDAY: MAY 21, 2017 Readings: 1 John 4: 13

EASTER 6: SUNDAY: MAY 21, 2017
Readings: 1 John 4: 13-16, 21; Matthew 22: 37-38; John 15: 5-12
Sermon: “The sequence of God’s love which makes for peace in the world”
Readings
Most probably the first song we ever learned at Sunday School must be,
“Jesus Loves Me This I Know.” Then there was the shorthand presentation of
the mystery of love. It came in the form of an acronym, which was written
into a song: “Joy!” I’ve got that joy, joy down in my heart, down in my
heart.”
Jesus’ peace formula for the world. JOY – “Jesus, Others, and You”: The
divine dictionary definition of love, which goes beyond the human alphabet,
is this: God, neighbor, self
JOY – “Jesus, Others, You.” The divine dictionary definition of love, which
goes beyond the human alphabet, is this: God, neighbor, self. This is Jesus’
peace formula for the world.” God first, then neighbor, then me, or in the
“joy” interpretation, Jesus, Others, You. As one theologian put it, “The
mystery of Christ is a life lived in that order, and for those reasons: God
first, neighbor second, and yourself last.
1. God-first: God-love
God-love is a verb which fulfils its mission in us and through us and among
us
We are called to love with a God love, a God-love where sacrifice is not an
afterthought, but a forethought. God-love is a verb which fulfils its mission
in us and through us and among us. This doesn’t mean that our dreams and
yearnings have no play in God-first God-love.
God’s love and will is there to meet our longings and desires
In the words of Bishop Gerard W. Hughes, “If God’s love for us bears no
relationship to our own deepest longings and desires, then God cannot be a
God of love, but a God of commands. If God’s will for you and for me did not
bear any relationship to our own deepest longings and desires, we should be
obliged to ignore the longings of our hearts and to put our trust in some
authority external to ourselves.” (God in All Things [London: Hodder &
Stoughton, 2003], 113.) But we find the desires of our hearts by laying
1
down our own desires and trading them up for God’s desires, and in so doing
we find that God has turned our ordinary dreams into true palace dreams.
2. Others-second: Other-love
To live according to the mind of Christ is also to live life for the sake of
others, not ourselves
To live by Christ’s example, to put on the “mind of Christ,” to live according
to “things above” not the “things below,” is to live life for the sake of others,
not ourselves.
Other-love is a gift that comes from a relationship with God that puts others’
first
The whole language of Christ “in you” is the Bible’s way of talking about
JOY: our relationships with God, with our neighbors, with ourselves. Paul
speaks of us being “In Christ”. Understanding, wisdom, according to the
Bible, is a precious gift. Other-love is a gift that comes from a relationship
with God that puts others’ first – “I” comes third.
We are reminded of this every time we set out to pray the prayer Jesus
taught us to pray: “Our Father . . .” Listen to Jesus pray: “Our Father.” Even
Jesus doesn’t come to his Father by himself; he takes other people with him.
3. You-Third: Self-love
“dumitria in incognito”: “To know oneself as half of a true pair”
There is a Latin phrase that reads like this: “dumitria in incognito.” It means
to know oneself as half of a true pair. The Latin phrase says this: The “you,”
the “I” a third behind God and neighbor: we are incomplete in and of
ourselves.” It is only the whole that makes up the whole personality of an
individual. We do not discover the whole in ourselves, but outside ourselves
in relationship with God and others (Concept of the Trinity – Wholeness of
humans – body, mind, spirit – Biblical concept).
The humble “I” is important for understanding the sequence of God’s love
which makes for peace in the world
The Three-in-One God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) lives in a relationship of
unconditional love with-in the God-head. Yet, this Trinitarian understanding
of God reaches outwards and embraces humankind in this unconditional
2
love-relationship. Humankind is called to share in this relationship for the
benefit of “others”. This is where “I” is the third behind God and neighbor,
and an important but: “It is an important “I”. All can fall flat unless the
individual do not know or understand this sequence of God’s love which
makes for peace in the world. But it must always remain the humble “I”.
In his commentary on this passage Dr. Sweet draws our attention to Dr.
Seuss’ little illustrated, classic children's book “Beyond Zebra” which stands
for the last letter in our alphabet namely “Z”. He presents, instead of the
twenty-six letters of the alphabet, twenty more letters that purportedly
follow them.
The letters followed by the creatures that correspond to them, are YUZZ
(Yuzz-a-ma-Tuzz), WUM (Wumbus), UM (Umbus), HUMPF (Humpf-Humpf-aDumpfer), FUDDLE (Miss Fuddle-dee-Duddle), GLIKK (Glikker), NUH
(Nutches), SNEE (Sneedle), QUAN (Quandary), THNAD (Thnadners), SPAZZ
(Spazzim), FLOOB (Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs), ZATZ (Zatz-it), JOGG
(Jogg-oons), FLUNN (Flunnel), ITCH (Itch-a-pods), YEKK (Yekko), VROO
(Vrooms), and HI! (High Gargel-orum).
There is a letter “ITCH,” animals that race back and forth. Here is Dr. Seuss’
definition of this letter:
And way, way past Z is a letter called ITCH.
And the ITCH is for Itch-a-pods, animals which
Race around back and forth, forth and back, through the air
On a sidewalk between HERE and THERE.
They’re afraid to stay THERE. They’re afraid to stay HERE.
They think THERE is too Far. They think HERE is too NEAR.
And since HERE is too NEAR and out THERE is too FAR
They are too scared to roost where-so-ever they are.
According to Seuss it seems as if an “ITCH life” never gets off the ground.
The challenge is there to do something even in the “beyond-zebra life.” It is
the life Jesus challenges his disciples and us to live by. Love for Jesus is all
about action.
3
Jesus chose his disciples out of love: He beckoned them to experience
firsthand a lay-down love: A beyond Zebra love
When Jesus chose his own disciples, he broke with the lockstep pattern
traditional in teacher/student relationships. Jesus chose his disciples out of
love. He welcomed them as friends, and beckoned them to experience
firsthand a lay-down love.
Risky love: Cross love: Jesus' love dared to be different from the expected –
it took risks. Many find it difficult to put God and neighbor first
Jesus knew that as long as his disciples continued to abide in his Father's
love a commonality of purpose would direct their actions and bear fruit.
Jesus' love dared to be different from the expected – it took risks.
Jesus wants us to be like geese. When geese are on the move they fly in the
familiar "V" formation. Yet even though they fly in rhythm, they do not move
strictly in step. Each bird seeks out the best alignment for drafting behind its
immediate predecessor. Geese fly in formation, but a formation that is
always changing and adjusting. The formation depends upon wind velocity
and direction, the strength of the individual birds, the quality of the air, and
the weather the flock encounters.
When we hear the familiar yet haunting sound of honking geese in flight,
look up in the sky. Rarely will we see a perfect "V" overhead. One side of the
formation might lag and droop a bit. One or two birds might appear to be
completely out of alignment. Even as we watch, one "V" might break off into
two separate formations, with new individuals taking over the lead roles.
Geese use each other to determine the strongest, best position to take at
any given moment. They travel together not in step but rather in sync,
sharing an internal and external rhythm that guides their journey but never
wholly dictates their next move.
Sacrificial love: Cross love. An outflow of “Love God, love your neighbour as
yourself”
Love of God first gives us the courage even to lay down our life for those in
need of help. This sacrificial love is a Cross love is love that bears a cross,
love that takes up another's cross, love that is strengthened by the weight of
a cross upon its shoulders.
4