by Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
John 13:31-35
At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 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, if you have love for one another."
Among other things we are going to be talking about love today so I thought I would start off with a little humor on the subject.
There was a couple whose marriage had gone a little stale and they knew it. So they decided to go on a couples retreat to gauge how they were doing and perhaps find a way to spice things up a bit.
When they arrived, they really liked the setting and saw a number of other couples that were joining in the retreat. After a bit everyone was invited to a get-to-know each other event.
After everyone had gathered in the main meeting room the leader said he was going to ask a few questions. And so, he asked the first.
“Gentlemen, what is your wife’s favorite flower?”
The husband turned to his wife and whispered in her ear. “This is an easy one”, he said with a grin. “Your favorite flour is Gold Medal, isn’t it?”
In the gospel today Jesus gave an interesting and important commandment to his followers. I will quote him.
“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, if you have love for one another."
We have heard this before, many times. And each time we have heard it we wondered if carrying out this commandment is even possible. It sounds good for sure. But loving everybody else just doesn’t seem reasonable. We sure can’t love like Jesus did. He is God and we are not.
So, let’s think about that. Jesus said to love as I have loved. That sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it? But wait. Love as is what he said, not like. Jesus does not ask us to love like he did. We can’t do that. But we can love as he did. Loving as means just plain old loving instead of not loving. It means choosing to love as we are capable of loving. Jesus is only asking for what we are capable of doing. And we are capable of loving as much as we are able rather than not loving at all.
Tomorrow, St. Matthias will begin a period of transition. There will be an opportunity to think about the past and perhaps mourn what is lost. Then there will be time to analyze this church as she is. Who are we and what are we? There will be a time of nervousness. What is going to happen to our church? Will things be a lot different? Will we still be happy here?
And then a plan will be developed, a plan that contains hopes regarding the attributes of the new leader. I don’t need to speak to these attributes. I imagine each of you could delineate them as well as I can. The lists of them seem to be pretty much the same no matter the congregation.
But I would submit to you that this new person isn’t the important part. You are the important component of the future.
More importantly that whom is chosen, I believe, is your relationship with each other. Are you following the commandment of Jesus? Are you loving each other as he loves us? This holds the secret to success for the future.
Today, I can testify that you do love each other in the way Jesus commanded. I can happily testify this truth to anyone listening on your behalf. You do indeed love each other as Jesus loves us. This is the most remarkable thing about this congregation. You do love each other and it’s obvious.
And it’s not like the members of this congregation are all alike. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have talked many times about social location and I will tell you that I don’t believe we have two worshippers here from the same social location. We are separated by sex, age, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political beliefs, religious backgrounds, theological understandings, how we grew up, where we grew up, livelihoods, language, and many other differences too numerous to mention.
And yet the love and comfort afforded every member of this congregation is obvious to any eye, trained or untrained. For the most part this is a congregation that does not judge others, but instead accepts people how and where they are, even embracing and celebrating the differences.
When I first met the search committee that was charged with finding the new rector over eleven years ago, I immediately understood that everyone on that committee was committed to every other member in a really unique and loving way. I couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of the congregation acted in the same manner. When I met the vestry, it became obvious to me that that group was a close group too. Later, when I met the congregation, my hopes were fulfilled. This was indeed that unusual church that worked together. Rancor and schisms were completely absent.
When preparing to meet with the search committee I had done my homework. I knew this was a church with good bones. The buildings might need some loving care but they were there and had potential. The church had a parking lot. The sanctuary itself was lovely and well prayed in. The music ministry was excellent. The history of the church was outstanding. And then I discovered the love this congregation has for each other and I knew we couldn’t fail as we looked to the future.
Well, soon you will be seeking my replacement. If the love and acceptance you have for each other continues, all will be well. The Holy Spirit is at home here. This is an address for the Kingdom of God. You love each other as Jesus commanded. You do the loving thing. I beg you to jealously guard those values as time passes. If you do St. Matthias will continue to be a lighthouse in this city. It’s guaranteed.