When Jesus was on earth he gave a very simple command to his followers:
Love one another. It is such a simple command. It has three words. It is
easily remembered. It would fit on a T shirt, or you could tattoo it on
your body if you wished!
Love one another. It’s not a suggestion. It’s not an optional extra written
in fine print. It is bold and clear. The gist of the words is unmistakable.
Yet I have to confess that loving one another is hard. The selfishness of
my nature makes it a constant struggle. I think about myself more than I
think of others. It is easy to withdraw. It is easy to think that I don’t
need others. I can do this thing called life on my own.
That’s where Jesus helps me in my capacity for self-deception. Love one
another. To love others I have to be connected to people. It’s not “love
those who love you” or “love those whose company you enjoy” or “love those
you want to be with”. I don’t think I would need a command to cover that!
This is a summons to “be the church”. If I follow Jesus then I am a part of
Jesus’ family. I have lots of relations. I didn’t choose them any more than
I chose my parents. Learning to love is the biggest life lesson we all have
to face. I am still very much learning.
I am looking forward to being part of our 40 Days of Community during first
term at St Lukes. It will help us love one another. We’d love you to be
part of the journey too. Keep connected with us and you’ll discover how you
can be involved. We’ll post more info as the time approaches.
Life is ‘better together’. It’s not always easier, but let’s not take the
easy way out. Let’s learn and grow together! The 2nd century writer
Tertullian is famous for his quotation “see how these Christians love one
another”. May that be the case today!