The Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

John 15:9-17

Pastor Gayle M. Pope

How Is Your Love Life?

So … “How’s your love life?” When I was a teenager, that was a common greeting among friends. At least among us girls, the question meant, “How are things going with your boyfriend?” Or “Do you have a boyfriend?” And, of course the answers could vary dramatically.

No matter what our age, love between us human beings can be a roller coaster of emotion. Sometimes we’re up. Sometimes we’re down. And sometimes we’re just nowhere! Love can be wonderful and love can be painful. Because no matter how much we love the most precious people in our lives, we often fail them and they often fail us.

I bring this up because today’s gospel and epistle are all about love – God’s love for us through Jesus Christ. The readings got me thinking about that question: “How’s your love life?” Only in this case, the question is: “How’s your love life with Jesus?”

Again, I imagine our answers to that question would vary, because even in our love for Christ, we are broken. There may be times when we are very aware of God’s love for us, and it brings us great joy and comfort. But there are also times when we just don’t give God that much thought. Or times we don’t WANT to think about God because we know we’re doing something God would not like.

Or times when God just seems absent. I can remember going through long periods of time in my life when I felt like God was far away – like there was some kind of barrier between us.

But there’s something about our love relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that the Bible tells us is very different from human love. You see, in human relationships, both participants are imperfect – sometimes selfish, sometimes thoughtless and sometimes downright mean. We mess up. We hurt each other. We back away from commitments. We play games and manipulate. And sometimes human love fails.

But God’s love for us is perfect. It is always there, no matter what we do. It is constant and never failing. In fact, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:39 that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is WE who turn away. Not God.

Our gospel reading today helps us understand something more about the life of love we are invited to enjoy as children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a closer look.

Today’s reading is part of that long section of John’s gospel in which Jesus is giving his farewell message to his beloved disciples on the night of his last supper with them. Jesus knows he is about to be handed over to his death.

His words are given to instruct and encourage the twelve as they carry out God’s mission in what will be some very trying circumstances. His words are for us today, as well, if we desire to live as disciples and serve Christ in this world.

Several years ago, when I was studying this text, I began to imagine it as a conversation rather than just a monologue – as if the words of Jesus were actually spoken in response to the questions and reactions of the disciples. But all the disciples’ words were left out.

Now, I don’t know this, of course. I wasn’t there. But we ARE invited to enter into God’s living Word and, in that spirit, here’s how I imagine this conversation might have gone. I invite you to follow along in your bulletin as I “read” between the lines.

It starts with Jesus at verse 9: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.”

Disciples: We do love you, Jesus. You know we do. But what do you mean by “abide” in your love?

Jesus: If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

Disciples: OK, you say that if we keep your commandments we will abide in your love. We WANT to keep your commandments, Lord, but there are so many! And you know how weak are are. What if we fail? You are expecting too much. Why are you setting a standard we can’t keep?

Jesus: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Disciples: JOY? But keeping commandments doesn’t sound joyful! If sounds strict – rigid – and not much fun. Do we have to keep ALL the commandments to know your love?

Jesus: THIS is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.

Disciples: That’s it? Just the love commandment? Love is good. We DO love each other and we know you love us. Maybe this isn’t so hard after all. But just HOW MUCH do we have to love each other?

Jesus: No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Disciples: Did you say, “Lay down our lives?” Well … uh … I guess we probably would do that. I think we do love each other enough for that. But, you said to love each other as YOU love us! We would lay down our lives for YOU. But you should have not to lay down your life for us, Lord. You are our MASTER and we are your servants!

Jesus: You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing: But I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

Disciples: Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you for making us your friends and telling us all these things. I’m glad we have chosen to follow you!

Jesus: You did not choose me. I chose you! And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.

Disciples: Oh yes, you mentioned that earlier – about how you are the vine and we are the branches. So you want us to go out and bear fruit – that’s what you’re telling us?

Jesus: I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Did you notice how this conversation ended right where it began – with love? When Jesus invites us to abide in the love that is shared between the Father and the Son, he talks in circles. First he says, IF we keep the commandment to love one another, we will abide in his love. Then, he says he’s giving the command SO THAT we may love one another.

Make no mistake. Jesus is not saying, “If you are good and do what I say, I will, love you.” Not at all. When he says, “If you love each other, you will abide in my love,” it’s more like saying, “When you act in love toward your brothers and sisters, you are automatically connected to my love because that’s just how love works.”

Loving each other is not a CONDITION for Jesus loving us, it’s a RESULT … like saying, “If you jump in the water, you will be wet!”

The love between Father and Son is like a big flowing, circular, life-giving fountain. We are plunged into its flow through the waters of Baptism. Abiding in God’s love is like soaking in it – swimming in it. And to stay wet, apparently we have to keep giving that love away. When we pass it on, it flows through us.

We know what this is like. We get a sense of God’s love flowing through us when we do an act of kindness or caring and it feels good even though it may not have been convenient or even comfortable. Our confirmation kids felt this when we served lunch at a soup kitchen in Quincy last month.

We may sense God’s love as we love those closest to us – not just in the joyful moments, but especially at those times when loving involves sacrifice, patience and perseverance that pushes us beyond our capacity. Like taking care of someone when they are sick or standing by someone through a problem or crisis.

Those are times when you KNOW that God’s love is supplementing your own … times when love isn’t just a feeling, but a decision to be faithful to a commitment … times when you lay down your life.

When we obey Jesus’ command to love, love come to us.

Those times we sense God’s presence and God’s love – I call them “God Moments” – are gifts that strengthen our faith. But God is not present just when we FEEL God is there. God is present ALL THE TIME. But, because of our sinful nature, and because God created us with free will, we have the capacity to resist God’s love. And that we do.

We put a stopper in it. We build a dam. We may even abandon the font completely and crawl around in the dry desert of separation from God. But more likely, we try to get by just soaking our feet or wading around up to our knees … staying close to the water but not wanting it to absorb us completely.

Jesus knows this about us. He knows it! It’s why he died. The cross is our way back into the pool. “Come on back in,” Jesus says, “The water’s fine and it’s full of forgiveness that will wash your sins away. Don’t be afraid – it’s only your sinful self that will drown here and you’ll receive new life!”

Martin Luther put it this way in the large catechism: “Thus a Christian life is nothing else than a daily Baptism, once begun and ever continued.”

So … how is your love life with Jesus? Are you splashing around, letting the current take you where it will? Or are you just dangling your feet, or maybe feeling a little dry? Then just tell Jesus you’re sorry for whatever has kept you away … let go of your fear or guilt, and come on back to the water. Let God’s love flow through you once again and then watch for ways to pass it on. God will show you who else is thirsty and needs to drink.

If you keep the commandment to love one another, you will abide in God’s love. And If you abide in God’s love, you will keep the commandment. And the joy of Christ will be in you, and your joy will be complete.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we come before you as sinners, knowing by faith that you have forgiven us and welcome us warmly into your loving presence. Thank you for your redeeming grace that you have given to freely to us, at such great cost to you. Help us to love another another as you have loved us. We want to abide in your love, but time and again we resist. Forgive us and renew us that we may dwell with you and live in love and service to our neighbor. This we ask in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.