Monday, June 26, 2017

Love in the Fullest Possible Way 6/25/17 The Rev. Kathleen M. Sturges



Matthew 10:24-39.

Did you hear the gospel this morning?  It’s a continuation of last week’s reading.  Although Jesus is sending out his disciples into the world to share the good news, the bulk of what Jesus is saying today seems like pretty bad news.   All that talk about being maligned, fearing the One who can destroy both body and soul, coming not to bring peace, but a sword, and ending on the particularly cheery note of setting family members against one another.  So much for getting comfort from scripture for the week ahead! 

It may be tempting to hear this litany of hard sayings and dismiss it figuring that even the Son of God must get cranky once in a while.  But maybe, just maybe, that is not the case.  Could it be that today Jesus is pushing back on our notions that he is simply a harmless, predictable, do-gooder?  Sure sounds like it.  “Do not think,” he says, “that I have come to bring peace...but a sword.” 

But it’s not a literal sword.  In the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is being arrested Peter takes out his sword to defend Jesus and Jesus commands him to put it away.  The sword, rather, that Jesus brings is God’s light of truth and love that cuts into the darkness of this world causing disruption and division.  For living and preaching the good news of God’s great love can actually be very dangerous and threatening to the powers that be.  And just like Jesus himself, the Kingdom of God work is more controversial than conventional kindness. 

So much so that it gets Jesus killed and puts those who seek to follow him, to love in the fullest possible way by serving others and seeking justice, at risk as well. So before Jesus sends his friends out he makes it clear that taking the path of being a disciple is not an easy one.  It can’t be done half-heartedly or slipped in between other commitments.  Discipleship demands all of who we are.  And in order to even begin to hope to live such a life God knows we need him.  That to be a disciple requires an intense bond and connection with none other than Jesus himself. 

And because of this Jesus declares, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  Jesus is calling us to let go of whatever competes for our time, our energy, our loyalty and, ultimately, our love - he’s not interested in being part of any love triangle in our lives.

You know what a love triangle is.  Countless fictional as well as real-life dramas are fueled by them - one person stuck between two love interests who compete, knowingly or unknowingly, for the time, attention and love of the third.  This dynamic can go on for a while, but eventually there comes a time when every love triangle forces the question, “Who or what do you love the most?”

Jesus knows that what we need is to love him most - more than parents, more than children - more than anything else that seeks to compete whether it be other significant relationships or our own desires, our work life, material possessions, devotion to country...they’re all potential love triangles.  And no matter how lovely or honorable the competition may be, Jesus calls us to love him more.  Does that mean we are not supposed to love anyone or anything else in this world?  No.  Jesus is not demanding that he’s our only love, but that he is our primary one. 

Now that may be ok in church, but really is Jesus asking us to gaze into the eyes of those we love and whisper the sweet words, “I love Jesus more than you”?   That’s not going to go over so well.  But you know what?  As crazy as it sounds loving Jesus more than father, mother, son or daughter or anyone or anything else is not only for our sake, but for the sake of all those we love.

A wise woman once told her husband, “When you love God most you love me best.”  Think about that.  When we seek to love God most, we don’t cheat others out of being loved.  One the contrary, we are actually able to love others better because God, not ourselves, becomes the wellspring of our love.  And this completely changes the dynamic.  No longer is there a competition between loves.  The triangle is broken with no one left out or abandoned.  In fact everyone wins when we are open to and filled by God’s great love.  It is then that we are able to love not only family and friends more deeply and more fully, but the world at large.  Because, quite frankly I don’t know about you, but I don’t have it in me to love and follow and face the challenges that Jesus speaks of today.  My only hope is that as imperfectly as I seek to love God first that God’s love might empower me to meet whatever the world has in store.  Perhaps it is the same for you.  That even our feeble attempts to love God most allows God’s great love to flow through us enabling us to love more freely, more richly, more faithfully than we ourselves are able to do on our own. 


Still Jesus’ words are not to be tamed.  Indeed, they are meant to give us pause - I would imagine the disciples took a few gulps when they heard these cautionary words - yet they still went out preaching the gospel, sharing God’s love, bringing the Kingdom of God to a world that would fight against it, but desperately needs it nonetheless.  And today Jesus sends us out as well.  But we don’t do this on our own.  As we seek to love Jesus more and more we are filled and empowered by God’s love which makes us willing and able to go out into the world, take up our cross and follow - come what may.  For we are able to love best when we love God most.    

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