Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in the First United Presbyterian Church of Brilliant, Ohio and First United Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, May 9, 2021.
John 15:9-17 [Contemporary English Version]
I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.
You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other.
Because We’re Loved
Now some of y’all may not know this about me, but I do a lot of weddings. As a matter of fact, I do about eighty each year, with at least half of them coming between May and August. Of course, some of them are connected with whatever church I’m serving at the time or through referrals. And every now and then it’s a family member or close friend. In fact, a couple of times, I’ve even married the same person twice but not at the same time, I’m talking about marriage number one and marriage number two with a divorce shoved in-between. But you know, most of my weddings are the result of me being listed on this site called Thumbtack. And I’ve got to tell you, Thumbtack is really something. I mean, on this site, you can find someone to clean your gutters or file your taxes or officiate your wedding. Of course, it’s usually not the same person, but that’s to be expected. Anyway, it’s through Thumbtack that I get nearly all my weddings.
And since I do so many, in fact I did one on Friday and I have three more scheduled this week, I have an order I generally follow. And outside of the standard stuff like prayers and scripture and vows, I like to spend a little time talking with the couple. Now the guests can hear what I’m saying, but the words themselves aren’t really for them; they’re for the bride and groom. And often, I’ll start by mentioning that it’s love that really brought them here. And then I’ll say something like, “Even if you were dazzled by her incredible intelligence or taken by his dashing good looks, it was really love that led you to stand up here in front of all your family and friends and say, ‘Yes, I will be your husband,’ ‘Yes, I will be your wife.’” Now, often, that’s what I say, and then I move into explaining how the Bible defines “love,” you know, how it’s more of an action than an emotion.
And I’ll tell you, I think those words are also appropriate today, because not only do I believe that it’s love that drew you here this morning, that’s really what the passage we just read from John is all about. And so, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to talk about how Jesus described love, and we’re going to consider how this love can shape both our attitudes and our actions as we go about living our Christian lives. You see, when we except that we’re loved by Jesus Christ, I think we have three things we may not have recognized before. And that’s what we’re going to look at this morning.
For example, because we’re loved, first, I believe that we have a source of confidence, one that’s really important as we try to figure out what we’re suppose to be doing as Christians. And according to what Jesus said, I think this confidence is grounded in knowing that we are loved by God. I mean, just listen to what the Evangelist John wrote, “I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.” [John 15:9-10, CEV] Now, I think this is really cool. I mean, do y’all remember this from elementary school math: If A=B and B=C, then A=C? Do y’all remember that? Well, I believe that’s what Jesus was describing here, only he was dealing with love. The Father loves him and he loves us; therefore, we have every reason to believe that the Father loves us. Now, I think that’s the way it is, especially since Jesus said just a little while ago, “Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do.” [John 14:11, CEV]
And so we can believe that, through Jesus Christ, we are loved by God, the creator of the universe and for that reason, man, we can feel confident as we live in the present and move into the future. And I’ll tell you, I think that confidence is actually magnified when we remember that, in this passage, Jesus also said, “You did not choose me. I chose you...” [John 15:16a-b, CEV] Now, for me, that’s really important. Just think about what that means. God doesn’t love us because we chose him. No, he chose us. And I’ll tell you, he did it when we were the least loveable. As Paul wrote, “But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” [Romans 5:8, CEV] Simply put, God’s love was and is and will always be grounded in his nature and not in the words we use or the decisions we make. And since Paul also wrote, “I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:38-39, CEV], since that’s what Paul wrote, we can we can move forward sure that what we didn’t earn, we can’t lose. You see, because we’re loved, first, we have a source of confidence.
And second, according to what Jesus said in this passage, because we’re loved, we also have a clear focus as we live out our Christian lives. In other words, we know where we’re suppose to show love. Remember, Jesus said this to his disciples: I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. So I command you to love each other. [John 15:11-12, 17, CEV] Now, this was what Jesus told them to do, and I don’t think it surprised them at all. I mean, he’d just said, “But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have oved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” [John 13:34-35, CEV] You see, Jesus was pretty clear about what his disciples should be doing; they should be loving one another, right?
And you know, just like it’s important for us to know that God loves us, it’s also important for us to know that we’re called to love one another. Man, that’s our mission. And I’ll tell you, I think it’s the same thing the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote, “Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, ‘Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others.’ But all of these are summed up in the command that says, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.” [Romans 13:8-10, CEV] You see, according to Paul, it’s all about love. As a matter of fact, showing this kind of love, that may be exactly what Jesus meant when he challenged his disciples, when he challenges us to go out and produce fruit. Remember, Jesus said, “You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last.” [John 15:16a-d, CEV] In other words, maybe the love we show to others has implications that we may never see. And you know, maybe that might explain why, when describing love to the Corinthians, Paul wrote this: Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear. For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love. [1 Corinthians 13:8-10, 13, CEV] Love never fails and love never ends, sounds a little like an Andrew Lloyd Webber song. Let’s just say that, because we’re loved, second, we have a pretty clear focus.
And third, according to this passage, along with confidence and focus, I think we also have a wonderful model as we look to love one another. In other words, because we’re loved, we know exactly how we can love others. Again, just remember what Jesus said: The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me. [John 15:13-15, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus said. And again, for me, that’s really important. You see, just like he gave himself for us, we’re called to give ourselves for others.
In fact, through these words, I think we can actually understand what love really is all about. You see, although we may not like it, love demands a sacrifice, and I’m talking about some kind of sacrifice of ourselves for those whom we love. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans, “Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.” [Romans 12:9-13, CEV] And I’ll tell you, maybe that’s also why Paul wrote that “love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.” [1 Corinthians 13:4-7, CEV] I’ll tell you, I think the kind of love we’re called to show is as close to selfless as you can get. And selflessness, man, that’s not something we do particularly well. And you know, that may be the reason Jesus told his disciples and tells us that we really don’t have to do it alone. Remember he said, “You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.” [John 15:16, CEV] In other words, if we’re determined to love one another, we can count on God for help. You see, because we’re loved, third, we have a wonderful model to follow.
Now, I’ve got to admit, of all the things I get the opportunity to do as a minister, I’d put officiating weddings up there in my top three, right along with preaching and teaching. You see, whether it’s held in the church or a park or someone’s living room, a wedding really is a celebration of love. And I’ll tell you, that’s exactly what we have in the passage we just read, a celebration of Jesus’s love for his disciples, including us. And you know, when we trust in this celebration, I believe we have a source of confidence and a clear focus and a wonderful model to follow. And why are we able to claim these three things? Well, to me, the answer is simple. They can be ours because we’re loved.
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