All Saints Sunday
The UCC at 50 Years
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Mark 12:28-34
During this week’s Unleashing Our Weekday Ministries class we were asked to share a favorite Bible verse that helps us. I immediately thought of our New Testament Lesson for today, which tells us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. We find this “Great Commandment” repeated in Romans, Galatians, and James. It’s a biggie.
Love God, Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Put this one commandment with three parts together with the assurance of God’s forgiving love through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and you have the kernel of the Gospel. This is what it means to be a Christian. Trusting in a loving God and loving God back by loving God’s people.
For me this is the lens through which I view the rest of scripture. I judge other parts of scripture by how well they match to the Great Commandment as lived out by Jesus. This is more equal. Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church, would agree. When Luther evaluated scripture he tested it by how well it showed Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we get into Bible quoting duels. We use scripture as a weapon to prove our point and if we are not careful we can misuse scripture. Especially if we take a verse here and take a verse there without having a sense of the great salvation story God has for each of us.
Sometimes we get troubled by all of the violence in the book of Joshua. Or we wonder about all of the dietary rules in Leviticus. We are bothered by some of Paul’s rants against women in the New Testament. At such a time we need to remember the lens through which we judge all other scripture ------ the Gospel and the Great Commandment.
Sometimes people tell us: “Ah, you can prove anything by the Bible.” If we are honest we can find some contradictory messages, especially if we just take a piece of scripture on its surface meaning. But if we use the Love Commandment as our guide we know that we can find help and guidance in the Bible. The Bible is firmly entrenched in love.
Recently we received the “Intent of Giving” cards in the mail. We are asked to think about our financial giving to God and God’s work. We remember how often Jesus held up the generous, loving, giving life as an example and his many references to money and wealth. Sharing of our wealth is loving God and neighbor.
When I remember the Great Commandment, I hear God telling me to grow in love and to learn from the love God shows to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I remember the words of John Robinson, the great pastor of the Pilgrims who said: “God hath yet more light and truth to show forth from his Holy Word.” Or to use the new UCC way of putting it: “God is still speaking.” When I attempt to listen to the still speaking God, I know God is challenging me to be a better lover and to let my light shine. In the UCC we have be doing that for fifty years.
As I read through our lesson from Mark this morning I also notice how love is not only taught, but practiced. Did you notice how the story goes? Jesus is in the middle of a debate with some of his detractors, members of the religious establishment who see him as a threat. They are going toe to toe, just as good as any of the politicians we have seen this fall. In walks a scribe, that is, one of the leaders. He is different. He hears Jesus saying some sensible things. Does Jesus love God? Well, so does the scribe. Does Jesus believe in loving his neighbor? Well, so does the scribe. Jesus and the scribe seem to develop a relationship, transcending party strife and crossing the dividing line of hostility. Because they join together in the conviction that there is no commandment greater than love of God and neighbor, they are able to treat each other as neighbors. Both the scribe and Jesus have stepped away from the “us” versus “them” categories. Their mutual affirmation is an island of reconciliation in a sea of hostility. The scribe recognizes Jesus as the great Teacher; Jesus recognizes the scribe as a pilgrim moving toward the kingdom. End of debate.
Is there any message here for us? I believe so. This is a very contentious time. We’re nearing the end of a long, bitter political season. When I attended the candidates forum in Loyal I could see that many of the candidates did not like one another. Since then the attack ads have run amok. Even in non-partisan matters the tension is thick. This week the Roman Catholic bishop of
Perhaps it is time to take a break. Let us acknowledge that we have differences. On Tuesday some of us will vote Republican all the way. Some of us will vote solidly Democratic. And others will delight in saying “a pox on both your parties” by voting Green or Libertarian. Some of us feel very strongly about the marriage amendment and will vote yes to save the family. Others of us will vote against the amendment because we see it as mean and against our family.
Perhaps our scripture lesson today has something to say to us. I believe it’s saying: “Whoa! Take it easy folks. Get some perspective. Instead of beating up one another, show some love and respect. Remember that each of you is the child of a loving God. Remember that each of you is a neighbor.
If we can do this I believe that we will be able to carry on our UCC tradition of love and light. Let your love shine.
Amen.
Leviticus 19:18 (NRSVA)
18You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Romans 13:9 (NRSVA)
9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14 (NRSVA)
14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
James 2:8 (NRSVA)
8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus may not have been the first to pair love for one’s God and one’s neighbor together. But apparently he took the pairing so seriously that it became a hallmark for his followers….In his scheme of things, the way we love our neighbor is the way we act out our love for God. It’s not, “Love God and also your neighbor.” Rather, it’s, “Love God by loving your neighbor.” (Mark I Wegener)
This was said of Karl Emil Otto, an Eden Seminary professor in the 1870s:
“He taught our ministers to think, while at the same time making them aware that believing means living, and not holding opinions.” (Probably
