Love like you’ll never be hurt
The expression goes, “Love like you’ll never be hurt”. Sometimes it is said, Love like you’ve never been hurt; but either way, It is a hard lesson, a lesson though which is routed in scripture, in the words that Christ spoke in the upper room to the disciples before he gave his life, before he chose to be captured in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Christ is calling us to love, to care for, to pray over those we love and for those we find it hard to love, to love them no matter what, no matter who, even if they’re sort of a bumpy bead themselves. We are even to love our enemies.
In Luke 6:27-36, Christ says to . . . “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who hurt you . . . and you will be children of the Most High . . .”
In John 13:34-35, Christ says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This was a new command, because the old was to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Jesus was raising the bar, saying that righteous living meant we had to love as He did, not just a better version of how We would love.
We don’t get to choose who is in our lives, not really, yet we choose each day how we relate to them, to whoever comes into our lives.
The images here are of Erica, Shyanne, and Shanequa, and Fiona.
They are my girls, though none of them are mine by blood. I know many people are surprised when I say they aren’t my children by birth. I guess they are my children by choice, as they were part of the package deal, so to speak, when I fell in love with Ruth. And in many ways, over the last 7+ years, that distinction has faded. And, yes, it is true, that Erica is my mother’s “Mother’s revenge child”. She has many of the characteristics that drove my mom crazy. But I love them all.
Today’s bead is the red bead, People to Love. We are to pray for those you love, for those you have trouble loving. It fits right in with that new commandment Christ gave us in the upper room.
A few years ago, I was to give the 8am sermon at Wesley UMC in Concord. It was on the Good Samaritan story. It is found in Luke 10:25-37. The most relevant piece is the conclusion:
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”’
Remember that the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, associating with them made you unclean, and touching someone near death too made you unclean and unable to go into worship.
I wanted to get a little radical, so I included a picture of Al Qaeda fighters and Taliban members, even a few pictures of Osama bin Laden as bulletin inserts.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that many of those sheets of paper were left on the table with the bulletins or left in the pews at the end of the service.
It is a hard lesson, but I think that is what Christ is talking about. He was not just using the old ancient formulas, he was talking about a new way of living, a way of following his example.
After all, he prayed to God to forgive us, on the cross, even as the spit of the Romans and the Jewish leaders was drying on his face, along with his own blood, hanging on the Cross.
In Luke 23:34, Christ said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Wow. The Savior loved us that much. That is what he means to love as he did. Everyone, even those who we don’t like, who are hard to love, even those who persecute us, who want us dead.
I am also part of the Spirit Study here every Sunday night. We are studying Rev. Adam Hamilton’s book, Final Words on the Cross, based on the 7 Words, or statements of Jesus. The first one was the prayer above. The second chapter was the promise to the good thief to see him in paradise. I combined the two in this poem, in closing, that speaks of the great love Christ showed for us, and how we are to love. It’s name is “With our spit on Christ’s Face – v2”
Facing my Savior,
both of us dying
beside him on the cross
seeing my spit upon him
his blood pouring down
The crown of thorns we fashioned
by our turning from God
our sin the nails that put him
up on the rugged cross
Hearing first-hand the prayer of Christ
begging to God for mercy on me
through the pain, excursion
his prayer moaned out
Breathing for forgiveness
for them, for all of us
that God would forgive us
those persecuting the Christ
His blood, his life, our sacrifice
pouring out of Him
with my spit still upon him
my curse, my derision, my ridicule
His prayer moaned out
a whisper, a murmur
calling out a petition
for forgiveness, for healing
for me on the cross
May we each seek to love this way, even praying for one enemies, trying to live our Christ’s example.
Amen.
March 21, 2012
John 13:34-35
Luke 6:27-36
Luke 10:25-37
Luke 23:34
Wednesday evening worship
Sixth of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Sixth Sunday: Red Bead: People to Love
and meditation
by Ray Foss, pinch-hitting for
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook United Methodist ChurchSuncook, NH
March 21, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
Sixth of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Sixth Sunday: Green Bead: Your Special Concern
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook United Methodist ChurchSuncook, NH
March 14, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
Fifth of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Fifth Sunday: Clear and Black Bead: Night and Day
Genesis 1
Psalm 139:11-12
Daniel 2:22
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
March 7, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
Fourth of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Fourth Sunday: Stepping Stone Bead: Journey of Faith
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
February 15, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
Third of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Third Sunday: Bead with a Hole: Silence
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
February 8, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
Second of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
Second Sunday: Bumpy Bead: Letting Go
1 John 4:7-21
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
January 25, 2012
&
Wednesday evening worship
start of series on prayer,
inspired by Marcia McFee,
“All My Days: A Summer of Prayer”,
First Sunday: Big Gold Bead: God
Psalm 105:1-6
Isaiah 56:1-8
Acts 17:22-32
poem, “Pied Beauty”,
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
and meditation
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
January 11, 2012
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reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 35,610+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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