“The Life of Christian Love” September 7, 2008 Pentecost 17 Lectionary 23

(First, read the text for this sermon: Romans 13:8-14)

“God is love.”

Haven’t you heard that, since you were a child? It’s absolutely correct, of course! God is love. In fact, here’s the radical faith claim: all love comes from God – even when there is no conscious thought given to God while performing an act of compassion.

But, wait a minute. What does it mean, that God is love? What does the life of Christian love look like? For instance, some of you are old enough to remember Dionne Warwick’s big hit, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love …” Does that describe the life of Christian love -- something that’s sappy, sentimental? (Lots of people who dismiss God think God is like that!)

During my own faith formation, as a teenager, a line from one of Pastor Al Kuhn’s sermons embedded itself into my brain. He said, “We must love people we don’t even like!” That was my first clue that the life of Christian love might not be described by a Hallmark Valentine’s Day card. “We must love people we don’t even like!” There’s nothing even remotely sentimental about that.

I can’t remember if Al was preaching on a text from Romans 35 years ago, but he could have been. Last week and this week we’re reading from a section in Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he is describing the life of Christian love.

First, remember what we read last week (Romans 12:9-21):

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

And, this morning we read:

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The 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." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

“Love is the fulfilling of the law.” The life of Christian love is a life of high demand! It is a life of following the Commandments. The purpose of love, according to the Commandments and Jesus’ teachings, is not to “meet my needs.” It means to love those I don’t even like!

God is love. All love comes from God. For Christians, following the model of Jesus the Christ as interpreted by St. Paul, love is not self-centered. Instead, you and I are formed in love as we are centered in God.

That is what the First Commandment means: to be centered in God. “You shall have no other gods,” as Luther explains it, means: “We are to fear, love, and trust God above all things.”

When we are centered in God, when we fear, love and trust God above all things, then the self-giving love described by the rest of the Commandments follows as a natural thing. That’s how Luther understands the Commandments, steeped as he is in the ethics of Paul. For instance, to quote Luther on the four Commandments that Paul cites (seemingly off the top of his head) in his letter to the Romans:

• “You shall not commit adultery“ means: “We are to fear and love God, so that we lead pure and decent lives in word and deed, and each of us loves and honors his or her spouse.” You see, it’s the other person who is the concern here: not me, but my spouse!

• “You shall not murder” means: “We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life’s needs.” The point is helping and supporting the other person in all of his or her needs.

• “You shall not steal” means: “We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors’ money or property nor use shoddy merchandise or crooked deals to obtain it for ourselves, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income. The point is helping the other person improve and protect his or her property and income.

• “You shall not covet” means we are to “be of help and service to [the other person] in keeping what is theirs.”

St. Paul writes to the Romans (and to us!): The 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." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

The point of Christian love is the other person – even when we do not like the other person!

Can you and I live this life of Christian love?

It is only possible as we center in God. In that grace, in that love, the Spirit forms us to actually believe that God has won our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. So, because of that, we can let go! As the Spirit forms us and opens us up in grace, we come to enjoy the freedom to be self-giving and selfless!

The life of Christian love is empowered by God the Holy Spirit, in the new age that has dawned in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. That’s what Paul is writing about in verses 11-13 of the passage we read this morning: Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; …

Paul puts forward the image of the light of Christ, which overcomes the darkness. The life of Christian love means putting aside the works of darkness, and living in the light: …let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

“The flesh”: that is a metaphor for selfishness. In other words, the danger in my desire to gratify the flesh is that my primary motivation may be to “meet my needs,” above all else. I am still mired in self-centeredness. I am not set free to live the life of Christian love.

Paul constructs one more very interesting image in these verses: to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Luther actually uses that in his Large Catechism teaching on baptism. He writes, “Thus, we see what a great and excellent thing baptism is, which snatches us from the jaws of the devil and makes us God’s own, overcomes and takes away sin and daily strengthens the new person.” (“The new person”: that is, the new person God is creating within us; the new person arising from the drowning of the baptismal waters.)

Now, listen as Luther continues: “Therefore let all Christians regard their baptism as the daily garment that they are to wear all the time. Every day they should be found in faith and with its fruits, suppressing the old creature and growing up in the new. If we want to be Christians, we must practice the work that makes us Christians, and let those who fall away return to it.”

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” writes Paul.

“Therefore,” writes Luther, “let all Christians regard their baptism as the daily garment that they are to wear all the time.”

The baptized life is the life of Christian love. The result is that you and I are centered in God. And so, we are free to act in compassion.

For the opportunity to love in this way, thanks be to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen.

Pastor Andy Ballentine
St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Williamsburg, Virginia