After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people,[a] to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:1-3
Who is this Son of God? … this King of Glory? This is the One who knelt in the dust to wash the feet of his disciples. This is the One who taught that love is the sum of the Law… the greatest commandment. He offered himself up as example… as sacrifice… as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. What are we to do with this mandatum… this new commandment to love one another as Christ has loved us? This is not a fleeting love…a passing affection… rather it is the heart-wrenching knowledge that this is love unto death. In this love is all hope in the possibility of change for the better. In this love is all faith in the unconditional devotion of God in whom all love is founded.
The love of God in Christ Jesus is not a feeling but a power… the power of light that pushes back the darkness… the power of compassion that binds us together in mutual affection and understanding…. the power of fidelity… for this love is forever. All truth is rooted in this love… all good grows from this root…by its fruit we will be known.
In our modern world where everything is made a commodity love remains the one constant… it cannot be bought or sold… only given and received. When the powers that be have lost their authority and the structures humanity has created have crumbled to dust, love will remain. In this everlasting love is the glory of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. In this love we find our identity as the followers of Jesus… In this love we find our purpose… in this love we find our hope for eternal life in Christ.
The Rev. Robyn Arnold
No comments:
Post a Comment