Love One Another....

For the past few weeks, I have been sharing my musical talents with the congregation of Wangen Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Minnesota.  Like so many rural churches, they are small.  But size should never be confused with enthusiasm, and there is an abundance to be found there.  They are filled with the Spirit, doing good work, and carrying the cross as a beacon in the wilderness through their support of missions near and far.  It has been a very rare privilege for me to play each Sunday morning, because, although I was a stranger, they have accepted me into their midst as one of them.  It is not always so, and I am grateful.

I have been thinking about this today, as I near the end of my temporary commitment.  I realize they think that I have gifted them by playing, and, of course, God has worked through me to bring music to their Sunday morning ministry, which I hope has been a blessing.  But, in truth, the real gift has been to me in their healing love and acceptance, which is far more important, in the overall scheme of life.

I have been thinking of all this in terms of Matthew 22:39, where Jesus commands us on love.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Such simple words.  So easily overlooked.  So often misunderstood.

Too often, we personalize those words, and, in doing so, trivialize their meaning.  They are brought down to an individual level, in which the neighbor looks like us, shares our experiences, and understands the world in the same way we do.  It is easy, and we embrace the theory, even when we fail in practice.

But I don't think that was what Jesus meant at all.  I think, in truth, to find the real meaning in this simple phrase, you need to look to John 13:34-35, where he 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."

Can you feel the imperative calling in his words?

Jesus wasn't talking about an easy love for people who are exactly like us.  In fact, I don't think he was really talking about individuals at all.  I think Jesus was commanding us, as a community in his name, to love all others, individuals and communities, no matter what their background or experience, just as he has given himself for us, no matter what our background or experience.  In becoming a loving community, reaching out to the disenfranchised, the wounded, the outcasts, anyone who comes to us, we are leading by our example, as Jesus leads us.

I have learned that people are always observing whether your actions match your professed beliefs.  People are influenced more by deeds than by words, and Jesus was acknowledging this truth.  When we fail to love as Jesus commanded, we are not just hurting ourselves.  We are also depriving our faith community of the talents and gifts that a person has to offer, and more importantly, potentially denying them the opportunity to follow where Jesus leads.

Jesus didn't limit himself to the chosen few.  He looked beyond the boundaries and embraced everyone he came into contact with.  He welcomed Samaritans and Pharisees, rich people and poor people, laborers, fishermen, carpenters and farmers equally, looking in the heart, not at their external characteristics.  He  has welcomed prostitutes and criminals in the same way he welcomed his disciples and his own mother, even from the cross, and promised them eternity with him simply upon their acceptance of him as Lord and Savior.  And he has offered us, simple sinners all, exactly the same.

The first time I entered Wangen Prairie, they didn't know my back story.  They had no idea what I have experienced in my life, where I have been, what my beliefs are, or how I live my faith.  But from the very first moment I stepped foot in the door, they embraced me, both as a musician, and as a human being, and accepted me as I am, flaws and all, without even knowing what those flaws might be.

My being there has been a change for them, and they could have resisted because I was different.  But instead of resisting, they embraced me.  Instead of fighting the change, they welcomed the new opportunity.  While they look forward to the imminent return of their regular organist, they have taken the time and opportunity to try something different, and I believe we have all had a good time together.

They are the embodiment of what loving your neighbor is all about.  Wishing you the same healing grace of God that I have found over the last few weeks in a tiny little church in a place hardly anyone has ever heard of, but where God is to be found every Sunday morning, and in the hearts of their faithful all week long.