As I Have Loved You
a sermon based on John 13:31-35
by Rev. Randy R. Quinn

John writes his gospel in such a way that we sense something very mystical is taking place.  It's as if John himself has stood at the threshold between the world we know and the world that God knows.  Jesus seems to be the one person who has gone from one realm into the other, from another dimension into the world we know and back again to the other world.

Jesus stands throughout his life with one foot in our world and one foot in another world, a world where God reigns and is praised and glorified by all creatures.

There was a time when it was thought that people on their death bed also stood with one foot on earth, in the here and now, and one foot in heaven, in the eternal presence of God.  It was because of that belief that people stood expectantly at the side of those who were dying in hopes that God would speak and be overheard by those who were present.

I suspect that there are still places in the world where that belief continues, but we no longer have that sense in our society.

But if we did, I fear that we would be like those who encountered Jesus in John's Gospel.  They never quite understood what he was saying.  He was speaking in metaphors about eternal truths and they were confused by a literal understanding of his words.

That is seen even in this passage of scripture.  These words are spoken by Jesus to his disciples during the last supper.  Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, then Judas left.  Now Jesus turns to these, his closest friends and tells them that he will be leaving them.

If ever there was a person in whose presence we would overhear the voice of God, it's Jesus.  And the message he gives is a word of hope, a word of encouragement.  He is providing final instructions to those who would continue to proclaim his message of the coming Kingdom of God.

But the disciples respond by asking where he is going and promises that they will follow him.  They don't seem to understand the importance of this message from God.

Jesus has given us a new commandment, that we love one another.  But this is not just a simple, mushy kind of romantic love.  Jesus says that we are to love one another as he has loved us.

This love of Jesus was expressed most recently in the way Jesus washed the feet of his disciples -- even the feet of Judas whose feet would take him out to betray Jesus.

What kind of a love is this?  A love that is expressed in service toward others -- friends, family, even enemies (whether they be suspected enemies or known enemies).  It is a love that knows no limits, no bounds.  It is a love that is expressed best in the little deeds.

Mother Teresa used to say that "we can do no great things -- only small things with great love."

It is the small things that Jesus did that serve as guideposts for us who desire to love as he loved.  He not only washed the feet of his disciples, he also spoke freely with social outcasts like the Samaritan woman.  He shared meals with saints and sinners and common folks like you and me.  He took children on his knee and blessed them.  He wept for his friend who had died before calling him forth from the tomb.  He was not afraid to touch the lepers nor speak words of hope to the oppressive Roman soldiers.

Even as they were driving nails into his hands and feet, Jesus continued to express love in small acts.  He prayed for those who were crucifying him.  He found a way to care for his mother after his death.

If ever a person loved others in every aspect of life, it was Jesus.  And I wonder if that is what it means to walk with one foot in this world and one foot in the next.

Jesus says that it's when we love one another that others will know that we belong to him.  It isn't what God has done for us that makes a differ­ence.  God has acted on behalf of all people everywhere.

No, what makes a difference is in the way we share that love with those around us.  In the 'random acts of kindness' that we perform for one another as well as in the inten­tional acts of love we do for each other.

It's fun to meet people and their families.  Next week, when we will honor our Mothers, many families will worship together -- either here or somewhere else.  I know that one of the things I'll be doing is looking for the family resemblances, those traits that mark us as members of our own particular families.

Yesterday we had a wedding here at the church.  I've gotten to know the bride and groom from meeting with them, but most of the guests were strangers to me.  Yet, I could tell which side some of them would sit on based on the family resemblances.

I haven't seen some of my cousins in many years, but when I meet their children, I know to which family they belong.  I've also noticed that some family members sound alike.  On the telephone, especially, it's hard to tell the difference between my mother and my sister or between Ronda and her daughter Tonya.

Jesus is suggesting that the family resemblance among Christians is not a physical mark or characteristic.  It isn't the sound of our voice or the particular language we speak.  It's the way that we love.

"Just as I have loved you", Jesus says, "you are to love one another."

Throughout my life, I have seen glimpses of this love.  I've seen it in the church where people give freely to and for one another.  In the past few weeks, for instance, I've seen people calling on Noah and Mark Spahr, offering to assist with the little details of life.  On Monday, several people showed up to help move Noah to a hospital bed.

There have been countless times when I've seen these small acts of love done for others.  And I know that I've been both a giver and a receiver of those generous acts.

But where I have known this love most fully is in my family, and especially from my mother.

I can't speak for all children, and I can't speak about all parents, but I do know what my own experience has been.  I know that my parents always seemed to be present in my life.  Even in adulthood, it has often been the weekly phone calls that enable me to find the strength and the courage to face difficult and stressful times.

I know others have similar experiences.

I recently heard a man telling about when he learned to ride a bicycle.  His parents were there, holding up the bike, but try as he might, he could never quite get it.  Then one day he realized that his parents couldn't run fast enough for him to ride.  So he tried to imagine their hands holding up the bike and running next to him.  It was the presence of his parents in his mind that allowed him the freedom to ride fast enough and eventually learn to ride the bicycle.

As a parent, I've learned how exciting it is when children learn new things as they grow.  I've felt the pride well up within me as they reach new goals and start to look towards the next milestone in life.

I suspect that Jesus, who has called his disciples "little children", feels the same kind of pride when we express and share the love that we have received from Christ.

And perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said that in him God has been glorified.  Jesus said this before inviting us to imitate him, suggesting to me that through us God continues to be glorified when we learn how to love one another as Christ has loved us.

Loving one another, as Christ has loved us brings joy to God.  It is a way of worshipping and glorifying God.  It not only is the mark of who we are as God's people, but it puts God into better focus in our lives and in our world.

In relating this story to us, John has touched upon a great mystery.  These are words that seem to come to us directly from the mouth of God.  They are indeed sacred words.

"Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."  This is a new commandment that gives us a new identity, a new family trait, a new characteristic that brings glory to God.

Let us go forth to love one another.  Amen.