Call to worship
Once upon a time
a wise man offered a challenge;
“What is the greatest commandment?”
The calendars on our desks share a vision of greatness;
bills to pay, phone calls to return, appointments to keep.
Love the Lord your God.
The cameras of our memories share what commands us;
children to bathe and partners to help
parents calling and grandchildren hopeful.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
Still the Spirit lures us to new priorities;
open spaces to experience wonder,
strangers becoming friends,
devotion to that which transcends.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Opening prayer
Holy God, we come together to worship,
a people who would like to think that we love you
with all our hearts and souls,
with all our might,
but there are so many other things in our lives
that clamour for our attention
that we often relegate you to Sundays
and Wednesday afternoons,
and times when we want you to rescue us.
Most of us really do want you to be the one
in whom we live and move and have our being.
We really do want to hear your voice
above all of the other voices in our lives.
But we get bogged down in the daily routine.
We forget who we are.
We forget who you are.
We forget what the church is supposed to be.
So here we are, standing before you today,
with our human foibles
and our short attention spans,
asking that you would make yourself known to us,
that you would help us to recognise
the presence of the Holy,
that you would continue to challenge us,
inspire us,
and make us into the people you want us to be.
Amen.
Community of Christ,
who make the cross your own,
live out your creed and risk Your life
for God alone:
the God who wears your face,
to whom all worlds belong,
whose children are of every race
and every song.
Community of Christ,
look past the Church’s door
and see the refugee, the hungry,
and the poor.
Take hands with the oppressed,
the jobless in your street,
take towel and water,
that you wash your neighbour’s feet.
Community of Christ,
through whom the word must sound –
cry out for justice and for peace
the whole world round: disarm the powers of war
and all that can destroy,
turn bombs to bread, and tears of anguish
into joy.
When menace melts away,
so shall God’s will be done,
the climate of the world be peace
and Christ its Sun;
our currency by love
and kindliness our law,
our food and faith be shared as one
for evermore
Mark 12: 28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”, this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Reflection
The 4th-century theologian Jerome tells a story about the Apostle John. John was old and frail, unable to walk, so his disciples would carry him to the church in their arms. Every week these were his words to the congregation: “Little children, love one another.”
This went on for a long time, until at last, more than a little weary of these repeated words, his disciples asked him, “Master, you have walked with the Lord, don’t you have another teaching from him? Why do you always say this? “Because,” John replied, “it is the Lord’s command, and if this only is done, it is enough.”
I can sympathise with John in this story. 2000 years later many (of us) still don’t fully understand the love that Jesus taught, lived and is calling us to live.
Some imagine the love Jesus talks about to be open-mindedness or tolerance. They imagine “love one another” to mean “live and let live,” “Whatever floats your boat, as long as you let me float mine.” Others imagine it to be affection, good feelings towards others. “Love one another” then would mean: “Get rid of all that negativity – good vibes for everyone!” Still others imagine this love to be basic human decency: “Be nice to each other, use your manners, be polite”.
There is nothing wrong with tolerance, affection or everyday courtesy. These are the bare minimum for being human together, but in themselves, they are not the love that Jesus taught, the love he lived. Jesus’ love transcends feelings and politeness, it’s much more powerful and profound than simple kindness. As someone once said – Jesus didn’t get crucified for being nice.
So what is this love that Jesus says is the first and greatest commandment?
Thankfully we have got a lot to go on in the Gospels, both from Jesus’ teaching and from the way he lived. I think that the love that Jesus is trying to teach us has been well summarised by the ‘theologian of love’, Henri Nouwen:
‘Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love even more fruitful. It is like a plough that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.’
Amen
Discussion questions:
1) In order to love others our “love tank” must be filled by the love of God. How are you able to receive the love of God and recharge your spiritual batteries?
2) What can you do to show love to someone this week? Is there a need you can meet?
StF 249: Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love
Refrain: Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbours we have from you.
Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
Refrain
Neighbours are wealthy and poor,
varied in colour and race,
neighbours are near us and far away.
Refrain
These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all these are neighbours to us and you.
Refrain
Loving puts us on our knees,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you.
Refrain
Closing prayers
Our prayer today is for all who are victims of cruel laws and petty laws, those who’re subjected to prejudice
denied opportunities, excluded, pushed to margins.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for all those who’re betrayed,
who don’t know loyalty, who fear to trust, or to love,
and who don’t realise that they’re already loved by you.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the landless and homeless,
the refugee and evicted,
those who find themselves in foreign places and strange places.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the overworked and the underpaid,
for those in dangerous work and those in compassionate work,
for those who long to work but are denied the opportunity
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the Church, for all the branches of the vine
including this one we gather as part of, today:
body of Christ, people of Christ,
for whom the Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the creation gifts,
this earth in all its mighty wonder, yet tender fragility,
the gifts of life and resources to treasure.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the gifts we give
that we will give generously and thankfully
and that we’ll use these gifts with wisdom and love.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for those who lie close to our hearts
those whom we worry about, those whom we miss,
those who carry disproportionate burdens at this time:
(local, personal intercessions)
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
We ask all this in your Son’s name who gave us this prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
The power, and the glory
For ever and ever.
Amen
StF 242: A new commandment I give unto you
A new commandment I give unto you:
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.
By this shall all know that you are my disciples:
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all know that you are my disciples:
if you have love one for another.
3 x
Benediction
Hear this: the Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
Therefore go out into the world
and love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,
and love others as you love yourself.
And may God give you justice and freedom;
May Christ Jesus set you free for love;
and may the Holy Spirit go where you go
and protect you on your way.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
AMEN
