Year C Easter 2 WED 2019 Love Being One

Year C Easter 2 WEDNESDAY,  1 May 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Love Being One”

1 John 2:12-17 (NRSV)
12 I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
    because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
    because you are strong
    and the word of God abides in you,
        and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire[a] are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.

John 17:20-26 (NRSV)
20 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Distractions and derailments are nothing new. In the writing of I John, we already see that we, the Church, can get off track, or to use the term that was far more popular in my rearing, backsliders. Children, fathers, young people, do not forget!!!

John, or the community or person writing in John’s name, urged the Church to love their highest and first love. Now don’t be confused, because similar words are being used. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world” Now this goes against the statement in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” We are looking at two things here. The World, and the worldly. God loves the world, and we are to love the world. We are not to be drawn to the worldly. We are not to be drawn to the distractions and derailments that causes us to  love the things of the world.

You may remember that old B.J. Thomas song:
Using things and loving people
That's the way it's got to be
Using things and loving people
Look around and you can see
That loving things and using people
Only leads to misery
Using things and loving people
That's the way it's got to be

Too often we get things off kilter. We love things, and use people. I had someone come into my office really upset. After they got their tirade out of their system, they asked what I thought. You could tell what they expected. I responded, “I am worried about how we can love one another with you so angry and unable to forgive. I hope we can get back to that and soon.” It so took them off guard, they were expecting tit-for-tat. I was honest about my love for them. I got an apology and a hug.

Remember what Jesus prayed in today’s reading: Christ prayed that his people, the Church, “ that they may all be one.” Being one is so hard. It is hard in a marriage. It is hard for a sports team. It is hard when we disagree or argue or fight.

When I work with couples one of the first things I ask of them is to commit to each other, just like on their wedding day. They are playing the long game. They are playing to win. Not to win over each other, but to win against the world. There are a lot of forces trying to tear down and separate and destroy. We have to first commit to be all in on being one, and everything else seems to settle into place.

I thank God that we get to practice being One with each other. And when I don’t, I pray for it twice as hard. Amen