One of the Great Secrets
One of the Great Secrets
What would I do if I loved this person?
Do not waste time bothering whether you love your neighbor. Act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we will find one of the great secrets.
Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas, at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.
Our sermon sound bite today is brought to us by Chris Wright, as he comments on First John, chapter four, verse seven. "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
So this love that we show to others comes from him. It's this outpouring, right? So in John's gospel, Jesus commands us. He says, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." So we're sent out to love as we are loved. Now what does that look like? Well, C.S. Lewis, who I think I have a requirement to quote him at least once a day, he suggested that if we were to think about, okay, what does this look like to love our neighbor, to love one another, is we should ask ourselves, first off, "If I really love this person, what would I do? How would I act? I just imagine this person here, if I really, really love them, what would I do for this person? What do they need? How can I fulfill that need? How can I love them?"
And in Mere Christianity, he says, "Do not waste time bothering whether you love your neighbor. Act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we will find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him."
So sometimes the attitude isn't always there, right? You think, "Okay, I'm supposed to love one another. Great, okay, except him, right? He's a jerk. I'll love him. Bless your heart." Right? But you ever notice that like if you really don't like someone, the more time you think about how much you don't like them, the more you don't like them? And maybe the more time you start treating them badly, it just becomes easier, right? But it's that same effect. It's the more you start loving someone, the more lovable you find them. That's actually how G.K. Chesterton saw the moral of the story for Beauty and the Beast. It was someone has to be loved before they can become lovable. So she, by loving the beast, he became a prince. That was how he saw that story. So it is through our actions that we begin to show love and that love begins to grow in us, this love from Christ that is pouring through us.
So when you wonder about loving your neighbor, think about, "If I were to love this person, what would I do?" Do it. Act upon it. Continue to actively love them.
Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find this prayer for the human family on page 659.
O God, you made us in your own image, and you have redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
