Saturday, March 15th
Stan Herren
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”
Matthew 5: 43-45
This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount. As such it is not just about how we behave under the law. It is about discovering the living God in the loving of everyone and learning to reflect that love into the world we live in.
Sometimes people mistake this teaching as an admonition to be passive. But the behavior that Jesus calls for is not passive, but active. GIVE; LOVE; LEND (expecting nothing in return); OFFER your other check. Live this type action every day in all that you do!
God is kind and merciful to ALL; no matter whether they are good or wicked. We as Christians are called to a higher standard. We are called when faced with evil to respond with restraint and kindness. We should be willing to take controlled action and work for the well-being of everyone at all times.
Jesus asked us to love one another. Of all the commandments and all the powers, love is the most powerful and important. I think this love is shown through our willingness to work for another person’s well-being. I also believe that this command means we do not necessarily have to like a person. But we cannot let liking or disliking someone stand in the way of loving another human being. We show love in our desire to take action to work for everyone’s well-being.
Last year I wrote a meditation on the significance of “the Peace” in our order of worship. It is important that we genuinely make peace with our friends and our enemies before we approach the altar. For peace of the Lord to be with us, we must reconcile with everyone and show our love equally.
We are called to value and love each of God’s children. It is especially important during Lent that we recognize the significance of every human being. We are to see each person as a child of God and to love and be at peace with even those who hurt us. Let us truly love one another and seek God’s face in every face we encounter.
We ask for Your grace to show love to all as a way of daily living. Amen