Not in Word or Speech; in Truth and Action (April 21, 2024) 1 John 3.16-24

Love. It is a word that brings about many images. Cards, flowers, hearts, candy, balloons, and other signs and symbols of affection. It can mean anything from a romantic, erotic feeling, to a passion for a team, to an intense like for a certain food (I happen to love Reese’s cups and peanut butter M&Ms). We find it in television, movies, books and, most prominently, in music. I am sure that if I were to ask for you to call out a song about love, you would be able to think of one in an instant. Some that I can think of as I wrote this sermon were Love (John Lennon), She Loves You (The Beatles), That’s Love (Brad Paisley), He Stopped Loving Her Today (George Jones) (I never said the songs had to be happy) and one that is by my one of favorite artists, All About Love (Steven Curtis Chapman). Now this is only five songs out of the plethora of songs that tell the story of love found or lost, celebrated or derided. Each of these songs (with perhaps the exception of That’s Love) all deal with love as a feeling, not something concrete. But what if love is more than a feeling? What if there is more to love than meets the eye?

I want you to think of things that someone does that shows love in action. It could be washing the dishes or some other chore that needs to be done around the house. It could be giving time to Pilot Outreach or another crisis center. Whatever it is, love in action is what we are called to do.

When we look at the text for today there are several ways to take a sermon. I have chosen the way of love because we don’t see too much of it today. We see hate and polarization. We see the worst in people and stay with only those who agree with us. But if we are to be followers of Christ we are to follow and love as he loved.

But what does it mean to love as he loved? In the first verse we are told what love is and how it is known, by the fact that Christ laid down his life for us. We, as followers of Christ, are told that we should love in the same way. EEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!! You mean that we are required to lay down our lives for those in the church?! But what if my brother or sister is not a nice person? What if they really annoy me? Should I lay down my life for that person? Let me ask you a question that might give an answer to these: What makes me (and you) so special that Jesus laid down his life for me (and you)? Any other questions?

And what about those outside the church, ones who are not our brothers and sisters? Are we to ignore them and show them no love? The writer of 1 John would probably say to us, “Nay, Nay!” Remember he is writing to a church that is divided and tearing at each one another. Therefore, he is probably not thinking of those outside the church at this time. But if this small letter is truly a commentary on the Gospel of John, then the writer is surely thinking of those outside as well as the brothers and sisters to whom he is writing.

But what does laying down one’s life look like? Sometimes it is standing up for the poor, the disenfranchised, the homeless, the refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, those of a different skin color or ethnicity; any who are considered the “least of these”. It is going voluntarily into areas one does not have to and facing easily avoided consequences as a result. For some, when they made the stand and loved, they paid the ultimate price. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Oscar Romero, both of whom were assassinated by those in power, those who, like the religious officials who worked to have Jesus killed, represented “good, solid values”, are only two that come to mind.

But for most of us the stakes are not quite so high as they were for the two examples just given. But the standard remains the same. Ronald Cole-Turner says this about laying down our lives: “Laying down our lives, at its core, can mean any number of ways in which we lay aside our claim to own our lives. We lay down our lives when we put others first. We lay down our lives when we live for the good of others. We lay down our lives when we make time for others. To love others is to lay down our life for them. When we lay down the completely normal human desire to live for ourselves, and when instead we allow the love of God to reorient us toward the needs of others, we are laying down our lives.”[1]Laying down our lives so that we are not the most important thing in our lives? Talk about a difficult teaching.

And the author continues to hammer his point home. “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” Here the author is saying, “How can you, who have plenty of the basics of life, not help those who are lacking in those very things? Especially those who are a brothers or sisters? Ones you see in church all the time?”

I know that it is hard to tackle the question of needs and poverty in our world today. We see so much that we feel overwhelmed and can become numb. And we have trust issues. When I see the person on the corner with a sign that says “Anything will help” my inclination (and to my shame, my reaction) is to look straight ahead or to look away even when the boys are in the car telling me that we should help that person. Why is that? Mostly it is because, truthfully, I don’t want to be bothered. But is that what Christ would have us do? I think I, and you, know the answer. So how do we deal with issues like this one? “We cannot take care of them all”, some will say, “Besides, they just take the money and waste it on (fill in the blank)”. And indeed, some might do that. Or some will say that Jesus told us the poor would always be with us, so why should we care? But again, what did we do that was worthy of Christ laying down his life to give us salvation? Can you hear some of the angels saying, “I’m not real sure about giving grace to that one, LORD. Pretty sure it will be wasted.”

And when we do help, are we are often like those of whom James speaks who say to the needy, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill” and then do nothing. As James says, what good does that do? The writer of 1 John says the same. When we love, it must not just be talk and feelings. There has to be action and truth. There has to be love as a verb. Going out and helping those in need. Collecting food for those who are going hungry. Did you know that hunger is one of greatest issues in this state? Second Harvest Food Bank, Crisis Control Ministries, and Pilot Outreach, to name a few ministries, are often overwhelmed by the number of people who apply for assistance because they cannot keep up with the demand. There are many children who dread the end of school because they know that they will then go hungry for an entire day instead of just one meal. I have seen these children. You have seen them. There are billboards that say, “The face of hunger is sometimes hard to see.” They are our neighbors and the ones who we are called to help, not just some slackers who don’t have their act together. Jesus did not say do this only if it is convenient. No. He said, “do it because when you do, you do it to me.” We have ways here that we can do something to show our love to people. We have a basket for Pilot Outreach and needs printed in the bulletin. We have a blessing box. I know that sometimes people use the blessing box as their grocery store, but that is not a reason for us to stop donating. There are those who are grateful that someone cares. Someone who puts love in action.

Our writer tells us that our conscience will tell us if we are condemned or not. If we do not feel love toward our brothers and sisters and show love in action, there might be an issue. But if we realize that we have not done what we are called to do, then we are of God because it is the Spirit that convicts us and leads us to love in action.

The final two verses tell us that we are to follow the commandments of God: to believe in the name of Jesus Christ and to love one another. We are told that the commandments are known. Now remember that the Bible as we know it did not exist at this time. Did the hearers of this letter know the Gospel of John. Possibly and probably. But I can almost guarantee that they knew scripture: that which we call the Old Testament. I was once told that one cannot know the New Testament without being intimate with the Old because you can bet the writers of the New were. And here is what the Old Testament says: “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.” (Deu 15:7-8 NRS) “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”(Lev 19:18 NRS)

It would appear that the command to love one another, to love one’s brothers and sisters, is something dear to the heart of God because God told the people of the covenant to do this from the very beginning, from the first giving of the covenant.

Now you may think that I am being harsh and looking down in judgement on all of you. (move from pulpit to the front row). But I have to admit that I am preaching to myself as much as to anyone else in this sanctuary. I have to ask all of us, are we just speaking love or are we showing it in truth and action? Go love as Christ loved us. Amen.

[1]Bartlett, David L.; Taylor, Barbara Brown. Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide (Feasting on the Word: Year B volume) (p. 1046). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.