Clothe Yourselves with Love

John 17:20–23 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.

Each year, the Rotary Club I was part of in Danville would send several high school students to a leadership retreat

Afterwards, they were to come to the club and talk about their experience

I was part of a Rotary Club

That each year helped to sponsor

A retreat for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors

The retreat was designed to help these students develop their leadership skills

Students had to be nominated to attend

And all of their expenses were paid

After the retreat concluded

Participants would come back

And describe the weekend to the club

And every year, they talked about one exercise in particular

There was one experience that was told to the club every year

The event came on Saturday afternoon

When all of the participants were divided into groups

Each group was given items and materials

Of all sizes, shapes and sorts

In this exercise, they were divided into group and given materials that they were to use to build a boat

Each group was then instructed to use those materials

To construct a raft

That one of them would be able to paddle across a pond

Which was right in front of them

At first, they thought it was simply a race

But getting across the pond wasn’t really the point at all

That the object of the exercise

Was to see which group could successfully get across the pond first

Rather, the object was to get the group to work together to build the boat

There were always tales about rafts falling apart and sinking

And which groups finally made it and which groups didn’t

But getting across the pond wasn’t really the point at all

There would be one group where one member would take over and do most of the work on his or her own

To work together to build the raft

And that was just as interesting

Typically, there would be one group

Where one member would take charge

There would be another group where the people would stand around and debate how to build the boat

And would do most of the work alone

Only occasionally barking out an order for someone else to do something

In that group, however, everyone else mostly stood around and watched

Then there would be a second group

There would be a third team where each individual took on a separate responsibility

And they would stand around and debate and argue

About what they were going to do

Sometimes they would even start on separate building efforts

Before finally coming together and hurriedly assembling something just before time ran out

Then there would be a third team

Which group do you think typically had the most success?

But another person had the vision of what to build

While another person had the ability to show the group how to put everything together once the vision was clear

Basically, they worked together as a team

Now, which group do you think typically had the most success?

I invite you once again to join me in reading Colossians 3:12-14:

Colossians 3:12–14 NRSV

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

In the first message, I talked about the five virtues Paul urges

​Colossians 3:14 NRSV14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

I was part of a Rotary Club

By beginning this verse with the words “Above all”Paul clearly wants us to viewWhat follows as being the most important key to Jesus-centered relationships: “Clothe yourselves with love”By using the word “clothe”Paul, of course, means that our lives are to be covered, enveloped with loveIn fact, our love for God as well as our love for one anotherShould be the very first thing that people see in our livesThe word “love” here is the Greek word “agape”Which means that we are to do more than “like” each other a lot“Agape” suggests a deep, abiding loveThe kind of love that leads us to put other peoples needs ahead of our ownPaul says this kind of love is importantBecause it binds us together in “harmony” as the NRSV phrases itOr in “unity” as several other translations phrase itSo, “love” binds us together, it connects us into one unified bodyThis is Paul’s greatest hope: that the church will be united.And it is not an organizational unity or structural unityThat Paul has in mindRather he meansThat we in the church are to share a unity of spirit, purpose and mission This call for unity within the churchReflects the passage from the gospel of John that Dana read earlier in the serviceWhen Jesus prayed that we “may all be one” This petition that we “may all be one”Comes at the endOf a much longer prayer that Jesus offersIn the Upper RoomDuring the Last SupperOn the night of his betrayalAnd the timing of the prayer alone indicates it’s importanceIn this longer prayer, Jesus prays for several thingsBut he concludesBy praying for all of those who will come after himIn other words, he is praying for you and me!Jesus prays that we will experience the same kind of unity that he and the Father share.He prays: so that they may be one, as we are one (NRSV)The kind of unity Jesus is praying for among his followersIs to be modeled on the relationship shared by the Father and the SonThink about that for a momentThe model for unity in the church is the unity between Jesus and the FatherOur understanding of that relationship Is that there is a distinctiveness: The Father and the Son each have their own roleBut it is also clearThat there is an unbreakable tie between themA tie to the point that they are indeed wholly one Making this same point, New Testament scholar Tom Wright says:Just as the father is in the son, and the son in the father, so we too are to live within that unity. That can only mean that we ourselves are to be united. And, in case we might miss the point, the result of this will be that the world will see, and know, that this kind of human community, united across all traditional barriers of race, custom, gender or class, can only come from the action of the creator God. ‘So that the world may believe …’ (For Everyone Commentary on John, by N.T. Wright) This is a particularly important and powerful message in our timeThink about what is happening in our worldThink about what is happening in our countryThe spirit of division is overwhelmingDivision between rich and poorDivision between rural and urban . . .. . . between Republican and Democrat. . . liberal and conservative. . . White and black. . . First world and third world. . . And on it goesUnity doesn’t mean that all differences disappearIt doesn’t mean that there won’t be different opinions and different points of viewOf course, there will beAnd there are serious issues that need to be worked onBut too many have gone from merely disagreeing with one anotherTo viewing those with whom they disagree as enemiesThis attitude has divided this country in ways that make it difficultIf not impossible For people to work with one anotherAnd, to be honestThose same kinds of divisionsHave, unfortunately, found their way into the larger churchDivision between mainline and evangelical and CatholicDivision over the ordination of womenDivision over worship stylesAnd the list goes onFurther, the way many Christians deal with disagreements in the churchToo often reflects attitudes in society as a wholeOn Wednesday, I received an email from a gentleman I was in a workshop with a while backIn this email, he described the divisions that are so evident in our nationAnd then he wrote . . .. . . “the saddest part is that I’ve seen Christians . . . for whom I have great respect, smugly calling into question the intelligence, motivation, and heart of fellow believers, tearing them down while receiving congratulatory ‘pats on the back’ from other Christians who happen to think the same way.”And lest anyone think that I am simply pointing the finger at other peopleI admit that there have been instances in my lifeWhen I have belittled or questioned the motives of other peopleIt is easy for us to doAnd it offers a brief sense of satisfactionBecause we believe we have “stood up for what is right”But more often it simply meansThat we have not really taken the other person seriouslyOr truly listened to themBut this is not the way it is supposed to be in the churchThis is not what Jesus meantWhen he prayed, “so that they may be one, as we are one”It is not what Paul meantWhen he instructed us to clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmonyThe church is called to be differentThe church is called to model our behavior on the ways of Jesus.Not on the ways of the culture around usWe are to set the example for unityAnd show that people can work together toward a specific goalEven when we don’t all see eye to eye on many issuesAnd you can be assuredThat people—especially non-ChristiansAre watchingAnd when they see that those who are part of the churchAre just as dividedAnd show just as much angerAnd hostilityTowards one anotherAs they see every where elseThey understandably wonderWhy should I try to be part of that churchWhen they aren’t any different than anyone else? So, how can we contribute to a sense of unity within the church?First, we can spend more time listening than talkingWe don’t have to force our opinions to the frontBeing willing to listen to another person shows that person respectAnd we just might learn something in the processSecond, we can avoid questioning other people’s motivesJust because a person’s opinion is different than mineThat doesn’t mean they love the church any less than I doInstead, trust that they are as concerned about the well being of the churchAs you areThird, give the other person the benefit of the doubtEveryone says things that they wish they hadn’tOr they say things they wish they had phrased differentlyOr they say things in the heat of the moment that were unkindWhen that happensRather than responding with hurt or feeling offendedGive the other person the benefit of the doubt that maybe he or sheSimply misspokeAnd fourth, seek reconciliationIn those times when harsh things are spoken and feelings are hurtSeek out the other personAnd do everything possible to work through itThere is a church that I pass on my way homeThey have a sign out front on which they put different sayingsRecently they posted on that signTo forgive is goodTo forget is betterTo seek reconciliation is divine Now obviously, from time to time, there will be issuesThat will require more work and intentionality to solveThan what I have describe hereBut I believe these four attitudes can go a long wayIn helping us in our day-to-day working together Writer and National Public Radio commentator Heather KingWho is also a recovering alcoholicWho has come to faith in JesusDescribes her early experience in the churchShe was shocked when she discoveredThat her church was filled with peopleDealing with a variety of issuesPeople, she writes, who are broken, misguided, wishy-washy, out for themselves.In other words, she says, People who are … us.She goes on to write:But we don't come to church to be with people who are like us in the way we want them to be. We come because we have staked our souls on the fact that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the church is the best place, the only place, to be while we all struggle to figure out what that means. We come because we'd be hard pressed to say which is the bigger of the two scandals of God: that he loves us—or that he loves everyone else. Jesus tells us that this unity will help us carry out our mission to encourage others to come to faithOur unity is indeed a witness to God’s love in generalBut that unity helps us carry out our ministry in other ways as wellLike the groups of high schoolers at the leadership camp in my opening storyAs we work together as a unified bodyWe are able to accomplish moreThan if we work separately When Paris, France determined to host the World’s Fair way back in 1889They invited artists and engineers to submit plansTo build a centerpiece for the fairMore than 100 artists submitted plansThe winner of the contest was a man by the name of Alexandre Gustave EiffelHe proposed building a 984-foot towerThe tallest human structure in the world at the timeToday, we know it as the Eiffel Tower And it is one of the most famous structures in the world At the time of its construction, howeverIt was called useless and artlessAnd although Gustave Eiffel's name was on the towerHe refused to take creditHe thanked seventy-two scientists, engineers, and mathematicians On whose work he depended to build the towerAnd, indeed, their names are also inscribed on the tower itselfBut, as author Mark Batterson writes, the Tower also relied on 300 riveters, hammermen, and carpenters who put together the 18,038-piece jigsaw puzzle of wrought iron in two years, two months, and five days.Eiffell also hired an acrobatic teamTo help his workers maintain balance On the very thin beams during strong gusts of windThe continuing existence of the Eiffel TowerIs also the result of the willingness of the Paris city councilWho voted in 1909 not to tear down the towerIn spite of the fact that it’s 20-year permit had expiredThe point is that Gustave Eiffel's name may be on the towerAnd it may be the way we identify the towerBut Gustave Eiffel didn’t build the tower aloneThere was a huge and varied team that helped himAccomplish this amazing task When we work together as a teamRelying on God’s direction and wisdomThen we will discover that we can accomplishSome pretty amazing things ourselves The vision God is calling this church to live outWon’t happen as a result of the efforts of one personIt won’t happen due the efforts of a new pastorIt won’t happen due to the efforts of any other one groupIt will only happen as the congregation comes togetherTo live out God’s vision together as a teamMy prayer is that you will make the decision to be that team

That each year helped to sponsor

A retreat for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors

The retreat was designed to help these students develop their leadership skills

Students had to be nominated to attend

And all of their expenses were paid

After the retreat concluded

Participants would come back

And describe the weekend to the club

There was one experience that was told to the club every year

The event came on Saturday afternoon

When all of the participants were divided into groups

Each group was given items and materials

Of all sizes, shapes and sorts

Each group was then instructed to use those materials

To construct a raft

That one of them would be able to paddle across a pond

Which was right in front of them

Now, of course, everyone thought

That the object of the exercise

Was to see which group could successfully get across the pond first

There were always tales about rafts falling apart and sinking

And which groups finally made it and which groups didn’t

Last week, I talked about the importance of “bearing with one another” and “forgiving each other”

But getting across the pond wasn’t really the point at all

The object was to get the group

To work together to build the raft

And that was just as interesting

Typically, there would be one group

Where one member would take charge

He or she had the idea of how to proceed

And would do most of the work alone

Only occasionally barking out an order for someone else to do something

In that group, however, everyone else mostly stood around and watched

Then there would be a second group

Where several people would have an idea of how to build the raft

And they would stand around and debate and argue

About what they were going to do

Sometimes they would even start on separate building efforts

Before finally coming together and hurriedly assembling something just before time ran out

Then there would be a third team

Where maybe someone would rise to leadership

But another person had the vision of what to build

While another person had the ability to show the group how to put everything together once the vision was clear

Basically, they worked together as a team

Now, which group do you think typically had the most success?

Naturally, the group that worked together as a team

Today, in the final message in this series, I am going to focus on verse 14 which says:

As hopefully you know by now

The Vision Team is proposing that we as a congregation adopt the following vision statement to guide our ministry together:

Connecting with people through grace, faith, fellowship and service.

This statement is based on the passage that we just read

passage that we just read

A passage that speaks to the way

We in the church are called to live out our relationships with one another

For the past couple of weeks

We have been taking a look at each verse in this passage

The first week we talked about verse 12 where Paul lists five virtues critical to Jesus-centered relationships:

Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience

Then last Sunday we focused on verse 13 and the importance of our being willing to “bear with one another” and to “forgive each other”

Today, in the final message in this series, we are going to look at verse 14 which says:

Colossians 3:14 NRSV

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

NRSV

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

This verse is really pretty straight-forward

The only thing I would point out is that he begins the verse with the words “Above all”

By doing so, Paul is obviously saying that what follows is most important thing of all that he has written

Paul clearly wants us to view

I would also point out that the word “love” here is the Greek word “agape” which suggests a deep, abiding love

By using the word “clothe”

Paul, of course, means that our lives are to be covered, enveloped with love

In fact, our love for God as well as our love for one another

Should be the very first thing that people see in our lives

The word “love” here is the Greek word “agape”

Which means that we are to do more than “like” each other a lot

“Agape” suggests a deep, abiding love

The kind of love that leads us to put other peoples needs ahead of our own

Because it binds us together in “harmony” as the NRSV phrases it

Or in “unity” as several other translations phrase it

This verse tells us

So, “love” binds us together, it connects us into one unified body

This is

Paul’s greatest hope: that the church will be united.

And not simply an organizational unity or structural unity

But a unity of spirit, purpose and mission

Rather he means

That we in the church are to share a unity of spirit, purpose and mission

If you remember in the first scripture this morning, Jesus prays that “they may be one, as we are one” (NRSV)

This call for unity within the church

Reflects the passage from the gospel of John that Dana read earlier in the service

When Jesus prayed that we “may all be one”

Jesus prays that we will experience the same kind of unity that he and the Father share.

This petition that we “may all be one”

Comes at the end

Of a much longer prayer that Jesus offers

The prayer is long and includes a number of petitions

During the Last Supper

On the night of his betrayal

And the timing of the prayer alone indicates it’s importance

In this longer prayer, Jesus prays for several things

But he concludes

By praying for all of those who will come after him

In other words, he is praying for you and me!

Jesus prays that we will experience the same kind of unity that he and the Father share.

The kind of unity Jesus prayed we would experience is to be modeled on the relationship shared by the Father and the Son

so

The kind of unity Jesus is praying for among his followers

Is to be modeled on the relationship shared by the Father and the Son

In that relationship there is a distinctiveness: the Father and the Son each have their own role

The model for unity in the church is the unity between Jesus and the Father

Our understanding of that relationship

Is that there is a distinctiveness:

The Father and the Son each have their own role

But there is also there is an unbreakable tie between them

That there is an unbreakable tie between them

A tie to the point that they are indeed wholly one

Making this same point, New Testament scholar Tom Wright says:

Just as the father is in the son, and the son in the father, so we too are to live within that unity. That can only mean that we ourselves are to be united. And, in case we might miss the point, the result of this will be that the world will see, and know, that this kind of human community, united across all traditional barriers of race, custom, gender or class, can only come from the action of the creator God. ‘So that the world may believe …’ (For Everyone Commentary on John, by N.T. Wright)

Think about what is happening in our world, in our country

Think about what is happening in our world

The spirit of division is overwhelming

Unfortunately, this spirit of division has found its way into the church

Is no different than society as a whole

The spirit of division is overwhelming

But, the church is called to be different, to be united

Let’s be clear unity doesn’t mean that all differences disappear

Division between rural and urban . . .

. . . between Republican and Democrat

. . . liberal and conservative

. . . White and black

. . . First world and third world

. . . And on it goes

Unity doesn’t mean that all differences disappear

It doesn’t mean that there won’t be different opinions and different points of view

But too many have gone from merely disagreeing with one another to viewing as enemies those with whom they disagree

And there are serious issues that need to be worked on

But too many have gone from merely disagreeing with one another

To viewing those with whom they disagree as enemies

Some time ago, I received an email from a gentleman who was in a workshop I had been part of

If not impossible

For people to work with one another

And, to be honest

Those same kinds of divisions

Have, unfortunately, found their way into the larger church

Even worse, the way many Christians deal with disagreements

Division over the ordination of women

Division over worship styles

And the list goes on

Further, the way many Christians deal with disagreements in the church

Is no different than society as a whole

Some time ago, I received an email from a gentleman I was in a workshop I had been part of

He described the divisions that are so evident in our nation, concluding

. . . “the saddest part is that I’ve seen Christians . . . for whom I have great respect, smugly calling into question the intelligence, motivation, and heart of fellow believers, tearing them down while receiving congratulatory ‘pats on the back’ from other Christians who happen to think the same way.”

. . . “the saddest part is that I’ve seen Christians . . . for whom I have great respect, smugly calling into question the intelligence, motivation, and heart of fellow believers, tearing them down while receiving congratulatory ‘pats on the back’ from other Christians who happen to think the same way.”

And I see the same thing on a regular basis

Situations where people believe they “stood up for what is right”

When I have belittled or questioned the motives of other people

It is easy for us to do

And it offers a brief sense of satisfaction

Because we believe we have “stood up for what is right”

But more often it means they have not taken the other person seriously or truly listened to them

That we have not really taken the other person seriously

Or truly listened to them

This is not what Jesus meant when he prayed, “so that they may be one, as we are one”

This is not what Jesus meant

When he prayed, “so that they may be one, as we are one”

It is not what Paul meant when he instructed us to clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony

When he instructed us to clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony

The church is called to model our behavior on the ways of Jesus.

The church is called to model our behavior on the ways of Jesus.

We are to set the example for unity

We are to set the example for unity

And show that people can work together toward a specific goal

Even when we don’t all see eye to eye on many issues

And you can be assured that society is watching

That people—especially non-Christians

Are watching

And when people see that those who are part of the church are just as apt to show anger and hostility as they see elsewhere

They wonder Why should I try to be part of that church when they aren’t any different than anyone else?

And show just as much anger

And hostility

Towards one another

As they see every where else

They understandably wonder

Why should I try to be part of that church

When they aren’t any different than anyone else?

So, how can we contribute to a sense of unity within the church?

First, we can spend more time listening than talking.

Listening to another person shows that person respect

Being willing to listen to another person shows that person respect

And we just might learn something in the process

Second, we can avoid questioning other people’s motives.

Just because a person’s opinion is different than mine

Doesn’t mean they love the church any less than I do

Third, give the other person the benefit of the doubt.

As you are

Third, give the other person the benefit of the doubt

How many of us have ever said something we wish we hadn’t?

Or wished we had phrased something differently?

When that happens towards us, rather than responding with hurt or by feeling offended

When that happens

Rather than responding with hurt or feeling offended

Give the other person the benefit of the doubt

Simply misspoke

And fourth, we can seek reconciliation.

In those times when harsh things are spoken and feelings are hurt

Seek out the other person

And do everything possible to work through it

There was a church in Pekin that posted on their sign

They have a sign out front on which they put different sayings

Recently they posted on that sign

To forgive is good

To forget is better

To seek reconciliation is divine

Sometimes there will be issues that require more work and intentionality to solve

That will require more work and intentionality to solve

Than what I have describe here

But I believe these four attitudes can go a long way

In helping us in our day-to-day working together

Writer and National Public Radio commentator Heather King

Who is also a recovering alcoholic

Describes her early experience in the church

Describes her early experience in the church

She was shocked when she discovered

That her church was filled with people

Dealing with a variety of issues

People, she writes, who are broken, misguided, wishy-washy, out for themselves.

In other words, she says, People who are … us.

She goes on to write:

But we don't come to church to be with people who are like us in the way we want them to be. We come because we have staked our souls on the fact that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the church is the best place, the only place, to be while we all struggle to figure out what that means. We come because we'd be hard pressed to say which is the bigger of the two scandals of God: that he loves us—or that he loves everyone else.

Our unity is a witness to God’s love in general

Jesus tells us that this unity will help us carry out our mission to encourage others to come to faith

Our unity is indeed a witness to God’s love in general

But unity also helps us carry out our ministry in other ways

Like the group of high schoolers at the leadership camp in my opening story

When we work together as a unified body

We are able to accomplish far more than if we work separately

Than if we work separately

Indeed, we discover that we can accomplish some pretty amazing things

When we work together as a team

They invited artists and engineers to submit plans

To build a centerpiece for the fair

More than 100 artists submitted plans

The winner of the contest was a man by the name of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel

He proposed building a 984-foot tower

The tallest human structure in the world at the time

Today, we know it as the Eiffel Tower

And it is one of the most famous structures in the world

At the time of its construction, however

It was called useless and artless

And although Gustave Eiffel's name was on the tower

He refused to take credit

He thanked seventy-two scientists, engineers, and mathematicians

On whose work he depended to build the tower

And, indeed, their names are also inscribed on the tower itself

But, as author Mark Batterson writes, the Tower also relied on 300 riveters, hammermen, and carpenters who put together the 18,038-piece jigsaw puzzle of wrought iron in two years, two months, and five days.

Eiffell also hired an acrobatic team

To help his workers maintain balance

On the very thin beams during strong gusts of wind

The continuing existence of the Eiffel Tower

Is also the result of the willingness of the Paris city council

Who voted in 1909 not to tear down the tower

In spite of the fact that it’s 20-year permit had expired

The point is that Gustave Eiffel's name may be on the tower

And it may be the way we identify the tower

But Gustave Eiffel didn’t build the tower alone

There was a huge and varied team that helped him

Accomplish this amazing task

When we work together as a team

Relying on God’s direction and wisdom

Then we will discover that we can accomplish

Some pretty amazing things

And it all begins when we “clothe ourselves in love”

The vision God is calling this church to live out

Won’t happen as a result of the efforts of one person

It won’t happen due the efforts of a new pastor

It won’t happen due to the efforts of any other one group

It will only happen as the congregation comes together

To live out God’s vision together as a team

My prayer is that you will make the decision to be that team