Love where you live - Part 2

Intro

In March of 1943, Bulgaria which had aligned with the Nazis received orders from Berlin that they were to begin implementing the Final Solution, the extermination of the Jewish people in Bulgaria and deport them to Treblinka.

Plodda was one of those towns. The Jewish people were gathered at a school and told to bring only what they could carry.

Orthodox Bishop Curel comes to investigate. He cried out, "Children, the Christians of this country will not allow this to happen to you. I will not allow this to happen to you. I will lay my body on these tracks and they will have to run over my body. This will not happen to you." He and the people of that town began to speak out. Others began to speak out. Several members of Parliament stood up and spoke but they were relieved of their offices and never served again in politics. But the people refused to let the trains leave.

Months later, the German Ambassador to Bulgaria on June 7, 1943 writes this back to Berlin: "I am firmly convinced that the Ambassador and the Parliament wish and strive for a radical final solution to the Jewish problem. However they are hindered by the mentality of the Bulgarian people who lack the ideological enlightenment we have." The people loved their Jewish Neighbours. And because the Christians of Bulgaria stood up against this while 6 million Jews were killed, of the 49,000 Jews of Bulgaria, all were saved and not a single one of them was killed by the Nazis.

Recap

Last week we considered Jesus last command to his disciples - to Go and not stay here. To Know Christ and to do Christ. And that we’re all called - each of us - to be part of the Go.

This week we’re going to continue this theme of “Loving where you live” and we’re consider how we Go.

We’re going to do it by looking at the passage we heard earlier. It may help if you open your Bibles back up to it. Matt 22:34-40.

The religious scholars of Jesus’ day had reduced the Law - instructions of the OT to 365 negative commands - things not to do, and 248 positive commands - things we must do. The scholars were locked in debate organising these into hierarchies of the most important rules down to the least.

“Whats the greatest command” Its probably a question Jesus answered a lot. We’ve see in Luke 10:27 a similar question asked by Jesus and answered by a scholar. Jesus’ two verses Matt 22:37 “37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” which is Deut 6:5 and Matt 22:39 “39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” which is taken from Lev 19:18 were not uniquely given by Jesus to answer this question - other rabbi of his time and the man Jesus talked to gave similar responses. What is thoroughly unique is the emphasis Jesus placed on love your neighbour.

We see Jesus address this elsewhere with different wording in Matt 7:12 “12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” a different stating of it - this one often called the Golden rule. Other scholars of Jesus’ time addressed this rule in the negative sense - Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you. But Jesus uniquely implied the need to act positively - To do to others - the need to do not just refrain. It is a love that engages the world.

If you want to see How Jesus viewed this rule consider verse 39 “39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” - The second is like it - not the second is lesser but important, if you do the first you should consider the second. Go back to the passage, note how Jesus was asked for the greatest command - singular. Yet Jesus has given two as the greatest. It is like it - like loving God - a total raising of the command to love your neighbour - it is as essential as loving your God. Loving your neighbour is like Loving God.

Loving God is like Loving your neighbour

If you love God isn’t it enough to come to Church, to worship God, to spend time in prayer talking to him, listening to him, to study his word, to give money and time, to offer him sincere praise. These are good things right? Correct things? They are. But they are not enough. I need to love others? why?

Consider who Jesus was being tested by. The Pharisee’s were Religious people. They loved God. They worshipped, they prayed, they studied, they knew more scripture than I reckon any of us do. They would have the first 5 books of the Bible memorised. Yet their society was unjust. They were hypocrites - they loved the law but overlooked injustice. They were not loving the people around them. A love for God is not enough by itself. We also called to love people. Jesus put that as equally important.

That’s hard isn’t it. Can I be honest? I find some people hard to love. I know perhaps I shouldn't admit that. Shouldn’t I, a Christian have a heart filled for love for all people? Lets talk truth - Love is not a feeling or emotional state, it is an application of will. Don’t confuse love with liking. Loving requires a commitment and act of will. If I don’t like people I can still love them. C.S Lewis said this well, he said

“Do no waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; acts as if you did”. C.S Lewis

Jesus loves us but not for what we offer. I wonder if perhaps he loves us but sometimes doesn’t like us. God does not like sinners but his love for us compelled him to die on the cross. Indeed nothing we can give can earn that love. It had to be a loving act freely given by Jesus.

Our motivation likewise is to love people freely. We do it because its good for them. Not for anything in return. Not love them so that they become Christians. Be careful on that one, so often the world is cynical of our motive, too often they are right to be. Oh I want everyone to know Jesus but my love is not conditional to that. Not love them so I feel good about myself. You might but be careful about desiring that as well. We Love them because we love God and that’s how we show our love. God Loves them and so shall we.

Love doesn’t require like

I want to push you a little more. Its pretty easy at this point to affirm your agreement. Yes we should love our neighbour. I love my neighbours in Afghanistan. I love the prostitutes in my town. I love my neighbour across the road. Its easy for me to affirm this love. Its easy you see as I don’t spend any time with them. I don’t know them. I’m not actually down in the muck with them going through their problems.

Your neighbour isn’t just the person you live next door to. The biblical word neighbour means someone what you have close proximity too - physically or emotionally. That’s what Jesus means by neighbour. Not some vague amorphous person out there that I intellectually know I would love. But some real person right here that I’m in proximity to.

Its hard to love people you’re in proximity too isn’t it. I love my kids. It is a love that’s sometimes easier to sustain when I don’t spend time in proximity to them. We have a caravan. There are times when we’re away, in very close proximity, that my like is diminished, don’t judge, I’m being honest here. Love then becomes an intentional thought that needs sustaining, applying. I love through gritted teeth as I know they deserve loving regardless. They probably do the same about me!

So then. How do we do it?

We need to love up close

So where are our neighbours? That’s not some theoretical question, I want you thinking. Who are the people in your life that you do or could come into contact with. It’s not easy to help people, you’ve got to really pay attention to learn what they need. We need to think about paying attention to peoples needs.

Our mid week Explore groups have 4 components to each meeting - the 4 W’s. The Welcome, the Worship, The Word and the Works. The Works is the point where the group identify ways in which they can support each other and those around them and its so important. It is the point in which we display this behaviour one to each other and to our neighbours. It is a chance to pray with each other but also so much more.

Loving people meets their needs (not ours)

What needs do people have that you can all meet? What needs do those in your group know about outside the church family that you can meet. Is there an elderly neighbour who’d really love it if you all popped over to clean their house? Is there someone lonely in your road that you could befriend? Could you love our town by doing a litter pick around the neighbourhood? Are there hedges and gardens that need tending to? Is there a new Mum who you could cook meals for? Is there someone who just needs a lift around form time to time? Is there someone who just needs you to smile at them, make them feel significant?

Community helps us do this. If you’re not part of an Explore group then can I encourage you to talk to me about this? Its hard to love and be loved if you don’t open yourself up to relationships that have intimacy and this in part is why we need Explore groups.

The loving of our neighbour though is just not amongst us, the church. It is also Christ’s call for us to go out and do it in the world. If we are not out there then we don’t know our neighbours to love. We need to think about how we build these relationships. Where we build them. You are called to Go. You are called to Love. You.

I shared at the beginning about the Jew’s being saved by the Christians in Bulgaria. Many other Jewish people had Christian neighbours though and they weren’t saved. We watched a video at the start about the response of the church to COVID. Not all churches or indeed Christians responded like that. I think we should be humbled by what people in the world did, people who do not know Christ or the love and hope we have found. Perhaps we ourselves would have done things differently. I don’t want you looking back though this morning. I want you looking forward. Christ releases us from our past so we can place our hope in his future. Lets pledge together to love where we live. Lets seek from God the how and where and when of that loving. Lets be Jesus in the world. The world needs Jesus.

You are Jesus to the world. So, what are you going to do about it?