Mark your calendars!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
The Men’s Locker Room Group is hosting an evening out to the T-Bones game! Men, join the fun!!
When: Saturday, June 11, 2016
Time: 6:30pm
Where: Community America Ballpark (1800 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66111)
Cost: $10.00 – Free Parking
We are building the planet of Jakku on this trailer. Want to help? Here’s how…
Sign up for one or more of our work days, or just show up!
May 19 from 5-9pm
May 21 from 1-5pm
May 26 from 5-9pm
May 28 from 9am-5pm
June 2 from 5-9pm
June 3 from 5-9pm
On the Trailer: we are creating sand dunes out of foam, and building a crashed star destroyer, then..painting it all!
Off the Trailer: we are building a fleet of 3-foot x-wings and tie fighters out of card board, then…painting them!
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
It has been said that a text without a context is a pretext. What does that mean? Let’s take a look!
This passage in and of itself is challenging enough! To love fellow Christians the same way and to the same degree that Jesus loves us. But consider that this concept was introduced as a command just hours before he himself would be arrested, dragged through an illegal trial, beaten beyond recognition, and brutally murdered at the hands of law enforcement. But if that isn’t enough, let’s go back to the dinner table!
Verse 4 of John 13 says that Jesus got up from the table and proceeded to act like a slave: washing his disciples’ feet. And after navigating through some resistance regarding this behavior, he announces that this is how all of us should act, like slaves towards one another. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Then he proceeds to address the fact that he was going to be betrayed by one of the “brothers” at the table; one of the brothers whose feet he had just washed.
After addressing the betrayal and the betrayer, he proceeds to deal with another “main man” who’s going to deny him.
All of this madness reminds me of a term that’s used on the streets: “I’ve got your back!” Really?
So, if there’s a question about what does it mean to love like Jesus loves, we just need to look at the context.
The bottom line is that we need to walk so closely to the Lord through prayer, his word, fellowship and the other disciplines of the faith that we’ll have enough gas in our tanks to love one another as Jesus loves us. And that will get the attention of the lost!
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Every day as I leave home, I give my wife a hug and tell her I love her. Then, I am off to drop the kids at school, and much to the chagrin of my 14 and 17-year-olds, I yell out I love them as they are walking into the school. Somedays it is easy to love those closest to us, but as we all know sometimes it is not so easy!
There are those times when we do not value one another and we hurt one another. In those moments of hurt and betrayal, our love is harder to give.
Paul’s gives us a strong statement on loving one another as he says “Above all”, or as another version says, “Most important of all.” The Bible is full of verses and entire chapters on loving one another. Luke 6:27 goes so far to say,
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Wow, how many of us can say we truly walk out love to our enemies?
I was challenged yesterday by Pastor Andy’s story about road rage. I may from time to time get a little frustrated at other drivers. Ok, maybe a little more than frustrated. I don’t even know these people, but am I acting in love towards them or more worried about my rights on the road?
Love covers a multitude of sins!
Why is love such a strong command from Jesus? Peter makes is clear that love covers a multitude of sins.
In our home, we never say we are sorry to one another. We challenge each other to say “please forgive me.” Asking forgiveness requires action and humility on our parts, but it also requires the same for the other person. Forgiveness heals relationships.
Jesus loved the world so much that He was willing to die for our sins!
Today I want to challenge you to show love to those you encounter throughout your day!
8Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
My neighbor is anyone I come in contact with in my day-to-day life.
This weekend, I was driving the family home from visiting Kia’s grandmothers on Mother’s Day. I was on the highway in a construction zone. The car on my driver’s side slid over into my lane a foot or two multiple times. Finally, I honked to let him know what he was doing.
A few seconds later I pulled up beside him. He leaned over his girlfriend/wife/significant other flipping me the bird.
That guy, the bird-flipper, is my neighbor.
What does it mean to love him?
Loving my neighbor means treating him like I want to be treated – with respect.
Inside, anger boiled. I wanted to say, “I didn’t honk out of anger. I honked so you wouldn’t hit me!” Inwardly, I really wanted to flash the middle finger back. That would definitely show him!
I didn’t.
On a side note, have you ever noticed how ridiculous a person looks flipping up their middle finger in anger? Recently, I was a third party observer of someone doing this in apparent anger. I thought, “How childish.”
On Mother’s Day, it didn’t seem so childish. I really wanted to rage back at him. But that wasn’t treating him with respect. It would have answered his assumption – I honked in anger.
A few weeks ago, Pastor John was accused of only wanting to smile and hug a person with a complaint. We’ve had a lot of fun with that one. If I could have, I would have smiled and hugged this guy. Instead, I did the next best thing. I ignored him.
Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t easy. I really wanted to slow down, have a stare down and out man that guy. Thankfully I didn’t.
I don’t owe him anything. Just love. I did the best I could Mother’s Day. How are you doing?