GOD'S LOVE!

      There is (what I call) "deal-making" love... which basically says that "I will love you IF you love me." This is about as good as it gets for many people. There is "manipulative," love... that pleads, "If you really love me... you will do this or that for me," and there is "controlling" love, which is not love at all. There is "puppy" love, which is mostly hormonal love, and there is "being in love," which sets one's heart on fire. There is the type of love that can't take its eyes off of self and there is the sort of love that obsesses on the other. There are many different types of love, and it's a shame that we only have one word for "love" in our language.
      The Greeks, or course, had several words for love. Eros is erotic love, and while it is sometimes used for pornography (porneia), it is essentially passionate love. Philia, as in Philadelphia, is the love of friend for friend, and it is very often quite deep. Storge is a deep-rooted love that is borne of familiarity. It is typically found in families, but others who share meaningful time together can also come to "love one another." Finally, there is Agape, which keeps on giving without keeping score... or ever stopping to wonder if it is deserved or not. This is the highest form of love because it gives itself for the sake of giving- without payback or even being received. It is a rare thing to behold, but even "agape" doesn't quite capture the love of God... which forgives those who would crucify him!
      Let me quote two authors who mean a lot to me. The first is Kahil Gibran, who captures the painful vulnerability that accompanies real love. "When love beckons you," he writes, "follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you... for even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you... (for) even as he is for your growth, he is for your pruning." Real love, it seems, comes to us... as we surrender to it. It cannot be bought, controlled, or possessed. It is a product of our own vulnerable commitment and "it has its way with us." Real love leads us to a depth that we never imagined and it strips us of all pretenses... so that we stand naked before our accusers and abusers. But it overcomes them... by forgiving them... and that brings me to the second author, Frederick Buechner, who writes, "Love for equals is a human thing... It is to love what is loving and lovely. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing- the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the failures, the sick, the unlovely. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing- the love for those who succeed when we fail, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. And then there is the love for the enemy- love for the one who doesn't love you... but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. (It is) the tortured's love for the torturers. This is God's love and it conquers the world."
     God's love. Inviting, empowering, steadfast, and grace-filled! God's love. Hopeful, patient, enduring. other-directed, non-scoring, and forgiving! God's love. Foot-washing. Cross-carrying. Heart-breaking. Victorious! Friends, even as we enjoy the lesser forms of love that fill our lives, Christ calls us to love more deeply... and to experience the utter joy of letting go... so that we can love others... in depth. God encourages us to trust in him... so that we will have the heart to love the least among us... and the grace to forgive the worst among us. None of us will ever be asked to lay our life down for others, let alone those who are crucifying us... but we are called to love others as God loves us. With that in mind, I will close with the words of Gibran: "Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself, but if you must have desires, let these be your desires... to know the pain of too much tenderness, to be wounded by your own understanding of love; to bleed willfully and joyfully; to wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; to rest at the noon hour and meditate on love's ecstasy; to return home in the eventide with gratitude; and... to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips." Amen.
     

PRAY FOR THE HYPOCRITES!

            With a nod to Jeff Foxworthy, let me suggest that you might be a hypocrite: 1) if you rendevouz with a secret lover after church; 2) if you paste a cover of "Christianity Today" over your racy men's magazine; 3) if you fill your soft drink bottle with vodka; 3) if you leave a $20 bill as a tip when friends are watching... only to sneak back and replace it with a $5 bill; 4) if you tell others that you'll pray for them... without having any intention of doing so; 5) if you rail against the sins of poverty... and don't contribute a dime yourself; 6) if you wear a different "mask" for everyone you meet and tell others what they want to hear; and 7) in general... if you seldom practice what you preach. I could go on, of course, but I will leave the one-liners to Foxworthy... and simply ask you to pray for the hypocrites... because Jesus had trouble with hypocrites.
      When he walked on earth, Jesus ate with sinners... and encouraged them to repent. He touched the "untouchables," so that they could experience family and community again. He fed the hungry, both physically and spiritually... and he challenged those who would stone prostitutes. When he walked on earth, Jesus invited children to come to him, gave women voice, and spoke truth to power. In word and deed, Jesus was inclusive and inviting. However, he had harsh words for those who were self-righteous and/or hypocritical. He said that they appeared to be what they were not... and held others to standards that they themselves did not practice. He said that, while they tithed everything they had- including the spices in their pantries- they neglected the weightier matters of justice and mercy. Jesus thought that hypocrites were "play acting," and he had little patience with them... which is why we need to pray for them.
       Growing up in a secular home, I often heard that "church people" were "a bunch" of hypocrites... and my personal experience tells me that they were on to something! There are many hypocrites in the church... and they are intermixed with those who know that they need a Savior and with those who have already embraced Christ as their Lord. On any given Sunday, a church gathering will include  the faithful, the seekers, the curious... and unfortunately, the hypocrites... but it is the hypocrites who run the greatest risk of losing themselves altogether. They are at risk of never discovering the joy of being accepted... and they need our prayers. BUT they are not necessarily lost... because Jesus is still inviting them to lay down their masks, repent, and come to him as they are. Jesus is still inviting them to surrender and experience the utter joy of knowing that they are known... and loved anyway. Pray for the hypocrites... and if you are a hypocrite... pray for yourself. Pray that God will give you the courage and the freedom to come to him as you are!
      P.S. If it's helpful, here is a prayer similar to the one I said when I finally decided to lay my masks down: "When I come before Thy Throne, asking forgiveness for my wrong, I want to be honest with you, Lord. For you already know my heart, my thoughts, my desires, my sentiments, my secrets, my everything. This is my earnest plea- let me live with integrity. When life's pieces just don't fit, give me courage... to admit... I need change. For you know the range of my possibilities and you know my potential. I've got to be honest with you, Lord, for you already know my trials, my temptations, my failures, and my victories. This is my earnest plea- lead me to integrity. Make me honest in the things I do and say, Lord. Make me honest with myself, Lord, and shelter me from deceit, fear, and pride. This is my earnest plea- give me the grace, courage, and love I need... to live before you... with integrity. Amen.

ONE HAD A WIFE... AND ONE HAD A PIG

      It was Shabbat... and Jesus was a dinner guest at an important banquet, and as he was waiting, he noticed that arriving guests were elbowing their way to the front of the line and grabbing seats as close to the front as they possibly could. He noticed that they were consumed with themselves and with appearing to be important... and so he told three parables (Luke 14:7ff)... Speaking to the guests, he said, When you're invited a banquet, don't take the best seat because those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Then he turned to the host and told him to set pretenses aside as well. Instead of inviting your family and rich neighbors, he said, invite the poor, the lame, and the blind and you will be blessed/" Finally, he told a parable about the importance of ACCEPTING the host's invitation. There was a certain man held a great banquet, (he said) and in due time, his servant called the invited guests to take their seats when everything was ready. BUT, ONE BY ONE, THE GUESTS MADE EXCUSES. The first said, "I just bought a field and I must go and see it." Another said, "I just bought five yoke of oxen and I am on my way to try them out." And yet another said, "I just got married, so I can't come." Then, the master invited the poor and disadvantaged, and when he learned that there were still seats available, he ordered his servant "to go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in... so that my house will be full."
      They made excuses. They had higher priorities. They all put themselves first- one had a field, one at a team of oxen, and one had a wife. They all declined the host's generous invitation (which was unheard of in the ancient world)... and in doing so, they forfeited even a taste of the Master's Great Banquet! It is a powerful story about hubris and it is yet another warning against falling in love with our own possessions. In my view, Jesus made the following points in this passage: 1) As invited guests, we are NOT the center of things. The Master's banquet is NOT about us; 2) It is the Master who makes the seating assignments and we cannot usurp his prerogatives; 3) Wise guests enter the banquet with a sense of humility; 4) If you ever have the privilege of hosting a banquet yourself, make sure it is a meal of grace and inclusion; 5) you are blessed with an invitation to a banquet, be there! Give it the greatest priority because grace demands a response; 6) Don't let your own agenda blind you to God's plan because you may not get invited again; 7) In many ways, our destiny is in our hands! It is God who extends the invitation and it is God who paid the price, but we alone can say "yes" or "no." We can gratefully respond, "Thank you! I can't believe you gave me this honor... or we can reply instead: "I've got an important meeting... or a ticket to the big game... or a family reunion to attend."
      Will I put the Master first... or myself? You are the only one who will ever answer that question, but one thing is clear: the kingdom of God is not for the weak-willed or the double-minded!