IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE!

      In Jesus'day, the Pharisees and other religious scorekeepers kept an eye out for anyone who may be violating any one of the 613 commandments that made up the Law. The Law covered ways in which God should be worshiped, means in which the poor and vulnerable people of the land should be protected, foods that were forbidden, justice in the marketplace, and personal behaviors that were offensive to God. You can easily look these up and read them for yourself, but here is a sampling. 1) KNOW THERE IS A GOD because God's handiwork is easy to see; 2) LOVE GOD, where the word love has more to do with commitment and actions than it does with attraction and "funny feelings inside"; 3) EMULATE GOD'S WAYS. Study the Bible, listen to God's word, see what God is doing and inviting you to do. Discover God's ways and be like God; 4) CLING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOD. Connect with a faith community, attend their events, make friends, and don't let go of them; 5) DON'T OPPRESS THE WEAK. There is no room in the kingdom for bullies; 6) If you are a man, don't wear women's clothing; 7) DON'T TATTOO YOUR SKIN; 8)DON'T WITHHOLD FOOD,CLOTHING, or SEX FROM YOUR WIFE; 9) RELEASE A MOTHER BIRD WHO HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM HER NEST; 10) LEAVE A CORNER OF YOUR FIELD UNCUT FOR THE POOR; 11) DON'T USE OR POSSESS INACCURATE WEIGHTS AND SCALES; 12) DON'T MURDER; 13) DON'T LEND WITH INTEREST.
     There are 600 other commandments, but you get the idea. Someone asked Jesus (Mark 12) to identify the most important of all the commandments. Which one is the greatest? Is it one of the commandments that deals with social justice? Or dietary matters? Or relationships? Or self-discipline? Which one is the greatest? And Jesus said,"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One, and you shall love your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength." (Deut. 6) Love God with every fiber of your being and with everything you have! This is the first and the greatest commandment, and the second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt. 22:40) because it's all about love! You won't know God unless you love Him and you can't love God without loving your neighbors. It's all about love.
      If we love another, we will go out of our way to serve, understand, and be present to the one we love. If we love another, we will be faithful. We will try our best to make things better for those we love. We will work to ease their burdens and bring joy into their lives. And if our love is deep, we will give the one we love everything we have, including our lives, because that is what love demands. Love leads us to give generously and forgive easily, then to give some more and forgive again and again. It's all about love, and in John 13, Jesus added what He himself called a "new commandment." "As I have loved you,"he said,"so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples- if you love one another." Love one another deeply, honestly, sacrificially... and people will see that you belong to me.
     Love God. Love your neighbors, without regard to color, culture, point of view, or sexual preference. Love them every bit as much as you love yourself. Give them the same amount of slack you give yourself, consider their intentions to be as good as your own, believe that their stories and dreams are just as meaningful to them as yours are to you. Give them a helping hand when they're down and stand and applaud when they win the prize. And if we are part of the church, we must love one another in such a visible way that others will see Christ in your midst. Let our love for one another shine so brightly that others are attracted to the light!
      "Above all things have fervent love for one another."(1 Peter) "Owe nothing to no one, except love." (Rom. 13:8) "Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Cor. 16:14) O it's easy to see. Our journey with God and one another is all about love! Martin Luther once said that we should "love God and sin boldly," knowing that if we love God, we won't sin and certainly not boldly. Love God and sin boldly seldom pleases a Calvinistic crowd, but Luther was making the point that love is a much stronger source of faithfulness and commitment, of support and sacrifice... than all of the rules and monitors in the world! Let us go forth, then, as people who worship, serve, and live as if it is all about love. Amen.