"When God is Known" - I John 4:7-21 - May 21, 2000

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said "with all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, a sudden feeling of sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, "And if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

The letter of John describes a love that is "Paid in full." Jesus paid a price for us, a love for us that is unequaled in any other way. This letter is a reminder to the church that the love of God is a love unlike any other. It is not puppy love, companionship, or romantic love, it is unconditional love. And the unconditional love of God is at the very heart of what it means to be a Church or an individual within the community of faith.

Remember that this letter was written to a community that felt powerless and had no connection with God, at least in the traditional sense. They weren’t Jewish, they hadn’t inherited anything. They spoke a different language. So John is attempting to empower them by relating to them the gospel of love. God’s love is a gift to them. They are included. What will hold them together and what will make them a Church, both then and in the future was the embodiment of God’s unconditional love, a love, "paid in full."

I would hope that people come to worship and participate in the life of the Church because they experience God’s love on the one hand, and are loving toward others on the other. Unfortunately the modern church is usually judged by its ability to "perform." These days, the Church is measured by its ability to entertain. People want to be connected to the Church to help their image. People want to go away, "feeling good." They want to be part of something that is spectacular and impressive. The love they seek is more like a commodity, something they want for themselves, something measured in terms of personal benefits.

My understanding of God’s love, as described in this letter of John, is quite different. It is a love that is sacrificial, a love that is within us, a love that is made known through our relationships with others. Perhaps it would be easier to understand love by describing what love is not. Love is not hate. Love is not fear. Love is not inconsistency.

The greatest challenge we all have is to continue to love people who have hurt us. It’s not easy to love our enemies. It’s not easy to forgive someone who has wronged us. I don’t know about you but the life experiences that haunt me the most are the times a relationship with a coworker, relative or friend ended on a negative note. Those times when we were hateful toward another person or they were hateful toward us and no one made an honest attempt to bring about reconciliation. In retrospect we look back and wish we’d been less hateful. Love is not hate.

Love is not fear. This past week I probably did a stupid thing. I was coming out of a convenient store in Dayton when a man asked for a ride down the road to get help for his truck which had failed to start. Without thinking about the fact I was in the "big city" I gave him a ride. Our conversation was cordial and he graciously thanked me for the ride. Perhaps I could have been mugged, or worse, even killed. On the other hand, if we never help anyone, live in total paranoia about everyone we meet, what kind of life is that? Love is not fear.

Love is being consistent. This perhaps is the most difficult challenge we face; being the same person here on Sunday mornings we are every other day of the week. To love God without loving our neighbors is to be inconsistent. To love Jesus, without being persons whose lives are not filled with a Jesus-like love is living inconsistently.

When we love we know God. We are not just knowledgeable about God, but we really know God. And when love occurs, God is known. God is known as a result of our actions and behavior, not because we can be associated with some group or clan. As Jesus said, "We are known by our fruits."

To be the church is to love one another. It is not an option. It is mandated. It is commanded. Love is the absence of grudges or hate. Love is the total freedom to give without expecting anything in return. Love is the opposite of fear. Love is a life that is consistent. It is also creating openings and making our lives accessible to others.

One day last week I had stopped at the hospital to check on the sick. I recognized a name on the list that was familiar. It wasn’t a member of the parish, it was a lady who listens to our weekly radio broadcast. I remembered the name since the listener had once called me to thank us for our program. I went to her room and visited her. She was very glad to meet me and thanked me for caring. When people reach out to each other and make a connection, it gives people the opportunity to interact and open the door to God’s creative love.

Love is the channel to our hearts that invites others into our lives. Love connects us with life’s blessings. Love is also the pathway that enables people to reconcile their differences.

Paul said that "Love, bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things." When we bear something we are tolerant. We overlook something in someone we don’t like. Or, we meet them on their turf and with no agenda of our own. When our love is a free and unconditional, we have a close kinship with God. God is no stranger. God is someone we can know. And when we love one another we are living out the mission of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio