"Words to Remember" - John 13:31-35 - March 24, 2005

Shortly before my grandfather died I visited him. He was 99 and had lived a long and good life. I respected my grandfather greatly and looked up to him ever since I could remember. The last few words my grandfather said to me still ring loudly in my ears. As I was leaving he said, "Go and live your own life." It was hard for me to hear those words, but I know in my heart my grandfather was saying that he was old and ready for the next world. It was no longer necessary for me to come and visit him.

Last words can have a profound impression upon our lives. In this case they gave me permission to move forward. Last words can impart great wisdom. Or, they can convey forgiveness or love.

In past years the local ministerial association has presented a worship service on the seven last words of Christ. They are the last statements Jesus made as he was dying on the cross. I don’t want to minimize their significance, but of greater importance were his eight last words to the disciples. He said, "This I command you, to love one another." This was his final message, his farewell, his last words that were directed toward all of his followers.

These eight last words do not just appear at the end of Jesus’ ministry. They appear at the beginning and all through his life journey. Love is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega. Love is the Golden rule, the one instruction that stood above all the others when the young scribe asked Jesus to give him the essence of the faith.

Love is illustrated in countless ways, through grace, through healing, through acceptance, by forgiveness, with hope, by caring, praying, or just being with someone who had need. What exactly was Jesus trying to say to his disciples in his last message?

First, I believe he was saying that we have the freedom to choose. Unfortunately we abuse that freedom and sometimes we make the wrong choices. The consequences of our choices take us down paths that cause us pain or trouble, either for ourselves or someone else. Unfortunately our stubbornness and pride inhibit us from changing our minds. Love is the power that enables us to reverse a decision that we have made and move in the opposite direction. Through love we strive to undo something we have done or put the breaks on some bad decision we have made and turn in a new direction.

Perhaps you are headed down a path in a direction you regret. Maybe you feel it’s too late to change, or you have too much time and energy invested. Consequently you resist changing the direction of your life because of being embarrassed or feeling guilty about having made a mistake.

We all try to love others but we often fall short. That is because we are sinful, human beings. In other words, we are so focused in looking out for ourselves that we are unable to see others around us. Our personal agenda is most always our top priority. We love self, and we stop short of loving others.

One time there was a teacher in New York who got the idea of giving each student three blue ribbons. They had gold letters which said, "Who I am makes a difference." Each student was to keep one for themselves, then give one away to someone they wanted to honor or show appreciation. Then that person was to give the ribbon to yet another. One boy gave his to a junior executive who had helped him with career planning. The junior executive went to his boss. He admired him for being a creative genius in spite of the fact he had a reputation. He was overwhelmed by the man’s love. That night he went home and decided to give the ribbon to his son. His son said he had been thinking about leaving home. He said to his father, "Now that I know you love me, I don’t have to leave."

Secondly, to love as Jesus said, is to "love one another." That means more than being nice. It means more than being tolerant. It means total acceptance. According to the eight last words of Jesus, love is not an option. It is commanded. I remember when I received my orders that assigned me to a ship in Vietnam. My heart sank. Out of all the ships in the fleet they had to send me 10,000 miles away from home. When you receive orders in the military there is no appeal process. You go where they send you. You follow orders. Jesus has given his followers marching orders. He is not suggesting that we love, he commands us to love.

To be loving is not something we do when it’s convenient, not something we do selectively or when we feel like it. It is for all times, to all people, in every circumstance. Today, we have many options. In our daily lives we encounter a myriad of people. That being said, Jesus understood that unless we could love those in the household of faith, it would be fruitless to love those outside the faith. In this context Jesus is saying that our love for those in the faith community takes precedence over all others.

Third, love is not always easy. It wasn’t easy for the disciples. They had just witnessed the betrayal of Judas. Now, Jesus was telling them to love one another. It must have been troubling for them. There was tension in the group, even competition, but Jesus was leaving soon and this was the best opportunity to give them a final word.

At my very first church there was man who was the worship leader. This was a rural church which was part of a three-church circuit and it was their custom for someone to lead worship since the pastor might not always arrive on time. This particular gentlemen was a bit overbearing. He had a flowery way of speaking and you could tell that the position of worship leader really lifted his ego.

I had come from a tradition where the minister always led worship. Now that I was one I was jealous of the man being on my turf. I spoke to my advisor at seminary about my problem and he gave me some words of wisdom. He said, "Remember, you are there to love them." How right he was. My family was often invited tothe man's home for dinners. I couldn’t afford video games at the time and he let my children play with his. He was extremely supportive of me and often helped fix things at the parsonage. As time went on the worship leader and I became very good friends.

Finally, Jesus tells us to "love as he has loved us." Remember the context in which Jesus is saying these words. His commandment to love followed the betrayal of Judas. I believe that the love that Jesus commanded could be interpreted as the opposite of betrayal. Betrayal has to do with disloyalty, rejection and disassociation. Judas made the choice to separate himself from the faith community. In other words, he chose not to love.

The opposite of betrayal is a love that is authentic and unconditional. Jesus’ love for us is a love of grace. He gave away his life for us. His love was a gift, not something that was earned or had any strings attached. The love Jesus spoke about is an infinite resource. Love is not something we have to stock up on, like buying groceries at the grocery store. The ability to love is within all of us. It is about choosing to share what we have already been given.

An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group of fifteen into three groups of five each. He instructed the first group of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they didn’t get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip.

Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped. What the experiment tells us is that when we are too busy, with tight schedules and impossible deadlines, there is no time for love. (from Rev. Adrian Dieleman, "Love One Another," August 2, 1998)

Love is not an option. Love is unconditional. Love is never ending. "This I command you, to love one another." Each one of us can make a difference. By giving our love we are making our world a better place. By loving our brothers and sisters in the faith the Church is strengthened. By giving our love God is honored. May the eight last words of Jesus be our words to remember.

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