GS039 · 1996 · Maundy Thur.

A New Commandment

Jesus told his deciples to love one another, as he had loved them. We look at the ways in which Jesus loved his disciples, as recorded in John 13.

Bible: John 13
Preached at: Binley and Allesley Park
Kind: Full script, Service · Adults
Themes: love, new commandment
Graeme's notes: There are two versions of this sermon. Stretton 2014

(Jn. 13.21-35)

"A young boy was watching the news a few years ago, and the headline story was that archaelogists in the Holy Land had discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The young boy looked devastated, and said to his mother, "Oh no! I hope they haven't discovered any more commandments."

I wonder if that's how the disciples felt when Jesus said that he had a New Commandment for them?

Of course the Jews had a great many laws. They had taken the Ten Commandments, and other Old Testament laws, and had expanded upon them, as they tried to apply them to everyday life. And there were great debates as to which were the most important laws.

On a previous occasion Jesus himself had been drawn into this debate, ...and he had said that you could sum up all these laws in two sentences:

- To love God with all your heart soul mind and strength; and

- To love others as yourself.

And I guess if you had pressed him further, Jesus would have said that you could sum them all up in just one word, ...LOVE.

But what do we mean by 'Love'? In the English language we use it in so many different ways.

During marriage services I often talk about the difference between 'falling in love', and the sort of love that the Bible talks about, ...and I recently came across this good definition:

Falling in love is thinking that your partner is:

...as good looking as Robert Redford,

...as clever as Albert Einstein,

...as funny as Woody Allen, and,

...as athletic as Paul Gascoign.

True love is realizing that he's actually:

...as good looking as Woody Allen,

...as clever as Paul Gascoign,

...as athletic as Albert Einstein,

...and nothing like Robert Redford,

...but you'll stay with him anyway!

(Hodgin No. 2)

I think that there is some truth in that.

Christ-like love is not primarily a feeling, ...it's an attitude, ...or a way of life.

And in our gospel reading, in John Chapter 13, Jesus was saying, in effect, if you want to know what love is then look at me. He said to his disciples:

"I now give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Now we don't have to look very far to see what Jesus meant by that. For in the same chapter there are several practical demonstrations of how Jesus loved for his disciples, ...and that's what I want us to look at this morning.

When I was at Theological College, one of my tutors taught us that sermons should always have three points. Thinking that there might be some great Biblical principle behind this, one of the students asked "Why?".

The tutor replied vaguely, "Well I think that two points are not enough, and four points are too many".

He also suggested that these points should always begin with the same letter, so that people could remember them better.

Well you may have noticed that my sermons don't often turn out that way, ...but because we have some guests with us this morning I've made a special effort to have three points beginning with the letter "S".

The first point is that Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE.

It's no coincidence that this chapter begins with Jesus washing his disciples feet. And when he had finished he said:

"Do you understand what I have just done to you?

You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you..."

Jesus is talking about a very practical demonstration of love. We often say, that actions speak louder than words.

Down through the centuries many individual Christians, and many organizations have taken to heart this attitude of service. An attitude of giving, without any thought of reward, ...following the example of what Jesus did for us.

Take for example the Abbeyfield Society.

It was founded in 1956 as an expression of Christian concern for the elderly.

It's aim is to combat loneliness through the provision of sheltered accommodation for the elderly, ...it has grown enormously, and now with the help of about 12,000 volunteers they are able to help about 9,000 residents.

And one of the principles of the Abbeyfield Society, is that individuals have an essential part to play in helping elderly people with special needs.

Christ-like love is demonstrated in Service.

But Jesus also showed that such service is not just a one way process, ...but a two way process of giving and receiving.

If you remember, that's what Peter struggled with. I guess he would have been quite happy to wash Jesus feet, but he found it hard to receive such an act of service.

Some of you know that during the past year I have been spending some time at Hereward College, which is a Further Education College for people with physical disabilities. Many of the students there are in wheelchairs, and the need a great deal of practical help from the staff there.

When we think of people with disabilities, it's easy to see how the wider community needs to give them help. But during the past year, I have also come to realise, that the wider community also needs to receive help from them.

One of the ways in which people with disabilities can help us, is by challenging the values of our society.

Francis Young, a theologian with a handicapped child writes this:

"Handicapped people remind us that life is not all go-getting and individual achievement. There are more fundamental human values. Handicap demands mutual support, a sense of communal sharing. Handicap fosters compassion and helpfulness, care and concern. It challenges our selfishness and our ambition and our sectional loyalty. Society needs handicap."

Christians are called to value all people, ...and part of that involves us recognising that all people have needs, and all people have something to give.

The elderly is another group of people for which it is easy to see how the wider community needs to give them help, ...but who actually have much to give.

They too can challenge the values of our society. And recently I was pleased to read that another principle of the Abbeyfield Society is that elderly people have an important role to play among their families, friends, and the wider community.

So my first, (and longest), point is that Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE. ...and that all people, (no matter how young or how old), have an important part to play.

The second point is that Christ-like love is SACRIFICIAL (perhaps a better word is COSTLY, but it doesn't begin with the letter 'S').

Many of us sacrifice like the little girl who decided to give up something for Lent.

Her mum said to her, "Well that's very good dear, but if you are going to give up something it should be a thing that you really like."

The little girl thought for a moment and said with a grin on her face, "In that case it will have to be Sunday School, 'cause I like that the best."

(Hodgin No. 893)

Christ-like love can be really costly.

In John chapter 13 we have another practical demonstration of how much Jesus loved us. Having washed the disciples feet Jesus was deeply troubled, and declared openly:

"I am telling you the truth: one of you is going to betray me."

Jesus knew what Judas was up to, ...and it was within his power to stop him, ...but he knew that his death on the cross was price that had to be paid for the sins of the world. And so he allowed Judas to go and betray him. Jesus loved us so much that it cost him his life.

Loving others can be very costly. It has cost some Christians their life, but can also cost us

...our time, ...our money, ...our friends, ...our possessions.

Today we are also saying thank you to three people whose love for the children in this parish has cost them 90 years of service in the Sunday School.

What does loving others cost you?

(Pause)

Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE, ...it is SACRIFICIAL, ...and finally, it's full of FORGIVENESS (well at least it ends with the letter 'S').

A well known Christian writer tells of an occasion when he saw a sign on convent in America which read:

"Absolutely no Trespassing - Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, ...signed The Sisters of Mercy."

(Hodgin, No. 582)

Christ-like love is full of forgiveness.

At the end of John Chapter 13 we have a discussion between Jesus and Peter. Peter says: "I am ready to die for you!" ...but Jesus knew Peter better that Peter knew himself.

"Are you really ready to die for me?", Jesus replied. "I'm telling you the truth: before the cock crows you will say three times that you do not know me."

And we all know the story of how Peter did exactly that.

I suppose betrayal is one of the hardest things to forgive. ...and the closer the relationship, the worse the betrayal, and the harder it is to forgive. I guess we all know people who cannot forgive someone else for the things that they have said or done.

Yet on the cross Jesus forgave those who put him there, ...and after his resurrection he made it clear to Peter that he too was forgiven.

Is our love for others full of forgiveness? (Pause)

In John Ch. 13 we have a glimpse of what true love is really like.

Through the washing of his disciples feet we see that Christ-like love is demonstrated in service.

Through the encounter with Judas we see that Christ-like love is sacrificial.

Through the discussion with Peter we are reminded that Christ-like love is full of forgiveness.

And in the middle of these three events we have the words with which we began.

"Now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Other versions

Graeme often reworked a sermon for a different church or occasion. These are the other copies he kept.

GS039A (Microsoft Works)

A New Commandment

(Jn. 13.21-35)

For those of you who came to our Lent Series, you'll know that we spent one evening trying to come up a simple sentence which gets to the heart of what we're here for.

At the end of the second week, everyone was given a slip of paper, which was headed "The Church in Binley",

...and then said: "We are the Body of Christ. Our purpose is to...", ...the rest of the slip was blank. And everyone was encouraged to take it away, and to suggest an ending for the sentence.

The following week we'd had about two dozen replies.

"Our purpose is to grow together and to grow others", one person suggested.

"Our purpose is to spread the Word of God out into the community", said another.

"Our purpose it to stand out for God", suggested another.

They were all very good, ...but it's the nature of a mission statement that we choose just one. And that wasn't easy.

We spent part of the evening discussing the pro's and con's of each suggestion, some of the discussion got quite heated, ...and then at the end of the evening we took a vote.

And this was what was chosen:

"We are the body of Christ. Our purpose is to love God, to love our neighbours, and to love one another."

Now talking to some people after the meeting, it was obvious that some people were very pleased with this statement, but others were a bit disappointed.

It it's favour is the fact that this statement is something that we can all agree with.

- As individuals, some of us prefer one style of worship, others prefer another.

- Some of us think that the greatest priority of the church is to spread the good news to people outside the church, ...others think that we should spend more time caring for people within the church.

We all have different preferences and priorities, but one thing that we all agree about is that we should "love God, love our neighbours, and love one another", (at least I hope we can!).

And so it's a statement that can bring a sense of unity, ...we're all pulling in the same direction.

Another thing in it's favour is that it is based entirely on the words of Jesus. When asked by one of the teachers of the law,

"Of all the commandments, which is the greatest?"

Jesus replied that the greatest is to love God, (with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength). And that the second is to love your neighbour, (as yourself). (Mk. 12.28-31)

And then at the last supper, as we heard in our gospel reading this morning, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment:

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (Jn. 13.34)

And so our mission statement encapsulates, those three commandments that Jesus gave us.

So why were some people disappointed with the choice of this statement.

Well it wasn't that they disagreed with it, ...but rather that it could come across as being quite sentimental, with no real cutting edge.

"All pink and fluffy", to borrow a phrase from a local vicar.

It's the sort of statement that we all agree with, ...but not necessarily challenged by. After all, it's easy to say that we love everyone.

But do we really understand what true love is all about?

A wealthy old man was very enthusiastic about his lovely young bride. There was only one problem, he sometimes wondered if she had married him for his money.

So one day, he plucked up some courage, and asked her, "If I lost all my money, would you still love me?"

"Of course I'd still love you", she replied, "...and I'd miss you very much."

(1001 Humorous illustrations, no. 554)

And in our gospel reading, Jesus was saying, in effect, if you want to know what love is then look at me. He said to his disciples:

"As I have loved you, ...so you must love one another."

Now we don't have to look very far to see what Jesus meant by that. For in the same chapter there are several practical demonstrations of how Jesus loved for his disciples.

The first point is that Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE.

It's no coincidence that this chapter begins with Jesus washing his disciples feet. And when he had finished he said:

"Do you understand what I have just done to you?

Jesus is talking about a very practical demonstration of love. We often say, that actions speak louder than words.

Christ-like love is demonstrated in Service.

Last week, during the Family Service, David reminded us about the people of Israel making the Tabernacle, (if you'd like to read it at home you can find it in Exodus 36).

As you probably know, the Tabernacle was to be a tent where God could meet with Moses, ...and the people were so excited about this, that their gifts towards this work poured in. Some gave gold, and silver and precious stones, ...some offered their talents and specialist skills to carry out the work, ...others of offered their time to help in other ways.

And after a while they had so much, that Moses gave an order, "No man or woman is to bring anything else! We already have more than enough to do all the work"

But that's not the case here at St. Bartholomew's. There are so many areas that we feel God wants us to move forward in:

- to further develop our children's and youth work;

- to better serve the elderly in our parish;

- to work with the needy in our parish; (to name but three).

But we are being held back in this work through lack of money, lack of skills, and lack of time that people are willing to give.

I know that some people in our church support other organisations, ...the Brownies, Cruise, (working with the bereaved), the Gideons, ...and so on. And that too is great. I'm not saying that your main area of service has to be within our church. But that we should ask God, "Lord, in what areas do you want me to serve you?"

Because Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE. ...and that all people, (no matter how young or how old), have an important part to play.

The second point is that Christ-like love is COSTLY.

Mother Theresa once said, "Love, to be real, must cost. It must hurt. It must empty us of self."

In John chapter 13 we have another practical demonstration of how much Jesus loved us. Having washed the disciples feet Jesus was deeply troubled, and declared openly:

"I am telling you the truth: one of you is going to betray me."

Loving others can be very costly. It has cost some Christians their life, but can also cost us

...our time, ...our money, ...our friends, ...our possessions.

What does loving others cost you?

(Pause)

Often we simply don't want to get involved, I'm the same as anyone else. It's not just that we don't want to give, ...we don't want to receive either. We want to keep God and others at a distance.

All too often we are like a man who comes to church and says:

"I would like to £3 of God please.

Not enough to explode my soul,

or to disturb my sleep;

but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk,

or a snooze in the sunshine.

I don't want enough to make me love the drug pushers, ...or those with AIDS.

I want ecstasy, not transformation.

I want the warmth of the womb, not new birth.

I want about a kilogram of the eternal in a paper bag.

I'd like to buy £3 worth of God, please.

How much of God to you want.

(pause)

Christ-like love is demonstrated in SERVICE, ...it is COSTLY, ...and finally, it's full of FORGIVENESS.

At the end of John Chapter 13 we have a discussion between Jesus and Peter. Peter says: "I am ready to die for you!" ...but Jesus knew Peter better that Peter knew himself.

"Are you really ready to die for me?", Jesus replied. "I'm telling you the truth: before the cock crows you will say three times that you do not know me."

And we all know the story of how Peter did exactly that.

Yet on the cross Jesus forgave those who put him there, ...and after his resurrection he made it clear to Peter that he too was forgiven.

Is our love for others full of forgiveness? (Pause)

In John Ch. 13 we have a glimpse of what true love is really like.

Through the washing of his disciples feet we see that Christ-like love is demonstrated in service.

Through the encounter with Judas we see that Christ-like love is costly.

Through the discussion with Peter we are reminded that Christ-like love is full of forgiveness.

And can I finish by reminding you of just one way in which you can take a step forward in this.

In the Yellow news sheet, you'll see that during the next few weeks, six different groups will be meeting to look at ways in which we can move forward in the various areas of church life.

Although they'll be following on from what we did during the Lent Series, anyone who didn't come to the Lent Series would be still be most welcome.

The groups are all happening at different times and venues, (and none of them will be on a Tuesday, so they won't clash with housegroups).

If you want to come along, please could you contact the appropriate co-ordinator, to find out when each group will be meeting.

As a church, we exist to love God, to love our neighbours, and to love one another.

May God give us the grace to love Him and others, as he has loved us. Amen.