Love One Another - Part I

In an attempt to break a writing slump, I began a discussion that I had hoped would morph into a blog, documenting the essence of the proposed topic. I love asking questions and listening to the various responses that develop. So to begin this endeavor, I simply asked several people to express what it meant to them personally to "love one another". (John 13:34) in 2-3 sentences. I wasn't looking for deep theological dissertations or even much contemplative thought. Rather, I was interested to find out what people thought in a more off-the-cuff manner. I asked a wide and varied group of people; some well known and like myself, not so well known. The response was so positive that what originally began as a one time blog, is now turning out to be a series of blogs and possibly a video response from one contributor.
  
I've always been somewhat perplexed by this verse. This is literally the only "command" that Jesus declares, and while we have no problem going into all the world and preaching the gospel, baptizing each other in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, or doing this in memory of Him, when it comes to loving one another, we seem to have interpreted this to simply be a suggestion. We pick and choose who we love and when it comes to loving our enemies, well let's just say that's another discussion altogether. Loving one another is not easy, but could part of the problem be that we simply misinterpret what it means to "love one another"? I'll share my take at the end of this series, but let's see what others had to say. Connect with contributors by clicking on each name.

“A genuine love towards one another is in fact is attainable. It is valuing the entire person, all strengths & faults, knowing that they make up the uniqueness of their soul. I refer to this degree of love as universal or Christ-driven. A powerful teaching from Brother Christ.”

- Br. Richard LeFevre 
Life Enrichment Instructor, Owner of The Welness Vortex, Professed Novice - Order of Ecumenical Franciscans  

“To truly love someone is to turn all the energy and impulses for self-preservation towards the other, relinquishing the right to place oneself as the central focus and directing it towards the other. Loving someone means that we are free from the fear of death, from the fear of not being important, having enough or fulfilling our desires, liberated so that we celebrate the divine image in the other. True love is so selfless that it's baseline measure is love of enemy.”

- Jamie Arpin-Ricci  
Pastor of Little Flower Community, Co-Director of YWAM Urban Minstries Winnipeg and author of The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis and Life in the Kingdom 

“It's all about being created in the image of God. Then our call to "die to self" means to "love the other." The most difficult challenge of the Gospel is this profound trust in the image of God in the other to be doing the same, the same dying to self, so that we, the image of God, The Other and the other, may be loved with God's own love.” 

– Tripp Hudgins

Tripp Hudgins is a PhD student at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California; a preaching pastor, Baptist cantor, liturgiologist, ecumenist, writer of articles, ethnomusicologist (hon.), and grateful husband. His work is an exploration of sonic theology, mandodoxy, found objects (such as grace, time, timbre, or other holy scrap), and some good old fashioned sangin’. He blogs at anglobaptist.org.

“To me loving one another stems from the core of realizing that God unconditionally loves us. As I recognize even a glimpse of the truth of that He loves me despite my failures, my complaining, my times of straying from what I know is right that I am loved as His child, it then effects how I view other people. It is a deep motivating factor to then want to love others unconditionally. It isn't easy as it then means taking time. Love is expressed so much in time as a quantifying factor in many ways. In addition to the emotion of it loving my wife means doing the dishes. For my daughters it means pushing them on the swing even when I am pushed-out and don't want to push them one more time. For extra-grace-needed folks you meet it may mean talking and listening to someone who God brings your way. Loving others unfolds naturally every day as I remember that God loves me and then I want to express that love to others. That sounds simple, but that is what comes to mind as I think of trying to define it without just quoting some of the "love one another" verses which are beautiful to read and also a motivating reminder.”

- Dan Kimball  

Pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Calf., author of Adventures In Churchland: Finding Jesus In The Mess Of Organized Religion, They Like Jesus But Not The Church, Emerging Worship and The Emerging Church.

“To me loving one another means loving each other the way Jesus loved us. He loved us when it was hard. He loved us when we were difficult. He loved us when we didn't deserve it. We tend to be good at liking each other, but not as good at loving one another.”

– Matt Neely

Founding pastor of The Watershed Church in League City, Texas  

Review of Coffee with Jesus

It's often true that the obviously simple is found in the often deceptively complex. When weeding through the trivialities of life and faith, one often finds that the unnecessary usually obscures the fundamental truths of our religious beliefs. When broken down to the essential aspects of spirituality, most of us unite on common beliefs and aspirations.  Coffee with Jesus, the book version of the popular internet comic strip from Radio Free Babylon, not only brings simplicity to the often convoluted tenants of Christianity, but does so in a manner that will make you laugh while encouraged to think as well.

The just-released Coffee with Jesus from InterVarsity Press and written and illustrated by David Wilkie, is a series of sarcastically humorous comic strips developed from old advertising clip art and Sunday school illustrations. With a demeanor that never changes, Jesus guides, advises and occasionally reprimands five main characters that seem to be constantly stumbling through their faith journey with clumsy ignorance. The reader will find it easy to warm up to these Christian misfits. They might seem all too familiar to the typical church folks that we all know, and at times their antics may hit closer to home, as the mirror stands in full view. You'll find no stones to throw at Kevin, Carl, Ann, Lisa or Joe, but can reserve any judgement at Satan, who occasionally shows up for heated debate with Jesus and a hot cup of joe.

In this four panel comic strip, the characters are often found to be self-centered, hypocritical, materialistic and at times a bit arrogant. They begin their discussions with Jesus with innocent requests, trivial frustrations and child-like blissful comments, but as clueless as they often appear, Jesus never loses his cool. With unending patience, he never belittles and always seems to make the character comfortably feel as if their presence is the most important to him. And this is the juncture where humor intersects the thought provoking aspects of faith. Where the unnecessarily complex can be made simple.

For as you will find yourself chuckling at these ridiculous comic prayers answered by a sarcastic Christ, you will also find that fiction resembles truth more than we like to admit. There is a comforting aspect to Coffee with Jesus and a refreshing image of how our conversations with God can be. At a time in Christendom when the faithful are often force-fed a steady diet of everything from deep theological discourse to transparent self-help, it's refreshing to find resource that encourages the reader to not take themselves too seriously.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Perhaps there is much that we can learn from these childlike characters and Jesus' untiring patience. For as they often seem to be caught up in their own little materialistic and often selfish man-made kingdoms, perhaps they've haphazardly stumbled upon access to a Kingdom that needs to be realized more often than it is. And they found it in their goofy request, superficial observations, silly frustrations and over a simple cup of coffee with Jesus.