This past Sunday I preached on the two great commandments, to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. We usually associate love with a feeling toward another. We love some people but not others. We love sometimes but not all the time. Love as a feeling is based on circumstances.
Jesus, however, commands love of God and neighbor. I’ve never been able to command a feeling. Have you? It’s either there or it’s not. So maybe Jesus is talking about more than a feeling. Maybe Jesus is talking about an action, a decision, a choice. Biblical love is a commitment to the life and well being of another.
I ended my sermon by saying, “For the love of God and your neighbor, do something.”
So what do we do? What might love look like after Lewiston? After Uvalde? In Israel and Gaza? After the hurricane in Acapulco? Here are some possibilities for doing love:
- Make a donation to support the work of the Children’s Bereavement Center in Uvalde. Mail your check to the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 343 N. Getty, Uvalde, Texas 78801 or donate online (in the comment section designate your gift to Uvalde)
- Learn about gun violence in America and support reasonable gun legislation. Donate to the work of Gifford’s Law Center.
- Encourage our president and senators to work for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.
- You may recall that the Al Ahli Arab Hospital was hit by rockets in the Israel-Hamas war. The hospital is an outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Support the diocese and hospital with a donation to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
- Give to Episcopal Relief and Development for its work in this country and throughout the world.
- Support Direct Relief with its work in response to the hurricane that struck Mexico.
- Help Ukraine with a donation to St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral. Fr. Vladimir is their priest and friend of mine.
- Learn about nonviolence, what it is, and how to live more nonviolently toward yourself and others. Pace e Bene has a lot of resources. Pace e Bene is offering a six week online course called “Engaging Nonviolence” beginning Monday, November 6. I have registered for this course ($95) and I hope you will join me.
Love is having a hard time in our world today. What is love’s hope amidst so much violence, tragedy, and heart break? It’s not a what. It’s a who. It’s you and me. We are love’s hope in the world today. How will you love today?
God’s peace be with you,
Mike+
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Image Credit: Photo by Ditto Bowo on Unsplash
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