Exodus 24:3-11/1 Corinthians 11:23-32/St John 13:1-15, 34-35
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The story of humanity is a failure to love. Our first father loved himself above God. Our first father’s son had fallen so far from love that he struck down his own brother.
Was it love that led Jacob to lie to his father and so steal the blessing from his brother? Was it love that led you to manipulate family members and angle for favor?
Was it love that drove Pharaoh to begin a program of genocide, slaughtering the baby boys of Israel? Is it love that turns a blind eye to the legal slaughtering of children by the millions in our own day?
Was it love that drove Moses to smash his staff against the rock when the people were complaining? Was it love that drove you to curse and swear when you were in an argument?
Was it love that drove David to his unspeakable crimes with Bathsheba and Uriah? It is love that drives you to sin against your own body?
Was it love that led James and John to ask for top positions in Jesus’ kingdom? Is it love that causes you to dream of success and recognition?
Was it love that drove Judas to accept thirty pieces of silver in exchange for Jesus’ location in the night? Is it love that drives you to make money such a priority, though you have everything you need and more than what you ought to want?
Was it love that drove Peter to deny Jesus? Is it love that keeps you lukewarm in the confession of the faith?
All the enjoyments that God created in the world - His good gifts of beer and burgers, gold and diamonds and sex - we seize for ourselves and misuse, ignoring God and harming our neighbor.
We are inundated with talk of love: being in love, making love, free love, you’ve lost that loving feeling, defining marriage based on based on who you want to love, all we need is love, love, love . . .its all a lie. Love is not how you feel when everything’s great. Love is what you do when everything’s lousy, but your neighbor needs you, your help, your sacrifice.
The disciples insisted they loved Jesus. But when the time came, not one was willing to wash His feet, or the feet of His other disciples. You know who washed the feet of Jesus? A prostitute. And they despised her for it. Jesus, however, explains why she did it: she loved much, because she had been forgiven much.
And that is the proper order. First Christ loves us, serves us, forgives us. Then we respond; in the gift of faith toward Him and in love toward one another. First Christ loves - not only us, but the whole world, the people we don’t like, the people against whom we’ve been harboring a grudge, the people we resent, the people we wish would just go away. Christ loves them.
Each evening this week we have heard from the Evangelists concerning the passion of our Lord. Piecing together all the account of Holy Thursday, we get a picture of how deep our Lord’s love for us is. Jesus looks at the disciples arguing with each other, refusing to serve each other, and knowing that they would all run away from Him in His greatest trial; He looks at them and loves them.
It is not merely a feeling, a sentiment. The love of our Lord is always a love that acts. In love the Father sent His only Son into the flesh, to bear our sin and be our Savior. In love the Son obeyed the Father’s will. In love the Word made flesh tabernacled among us. In love He fed the hungry. In love He healed the sick. In love He cared for the poor and needy.
In love He removes His outer clothing, dons an apron, and washes dirty feet. In love He takes the lowest, most menial task of the Gentile slave. It is love that feeds ungrateful mouths with His own Body. Love that cleanses impure consciences with His pure Blood. Love that prays for His abusers all the way to death.
Translators struggle with St John’s description of Jesus’ love, rendering in this evening’s Gospel as He loved them to the end. Christ Jesus loved as fully and completely as can be. He is love incarnate.
Elsewhere St John summarizes this mystery as God is love. Christ is the eternal, everlasting, boundless love of the Father hidden in Man. And that’s what we see in the foot washing: God is love. That’s what is given us in the Sacrament: God is love. That’s what see on the cross: God is love. That’s what we see when another child of Adam is baptized: God is love. That’s what we see when the pastor traces against the sign of the Cross and says, “I forgive you” - this means none other than God is love.
Today is often called ‘Maundy Thursday,’ mandate Thursdays, commandment Thursday. Jesus tonight gives a command: Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
It is said that when St John was an old man, his preaching was summarized simply as, “My little children, love one another.” It is probable. It is not love to ignore sin, to revel in it, to justify it. Every failure, every sin, every day, we ought to return to Jesus’ washing, return to His love that forgives all our sins. Only from and in Him can we, bickering, selfish disciples learn again to love the Jesus who has forgiven us so much, and so learn from Him to love also one another.
My little children, come, receive the Bread your Father gives you here at His Table. It is the Body of Christ; given for you for the forgiveness of sins. In love, Love Incarnate feeds you on Himself. For the love that He commands you to have for one another, is the same Love that He has and gives to each and all of you. And so you are made one with Him and He with you. And by and in Him you are made one with each other.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The story of humanity is a failure to love. Our first father loved himself above God. Our first father’s son had fallen so far from love that he struck down his own brother.
Was it love that led Jacob to lie to his father and so steal the blessing from his brother? Was it love that led you to manipulate family members and angle for favor?
Was it love that drove Pharaoh to begin a program of genocide, slaughtering the baby boys of Israel? Is it love that turns a blind eye to the legal slaughtering of children by the millions in our own day?
Was it love that drove Moses to smash his staff against the rock when the people were complaining? Was it love that drove you to curse and swear when you were in an argument?
Was it love that drove David to his unspeakable crimes with Bathsheba and Uriah? It is love that drives you to sin against your own body?
Was it love that led James and John to ask for top positions in Jesus’ kingdom? Is it love that causes you to dream of success and recognition?
Was it love that drove Judas to accept thirty pieces of silver in exchange for Jesus’ location in the night? Is it love that drives you to make money such a priority, though you have everything you need and more than what you ought to want?
Was it love that drove Peter to deny Jesus? Is it love that keeps you lukewarm in the confession of the faith?
All the enjoyments that God created in the world - His good gifts of beer and burgers, gold and diamonds and sex - we seize for ourselves and misuse, ignoring God and harming our neighbor.
We are inundated with talk of love: being in love, making love, free love, you’ve lost that loving feeling, defining marriage based on based on who you want to love, all we need is love, love, love . . .its all a lie. Love is not how you feel when everything’s great. Love is what you do when everything’s lousy, but your neighbor needs you, your help, your sacrifice.
The disciples insisted they loved Jesus. But when the time came, not one was willing to wash His feet, or the feet of His other disciples. You know who washed the feet of Jesus? A prostitute. And they despised her for it. Jesus, however, explains why she did it: she loved much, because she had been forgiven much.
And that is the proper order. First Christ loves us, serves us, forgives us. Then we respond; in the gift of faith toward Him and in love toward one another. First Christ loves - not only us, but the whole world, the people we don’t like, the people against whom we’ve been harboring a grudge, the people we resent, the people we wish would just go away. Christ loves them.
Each evening this week we have heard from the Evangelists concerning the passion of our Lord. Piecing together all the account of Holy Thursday, we get a picture of how deep our Lord’s love for us is. Jesus looks at the disciples arguing with each other, refusing to serve each other, and knowing that they would all run away from Him in His greatest trial; He looks at them and loves them.
It is not merely a feeling, a sentiment. The love of our Lord is always a love that acts. In love the Father sent His only Son into the flesh, to bear our sin and be our Savior. In love the Son obeyed the Father’s will. In love the Word made flesh tabernacled among us. In love He fed the hungry. In love He healed the sick. In love He cared for the poor and needy.
In love He removes His outer clothing, dons an apron, and washes dirty feet. In love He takes the lowest, most menial task of the Gentile slave. It is love that feeds ungrateful mouths with His own Body. Love that cleanses impure consciences with His pure Blood. Love that prays for His abusers all the way to death.
Translators struggle with St John’s description of Jesus’ love, rendering in this evening’s Gospel as He loved them to the end. Christ Jesus loved as fully and completely as can be. He is love incarnate.
Elsewhere St John summarizes this mystery as God is love. Christ is the eternal, everlasting, boundless love of the Father hidden in Man. And that’s what we see in the foot washing: God is love. That’s what is given us in the Sacrament: God is love. That’s what see on the cross: God is love. That’s what we see when another child of Adam is baptized: God is love. That’s what we see when the pastor traces against the sign of the Cross and says, “I forgive you” - this means none other than God is love.
Today is often called ‘Maundy Thursday,’ mandate Thursdays, commandment Thursday. Jesus tonight gives a command: Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
It is said that when St John was an old man, his preaching was summarized simply as, “My little children, love one another.” It is probable. It is not love to ignore sin, to revel in it, to justify it. Every failure, every sin, every day, we ought to return to Jesus’ washing, return to His love that forgives all our sins. Only from and in Him can we, bickering, selfish disciples learn again to love the Jesus who has forgiven us so much, and so learn from Him to love also one another.
My little children, come, receive the Bread your Father gives you here at His Table. It is the Body of Christ; given for you for the forgiveness of sins. In love, Love Incarnate feeds you on Himself. For the love that He commands you to have for one another, is the same Love that He has and gives to each and all of you. And so you are made one with Him and He with you. And by and in Him you are made one with each other.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
HT:
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