John 15:9-17 NIV
9 “As the Father has loved
me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you
keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my
Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have
told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command
is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater
love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my
friends if you do what I command. 15 I no
longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s
business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned
from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did
not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and
bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the
Father will give you. 17 This is my
command: Love each other.
He Chooses Me To Be His Friend!
This is another week where I look back. I look back and reflect on my
studies of last week. I look back and think of what I heard and observed in the
sermon, the presence of Jesus at sacrament, and the worship and praise of God
together with friends and neighbors. Looking back, yet looking forward in hope
and love.
Notice again, all the letters above are in the “red” of Jesus words to
his disciples. Words given to them just before Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.
These words, in particular seem to point me to reflect on the resurrection. Words
to prepare both the disciples then, and for us today.
Jesus speaks of joy. The joy of self-sacrifice in love for another. Sacrifice
doesn’t sound like joy in today’s world. Sacrifice sounds like giving up and
giving in. But as we sit and listen to the words of Jesus and see the actions
of Jesus self-sacrifice; he ends it all with joy.
Jesus gives full joy. Jesus gives us the free love of the Good News of
the Gospel. Jesus freely grants forgiveness and resurrection. Turn your
thinking from your own selfish needs and catch the infection of real joy from
Jesus. This wonderful infection is free. Accept this infection with joy.
Yes… Joy!
2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV
6 For God, who said, “Let
light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to
give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of
Christ.
Yes! This is real Joy displayed in the face of Christ. Joy
that brings light into our hearts and gives free, warm, wonderful Light. Joy
that grants us to see the face of our laughing, resurrected, Jesus. Joyful,
loving, Jesus! Full of life Jesus! This is resurrection and joy!
This wonderful Joy makes me remember Luther’s Rose…
This is my explanation based on Luther’s original words…
(mine is shorter!)
I look to the cross and see death and pain yet salvation.
The cross is centered in my heart of faith.
The cross and heart are enveloped by a rose of JOY caused
by faith.
The heart and the rose are surrounded by a blue sky, which
is the beginning of the heavenly JOY to
come.
Everything, the cross, the heart, the rose and the sky are encompassed
by the ring of endless JOY through
the gift of grace.
Black cross of death
Red heart of Jesus life giving blood
White rose of all the angels and blessed saints of God
Blue sky of hope
Gold of Jesus, my most precious gift
Thanks be to God!
Jesus freely gives us joy! A joy professed by many
disciples throughout time…
1 John 1:4 NIV
4 We write this to make
our joy complete.
2 John 12 NIV
12 I have much to write to
you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and
talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
3 John 4 NIV
4 I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Yes! Jesus brings joy in sacrifice and resurrection.
As we see in the Gospel lesson, God the Father and God the
Son love one another. Sure! But then Jesus loves me, you and all people. How? I’m
not like Jesus. I’m dirty and sinful. How does Jesus love me, my neighbor or
any of us sinful beings on this planet? Wow! That is hard to do!
Let alone that I may love my neighbor! Hard, hard, hard to
do! Impossible?
As I sit and ponder the love of God in Jesus, I see that it
is through Jesus love that the impossible becomes possible. As I sit in the
glory of Jesus resurrection and forgiveness, I see and turn to Jesus. It’s
through Jesus, not me that this love becomes possible for my neighbor. This
love of others like Jesus loves me, is possible as Jesus moves in and through
me. This love is not something I can force or do with my own effort. No! Jesus’
love flowing through me, from heaven to earth is possible and real, without any
of my efforts. It’s not me… It’s the love of Jesus!
This love Jesus commands us to let flow through us to our
world…
A love proclaimed once again through Jesus’ disciples.
1 John 3:11 NIV
11 For this is the message
you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:23 NIV
23 And this is his command:
to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one
another as he commanded us.
1 John 4:21 NIV
21 And he has given us this
command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
John 13:34 NIV
34 “A new command I give
you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
It’s a command. A command that comes through us, from Jesus. A command
that bears the JOY of friendship. This friendship is in the loving. It’s not in
the being loved. A friendship from Jesus that produces honesty of heart to
another. A friendship to see strength and trust in Jesus.
Friends are loyal. And Jesus calls us his friends! Jesus chooses to be
our friend.
We are no longer servants… we are friends. Jesus’ friend! Servants serve,
and friends share love for one another. As friends we now know, Jesus’ life-giving
love for us. Yes, we are friends who go and bear the fruit of love and forgiveness
from God. Jesus chooses you and me to be friends into eternity. Everything
Jesus has he gives to me, His friend.
Why?
Because Jesus wants his friends to bear the fruit of love to our friends,
and to all people. Jesus moving in and through us. Jesus gave his body and his
blood to choose me as His friend, to become in me and fill me with His love for
me and for all people; that I may bear His fruit of love and forgiveness to all
the world.
Yes, Jesus chose me! Jesus chose you. Dirty and sinful as we are; Jesus
chooses us anyway! Stinky me! That’s amazing!
Go! Choose to love your stinky brother, sister, neighbor in this world
and freely give the gift of love, service, life, Gospel and forgiveness, that
Jesus has freely filled you with.
Join hands in the dance of life. Pass into the eternity of Jesus meeting
in love, feast and dance. This is Jesus’ resurrection JOY… today…. tomorrow…
and forever.
Love one another!
Mark 12:31 NIV
31 … ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 22:39-40 NIV
39 … ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.
Romans 5:6-10 NIV
6 You see, at just the right
time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone
might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been
justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s
wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were
God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his
Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Yes! Jesus chooses me and you to be His friend.
Thanks be to God!
I leave you with this song from Chris Tomlin
God bless you this week and always…
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