How to love beyond words
Sermon preached at St Paul's Church, Oadby
Sunday 7 May 2006
Hugh James
There is no audio recording of this sermon, but the text is shown below.
The bible readings used in this sermon are 1 John 3.16-end & John 10.11-18.
Let us pray:
heavenly Father,
take my words and speak through them,
take all our thoughts and turn them to yourself.
In Jesus name, Amen.
"I love you.'' - such common words - but what do they mean -- to us -- to other people? There's a strong tradition that, as an old man in the church in Ephesus, St John used to keep repeating, to those around: "Little children, love one another.'' So it’s not surprising that Love is one of the major themes of this epistle
“I Love you.” It's a phrase that can be very trite. -- How often do we hear that a film star has "fallen in love" with another film star - and then, only months later, -- they've broken up. It's not hard to say: "I love you.'' It's not hard to say: "I love you" to a human. And it’s not hard to say: ''I love you'' to God either.
If you've heard the story, that I'm about to tell you, before, I apologise. It's one that affected me deeply, and I’d like to share it with you. Towards the end of last year Samuel Sindamuka died. Sam Sindamuka was a Murundi, an inhabitant of Burundi. Burundi is a tiny African country, the size of Wales, just south of Rwanda. And, like Rwanda, it suffers from extreme racial violence.
Vivien and I were out there in 1972, serving as missionaries. There was an attempted rebellion - which the Army overcame in about three weeks. But the Tutsi government got very frightened. They were afraid that the Hutus, the 85 per cent majority, might seize power.
It's response was to purge the army – they executed the 50 per cent who were Hutu -- and then they sent the army to every corner of the country - to round-up every Hutu with secondary education - anyone with the potential to be a future opposition leader. They even came to our local secondary school and took away all the Hutu boys over 12 years old.
Once they had been rounded up in the trucks, people were taken off to the local prison – they were never seen again - though bodies were seen floating in many rivers.
It was not a good time to oppose the Government - which tried to blame outside powers for its problems. And the government considered the widows, of those who have been killed, just as it had considered their husbands -- as its enemies. Anyone who helped the widows and children was at risk themselves. Instead, many people showed their loyalty to the government by making the widows’ lives worse – and benefiting themselves – by stealing the widows’ hoes and personal possessions. Fear was everywhere.
Now, Sam Sindamuka was a very able person. When there had been a parliament, he had been a member. He had been a school teacher and a schools inspector. In 1972 he was working as the official representative of the Anglican Church in the capital city, Bujumbura.
He himself was actually Tutsi. But as the plight of the Hutu widows increased, he went into the shanty towns distributing help – food and money.
Inevitably, it was noticed. One in every 10 people was a government informer. In the end, he was summoned to the offices of the Sureté - the Homeland Security. A place people feared. The official there, another Tutsi, asked him why he was helping the widows. "As a Christian, I believe that I must.''
The official said: "I lost eight members of my family at Nyanza Lac - in the attempted rebellion - How many did you loose?'' Sam replied: "35." (Africans do have very large extended families).
"You're mad.'' said the official ''get out of my office.'' So Sam went back to his office - and continued his work of love.
That story had a happy ending. It might not have done. Sam’s love was Christian love.
A few months after that - after the troubles had ceased – Sam Sindamuka was ordained and worked as a part-time Curate while continuing his job in Bujumbura. Whilst still a curate, Sam was elected Bishop - and a few years later, consecrated Archbishop of the Anglican Church.
It was a privilege to have known him.
Sam didn't just say: "I love you." in the name of Christ. He showed his love in action. That was costly love. Sam was being obedient to that new commandment that Jesus gave us, recorded in John 13:34 - Jesus said: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."
It’s the commandment of which John speaks in verse 23 of our reading: “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” Once again, note that link between the epistle and the Gospel of John.
Our second lesson, from John 10, spoke about Jesus being the Good Shepherd - and laying down his life for his sheep - for the Jews of his day and now for you and me. Again, that's love, costly love.
We sing that children's song: " Jesus' love is very wonderful - so high you can't get over it - so low you can't get under it - so wide you can't get around it - oh wonderful love!
Recently, I read an article by someone discussing what, in the Passion narrative, Jesus found hardest. Was it the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood, praying to be released from the task ahead? Was it the arrest and being abandoned by all his friends? Was it the torture associated with the trial process - that we saw portrayed so graphically in "The passion of the Christ"? Or was it the agony of the cross - or being abandoned by his father?
The author plumped for the garden of Gethsemane -- and being able to pray: "not my will but yours be done." But I'm not sure you can choose. They were all indescribably costly. You may have seen the Christian devotional poster: On it the author records: ‘I asked Jesus "How much do you love me?" and Jesus said, "This much..." Then he stretched out his arms and died.’
Jesus love for us wasn't just words. It was practical -- and very, very costly. It was our Salvation. So John insists that our faith, too, should be very, very practical. Verse 11 asks: “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”
That’s a good question. But there are problems. We live in a global village. We see the plight of people suffering from violence in Iraq - or Darfur - or from the after-effects of the earthquake in Pakistan - or the famine in East Africa. The list is endless. What can we do? The danger is that we consider the task impossible - so we do nothing.
John's letter was written to Christians. So it's the needs of other Christians that is uppermost in his mind. I'm sure that that's not to say that we can neglect the rest of mankind. But I think that we do have a priority towards Christians.
In many Muslim lands, for years, Christians have been just about tolerated. To be honest, the treatment that they have received has often been better than the treatment of Muslims by Christians - as for instance in Spain under the Inquisition. Nevertheless, the Christians have been second-class citizens, highly taxed and excluded from many jobs.
So, in situations of natural disaster, Christians are often the last to receive aid. So I believe that we have a priority to help them – our brothers and sisters in Christ.
My wife had a colleague - who didn't claim to be a Christian - who refused to contribute to any charity working abroad, with the statement that: "charity begins at home." I would suggest that even if we find it difficult to sort out our priorities, that that is not a position that any Christian can hold.
I don't suppose that I been very controversial in saying that we should love others -- showing them a little of the love that God has shown us. But how can we show it?
We need to be aware of those around us with needs. Our society can be very insular. I remember the time that a Christian doctor committed suicide. Everyone -- including me -- said: "If only I'd realised, I'd have helped." Some people are more discerning than others. We need to pray for that sensitivity.
But I believe that there are other times when we are aware of something that we might do to help someone. But any action gets squeezed out by time. Despite all our labour saving gadgets, we seem to have less time than ever. Time can be costly.
But John goes further than just stressing the importance of showing our love in practical ways. He says it will help us. Verse 19 reads: “And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him.”
Doubt is a very real fact of life for many Christians. Does God love me? Has he accepted me? Am I different? Somehow, these verses suggest, that as we find ourselves obeying the new commandment, we realise that the Spirit of God really is with us.
The emphasis of this passage is on the importance of Christian acts of love. But there are some who go beyond that - and say: "to be loving, is to be a Christian.'' You sometimes even hear people say: "He was a lovely Christian" of a person who never professed any faith.
John will have none of that. In verse 23 he says: "and this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ.'' it is that belief in Christ that makes us Christians. But if we are Christians, we will not stop there. As John says in verse 18: "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."
Even with this sermon series, we don't cover the whole of this short letter. And in 1 John chapter 2 -- which we haven’t covered -- John says this -- and it reinforces our current passage --:
“Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4 Whoever says, 'I have come to know him', but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist;
5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, 'I abide in him', ought to walk just as he walked.”
The words - the belief - the faith - are vitally important. But if the profession is genuine, it won't stop there. Our love will be seen in truth and action.
I started with the story of Sam Sindamuka's love in action. Loving actions that he couldn't avoid as a Christian. Love that was costly, but love that brought honour to his Lord.
May our lives show that same love.
Let us pray:
Compassionate Lord,
as I go about my everyday life in this town,
May I be an instrument of your love,
and bring glory to your name,
Sunday 7 May 2006
Hugh James
There is no audio recording of this sermon, but the text is shown below.
Sam Sindamuka worked as a part-time Curate while continuing his job in Bujumbura. Sam didn't just say: "I love you." in the name of Christ. He showed his love in action. That was costly love. Sam was being obedient to that new commandment that Jesus gave us, recorded in John 13:34 - Jesus said: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."
The bible readings used in this sermon are 1 John 3.16-end & John 10.11-18.
Let us pray:
heavenly Father,
take my words and speak through them,
take all our thoughts and turn them to yourself.
In Jesus name, Amen.
"I love you.'' - such common words - but what do they mean -- to us -- to other people? There's a strong tradition that, as an old man in the church in Ephesus, St John used to keep repeating, to those around: "Little children, love one another.'' So it’s not surprising that Love is one of the major themes of this epistle
“I Love you.” It's a phrase that can be very trite. -- How often do we hear that a film star has "fallen in love" with another film star - and then, only months later, -- they've broken up. It's not hard to say: "I love you.'' It's not hard to say: "I love you" to a human. And it’s not hard to say: ''I love you'' to God either.
If you've heard the story, that I'm about to tell you, before, I apologise. It's one that affected me deeply, and I’d like to share it with you. Towards the end of last year Samuel Sindamuka died. Sam Sindamuka was a Murundi, an inhabitant of Burundi. Burundi is a tiny African country, the size of Wales, just south of Rwanda. And, like Rwanda, it suffers from extreme racial violence.
Vivien and I were out there in 1972, serving as missionaries. There was an attempted rebellion - which the Army overcame in about three weeks. But the Tutsi government got very frightened. They were afraid that the Hutus, the 85 per cent majority, might seize power.
It's response was to purge the army – they executed the 50 per cent who were Hutu -- and then they sent the army to every corner of the country - to round-up every Hutu with secondary education - anyone with the potential to be a future opposition leader. They even came to our local secondary school and took away all the Hutu boys over 12 years old.
Once they had been rounded up in the trucks, people were taken off to the local prison – they were never seen again - though bodies were seen floating in many rivers.
It was not a good time to oppose the Government - which tried to blame outside powers for its problems. And the government considered the widows, of those who have been killed, just as it had considered their husbands -- as its enemies. Anyone who helped the widows and children was at risk themselves. Instead, many people showed their loyalty to the government by making the widows’ lives worse – and benefiting themselves – by stealing the widows’ hoes and personal possessions. Fear was everywhere.
Now, Sam Sindamuka was a very able person. When there had been a parliament, he had been a member. He had been a school teacher and a schools inspector. In 1972 he was working as the official representative of the Anglican Church in the capital city, Bujumbura.
He himself was actually Tutsi. But as the plight of the Hutu widows increased, he went into the shanty towns distributing help – food and money.
Inevitably, it was noticed. One in every 10 people was a government informer. In the end, he was summoned to the offices of the Sureté - the Homeland Security. A place people feared. The official there, another Tutsi, asked him why he was helping the widows. "As a Christian, I believe that I must.''
The official said: "I lost eight members of my family at Nyanza Lac - in the attempted rebellion - How many did you loose?'' Sam replied: "35." (Africans do have very large extended families).
"You're mad.'' said the official ''get out of my office.'' So Sam went back to his office - and continued his work of love.
That story had a happy ending. It might not have done. Sam’s love was Christian love.
A few months after that - after the troubles had ceased – Sam Sindamuka was ordained and worked as a part-time Curate while continuing his job in Bujumbura. Whilst still a curate, Sam was elected Bishop - and a few years later, consecrated Archbishop of the Anglican Church.
It was a privilege to have known him.
Sam didn't just say: "I love you." in the name of Christ. He showed his love in action. That was costly love. Sam was being obedient to that new commandment that Jesus gave us, recorded in John 13:34 - Jesus said: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."
It’s the commandment of which John speaks in verse 23 of our reading: “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” Once again, note that link between the epistle and the Gospel of John.
Our second lesson, from John 10, spoke about Jesus being the Good Shepherd - and laying down his life for his sheep - for the Jews of his day and now for you and me. Again, that's love, costly love.
We sing that children's song: " Jesus' love is very wonderful - so high you can't get over it - so low you can't get under it - so wide you can't get around it - oh wonderful love!
Recently, I read an article by someone discussing what, in the Passion narrative, Jesus found hardest. Was it the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood, praying to be released from the task ahead? Was it the arrest and being abandoned by all his friends? Was it the torture associated with the trial process - that we saw portrayed so graphically in "The passion of the Christ"? Or was it the agony of the cross - or being abandoned by his father?
The author plumped for the garden of Gethsemane -- and being able to pray: "not my will but yours be done." But I'm not sure you can choose. They were all indescribably costly. You may have seen the Christian devotional poster: On it the author records: ‘I asked Jesus "How much do you love me?" and Jesus said, "This much..." Then he stretched out his arms and died.’
Jesus love for us wasn't just words. It was practical -- and very, very costly. It was our Salvation. So John insists that our faith, too, should be very, very practical. Verse 11 asks: “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”
That’s a good question. But there are problems. We live in a global village. We see the plight of people suffering from violence in Iraq - or Darfur - or from the after-effects of the earthquake in Pakistan - or the famine in East Africa. The list is endless. What can we do? The danger is that we consider the task impossible - so we do nothing.
John's letter was written to Christians. So it's the needs of other Christians that is uppermost in his mind. I'm sure that that's not to say that we can neglect the rest of mankind. But I think that we do have a priority towards Christians.
In many Muslim lands, for years, Christians have been just about tolerated. To be honest, the treatment that they have received has often been better than the treatment of Muslims by Christians - as for instance in Spain under the Inquisition. Nevertheless, the Christians have been second-class citizens, highly taxed and excluded from many jobs.
So, in situations of natural disaster, Christians are often the last to receive aid. So I believe that we have a priority to help them – our brothers and sisters in Christ.
My wife had a colleague - who didn't claim to be a Christian - who refused to contribute to any charity working abroad, with the statement that: "charity begins at home." I would suggest that even if we find it difficult to sort out our priorities, that that is not a position that any Christian can hold.
I don't suppose that I been very controversial in saying that we should love others -- showing them a little of the love that God has shown us. But how can we show it?
We need to be aware of those around us with needs. Our society can be very insular. I remember the time that a Christian doctor committed suicide. Everyone -- including me -- said: "If only I'd realised, I'd have helped." Some people are more discerning than others. We need to pray for that sensitivity.
But I believe that there are other times when we are aware of something that we might do to help someone. But any action gets squeezed out by time. Despite all our labour saving gadgets, we seem to have less time than ever. Time can be costly.
But John goes further than just stressing the importance of showing our love in practical ways. He says it will help us. Verse 19 reads: “And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him.”
Doubt is a very real fact of life for many Christians. Does God love me? Has he accepted me? Am I different? Somehow, these verses suggest, that as we find ourselves obeying the new commandment, we realise that the Spirit of God really is with us.
The emphasis of this passage is on the importance of Christian acts of love. But there are some who go beyond that - and say: "to be loving, is to be a Christian.'' You sometimes even hear people say: "He was a lovely Christian" of a person who never professed any faith.
John will have none of that. In verse 23 he says: "and this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ.'' it is that belief in Christ that makes us Christians. But if we are Christians, we will not stop there. As John says in verse 18: "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."
Even with this sermon series, we don't cover the whole of this short letter. And in 1 John chapter 2 -- which we haven’t covered -- John says this -- and it reinforces our current passage --:
“Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4 Whoever says, 'I have come to know him', but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist;
5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, 'I abide in him', ought to walk just as he walked.”
The words - the belief - the faith - are vitally important. But if the profession is genuine, it won't stop there. Our love will be seen in truth and action.
I started with the story of Sam Sindamuka's love in action. Loving actions that he couldn't avoid as a Christian. Love that was costly, but love that brought honour to his Lord.
May our lives show that same love.
Let us pray:
Compassionate Lord,
as I go about my everyday life in this town,
May I be an instrument of your love,
and bring glory to your name,
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