Christ gave us a lot to think about when he told us the greatest of the Commandments. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." I'd like you to keep these commandments in mind throughout this sermon.
A Christian
pre-school teacher was putting together a play that the children would perform
Christmas Eve. As with all teachers, she
wanted to take advantage of teaching moments, so as she was ending her remarks
to the kids before they got started on rehearsals, she wanted them to know why
this play was important. She asked,
"Do you know that some people don't love Jesus?" The children, of course, were astounded, so
she continued, "That's why it's important to pray for the conversion of
their souls, so they can love Jesus too, and go to heaven." Now, 4-year-olds pretty much think in black
and white. If a 4-year-old hears that
some people don't love Jesus, well, then that means, they must hate Him! Who would want to be friends with someone who
hates Jesus? Most 4-year-olds aren't
going to hear or understand what conversion is.
Without the context that some
people have a different belief system – for which we have respect because we
love God and we love our neighbor – and without the context that they don't
know Jesus, and so don't know how important He is, this teacher has
inadvertently created the seeds of ill will and prejudice.
We're hearing
a lot in the news about Hate Crime Prevention, and the No Hate Act – Episcopal
preachers throughout the country received a set of instructions forwarded from
the Presiding Bishop and put together by the Anti-Defamation League. And there are a lot of very good points in
those instructions. But let's look at
the difference between the original "ten" commandments, and the two
that Christ gave us.
Within the 10,
2 are positive – as in, do this (Keep the Sabbath and Honor our parents) – and
8 are negative – as in, don't do this.
If we broaden it out to entirety of the 613 Mitzvot originally given to
the Jews, there are 248 positive commandments, and 365 negative. As humans, I think we have rather a strong
tendency to focus on the negatives, on what we shouldn't do, on what we should prevent others from doing. We still see that today, even though Christ
gave us two commandments, on which hang "all the law and the prophets."
I'd like us to
look at some definitions, that I've taken from dictionary.com.
Hate - to
dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme
hostility toward.
Discriminate- to
make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the
group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than
according to actual merit. Notice that
discrimination can be a positive, as well as a negative. It is, however, a showing of partiality.
Tolerate - to
endure without repugnance; put up with.
Violence - rough
or injurious physical force, action, or treatment.
Love - unselfish
love of one person for another; brotherly love.
Neighbor -
one's fellow human being.
Now those last
two, I've obviously put in the context that we're discussing here. Love, in this context is agape; neighbor is
as Christ was instructing us as to whom to love.
After the end
of the Civil War, there's an account of a Sunday service in Washington,
D.C. The preacher had remarked on those
who were absent, and upon finishing, invited people to the rail to take
communion. No one had noticed the old
man shuffling down the aisle at first. His faced bowed, looking intently at the
floor rather than making eye contact with row after row of astonished
worshippers who turned to gawk at him.
His leathered
ebony flesh was a stark contrast to the smoother ivory-skinned church
attendees. His calloused hands and emaciated frame left no mystery as to his
former station in life – a slave to people just like those gathered in the
church that day.
A solemn quiet
fell over the congregation as the man bowed at the altar, having come forward
to take part in the Lord’s Supper.
No one knew
what to do.
Everyone
remained still except one man. The gray-haired gentleman stood to his feet. All
eyes were upon this man whom everyone respected. His face was gaunt; his
appearance, wizened from the terrors of war. Those who knew him recognized just
how heavy a toll he had paid.
Despite his
age, he moved with military discipline. He left his family’s pew and padded
toward the old man praying before the cross. Without hesitation, the
distinguished fellow knelt beside the former slave and they both took
Communion.
His efforts so
moved the congregation that they joined them at the altar.
The man was
General Robert E. Lee. Many would have
you believe that he was exemplifying Paul's words from Galatians, " For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a
garment. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are
all one in Christ Jesus." And it
may be the case that he said, the ground is level beneath the cross. And, it could also be the case that he
literally ignored the existence of the black man, in order not to bring the
Civil War into church. The first
explanation would be exemplifying Christ's comment to love one another. The latter explanation would be an example of
tolerance. History is unsure which it
is.
The media
provides us with endless examples of negativity, preaching tolerance and the
need for "no hate" legislation, for hotlines and ways of reporting on
those who practice hateful ways. But we
wouldn't have put that pre-school teacher in that category. We know that her intent was to teach her kids the important of evangelism, of
spreading the good news. She just maybe
left a few things out.
The thing is,
Christ didn't say, tolerate one another, don't hate one another, don't
discriminate. His commandments, which
are literally taken from the Old Testament, and are from the positive
commandments, are to love. To love God
with all your heart, soul, and mind. To
love your neighbor as yourself.
Why? Why is it important to love your
neighbor? To love one's fellow human
being?
Well, let's go
back to very beginning when God said, "Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness." Every
single person on earth reflects the image of God. Now, knowing that, can you hate your fellow
man? Should you tolerate them? Discriminate against them? Perpetuate violence against them?
Obviously, our
answer as Christians, is no. But I think
it's the reason that the answer is no
that's much more important to think about.
We are commanded to love. Not to
judge, not to tolerate, not to hate, but to love. And I think teaching that to our children, exemplifying that to others – that Jesus
commanded us to love our neighbors, and that God made all humankind in His image – is the best thing that we can do for
humanity.
Rabbi Nachman
of Breslov said the following: Let us
pray: May it be Your Will, our Eternal
God and God of our ancestors, to put an end to war and bloodshed on earth, and
to spread a great and wonderful peace over the whole world, so that nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
anymore. May all inhabitants of this
planet come to recognize and know the ultimate truth: We did not come to this
world for conflict and strife, nor for hatred, envy, mockery or bloodshed; we
came to this world only to know You.
Therefore,
have mercy on us, and fulfill for us what is written, “And I will grant peace
in the land, and you shall lie down and none shall make you afraid. I will
drive the wild beasts from the land, and neither shall the sword go through your
country.”*(Leviticus 26:6)
“And justice
will well up like water, righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Amos 5:24).
“For the earth
will be filled with knowledge of the
Eternal as water covers the sea.”(Isaiah 11:9).
May it be Your Will. And let all us say: Amen.
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