Sermon: They Will Know We Are Christians

          Our Gospel lesson this morning was pretty clear:  Asked, "If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep." 

          There is a song written in the 1960s called "We Are One in the Spirit", written by the late Fr. Peter Scholtes.  The refrain of that song states, "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love."  This song was actually based on a saying that arose in the 2nd Century CE:  "Behold, how they love one another."  This concept has obviously been around a long time, but where did it come from?

          Aristides was an Athenian philosopher, who was given an assignment by the Emperor Hadrian to report back about the Christian sect that was rapidly growing and causing so many problems among the people with their worship of the One God.  His observations were recorded in what became his "Apology of Aristides", which became a defense of the Christian faith, and a statement of what became his own beliefs.  In his report to Hadrian, he described the Christian history and beliefs, stating:

"Now the Christians, O King…have the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ himself graven on their hearts, and they observe, looking for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. They commit neither adultery nor fornication; nor do they bear false witness. They do not deny a deposit, nor covet other men’s goods; they honor father and mother, and love their neighbors; they give right judgment; and they do not worship idols in the form of man. They do not unto others that which they should not have done unto themselves. They comfort such as wrong them, and make friends of them. They labor to do good to their enemies: … As for their servants or handmaids, or their children … they persuade them to become Christians for the love that they have towards them; and when they have become so, they call them without distinction “brethren.”

          They despise not the widow, and grieve not the orphan. … If they see a stranger, they bring him under their roof, and rejoice over him, as it were their own brother: for they call themselves brethren, not after the flesh, but after the spirit and in God … And if they hear that any of their number is imprisoned or oppressed for the name of their Messiah, all of them provide for his needs, and if it is possible that he may be delivered, they deliver him.

Aristides concludes his report thus:

And I have no doubt that the world stands by reason of the intercession of Christians.  But all other nations are deceived and deceive themselves, rolling themselves before the elements of the world, according as the sight of their understanding is unwilling to pass them by.  Walking in darkness because they are unwilling to know the truth, they stagger against one another like drunken men and fall down.[1]

          The commandments from Christ state:  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  The reason I bring this up is because "love" is a verb; it's an action that reflects the emotion.  If the actions don't match up to the emotion, then it is a lie.  And if our own actions aren't matching up with the love of Christ that is to be known by others through our love, then it is up to us to change our own actions.  The thing is, while these are duties that we choose as Christians, these are blessings that Christ gives us to perform in joy.  If we see Christ in our brothers and sisters, then the commandment to love is one that allows us to show that love to Christ, every time.

          Richard Rohr, a globally recognized ecumenical teacher and Franciscan priest states: 

"Christianity is a lifestyle – a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving.  However, we made it into an established "religion" (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself.  One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one's "personal Lord and Savior" … The world has no time for such silliness anymore.  The suffering on Earth is too great."[2]

          "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish."  Jesus never once told us to worship him, or to argue over the right way to do it.  However, 24 times in the Gospel, Jesus says, "Follow me."  Our responsibility as baptized Christians is to follow in Jesus' footsteps, to love, in our actions, all of our neighbors, and to let people know that we are Christians by our love.

---

[1] A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337, pg. 59-62

[2] Adapted from CAC Foundation Set: Gospel Call to Compassionate Action (Bias from the Bottom) and Contemplative Prayer.