5/2/10 Listen Watch Video

Dear Friends,

I have lost count of the number of times over the years that I have heard someone try to sum up the Christian faith by saying that, in the end, “it’s all about the Golden Rule” – that is, doing to others as you would have them do unto you.  While it is true that Jesus, on at least three occasions, commanded us to live in such a way, I am not so sure that this is the distinguishing characteristic of how a Christian ought to relate to others in the world.  As far as I can tell, thirteen other world religions follow, in some form, the principle of the Golden Rule.  This ethical code of conduct, based upon the principle of reciprocity, was a pre-Christian concept intended to keep the peace and ensure justice within and between communities of diverse peoples.  For Jesus, the Golden Rule was a good place to start, but it was never intended to become the standard.

This Sunday, we read from John 13 in which Jesus, facing the end of his life, gave his disciples one last lesson, and one more commandment:  “Love one another, as I have loved you…  By this, others will know that you are my disciples.”  Here, in this passage, we come to see the distinguishing characteristic of a Christian: a love that knows no boundaries, that is willing to go to great lengths, and to make great sacrifices, in order to redeem what would otherwise be a lost cause.  What we have here in this passage is not a derivative of the Golden Rule, but a way of life that transcends reciprocity.  It says, “Do to me what you will, and I will still love you.  Take what belongs to me, throw everything you have at me, take even my very life, and I will still love you.”  This is Jesus’ “new commandment,” and while we do not have a name for it, we might think of it as the Titanium Rule, because there is nothing more powerful and resilient than this kind of love in the world.

When you join the Christian community, when you become part of a church, you are signing up for this kind of love.  This is your calling, the life Jesus commands you to live: to love the way he loves, not merely the way the world loves.

This Sunday, we’re confirming fifteen of our young people after several weeks of preparation.  We will baptize five of them; two other baptisms will take place at the second service.  More than 25 people will join us after church for our “Lunch with the Pastors” to explore membership in the church.  All of these, I believe, have heard the call to live the distinctive life to which Jesus has called them, adding to the ranks of those who believe that the power of redemptive love can and will change the world. 

God is at work among us in this season of resurrection.  Remarkable things are happening here at San Dieguito UMC.  I trust that you will see them and respond in faithful and sacrificial ways.

See you Sunday,

Rev. Mark