AN AMAZING LOVE

An old love song opens with the question:
“Where do I begin,
to tell the story of how great a love can be,
The sweet love story that is older than the sea,
The simple truth about the love (he) gave to me,
where do I start?”

You and I are privileged to be part of the greatest love story ever told. In today’s episode, Jesus’ disciples are talking among themselves when Jesus himself suddenly appears in the midst of them. Their natural reaction is one of fear and doubt. Jesus asks them why they doubt, shows them his hands and feet, assures them that he is no ghost, and invites them to touch and see. He then asks them for something to eat. They give him a piece of broiled fish, which he eats in their presence – further proof of his physical reality. In the words of biblical scholar, Fred Craddock, the “risen Christ is the Jesus who died.”

Craddock adds that “this identification is critical, not just for theology but also for defining the nature of the Christian life. If the Jesus who died belongs to the historical past but the one the disciples now follow is the eternal Christ, then the Christian life can take on forms of spirituality that are without suffering for others, without a cross, without any engagement in issues of life in this world, all the while expressing devotion to a living, eternal Christ. The Gospels say no to such a definition of discipleship. . . Easter is forever tied to Good Friday, and to follow the risen Christ is to follow the one who bore the cross.” (Interpretation: Luke, p. 290)

But who is this Jesus who bore the cross, was crucified and rose again?

Imagine what it must be like for his disciples to be reunited with the one who walked, talked, ate, and drank with them.
Imagine how they must feel to see the One who taught them about true love, knowing that they did not return that love in his time of need.
Imagine how amazed they must be at his willingness to come to them even after they turned their backs on him.
The Jesus who comes to them – and us – is the One who understands what it’s like to be human – to be ambivalent, to want to do the right thing, to fail, get up, and fail again.

Jesus comes to them – and us – in our weakness, our fears, our uncertainty. He comes to us when we feel like our best isn’t good enough, when we are tired of trying, when we wonder if our efforts are really making a difference. He comes to help us see that we are loved beyond measure, that we are accepted as we are, that we are good enough.

That’s the love with which Jesus loves us.

Last week I visited a parishioner who is recovering from an illness. She and I got into a lighthearted discussion about which one of us came from the more dysfunctional family. Even those among us who have had the benefit of a loving family still had experiences of conditional love – if we did as the other person wanted, love was given. If we didn’t, love was withheld. So most of us have some difficulty imagining a God who loves us without conditions. That, I believe, is one of the reasons that being part of a Christian community is so important. It presents opportunities for God to bring people into our lives who help us get a glimpse of what God’s love is like.

On Friday night, I participated in a service celebrating the ministry of the Rev. Canon Dalton Downs, who is retiring after 20 years of service as rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Fr. Downs is someone who consistently modeled God’s unconditional love for me. Through the roller coaster ride that is seminary life, he supported and challenged me, and he has done the same for several other seminarians over the years. What is amazing to me is how he did all of this while often in overwhelming pain.

Almost twelve years ago, Fr. Downs needed a heart transplant. One of his parishioners died suddenly of a brain aneurysm, and it turns out that her heart was a match. He’s been living with her heart for all this time, but he needs to be on medications – many of which have painful side effects.

Even so, he remained faithful. He challenged his parishioners to step up to the plate, to become who God intends for them to become, and he is leaving a vibrant, socially active church – one which, in many ways, models true Christian community.

How does God come to you?
Who helps you to see Jesus?
How do you respond?

I believe that once we allow ourselves to receive God’s unconditional love, not only will we become our unique, amazing selves, we’ll want to join God in telling the world the simple truth about the love God gave to us.