Love May Not Always Be About Feelings.

I thought it would be fun to start off today by telling you some of the commandments Jesus could have chosen but he didn’t when the Pharisees asked him —what is the greatest of all commandments.  You probably didn’t know this, but Jesus didn’t just have the 10 Commandments to choose from but he actually had 613  different commandments—these 613 commandment are scattered  throughout the first five books of the bible-these commandments were given when the Israelite people were wandering the desert after the Exodus as they journeyed to the Promise land.

So here are just a few of the commandments Jesus didn’t choose.

From Deuteronomy 14:19  “You shall not eat non kosher flying insects.”  Kosher insects are alright but non-kosher...

Another food related one: You shall not eat worms found on the ground. In the ground is all right, but the ones scurrying across your driveway after a rain storm—they are out of bounds.  Leviticus 11:42.

How about this one- you shall not panic and retreat in a battle.  Deut. 20:3

You shall prepare latrines outside of camp—I have a feeling they were going to do that anyway, but it is good to know that God weighed in on that too.

One more—in the spirit of Halloween.

 

You shall not attempt to contact the dead—please leave the Ouija board in the closet.  Deut. 18:11

Now it would probably be more fun to continue down this path,  if you want to have a little more fun feel free to google “613 commandments” and you can read them for yourself---but maybe it’s is time to get serious and talk about the  commandment that Jesus does choose—in actuality he chooses  two commandments, not one but two-- love God and Love neighbor. 

In Christian circles this has become known as the Great commandment.  “To love God and love neighbor.”

Today we will baptize beautiful little Addison and we will set her off down the path of being a Christian—being a follower of Jesus Christ.  Baptism is not an end in itself, but John Westerhoff says it is the beginning of a pilgrimage— a pilgrimage that will continue for the rest of her life.

By baptizing her here today you her parents, God Parents  her friends and family you are committing before God  that you want to raise Addison to be a person who buys into this love God and love neighbor thing ---  this commandment will become the basis of her life  and if she is like the rest of us she will spend the rest of her life trying to perfect love of God and love of Neighbor. 

So let’s talk a little bit about love. Because that is where this commandment get’s sticky –love God with all your heart with all your soul and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

Now I will be completely honest with you I don’t love Jesus and God the same way that I love my wife or my children and my family—and I don’t love my neighbors the same way I love my wife and children and family—I would get into trouble if I started to love my neighbors the same way I love my wife.  I believe there is a commandment against that.

In fact when I am honest, I don’t always particularly like my neighbors. 

We as 21^st century Americans have a hard time with  this idea of loving God and loving neighbor because we have a hard time separating love from the feelings that are sometimes associated with love.  In some way we think love must be accompanied by feelings of affection for the thing that we love.  And in some cases that is true.  With spouses and children and even our friends we have feelings of affection, but that is not the love that Jesus commands— that is not the love of this great commandment. the love that Jesus commands will center on action not feelings good or bad.

In a few moments we will all recite something called  the Baptismal Covenant- in the baptismal covenant will put flesh and bone on what our love looks like— not how we should feel but what love of God and love of neighbor looks like.

In a few moments one of the promises we will make is to continue in the apostles' teaching and  

fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers? 

This promise says that when we get on our knees in  prayer—when  open our bibles and read them,-- when we go to a house of worship when we intentionally set  aside time for God =that is how we love Jesus, love God.   That love has nothing to do with inward feelings toward God.   

Also in few moments in the baptismal covenant we will make promises to seek and serve Christ in all people,  and we will promise to strive for justice and peace—when we do those sorts of things-that is how we love our neighbors—again nothing to do with our feelings toward our neighbors. 

Well there you have ----love God and love neighbor.

This could have been a five-word sermon, love god and love neighbor, but you are paying me an awful lot of money to give just five-word sermon.    

Love God and love neighbor.

It’s hard and it’s sticky and the good news is that in all of those 613 commandments I didn’t see one that said we have to buy roses for our neighbor or write a poem about how much we love them.    All we have to do is love them