Behold What Manner of Love…

In September of 2009, I attended Alabama Presbyterian Cursillo as a Pilgrim. It was truly a life changing experience for me, and not just because I met a sweet woman named Denise who was on staff that weekend and would later become my wife! It was a transformative moment for me in my own spiritual journey and re-awakening. The picture above is one I took of the outdoor chapel at Camp Beckwith where we hold Cursillo each year.

One of the songs, that I have come to love is a simple round based on the first verse of 1 John Chapter 3. The lyrics are: “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us. That we should be called the children of God. That we should be called the children of God.” It is a catchy little tune and once the round begins it is almost hypnotic as you sing along and allow the lyrics of the song to sink deep into your soul. It is a joy-filled song that I love to sing whenever we are at Cursillo or a Cursillo event. Lets just say it makes my heart happy!

The opening verses of Chapter Three are a reminder to the community of faith that they are the children of God. God has lovingly adopted these Christ followers and called them God’s children. This was especially crucial for a first century believer who didn’t grow up Jewish. A first century non-Jewish follower of the “Way” was not always welcomed by the first Christ followers. Why? Because they were Gentiles… Pagans… they weren’t Jewish! It wasn’t an easy time in the early Christian community as these two groups (Jews and Gentiles) tried to merge into one body. In addition to the difficulties of synthesizing these two groups into one, they were also being kicked out of the synagogues and persecuted by both the Empire (where you were supposed to worship the Emperor as a god) and the religious establishment in Jerusalem (where you were supposed to be a good Jewish person or a convert to Judaism).

In the midst of coming together as a community of Jewish and Gentile Christians, the community to whom this letter was addressed was being torn apart by a schism (see 1 John 2:18-19). It had become so bad that there was even talk about it being the end times! In the resulting fight and schism, battle lines were drawn as many false teachings about who Jesus was were being tossed around.

So how were you to know who the true followers were? What distinguished them from the false deceivers? God’s children are holy… they are righteous… they are God’s children because they have been adopted by a loving God and have been called to love as God has loved. Later on in Chapter 4, John writes these words: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

Sometimes I wonder what God thinks about all of the fussing and fighting (and much worse, killing and maiming) done in the name of religion. And what does Jesus think about the community who says they follow him and yet are seen as the most unloving, bigoted and rigid people around? As I watch and listen to so-called christians (lower case is intentional) spew hatred and venom from their hearts, my heart aches. I wonder where the love is in all of that hatred. And the way so many twist the language of the remainder of the reading from 1 John doesn’t help matters at all. “Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness… No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” (4-7) Oh and it gets even worse in verse 8: “Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning…”. Using these verses and other verses to back up their arguments, they cast stones (or worse) at any who are different from them.

In doing that, sadly, they become the very thing they are so afraid of. They become a servant not of God, but of hatred. They forget the call of Jesus as recorded in John 13:34-35 – “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What makes it even worse for me is this… In my response to the venom and hatred, I become the very thing I despise in them. In condemning the Pharisee, I become a Pharisee. And so it comes back again to verse one of chapter three. “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

I would also argue that part of the reason the world does not know Jesus is because the world knows us! When Christianity becomes synonymous with hatred, bigotry, and fear-mongering; how is the world supposed to see the one who is Love? Dear reader, there isn’t an easy answer to this thorny issue. Why? Because this thorny issue or problem is a part of each one of us.  In 1 John 1:8-10 we read: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us… Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us… That we should become the children of God… That we should become the children of God. Perhaps if we spent less time throwing stones at each other and more time loving God and loving neighbor (even loving our enemies as Jesus taught) we would be showing the manner of love the Father has given to us.