Sunday, May 17, 2020
Dear St. Luke Community,
When my daughter Charlotte was little, we had a ritual where she would say “I love you,” and I would answer, “I love you more;” and she would reply, “Can’t be possible.” And then we would laugh as I would try to up her again by saying something about her understanding how very possible it is when she’s older and maybe has children of her own.
This is how this Sunday’s scripture reads (John 14:15-25), with Jesus beginning with “If you love me, then you’ll keep my commandments,” which if you remember are to love God and love others. So we could understand this scripture as a kind of love letter. If you love me, then love me by loving others. And then Jesus ups the ante by saying, by promising the gift of the spirit and reminding us of how he lives inside of us and us in him. It’s an endless, almost embarrassing display of love, until we, like Charlotte used to say, “This can’t be possible.” But it is.
And these days, for most of us in our community, we’ve been given the gift of time to reflect on the gifts of our life, like shelter and food. But we’ve also been given spiritual gifts, like the indwelling of the spirit through Christ, who lives inside of us and with us intimately, like a partner who knows and sees us beneath the surface and loves us even more because of it.
Let us all be mindful in our prayers, praying that those who feel most alone during this pandemic may find that intimate love present in their lives, whether through Christ or family, stranger or happenstance. May we all take the power of our own spirits to be used by God as an advocate for those who are in need.
See you Sunday on Zoom.
With love in Christ,
Nicole