Love

1 John 3:11-16New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

In the Small Catechism this is what Luther has to say about the 5th Commandment:

"We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help them and support them in all of life's needs."

According to Luther then, we all (with himself included at times as well), are most likely murderers.

And here John probably would agree with him.

Hating someone is the equivalent of "killing" someone.

And loving each other meaning laying down your life for them? Really? 

Most of us won't have the opportunity to literally lay our lives down for someone, but I'll bet there are opportunities to figuratively lay our lives - our desires, our wants, our demands - down for someone else all the time.  I'll bet we have the opportunity to not hate someone all the time.

God is a god of relationship. We are created to be in community, working with and serving each other in love. We need not look farther than the news to see how far we fall short.

And sometimes we need not look farther than our own hearts.

Loving takes practice. We are used to thinking of it as a feeling, but it is also a verb. It's an action. And the verb love takes practice.

Who do you need to practice on today?

God of love, teach me your ways of love that I might open my heart and hands to even those who I have treated as my enemy.  Amen.