Love does conquer all

This week throughout Wales, Scotland and England, we have witnessed various elections at different levels of government. I found a joke actually about politics which said, Following a campaign speech, a young man rushed up to a politician and said, "Sir, I wouldn't vote for you if you were St. Peter!" The politician glared at the young man for a moment, then said: "Son, if I were St. Peter, you couldn't vote for me, because you wouldn't be in my district.

Anyway this week, we have witnessed the battering of some politicians, and the crowning of some new names. And once again we have heard the many promises about a bright new future.

There will be more spending on this and less waste on that and policies will be followed which make a real difference in the lives of people. And without exception these were the policies being followed by every person seeking election last Thursday. But for most of us, whoever has been elected, there will be very little difference in our lives on a day to day basis.

And please don’t think I am just knocking politics or politicians when I say that. I enjoy politics, and I think that there are many politicians who work tremendously hard for the good of others, but in a society without any great extremes, the sort of society in which we live, most of the differences that politicians will make to most of us are fairly small. Of course on a wider scale, major decisions, such as the war in Iraq, overseas aid, child poverty and homelessness in this country as well as abroad, will make a huge difference to some.

And so for many of us politics, or the politicians in power, though they would argue differently, will have no great effect on our lives each day, but today in our readings, something can be identified which can transform the whole of the world, something which transcends politics, business, wealth, influence, or anything else, and that is LOVE.

It’s a subject that we hear a lot about in readings and in sermons, because it is what the gospel is about. In our gospel today (John 13:31-35), Jesus said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.’ And in the Old Testament reading from Leviticus (19:1-2, 9-18), we heard, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself…’

Love is something which really can transform the whole of the world, making a difference in the relationships of individuals and even between different countries, yet once again we are reminded how difficult it is to practise. Many times I’ve talked about love, and issued the challenge to you all to love one another, and every time I do it I issue the same challenge to myself, because it’s not easy !

Last week I quoted Martin Luther King, and I’m going to quote him again today. He said once that ‘the church is like a great extended family that receives a tremendous bequest: they receive an inheritance of a wonderful, beautiful, spacious, luxurious home to share. There is only one stipulation… All must live in it together.’

Twice in the last week people have said to me that they don’t come to Church, but they would if there was something like a gospel choir there – they want Church to be happier. Now one of the problems both of these people have is that they haven’t come to Church to see how happy it is in the first place, and so their objections aren’t particularly valid, except from the basis that there is a perception that Church is not a happy place to be, and that is a perception that we must change.

There is a great search by people today for happiness, and, I think, for love. People want to find something which is out of the ordinary, something that is changing people’s lives for good, and love is something which is out of the ordinary – not love between couples, or in families, but love which is practised indiscriminately – the sort of love that Jesus practices, without conditions and without limits.

The concept of this sort of love is something that can make a difference everywhere. For individuals who are lonely, who are friendless, who seem difficult, the knowledge that someone cares about them will be life changing. Feeling valued is something which is hugely important to us all.

The reading from Revelation (21:1-6) gave us that wonderful picture of a new world, a world where all things were made new, a place of no tears, or mourning, or crying and pain, a place where death will be no more. That is the great heavenly picture that we have, the great hope of every one of us as Christians, but that picture shouldn’t always seem so far away.

Jesus came down to live amongst us to demonstrate that love in our world, in the middle of political squabbles, religious turmoil, domestic disputes and so on. Jesus came to transform the lives of individuals through his love, and that is the challenge that he makes to us today – ‘Love one another’ – Here and now !

And he takes it a stage further by saying that it is by this love that everyone will know that we are his disciples. Loving one another was never just a good idea. It was, and is, a command from Jesus himself… Love really can make a difference in the world today, it isn’t just a glib and naïve sort of hope.

There's a story about a man who got out of his car and saw a young boy looking admiringly at it. The little boy said, "Does this car belong to you?" And the man said, "Yes, in fact my brother gave it to me for Christmas. I've just got it." With that the little boy's eyes widened. He said, "You mean to say that somebody gave it to you? And you didn't have to pay anything for it?"

And the man said, "That's right. My brother gave it to me as a gift." With that the little boy let out a long sigh and said, " Wow ! I would really like..." And the man fully expected the boy to say, "I would like to have a brother like that, who would give me such a beautiful car," but instead the man was amazed when the little boy said, "Wow! I would like to be that kind of brother. I wish I could give that kind of car to my little brother."

True love really does conquer everything – true love beats evil and hate, it breaks down barriers between rich and poor, it takes away greed and self interest, and it builds a fellowship of people committed to making life better for everyone. That is the unlimited, indiscriminate, true love that Jesus calls us to offer to everyone. AMEN