Maundy Thursday
Text John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – True Evangelism
Evangelism
is a word that is on the tips of the tongues of all churches.
Churches
are feeling the pressure of declining memberships and are looking at ways to
attract new members.
There are
many reasons why people no longer feel that church is part of their life.
People are
too busy for church.
Church is
no longer relevant.
I know
church is important but I just don’t get anything from it – in fact it is
boring.
Churches
try lots of things to drive their evangelism to draw new members.
Visiting
programs.
Letters to
lapsed members.
Advertising.
Small
groups.
Running
ALPHA courses.
Jesus today
teaches us the most effective evangelism program ever:
He says:
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."
There is no
point doing evangelism if people come in and see us as no different to what
they experience in their everyday lives.
St Paul
says a similar thing in the great passage on love in 1 Corinthians:
If I speak
in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If visitors,
or even long standing members come in and find us arguing with one another –
gossiping about one another – putting others down – then it doesn’t matter what
evangelism program we run, or how successful it is – it will mean nothing to
them.
Even if we
have the best music – the best sermons- if people come to us and find a lack of
love then they will leave.
For Jesus,
this is the basics of evangelism.
Love one
another.
Jesus says:
When we love one another then “EVERYONE” will know that you are my disciples.
It’s sad
that the church is not often the place where people find examples of love
towards each other.
They find
backbiting – arguing – gossiping – feuding and a whole host more.
But not
only that but often they find the church not being an example of love in the
world.
When we
react to things in the world we don’t always example love.
There are many
things that concern us and with which we disagree but sadly our responses are
no different to the worldly way in which it responds.
We don’t
have to agree with everything but we can still show love.
There is a
saying that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin.
That’s what
Jesus typified in his ministry – eating with sinners – forgiving the woman
caught in adultery while telling her to sin no more – defending the woman who
washed his feet with tears.
He is
hating the sin but still loving the sinner.
Too often
we hate the sin and the sinner which is not what we are called to example.
Jesus today
shows us the fullest example of hating the sin while loving the sinner as he
gives us his body and blood that was sacrificed for us to forgive our sin.
It is here
where we see where God made him who had to sin to become sin while we became
the righteousness of God.
God hating
the sin by taking it to cross while loving the sinner by forgiving.
As we come
to Holy Communion today it begins our journey into the very heart of God that
loved us so much that he gave up all he had to rescue us.
As we hear
Jesus’ command today to “love one another as I have loved you” we are
challenged to consider what is preventing us from loving one another – maybe a
hurt, maybe a fear, maybe a disagreement with a person’s lifestyle – and if we
believe that we have a right to withhold love then we need to think again about
what it meant for God that it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died
for us.
That is
true love and that is the love that Jesus has asked, no, commanded us to also
show.
If we want
to do true evangelism this is where it starts – loving one another as Christ
loves us.
Sadly our
human nature prevents us at times from showing that sacrificial love.
And so
Jesus introduces his sacrificial love firstly with an act of humility.
He does
something that no one expected of him.
He gets
down on his knees and washes his disciples’ feet.
Peter
objects as this is not how it should be.
But Jesus
shows that acts of love begin with acts of humility.
Showing
Jesus’ love means putting aside our inhibitions and judgments.
As
Christians we are commanded to show humility in being the ones who initiate
love to one another.
There are
times we are hurt.
There are
times when we are confronted with people we don’t want to love.
But
humility places that all behind us.
And that’s
what it means to love one another as Christ loves us.
As St Paul
says in Philippians – Jesus humbled himself and become obedient unto death on a
cross.
Maundy
Thursday is about humility – washing the feet of his disciples – sharing his
body and blood with his disciples, including Judas who would betray him.
That is the
example which Jesus has left for us – love one another as I have loved you.
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