Love is the Answer

 Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40 Luke 6:27-38

A pastor, in one of my favorite stories, is about to give a message similar to mine.  She asks her congregation some questions.

“Now, I’ll bet that many of us feel we have enemies in our lives. So raise your hands if you have many enemies.”

The pastor asked, “Now raise your hands if you have no enemies at all.”   Finally, way in the back, a very, very old man raises his hand.

“I’m 98 years old, and I have no enemies.”

The pastor says,  “ And tell us all how it is that you have no enemies.  Come up to the front and share with us.”

The old man did. “St Peter has got them now.  All the JERKS have died!”

We all have enemies.  They are enemies for good reason, we say.  Sometimes, it’s only our enemies who will tell us the truth about ourselves.  Hence our intense dislike.

Jesus teaches his disciples. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye.’ But I say to you offer no resistance to one who is evil,” he says. “You have heard that it was said that you must love your neighbors and hate your enemies. But I say to you love your enemies.” (Matt. 5;38-48).  These are some of hardest commands to follow of Jesus.  It just goes against the grain.  Against every instinct to want fight back or just hate someone who has hurt us

In giving up our enemies, we are challenged to give up a lot.  Power, control, revenge. blame, self-righteousness, punishment, scapegoating, and lying.  That’s a tremendous amount to let go of.  This leaves us feeling vulnerable, without ammunition, and without walls. We have relinquished our sense of security.  Who wants to do that?  What could we possibly receive that is better?  Why should we? It’s hard to say this, but it is central to following Jesus.   Jesus says, 2

7 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; 32 Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High…

As a teenager I tried to follow these words. My confirmands know this already.  All I cared about was music, my clarinet and later my harp.  You had to leap tall buildings to get into my bed there was so much stuff in my room.  One day, my mother totally exasperated, slapped me on the face to motivate me to clean my room.  I didn’t respond in anger.  I just said “the Bible tells me to turn the other cheek.”  Well, I did, and she whacked that one too.  I wasn’t prepared for that!   Sometimes peace hurts.     In reality, I was just being a smart aleck.

If we want to receive the peace and love that is Jesus, we must give up our enemies. We need to wish them well, respond to them with kindness, and demonstrate grace when confronted with hostility.  Well, this is certainly a tall order! When we do this we are interrupting the cycle where anger fosters anger, and violence promotes more violence. To respond to conflict with love, not revenge.  But that revenge, just feels so good. At least in the short term.

Not only Jesus, but medical science tells us we will be rewarded. When we give up hatred we lower our blood pressure. We will have a longer life.  Our impulse control improves leading to better judgment.  Intense negative emotions can increase the risk of stroke by as much as 14 times. Releasing hatred helps us to be healthier: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Finally, giving up our enemies means giving up grudges.  Forgiveness, though risky, makes room for love. Perhaps this last is the scariest.  There is nothing more frightening than true intimacy.  Nothing makes us more vulnerable than total trust.  Studies of couples show that if we get too close to our partner, we start picking fights to get back into our comfort zone,

Let us reach for and embrace God and ask for courage, as we seek the ability to let go of anger and hatred.   God is love, and the more God lives within us, the more love we will have, with less room for hatred.  Our love is made possible by God’s love- limitless and always forgiving, reaching out to us even when we turn away.  If only we could show that same mercy to others.

So how can we actually do this most impossible thing.  Love our enemies?

•     Pray.  Ask God to open up your heart to ask for the best for them, for an understanding.

•     Listen – try to understand their point of view, step into their shoes.  Be kind – even with small gestures can open doors.  Set boundaries – don’t allow any harm to continue, but you can still seek a better resolution.

We are living in challenging times. Only the power of God can bring us to a place that can transform how we think and feel and act.

Jesus said, in John 14:27  "My peace I give to you." This is the peace that surpasses all understanding Paul speaks about in Philippians 4:7.  Invite God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to live fully within you.  Can you take the risk?  It’s worth it.  Amen.