Acts 10: 44–48; Psalm
98; I
John 5: 1–6; John
15: 9–17
A
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given
at St. John’s Church, Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania, on Sunday, May 10, 2015.
“TEACHING
US TO LOVE”
(Homily texts:
Acts 10: 44–48, I John 5: 1–6 & John 15: 9–17)
In my earlier life, I used to teach
voice in college settings, and in a community music school. In my studio, a sign was posted on the wall
which read:
“Never try to teach a pig to sing;
It wastes your time and annoys the pig”
I have no way of knowing which of my
students – if any – ever thought that the truth of that sign applied to
them. That is to say, that perhaps I was
suggesting to them that spending time trying to teach them to sing was a waste
of my time. (And, just for the sake of
clarity for any of those former students who may be reading this homily on my
sermon blog, let me emphatically state that not one of my students was ever a
waste of time to expend energy and time on.
True, some students were more of
a challenge than others, but none were ever a waste of time.)
This sign points to a basic
truth: Pigs are incapable of learning to
sing. They can squeal, and I suspect
they’re awfully good at squealing. But
they cannot learn to sing, for there is no basis of connection between a pig’s
intelligence and human intelligence, an intelligence which allows us humans to
make music. Furthermore, pig’s physical
makeup makes it impossible for them to be able to sing, even if their intelligence
might possess the capability to allow it.
In short, a pig is not equipped to
be able to sing.
Are human beings equipped to be able
to love?
I ask this question because we have
before us this morning a wonderfully well-themed set of readings in our epistle
and gospel readings, which are coupled with a collect for this day, all of
which touch on the theme of God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love
for one another.
So are we humans ill-equipped to be
able to love? But, given the sad story
of human history, is it possible to think that we humans lack the basic ability
to love at all? After all, history is
filled with tales of very unloving deeds, which were sometimes done in the name
of God.
As to the question of whether
or not we humans are capable of knowing, receiving and giving love, the
biblical answer would be “No, we human beings have a wonderful capacity to
love.” The basis for this conviction
lies in the truth of Holy Scripture which affirms that human beings are made in
the image and likeness of God. (See
Genesis 1:26.)
If we have been made in the image
and likeness of God, then it follows that one of the ways in which God’s
imprint has been stamped into our nature is in the capacity to know love when
we encounter it, to be able to respond to love when it is offered to us, and,
in turn, to offer love to God and to others.
The truth that each one of us has been created in the image and likeness
of God extends to the fact that each one of us has been created by God, created
out of God’s love for us. So our very
existence isn’t the product of some whim or of chance, but the fact that we
live is directly due to God’s creating of each of us.
Let’s turn our attention, then, to
the business of knowing love, of responding to love offered, and to the matter
of being able to show love for others.
Love is often thought of as an
emotion. Certainly, emotion is a part of
what love is, but – in its most basic meaning – love should be thought of as a
force, a power. Consider what a person
might do, motivated by love: The Lord
tells us in this morning’s gospel passage that “No one has greater love than this,
than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
On this weekend in which we remember
the end of World War II in Europe (known as V-E Day, May 8th), we
remember those who served in that conflict who were motivated by a love of
country and a love for freedom.
So love has power, lots of power,
power to do good things and to change the world.
Love draws us out of a preoccupation
with ourselves.
A person in love with another is
drawn out of oneself toward the loved one.
The welfare of the one who is loved, the interests, problems and
challenges faced by the one who is loved becomes a focus of the one who
loves. Consider the marriage vows, by
which the two persons who are marrying one another pledge to support one
another in sickness and health, in richer times and in poorer times, in better
times and in worse times. And so forth.
Not only can we love another person,
but we can love things in our lives, things which can bring us out of ourselves
and can open us up to wider horizons.[1] For example, a person may say, “I love
serving at the food pantry each week.”
The love for this aspect of a person’s life serves to show love for
others, particularly others who are in need.
If we are created with the God-given
stamp of being able to love, then how is that ability awakened in us?
Here, I think the answer lies in the
power of the Holy Spirit. In our first
reading this morning, we hear of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon some
non-Jewish (Gentile) believers. The
coming of the Holy Spirit was made known by some of the special gifts that the
Spirit can impart to us: The power to
speak in tongues (spiritual speech), and in the power to praise God.
The Holy Spirit must come to awaken
God’s gift of being able to know love, to receive love, and to offer love to
God and to others. The reason for this
is that the effects of sin in our lives distorts God’s image in us, making us
prone to self-love and self-absorption.
But the Holy Spirit can redirect those disordered aspects of our being.
When we allow the Spirit to bring
His power to bear on our minds, hearts and souls, things will change for us,
for our relationship with God, and for our relationship with others. The world itself will also be changed forever
and for the good.
So come, Holy Spirit, remake and
remold our hearts, that we may love you in all things and above all things.
AMEN.
[1] OK, I will admit that some things that we
might love could work to create the opposite effect, drawing us more and more
into self-absorption. An example might
the person who says, “I just love my new car!”
