at the center of it all

Luke 10:25-37.
It is as old as Leviticus (19:18) and Deuteronomy (6:4-5).  God intends for it all to be based on love.
If we will love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, we will love our neighbor as ourselves.

It is simple to understand.
It is AGAPE love, here.
Agape is not a feeling.  It is committed action.
Agape is not about the recipient, but about the giver giving.  The focus is not on the object of the action, but the one giving it.
Agape is therefore committed action on behalf of the other.

But Jesus took it further.  Jesus always took it further.
When the lawyer wanted to justify hating someone, he asked, "Who is my neighbor?"
And Jesus taught him who neighbor is with the story of the Good Samaritan.
The neighbor is not necessarily a person of one's own faith.
The neighbor is not necessarily one who is accomplished in society.
The neighbor may well be a stranger, even enemy who lives Agape Love.
The neighbor is also the vulnerable one who needed the neighbor.  The stranger made him a neighbor.
The sharing of Agape Love makes us neighbors.
The mutual sharing of Agape Love makes community flourish and thrive.

We are meant to be neighbors in the Kingdom of God.

Agape is therefore COMMITTED ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE OTHER,
                              EVEN STRANGER OR ENEMY, AND ESPECIALLY THE
                              MOST VULNERABLE.

Jesus' teaching in the parable is followed by an IMPERATIVE... A COMMAND -
                              "Go and DO likewise."

Agape Love is COMMITTED ACTION on behalf of the other.

This is at the center of it all.  This, according to the Gospel writers of Jesus' words, is that upon which rests all the law and prophets.

Neighbors love neighbors as themselves, if they follow Jesus.
It is a part of loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind.
It is the command of Jesus for those who would follow Him.

It is not about good feelings toward someone or the worthiness of the other to receive our commitment toward their well-being.  It is about the character of the person who lives that love.  It is action out of their commitment to God and the other, even stranger or enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us.

Agape Love is required for followers of Jesus.  Active Commitment/Committed Action on behalf of the other is our standard for how we follow Jesus.

It's easy to understand.  It's just hard to live.
And then Jesus made it harder, according to the writer of John's Gospel, in further defining what that means by saying, "Love one another as I have loved you."

So, there is no excuse for not actively committing to the well-being of others around us.
There is every reason to heed Jesus' command, for the sake of the whole world.

Agape Love is at the center of it all.
As Jesus taught and commanded, and as Jesus did, YOU - GO AND DO LIKEWISE.

Pastor Jamie