Following Jesus: I Am A Prayer Warrior

 

Following Jesus – I Am a Prayer Warrior

May 14, 2023

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Nehemiah 1:5-11

 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

Good morning, Friends. Today, we’re concluding our Easter season sermon series – Following Jesus. We’ve learned what it means to be a believer, a disciple, a servant, a witness and a Christian. And today, following Jesus means this - I am a prayer warrior! Time to break out that sermon quiz in your bulletin and see what we can learn today!

 

Although the phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in Scripture, a prayer warrior is generally thought of as a Christian, who prays continually and effectively for others in the manner of praying taught in Scripture. Prayer warriors have a heart for God, a heart for prayer, a heart for people, and a heart for Christ’s church. They pray with a bold trust that God answers each and every prayer, according to His perfect will and in His perfect timing.

 

And a prayer warrior’s favorite theologian is, of course, MC Hammer, who rapped, “We’ve got to pray just to make it today! That’s why we pray!” 

 

But those words could also be attributed to the Apostle Paul. He wrote to his friends in Thessaloniki, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” He encouraged the Colossians to “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

 

When we think about prayer, we usual­ly regard it as one of the many things we do to live a full and mature Christian life. We say to ourselves: “Let’s not forget to pray because prayer is important! Without it, our lives become shallow. We need to give our time, not only to people, but to God as well.” 

If we’re fervent in our conviction that prayer is important, we might even be willing to give 15 minutes to prayer during a worship service, or a whole hour to prayer each day, or a whole day every month, or a whole week every year!

But when the apostle Paul speaks about prayer, he uses very different language. He doesn’t speak about prayer as a part of life, but says it is all of life. He doesn’t mention prayer as something we shouldn’t forget, but claims it is our ongoing concern. He doesn’t exhort his readers to pray once in a while, regularly or often, but instead to pray without hesitation, constantly, unceasingly, with­out interruption. Paul doesn’t ask us to spend some of the day in prayer. No, Paul is much more radical. He asks us to pray night and day, in joy and in sorrow, at work and at play, without intermission or breaks. For Paul, pray­ing is like breathing.

 

And Paul practiced what he preached. “We constantly thank God for you,” he wrote to the Thessalonians. “We pray continually that our God will make you worthy of His call.”

 

To the Romans, he wrote: “I never fail to mention you in my prayers”, and he com­forted his friend Timothy with the words: “Always, I remember you in my prayers.”

 

The two Greek terms that appear repeatedly in Paul’s letters are 

pan-tote and a-di-al-eip-tos, which mean “always” and “without interruption.” These words make it clear that for Paul, prayer is: 

·      not a part of living, but all of living; 

·      not a part of his thought, but all of his thought; 

·      not a part of his emotions and feelings, but all of them. 

Paul’s zeal allows no place for partial commitments, or piecemeal giving, or hesitant generosity. He gives all and asks all.

 

And why? Well, my other favorite theologian Henri Nouwen said, “I am deeply convinced that the necessity of prayer, and to pray unceasingly, is not as much based on our desire for God, as on God’s desire for us. It is God’s passionate pursuit of us that calls us to prayer.”

 

So, how? How do we become a prayer warrior? How do we effectively pray as Scripture guides us to pray? 

Well, let me tell you about this friend of mine named Nehemiah. We find Nehemiah in the Old Testament book of… Nehemiah. Nehemiah is most often referred to as a cup-bearer, though later he was appointed governor of Jerusalem for two terms. It was his job to taste the wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned before allowing the king to drink it. Like Joseph & Daniel, Nehemiah had attained great significance within the king’s palace by becoming the king’s closest confidant. The king fully trusted him, which makes sense, since he had to trust his cupbearer with his life. This placed Nehemiah in the perfect position to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. 

 

Right there in the first chapter, we find Nehemiah’s prayer. He’s just received news from a friend that survivors of the Babylonian captivity are in great distress. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and its gates burned. The news tore Nehemiah’s heart apart, so he began fasting and praying without ceasing. 

 

And the Lord did indeed hear Nehemiah. Several months later, when he was serving wine to the King, the King noticed Nehemiah’s sadness. The king graciously allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. He also gave Nehemiah a letter to hand to the governors, telling them to grant permission for Nehemiah to safely pass through their territories along the way. Long story short, Nehemiah and his workers finished rebuilding the walls in a record 52 days. 

 

So, what made Nehemiah’s prayer so special that it moved God’s heart in such an amazing way? And what can we learn from it? If you have your Bible, turn to Nehemiah chapter 1. Let’s read through the prayer and see for ourselves: 

 

First… Praise

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, 

who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him 

and obey his commands,”

An effective prayer warrior approaches God in reverent praise, and that’s what Nehemiah did. He began with a confident, joy-filled spirit by praising God. This is also how Jesus guides us in the Lord’s Prayer, by saying, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name!” Perhaps that’s a nudge to always begin our prayers this way, by acknowledging the greatness of God. History tells us that Nehemiah prayed this after the Israelites were released from seventy years of Babylonian captivity. By praising God for His faithfulness in keeping His covenant promises, Nehemiah is declaring God’s character and using it as a basis to ask God to intervene in the situation.

 

Which leads us to number two… Petition

“…please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You now, night and day….”

Immediately following praise, Nehemiah requests for God to pay attention to him. Now, we know God is always paying attention to us, but Nehemiah doesn’t want to take any chances. He specifically asks God for what he needs. His statement “which I pray before You now, night and day” tells us he’s very anxious for God to respond, and he’s committed to keep on asking, to keep on praying until God guides him. 

Third… Confession

 

“I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.”

Nehemiah continues with confession, openly admitting his family has sinned. They have not kept God’s rules, and he intercedes on their behalf. He uses words like “I” and “we.” Nehemiah confesses all had sinned before God, all had fallen short and were in need of salvation. They had even sinned as a nation. At the same time, he knows the forgiving nature of God, and he claims the promise that God will bring them back to the land and redeem them. This invites us to confess our sins and repent every time we pray, so our sin doesn’t interfere with God’s perfect work in our lives.

Fourth… Remind God!

 

 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me, and obey my commands, and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’

 

Recalling what God has promised in His word is an excellent tool to use when we pray. God knows His promises, but when we remind Him of them, it deepens our connection with Him and strengthens our relationship with the Creator of the universe.

 

Fifth… Humility

 

Nehemiah continues: “Now these are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.”

 

When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He will lift us up, higher and higher. Nehemiah acknowledged his place as God’s servant, and God’s power of redemption. While he was mainly referring to the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt, he’s also confident God will bring an equally successful second deliverance for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. 

 

Sixth… Final Ask

 

“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today….. by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

 

Nehemiah repeats his request. “Those who delight in honoring Him” were the people in Jerusalem, who had been praying for God to intervene for years. So, in verse 11, Nehemiah makes his petition again. He prays for success and mercy. And as he prays… an idea formed in his mind. A plan takes shape! Could God soften the King’s heart? 

 

Have you ever been praying for wisdom, and then an idea, a thought, a plan, a Scripture pops into your mind? That can be the Holy Spirit speaking to you and giving you an answer. When you pray for wisdom, God will give it to you.

 

Seventh… The Big Finish

 

Because the Messiah had not yet come, Nehemiah simply ends his prayer in verse eleven. For us today, if we’re praying for something specific, Jesus instructs us in John 14:13 to pray in His name: 

 

“You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

 

He also says in Matthew 21:22, “And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

 

Nehemiah believes God will do what He said He would do, and we can, too.

 

Friends, Nehemiah heard of a problem with Jerusalem. It wasn’t necessarily his problem. But his heart was moved, and he was motivated to pray.

He was persistent. He wept. He mourned. He fasted and prayed for days – 

And this was not just a 1-minute prayer in passing. He spent a lot of time before the Lord praying about the problem and searching for God’s will about what he could do. It is evident he had a lifestyle of prayer. 

 

And Nehemiah didn’t rush to the king to get help immediately. He didn’t start issuing orders. He didn’t rely on his own wisdom to begin taking action. From the world’s perspective, he did nothing. He sat down, and he prayed. From God’s perspective, this was everything. This was his best recourse.

 

And he kept praying and kept praying until God opened a door for him. The text tells us Nehemiah started praying in late-autumn, and his conversation with the king wasn’t until the following spring. The Apostle Paul would call this “praying without ceasing.” 

 

Later in Nehemiah, the king asks him what he wants. And right there, right in the king’s throne room, we find Nehemiah praying again. But this prayer is not like the last prayer. Chapter 2, verse 4 says, “With a prayer, to the God of Heaven, I replied…” This prayer was most likely in his heart, unspoken, and probably very quick. Along the lines of, “God, help me.” And God did.

 

This reminds me of a story I heard in Russia, of a 19th-century peasant who desired so much to be obedient to Paul’s call for uninterrupted prayer that he went from priest to priest, looking for an answer, until he finally found a holy man who taught him the Jesus Prayer. The priest told the peasant to say thousands of times each day: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”

 

This prayer slowly became so united with his breath­ing and heartbeat that he could travel throughout Russia, carrying only his knapsack, the Bible, and some bread and salt… all the while living a life of unceasing prayer. 

 

Both kinds of prayer are examples of praying without ceasing. We need to have those extended times with the Lord. And we also need to have those moments throughout the day when we offer up “insta-prayers” or “snap-prayers.” If we can send instagrams and snapchats, we should be able to send an insta-prayer, right?

 

Nehemiah’s insta-prayer, “God, help me,” had power because it was rooted in a lifestyle of prayer. If we only come to God in times of great need, our insta-prayers may lack the same sincerity as if we pray continually, all the time, in good times and in bad.

 

And so, friends, when you think of Paul’s call to pray without ceasing, think of Nehemiah. It means extended lengths of time in private prayer, pouring out your heart and emotions to God. It also gives space to fill our lives with those quick, spur of the moment prayers when we face obstacles, and temptations, and decisions in our daily life.

 

After all, let me remind you of the words from that great theologian, MC Hammer, we’ve got to pray, just to make it today. Without God in our breath and in our lungs, we’re nothing. That’s why we pray. 

And friends, I didn’t want you to just HEAR a GREAT message about being a prayer warrior! I’d like for us to take some time today to do just this, to practice Nehemiah’s example of being a prayer warrior. This is called guided meditation…I’ll say a few sentences, and then invite you to pray silently, guiding you through several prayers.

 

 You’re welcome to sit comfortably in your pew, or come up to the front to kneel at the altar, however you pray best. 

 

Why don’t we start with a deep breath… and let us take time to practice this prayer of Nehemiah… 

 

 

O Good & Gracious God, You are a great & awesome God, and we praise You for who You are, Your love, Your faithfulness. In love, Lord, You have set us free:

    free from slavery to sin and self,

    free to know and love You,

    free to follow and serve You.

We praise You for Your faithful love toward us,

and for the many ways You have demonstrated that love to us…

 

We see Your love in the natural world around us —

   in the sky and trees and rivers.

We see Your love in the gift of Your commandments —

   the rules for living that guide us into right relationship with You,

   and with the people around us.

And we see Your love in Jesus Christ, 

   who lived and died to bring us life.

We praise You for the many blessings You shower over us…

 

O Lord, because we have experienced Your love, we come before You with confidence, bringing our needs and the needs of our world. Be attentive to the requests that are on our hearts. God, in Your unfailing love, hear our greatest needs, hear our petitions to You… 

We pray for leaders of the Church.  

May they serve as examples 

to those who would come to believe in Christ for eternal life.  

May the Church place its hope in You, O God, 

and not in human wisdom.

We name our leaders and place them before You…

 

We pray for the leaders of the nations.  

May they show mercy and advocate for the rights of the people.  

May they, like Moses, seek the greater good rather than their own interests.

We lift those leaders to You now…

We pray for the people in our lives.  

May we learn to love the stiff-necked, the sinners, 

and all those in great need of your mercy.  

Make us instruments of your peace, 
as we lift to You those who are hard to love…

 

We pray for the sick, the anxious and the sorrowful.  

Make them hear of joy and gladness, 

that broken bodies and broken spirits may rejoice!

We lift our sick loved ones to You now…

 

O, Lord, we confess that we have not loved You with our whole hearts. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done Your will. We confess that we have sinned against You. And you, Lord, You say that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we confess those sins to You now… 

 

Forgive us, Lord. And please remember Your promises, O God!  You said to Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.”  And Jesus promised if we keep on asking, we will receive what we ask for. And if we keep on seeking, we will find.  And if we keep on knocking, the door will be opened. Remember Your promises, O God…

 

We are Your servants, O God. 

We are nothing without You, Lord. 

We long to be used by You, for You have redeemed us by Your mighty hand…. 

Use us in these ways, O Lord…

Merciful God,

give us strength and courage to keep Your commandments,

    to live in faithful obedience to Your will.

Guard our hearts and minds from all that might distract us

    from living out our commitment to You.

We hand over those distractions to You…

 

O Lord, please hear our prayers! 

Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You. 

Hear these words upon our hearts…

 

We pray all these things, in the name of Your Son, Jesus the Christ, 

Amen and Amen. 

 

Following Jesus: I am a Disciple

 

Following Jesus: I am a Disciple

John 13:34-35

 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

Good morning, friends! Welcome to week two of our sermon series “Following Jesus” – what it means to be a follower of Christ in this Easter season. Now is a good time to pull out your bulletin and turn to your sermon quiz! See if you can make an A+! You may even want to keep count of just how many times I say the word “love!” Last week, Dr. Bell took us on a journey to discover what it means to be a Christian, a believer. Today, we’re focusing on the words from the Gospel of John chapter 13 and what it means to be a disciple. And who is my favorite disciple? John, the beloved disciple, of course!

 

But! You can’t help but love Peter. He’s a disciple who was transparent. Perhaps we’re drawn to him, because like us, he constantly makes mistakes and needs grace and forgiveness. The Gospels tell us a lot about Peter. He was known to be boisterous. He had an impulsive enthusiasm for his good intentions, and his posture waved back and forth between self-confidence and egotism. 

 

Scripture tells us Peter was a master fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and one of the earliest disciples of Jesus. He was the first to recognize, and verbally confess, Jesus as the Messiah. He had full access to Peter’s boat and house. It was on Peter’s boat that Jesus spoke to the crowds on the shore. It was Peter and his brother, Andrew, who, after a fruitless night of fishing, listened to Jesus and cast their nets on the right side of the boat for their remarkable catch. Peter was often the spokesperson for the disciples, and he was in Jesus’ inner circle – which made him privy to seeing the mayor’s daughter raised from the dead, and Jesus’ Transfiguration. And though his eyelids got heavy, and he fell asleep at times, he watched as Jesus prayed for His cup to be removed. 

 

With all that said, Peter got it wrong… a lot. Peter was the one who walked on water, and then he started to overthink it… and doubt...and, well, we all know what happened next. Whether it was shoo-ing away children from Jesus, or arguing with the other disciples over who was the greatest, Peter consistently jumped at the wrong answer, ready to act, when he should have been listening and learning. So, it comes as no real surprise at all that Peter is the one who voices his uneasiness and disapproval toward what Jesus was doing in the Upper Room.

 

Peter saw Jesus get up from the table, take off His outer robe, and tie a towel around Himself. Then He watched as Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. You can almost hear the wheels turning in Peter’s mind as Jesus bends down to dry the wet feet. 

 

He probably had flashbacks. He may have thought: 

·      Oh, if I had just had enough faith to continue walking on that water... maybe I would be worthy for Him to wash my feet. 

·      Or maybe I should have kept quiet and listened more. Maybe that would have made me worthy for the Son of God, my Messiah, to wash my feet. 

·      Maybe I shouldn’t have outed him and called him Messiah... 

·      Oh, I’m definitely not worthy. I am a sinner.

 

By the time Jesus set the basin in front of him, Peter was in the midst of a full-blown anxiety attack. He had totally convinced himself of how unworthy he was. His natural response, in his impulsive, enthusiastic way, is: 

·      “No way, Jesus! No way am I letting you wash my feet... 

·      I should be washing Your feet!... 

·      You are the Lord... I am your servant. 

·      Unworthy! Let me wash yours...” 

 

We get like that with Jesus, too, don’t we? 

 

We remind Jesus of our shortcomings, of the things we didn’t do, or can’t do, or don’t do well. When in actuality, Jesus wants to show His love for us by washing our feet. Jesus wants to teach us, wants to serve us, wants to make us partners in His work. We convince ourselves that, because of our pasts, because of our failings, we’re unworthy. We don’t allow Christ to wash our feet. We refuse to humble ourselves enough to let the Master serve us.

 

It’s important to note here that generally it was the servants’ job to wash their master’s feet, not the other way around. So perhaps Peter was not only feeling unworthy, but perhaps he was also rebuffing His Rabbi’s example. And, that’s where I can most definitely identify with Peter. 

 

There seems to be something about us humans that aims to impress those we respect. It’s difficult for us to receive when we want to prove ourselves. Similarly, when we see ourselves as superior to participating in a particular action, (oh, I’m too good for that) it’s troubling to see someone we admire do it with humility, without pause.

 

In all likelihood, Peter could’ve never imagined himself performing this act. To see Jesus doing it must have been deeply troubling. But it’s just like Jesus... just like our Lord… just in His nature… to upset social norms, isn’t it? 

Though Jesus was likely shaking His head and rolling His eyes at Peter, He never rejected Peter. He only continued to teach Peter. “Listen,” He said, “unless I wash you, you won’t belong to Me.” 

 

Well, that was it. This changed everything for Peter. If foot washing is a sign of being a disciple of Jesus, then he wanted to be drenched – soaked from head to toe.

Oh, Peter, Jesus must have thought, as He put His robe back on and returned to the table. Though Peter and the disciples didn’t know it at the time, this was the night before Jesus was to die. And Jesus just wanted to have a meal with His friends and use this last evening to re-teach, re-emphasize His most important lessons, one… more… time. 

 

In case they missed the significance of the foot washing, Jesus pointed out their whole purpose was to imitate their Rabbi. He said, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

This is where we expect Peter to strip off his outer robe and start working his way around the room, lathering up the other disciples. But this time, he seemed to understand something more was going on. This was more than a lesson about washing feet. Jesus was giving an example - an example of service - rather than a command to spend the day cleaning road grime off feet.

 

It might not have been the easiest lesson to teach, but Jesus clearly connected this message to servant leadership. Peter and the other disciples may have left the table still wondering about when and where they were to wash each other’s feet. But everything would change in just a few hours. When the disciples gathered again as a group, it would be to mourn the death of their rabbi and best friend. 

 

Jesus had said, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but someday, you will.” That someday came sometime after the shock of Good Friday and the joy of Easter wore off. That foot-washing lesson finally sank in. 

 

Can’t you imagine Peter and the others gathering to remember that Last Passover meal with their beloved Rabbi? They would have seen foot washing from the far side of the cross and the empty tomb. Having seen how complete their teacher’s love and commitment was, those final teaching words of Jesus must have sounded so different: 

 

“I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. A newcommand I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

 

Now, this command Jesus gave isn’t completely new. It was already there in the Old Testament. The greatest commandment is, of course, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And how often did we hear Jesus Himself speak of love, especially loving God and loving neighbor. Something John talks a lot about in his Gospel, especially at the end, is LOVE. The Greek words for “love” (agape, philia, storge and others) appear only 12 times in John chapters 1-12. But in chapters 13-21, we find these words for love 44 times. 

 

The Rabbi had called Peter and his friends to a life of discipleship, and that call to ministry would involve much more than washing the feet of those he might have considered beneath him. What’s new with this command in John chapter 13 is that Jesus is upping the requirement. For Jesus, love didn’t mean a sweet sentimental feeling. It was a verb. It meant action. Being a disciple meant actively putting one’s love into real world activities. 

Jesus’ life and example included even more than the humble act of washing feet. Jesus had been obedient unto death, even death on a cross. He had loved as God loves. He restored outcasts to community. He broke down the dividing walls between those who were “in” and those who were “out.” And in the process, Jesus so upset the status quo, that the various groups, who couldn’t agree about anything, agreed that Jesus must die. Jews and Romans alike knew they had to stop this new movement before it got out of hand. They had to keep their powerful influence and their own authority front and center. Yet Jesus would not give up on His revolutionary love, even when the price was torture and death.

The disciples, and Peter especially, did come to fully understand the actions of Jesus. Seeing the foot washing anew in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection, they came to understand the only real power and authority belongs to God. We, mortals, who spend our lives trying to build up that sense of control for ourselves, chase only an illusion. And here, all the paradoxes Jesus had been teaching could be heard afresh: the last shall be first; those who love their life, lose it; the master comes among us, as a servant. 

Jesus did not call His disciples to lead in the same way that others led, by lording over them. Jesus called those, who would come after Him, to lead as He led, to serve as He served, and to love as He loved. In fact, that’s the core of what it means to be a disciple. The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes, M-A-T-H-E-T-E-S, which basically means “student” or “learner.” But the Hebrew word for disciple is talmid. T-A-L-M-I-D. This word stresses the relationship between rabbi (the teacher or master) and disciple (the student). A talmid of Jesus' day would give up his entire life in order to be with his teacher. The disciple didn't only seek to know what the teacher knew. It was not enough just to know what the rabbi said, but the foremost goal of any talmid was to become like the rabbi, to imitate what the rabbi did. Discipleship requires a totally committed life. And keeping this new commandment – to love one another - is the identifying mark of discipleship because it’s a tangible sign of the disciples abiding in Christ.

  

And eventually, Peter heeded that call. Peter would come to live fully into Jesus’ example of loving others. He was part of that first band of disciples, who turned the world upside-down with a revolutionary way of loving. The disciples followed Jesus in working from the bottom up to help the world see outcasts and victims - not as those cursed by God, but those in need of God’s love and healing and redemption. They came to serve others, even the gentiles, who at first seemed well-outside the bounds of their mission.

Tradition tells us Peter became a scapegoat himself. The early historian Eusebius writes that Peter was put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero. It seems that following the burning of Rome, someone had to take the blame, and why not that new sect – Christians - who refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods?

Whereas Peter could have been labeled a fan of Jesus, not a follower; whereas he could have been accused of counterfeit discipleship, or faithfulness – having been willing to pull out his sword and kill for Christ, but not die for Him - Peter NOW went boldly to his death, not giving up on the love we are to have for others that Jesus taught in that humble act of washing feet on the night before He died. 

In response to that self-giving love of Jesus, Peter gave up his own life willingly. Peter served others by giving the example of faithfulness unto death.

 

So, in the end, Peter got it right. Peter followed the example and command given by Jesus. He said “yes” to servant ministry, “yes” to the ministry of love and presence, “yes” to call to discipleship.

 

·      Peter loved as Jesus loved, because Jesus loved him. 

·      Peter served as Jesus served, because Jesus served him. 

 

And for us today, the same calling is true – 

·      to love as Jesus loved because He loves us, 

·      to serve as Jesus served because He has served us. 

 

Friends, that’s the calling of true discipleship, where Jesus gave His people a new mandate. This act to love others, was, and is, a distinguishing mark of Christ’s followers, and will continue to be. Some would say a weakness of the church today is how many Christians don’t embody this commandment to love their neighbor. The church's witness in the world continues to be hurt and diminished by the hatred and lack of love that marks our dealings with one another. And I get it. It’s no easy task for us to love one another. In many ways, it’s easier to love our enemies, because we likely don’t have to deal with them every day. But Jesus promised the community's love for one another would be a signal to everyone everywhere that they were Jesus' disciples… And that signal is crippled by the divisions and discord within our community. Friends, we’ve got some work to do. If we are disciples of Jesus, then people should be able to look at how we love t0 know who we follow. 

 

And maybe you’re not keen on dragging a water basin with you wherever you go to wash feet?! Let’s look at Scripture to see what it says about loving one another: 

 

Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another. Honor one another above yourselves.

 

Galatians 5:13-14: Serve one another in love. 

 

Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another as Christ forgave you. 

 

Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and counsel one another with all wisdom.” 

 

1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

 

Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.

 

James 5:16 states “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other.”

 

Friends, loving people is hard. They’re difficult and messy. But let’s not forget… I am, too… we are, too! And despite our brokenness, Jesus still loved us and went to the cross for us. When we love people, particularly difficult and messy people, or as I like to say “extra grace required people,” we’re showing those around us the love of Christ is in us. It’s how we set ourselves apart from the world. 

To love one another, as Jesus loves us, is to live a life thoroughly shaped by a love that knows no limits, by a love whose expression brings the believer closer into relationship with God, and with one another. It’s to live a love that carries with it a whole new concept of the possibilities of community. It’s to love the you beside you, to say the Christ in me sees the Christ in you.

By this, everyone will know that you are HIS disciples, just like Peter. 

 

Let us pray:

 

O Good & Gracious God, 

This new commandment truly sums up so many commandments in one simple sentence. In Your infinite wisdom, You have given us these words, which are exactly what we need. Our love for others, not to mention our love for You, is so imperfect and falls so short. 

And yet among Your disciples, this love should be obvious. Forgive us for not loving Your followers as we should. Take away the judgmental attitudes, the pride, the propensity we have to always think well of our own motives, our own opinions and values, while assuming others don’t get this right. 

Instead, fill us with the love You have for us, so we might express it to others. Help us to love others with a willingness to sacrifice ourselves for their benefit, even as You gave Yourself for us.

And let all people everywhere see this love in us. Let our love for Your people, and the mutual love among us, be obvious. Immerse us in Your love so that it might overflow from us toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. And let the end result of this love glorify You. Amen.