The last of the ad-ons is LOVE Agape- To love as God loves 2 Peter 1:5-7
What goes around comes around....
He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you. He said, "I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Brian Anderson." Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Brian crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid. Brian just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Brian never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Brian added, "And think of me." He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she didn’t let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Brian. After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you." Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed the money? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Brian Anderson." There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Let this light shine.
Maybe you have read the Beauty and the Beast by G. K. Chesterton or perhaps you have seen the video or movie. The bold truth given was that there are people and things that are unlovely that must be loved fully before they can become in actuality loveable. Did you know there is a truth in the Bible that says this about everyone of us? “While we yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God had to profoundly love us before we could become loveable.
This brings us to the last of what Peter tells us that we must add to our faith. Last week we talked about brotherly love which meant that we need to love what God loves. This final word for love means we are to love as God loves. Paul said that we can possess many spiritual gifts but if we lack love we have nothing. Peter says we are to love others deeply. John said that love is a sign that we are born of God, we belong to God and we have passed from death unto life. Jesus, the very Word of God, said love is the evidence that we are His followers. A legend that comes from the life of John the disciple said that when he was dying his last breath was “Love one another.” Some one said “is there more.” He said, “That is enough.
This love lets us be free from conditional love. We know that conditional love has an “if” with it. “If you keep yourself beautiful then I will keep loving you” It is based on a decision that follows an emotion. When I feel love then I will love you. How many of you when dealing with children when they are not exactly the darlings that they are supposed to be would have showed love to them if we waited until we felt love. Grand child had messed his diaper. I had to change it and he never even thanked me or said I love you.
I have to say that the truth of the word Agape means unconditional love. Agape love works differently. It says, “I will love and therefore I will feel love.” Agape love chooses to love. It loves in the face of betrayal, when we are rejected, when we have been misrepresented. When our circumstances would make us respond in irritation or resentment or get back at you when I have the chance, we choose to love anyway. This love seeks to give out to those who would never expect it to come, never had it coming or never sought to get it. This love is given without announcement, when it is unexpected and undeserved. It is not based on one being beautiful or popular. It does not come because one has good manners or conduct or are worthy of having it. It is not lessened because of an awkwardness, clumsiness or bad temper, unfriendliness or grouchiness. This love pursues no matter what. This love lifts us up, mends our wounds and gives us shelter. It is love for no reason and goes beyond reason. It is love that chooses to love the least of these #1, the best of these #2, and the worst of these #3.
1. I want us to find from this love that we are to love the least of these. This means the losers on life. It is those we do not want to take notice of. We find ourselves to full of activity, to lively, or bigheaded so that we can find ourselves to ignore the least of these. This love (Agape) helps us overturn our natural character, laziness, dullness; coldness and apathy to bring us out of our section of comfort and security that he want to stay in. When we love as this we can no longer live just for self. It makes us want to care for others. It helps us love those who have been avoided, trampled on, sidestepped and are lonely. The least of these includes the beggar, criminal, destitute, homeless, disabled, slow of speech and lonely.
Perhaps you have read the story of when Christ took a whip and chased out the money changers from the temple? Most of us think He was out to get rid of those who were there just to make a profit. A new thought came this week is that they were keeping those out who were coming to worship God. His house was to be for prayer for all nations. These money changers were keeping people from entering the house of God. They were limiting those who could worship God. Do you know what happened after Jesus did this? The blind and the lame came to be healed. He cleaned up His house so the broken and hurting could enter the place of worship God. The very people who needed most to worship God could now come. God cares for the least of these and loves them. Jesus loved as God loves. So I need to ask are we keeping any one from being welcomed into His house of worship. When we love as Jesus loves we find new energy and joy that this world can never give. Let me put it this way when we try to make Christianity a system of truths to be explained we run into problems. It is when we know it is a Person to be loved, obeyed and shared that we can be free to love as God loves.
The story that gives us a picture of agape love is about a boy who was not right physically and his name was Shaya. His father took him to a softball game. He wanted him to play but knew he was not able due to his disability. He approached one team and asked if the boy could play. It was the 8th inning and they were behind by 6 runs. They agreed to let him play as a fielder. They came to the bottom of the 9th inning and were behind by two runs. They loaded the bases and it was time for Shaya to come to bat. This boy did not even know how to hold a bat right. The pitcher swathe problem and so moved up close and lobbed the ball but even with that the swing was made and it was strike. One of his team mates came up and put his arms around Shaya to help him hold the bat. The pitcher threw the ball and they hit it. The ball rolled right to where the pitcher was. At his time the players started shouting for Shaya to run to first base. He could hardly run but he took off. The pitcher took the ball and threw it into left field far from the fielder. Every shouted for Shaya to run to second. The fielder tossed the ball wildly past the second baseman. All the players crossed the home base. When Shaya crossed home base all the players from both sides ran out and hosted him up on their shoulders and treated him as a hero. These boys showed heavenly love. They chose to commit an act of love to an undeserving person. To show love to the least of these like Shaya is easy. For that boy was sweet, he was childlike, innocent; he did no wrong and was harmless.
