Five Expressions of Love

Reverend Philip Stringer

Luke 10:25-37

LET US PRAY: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Speak to our hearts and fill us with the breath of your Holy Spirit, that we may live to serve you in faith and love. AMEN

Birds were singing this morning and the sun was shining as I got up today. Some of you know that I drove up to Indiana a few weeks ago and I returned home with my dad, who visited with us for a couple weeks. Dad and Patty drove back up to Indiana last week. It was a nice break from routine.

Part of my break from routine was that I didn’t listen to — or read — any news for those few weeks. I heard about the flooding in Texas and skimmed the details of the tragedy — but apart from that I made a conscious decision to not “tune in.”

Driving along a northern Indiana country road a few weeks ago, I was in what we call, “Amish country.” There is a large Amish population in the region and it’s not uncommon to see hitching posts outside of stores in small towns and to pass horse-and-buggy outfits on the road. The Amish have chosen a life without many modern advances as a way to maintain balance in their lives. There is some real wisdom in that.

This morning, as the birds were singing and the sun was shining, I decided that I should check the news before church, and it wasn’t an appealing thought. The truth is that there is little in the headlines to make one feel good, and wallowing in the troubles of the world is exhausting. Taking a break from the news is one way of trying to keep it in check.

You all know what I mean. With a 24/7 stream of news programming and the latest headlines literally at the tips of our fingers via the internet, the doom and gloom of the world can become overwhelming.

And yet, avoiding it altogether isn’t appropriate, either. This is the world in which we live. We must know the world to live in it — and we are called as Christians to not only live in it, but to interact with it.

This morning, I thought to myself, “I’d rather not.” Why bother? Nothing really changes — it’s all the same.

Today, the Living Word of God speaks to us through our Scripture texts proclaiming the power of God’s love and inviting us to experience the healing power of that love through the living of our lives. That proclamation and invitation is not made to us blandly with platitudes — but deliberately and forensically — five expressions of love are unpacked for us so that we may see the power and beauty of love in its fullness.

And through faith in the power of God’s love, Jesus invites you and me to simply love today. That’s all. Live with love today and the weight of the world will be lifted.

A lawyer asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “What is written in the law?” And no big surprise, the lawyer knew the law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Five expressions.

When the lawyer asked Jesus to explain the fifth expression — to love one’s neighbor, Jesus told him a story in which he showed that the first four expressions are fulfilled through the fifth. The first four expressions are about loving God — but Jesus shows us that one cannot love God without loving one’s neighbor.

So how did the Good Samaritan show the four expressions to the injured man?

1. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Jesus tells us that the Samaritan’s heart went out to the man. “When he saw him, he was moved with pity.” He felt compassion.

2. “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your soul.” This is different from mere pity. The priest and Levite may have pitied the man, something within the Samaritan compelled him to go. In Jesus’ story, the Samaritan did not discriminate against the injured man, even though he is assumed to be a Jew. Samaritans and Jews did not mix. It was rooted in a belief of racial inferiority toward the other. But in Jesus’ story, the Samaritan “went to him.” He went out of his way to be with him. Clearly, beyond mere compassion, he valued the life of the man — there is a sense of the “holy” in this; a recognition of spiritual unity.

3. “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your strength.” The Samaritan takes the resources at his disposal and uses them to help the other. He bandaged his wounds, he poured on wine and oil. He used his strength to lift him and place him on his animal. He carried him to an inn. He used his money to provide for him.

4. “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your mind.” In Jesus’ story, the Samaritan doesn’t stop with the moment. He looks ahead and he plans — because his concern for the man’s wellbeing continues. “It’s going to take time for him to heal. He’s going to need to be fed and sheltered and cared for in the meantime. So he formulates a plan. He uses more of his strength and gives money to the innkeeper. “Take care of him. I plan to return, and when I do, I will reimburse all of your expenses.”

Four expressions of Love toward God, revealed in expressing love for one’s neighbor.

Reflecting on our texts in light of the world in which we live — and the endless stream of bad news — I cannot help but wonder how these four expressions of love — Heart, soul, strength and mind — might apply to our situation. And I ask you to consider how you might apply these four expressions in YOUR life.

1. Heart. Jesus said the Samaritan had pity or compassion for the injured man. And you and I feel compassion for those who suffer. For those families in Texas, for the people in Gaza and Ukraine, for immigrant families torn apart or living in fear of being torn apart, and for people we know who are ill, depressed or grieving.

2. You shall love the Lord Your God with all your soul. The Samaritan brushed aside the racist notions of society and saw the injured man as God sees him: a human being — a child of God. It is easy to separate ourselves from those who suffer when we quarantine them in the headlines — when we make their suffering an academic exercise by separating our world from theirs.

The second expression of love shows us that we cannot discriminate — not overtly of course, but not covertly, either. By that I mean when those in power or privilege do NOT speak out for those who are powerless and persecuted.

3. The third expression: strength. Here is the hard part because here is a tangible measure. We are tired. Fatigued. How many times are we going to have to do this? We’ve already prayed for shooting victims, and war victims, and disaster victims and deportation victims and all the other victims. You give money and groceries for the hungry; school supplies for under-funded teachers. You can give until you are all used up and still there would be a need — so how much is enough?

It is a privileged position to decide NOT to act when we are tired. Others are tired, too — but they get no rest. We must use the resources we have to express our love. If you are in a position of privilege — whether it is your own doing or not — that position is one of the resources you have that can be used to help your neighbor in need.

4. And fourth: Love the Lord your God with your Mind. The Samaritan made a plan — and we, too, are called to act with a mind toward the big picture. The Samaritan went on with his life — he left the inn — but he made provision for the needs of the other. He carried concern for his wellbeing with him. “I will return,” means, “I will not forget you.” I remember you.

5. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I have spoken before about the nature of God as the Holy Trinity. The Father and the Son giving and receiving so completely in love that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. Each is the fullness of the other, and the Holy Spirit is that fullness being given. You cannot separate one person of the Trinity from the others.

You and I and all of creation issue forth as an expression of this love. You cannot separate us from the one out of whom we have come. God is everywhere — in the dirt, in the air, Martin Luther even observed that God was in his cabbage soup!

We are intended to be one with God. That’s the plan. And if that is the plan, then we are to be one with each other, too. The law does not say, “Love your neighbor AS MUCH AS you love yourself.” No, it says, “AS yourself.”

The four expressions show us that we cannot be one with God apart from being one with our neighbor. When we come to a point where there is no separation between ourselves and our neighbors, things will be as they are meant to be … But that is not the gospel.

When Jesus asked the lawyer which character in the story fulfilled the intent of the law, the lawyer answered, “The one who showed him mercy.”

The Good Samaritan showed mercy. He loved the man with his heart, soul, strength and mind.

Here is the Gospel: God is merciful. God is Mercy-Full. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God Loves us with (1) heart and (2) soul.

In the (3) incarnation, life, crucifixion, death and resurrection we see the strength of God’s love. God has broken the bonds of death.

And (4) in our salvation we see the mind of God at work. “See, I am going to prepare a place for you … And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”

Here is the Gospel: To have faith in the power of God’s love is to see that we are gathered up into that love now. When Jesus talks about taking us to where he is, that’s not simply heaven. That’s here! Jesus is here!

To have faith in the power of God’s love is to see that Jesus and the Father are one — and we — gathered up into that love are gathered into God here. And if we are gathered as one with God, we are one with each other, too.

When we believe in the power of God’s love, loving our neighbor is no longer a burden. It’s just the right thing — the natural thing — to do.

The lawyer sought to justify himself — but the Gospel is this: We are justified by God’s grace as a gift. We are justified by God’s love. When we see the love of God, it shapes our own lives.

Jesus told the lawyer, “Yes! Love is the right answer. To love is to live!”

So — we apologies to the composers of a majority of country songs — love is not a burden. It is a gift. Love is joyful. To love is to be full of joy. THAT is the life to which we are called.

This congregation has done a lot. You have a good track record of service in the community and the world. But is it enough? Do you have to do more?

Those are the wrong questions. Those are “lawyer” questions; Questions that seek to justify you.

Today the Good News meets us with a more excellent way: Forget about the past. Just love today. That’s all. Love today.

I look at the headlines and think, “it’s just too much.” I think about the number of people flocking around leaders who thrive on spreading lies and hate and fear — just gobbling it up — and I feel dismay. Like we’re standing on the brink.

But then I remember that every age feels that way!

The other night Patty and I watched “All the President’s Men,” and I thought about the mood during Watergate. And the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and of the Kennedys. Of the Cold War, and McCarthyism, and World War 2, and the Great Depression, And World War 1. And that’s only the past 100 years!

Fixing the world is exhausting work. And try as we may, it’s still broken.

So, let’s stop trying to fix the world and instead, let’s just love it! It’s not our job anyway, to save the world. That’s Jesus’ job and trust me on this — he’s fully capable! He has the heart, soul, strength and mind to do it. And he has NEVER asked that of us. All Jesus ever asked — and he asked it over and over again throughout his ministry — is that we love.

We can look at the pain and suffering around us and be exhausted by it. Or, we can look beyond the pain and suffering and see the people — and just love them with your heart, soul, strength and mind. Love your neighbor today. That’s all Jesus asks. Love your neighbor near and far in this moment. And then tomorrow do it again.

And he comes to us with the fullness of his love in this meal to touch us, show and remind us that he is with us. The power of his love is in us to help us.

So love your neighbor, near and far in this important moment. And tomorrow, go and do likewise.

AMEN