September 1986

In St. John's gospel, the fifteenth chapter, twelfth verse, we read, "This is My commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you." How far short we come of really obeying this commandment! We make all kinds of excuses for ourselves when we think, say, or do that which we know is wrong, but how seldom do we hear anyone taking the part of another in our congregation by saying, "She probably wasn't thinking, when she when she did that", or "prehaps she is hurting in some way and that influenced her action." We don't need to approve of sins of others nor do we need to expresss approval falsely, but we do need to be less judgemental. Christ also said, "Judge not that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). How wonderful it would be if, when we hear or see another do something wrong - how wonderful it would be if our hearts would fill with compassion and love for the individual and we would silently offer a prayer for help for that person. How wonderful it would be when we err, when we sin, if someone would do that for us! Remember. our Lord said, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another." He commands us to love because he knows that loving is an act of the will, not just an emotion. Let us cultivate this act, this will - let us love one another.

Let us pray: O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without love are worth nothing, send Thy Holy Spirit and pour in our hearts that most excellent gift of love. This we ask in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pastor's note: I used this teaching of my mother as a basis for my Message on Mother's day of 1999

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