Does anybody else here love to people watch? I really miss pedestrian precincts, like they have in most old cities in Europe. Every store has part of their merchandise displayed outside, and every restaurant, café, bakery, and ice cream parlor offer seating outside in the warm months. The streets are wide and there is only foot traffic and the occasional cyclist or skateboarder. Prime people watching real estate! Airports and train stations are also good for this. Watching two people who haven’t seen each other in a while rushing to hug each other is simply a delight to watch. Make those two people tiny toddlers, and your heart doesn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. Every time we see love made visible like this and in countless other ways, most of us can’t help but to be a bit happier. Like watching the husband in the restaurant, who sneaks his grapes onto his wife’s platter because he knows she loves them. Like teenagers laughing and dancing together. Like the small kid presenting freshly picked dandelions to his mom. When we see love made visible like this, we smile a bit more, we feel a bit better, and what’s maybe most important, we are that much more likely to make other people smile and feel a bit better, too. Visible love is catching. That’s already a pretty sweet deal, right? But it gets better. In our reading from the first letter of John today, we are taught that God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Therefore, every act that makes love visible, like that cutest of all hugs between two toddlers, every act of love makes our invisible God visible. Love expresses who God is.
Love makes God visible.
And we love to love. What a great arrangement!
Then why does this world struggle so hard with love? Why the wars? Why is it so hard to love our neighbors as ourselves? The neighbors who are different from us. The neighbors who live far away? The neighbors who have less than us. The neighbors who have more than us? How about the neighbors who believe differently from us, or those who vote differently from us? Let’s face it, we have a hard time loving our neighbors. Maybe, the term neighbor is misleading us? The first thing that we think of when we hear the word neighbor is the ones next door or across the street, right? Or maybe a work colleague. In most cases these days, you kind of know your neighbors. You say hi in the street, you wish each other happy holidays and maybe even have a BBQ once in a while. Now, these people are relatively easy for us to love, they have so much in common with us already. They are so familiar. So, the word neighbor evokes the image of a familiar person that shares your lifestyle, culture, and so much more. A neighbor in this sense also is not someone we are responsible for; we assume they are responsible for themselves and/or have family for that. I think that’s why in the 1st letter of John, instead of neighbor, the words brothers and sisters are used. Because for our brothers and sisters, for our siblings, for our family, we are responsible. And it is to this kinship kind of love, this I am my brother’s keeper love that we are called, and nothing less. And that, that is hard. That we struggle with. And it gets worse. Quote: everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. End quote. Everyone who loves! That’s well, everyone there is. There is no human being on this earth that does not love. Now, I’m not saying that everyone loves well. I’m not saying everyone loves people, some love power and money and status symbols instead of people. Some people seem to be incapable of loving more than themselves. That’s the human condition; we are imperfect. But we all feel love, somehow. And the vast majority of the people on this planet love their friends and family and want them to be safe and healthy. Whether they live next door, a state over, or across the globe from us, this love binds us together, whether we acknowledge it or not. We are all of us children of God, we are brothers and sisters, we are siblings. You are my family.
In the second century the Christian writer and historian Tertullian had this to say: See how these Christians love one another.
See how these Christians love one another.
It’s always and ever been about love. Everything and all of it. This concept of unconditional and selfless love that Christians strive for is not easy. It is difficult for us to love a stranger we have nothing in common with and only disagree with. But it is precisely in acknowledging this challenge and working towards bridging the gap between ideal and reality, that growth and transformation occur. And make no mistake, this growth and transformation is not optional. It is what we all are called to do. Because God’s love for all of us is unconditional, but it is not inconsequential. Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters. Those who love God must love in a way that transcends societal norms and cultural divisions. And to do so, we must confront our biases and prejudices. It is easier to love likeminded people because familiarity brings with it a feeling of safety that we are hardwired to crave. But familiarity is not set in stone. We can familiarize ourselves with all of God’s children. With all of God’s creation. And at no time in history was this any easier than it is now. The internet has brought us together in a way unheard of in generations past. Not only can we learn everything there is to know about a people, but we can also be connected to these people on various social platforms. We can become familiar with each other, and in order to fulfill the commandment to love all our siblings, we must become familiar with them, with their history, their culture, their hopes and dreams. Their food! I’m only halfway joking, as a matter of fact, I believe the quickest way to get to know and love someone is to share a meal with them. When you feed me delicious food, I am relaxed and happy, and I love you.
There are so many ways to embrace our call to love. But they all start with opening ourselves up to the unconditional love God has for us. God so loved the world, he sent his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice, and this love can now be perfected within us. Within the ongoing and mutual love of humankind, of family.
Love makes God visible. Every meal shared, every hug, every encouraging smile, every testimony on our sibling’s behalf, every door opened, every seat at the table given, every act of loving kindness, love makes God visible. Tertullian said:
See these Christians, how they love one another.
Wouldn’t it be great for future generations to one day read:
See these Christians, how they love humankind.