December 7th, 2021
Matthew 22: 34-46
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
One More Time…Love Your Neighbor
Advent readings are always a combination of reflecting on the coming of a baby in Bethlehem and an anticipation of Christ coming again in glory. In between those two events are the here and now of our present with Jesus who lives among us and in us. We remember his birth and look forward to his coming again, but we are faced with what it means to live with Him now. Yes, we wait, but the tension of the present is ever with us.
The tension seems even greater in this time in our nation and world. It is as if our frustration with a never ending covid pandemic has made us so angry as a people that we lash out looking for someone or something to blame. The polarization seems greater than ever. Today, as I write, an unpopular court decision has come down that is seeming drive us even further apart. We are rushing headlong from one election to the next with our slogans, our frustration, and our fears without even taking a moment to catch our breath and truly rest…and wait.
So once again the Gospel reminds us that Jesus said to love God and love our neighbor. The inevitable question arises…Who is my neighbor? As Episcopalians we are fond of quoting this scripture and reminding others that this means love your neighbor, regardless of the color of their skin, their sexual preference, their nationality, and their political party. We invoke our baptismal covenant and our commitment “to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
And well we should, but what about this: Love your neighbor even if they hold views of white supremacy, regardless of their position on masks and vaccinations, and even if they hate everything we stand for. We know what Jesus would say, for He already has. Love your neighbor, even the ones you don’t like. When Jesus says to hate the sin but not the sinner, this is what it means. We don’t have to like what they do, but we do have to love them.
There is only one way that happens. We have to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.” When we do that, His love flows to us, through us, and to those around us. We are to recognize that He loves them all. But we have no promise that our neighbor will love us, only a command to love our neighbor.
That is not easy but this Covid waiting time is presenting us with an opportunity to be real. We have time while we wait. I have a proposition. When you are watching or reading the news, try praying for the person who is causing your blood to boil. Ask to see that person through the eyes of Jesus. Put it to the test. This isn’t easy but with His love flowing through us, it is possible and…love your neighbor.
Mother Gloria Walters
Vicar, St. Luke’s Idabel and St. Mark’s Hugo
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma