First United Methodist Church
November 10th, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Do Unto Others: Love
When you walk into the Dining Hall at Camp Crosley, your eyes may be drawn toward the large fireplace at the front of the room. Above that fireplace is a plaque that says, “May the warmth of a glowing campfire warm the hearts of boys, who like Crosley Ball, can live for others.”
Crosley Ball was four years old when he died following a tonsillectomy in the early 1900s. He didn’t have a chance to live the life his parents dreamed for him, so they used their philanthropy to build a university to educate doctors, a hospital to provide better health care in Indiana, and a camp to develop their character. Through these three institutions, their son Crosley has an opportunity to live for others.
That fireplace and that plaque have been in place since the Dining Hall was built in the early 1930s, and though many people saw it and read it and perhaps said, “Hmm,” nobody really gave it much thought until, during a visioning session, somebody remembered it and said, “You know, we already have a vision. Let’s teach our campers to do that.”
When the Israelites left Egypt and were at the base of Mt. Sinai, Moses brought down two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments etched into them. The first Commandment states, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me.” The Hebrew people interpret this commandment through the Shema, is the central affirmation of Judaism, which they recite in their prayers twice a day: Hear (Shema) Israel! the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (leiv), with all your soul (nephesh), and with all your utmost (me’od) [might].
The Shema serves as a miniature manual on the art of loving. Acting out the behaviors of love promotes the corresponding feelings of love. We are being asked to be totally mindful of God’s teachings and to accept them wholeheartedly. In this way love becomes all-consuming.
Jesus quotes the Shema when asked which is the greatest commandment. He says, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
I think Jesus was getting tired of being tested. According to Jewish tradition, the Torah contains 613 commandments. Jesus knew every one of them, just as the Scribes did. When he points out that the entire law hangs on the first two, he is teaching us that, yes, there are 613 laws, but each one is an example of applying the principle of love to life. We don’t have to memorize hundreds of rules, if we can focus on the main thing, which is loving God and loving neighbor.
Today’s scripture reminds us that interpretation of the law has always been difficult for humanity. We have never been of one mind. However, if we filter our interactions through the lens of love, it is possible to arrive at a consensus. What we put into the world is part of the ongoing creation of the world. Imagine what the world would be like if we all committed to putting love out there first, before we allow negativity and anger to cloud our judgement? Are we willing to commit to that?
Next week, David Hogsett is going to build on this concept of love, so I hope you come back and hear what he has to say, but for now I want to take a moment to honor and recognize our Veterans.
Tomorrow in the United States, it’s Veterans Day, a day to celebrate the courage and sacrifice of our veterans. As I’ve reflected on that this week, I’ve thought a lot about how polarized our country becomes during each election. While that is one of the realities we live with, I am thankful that the timing of the election is just days before we celebrate our Veterans, giving us an opportunity to be thankful for our freedoms, one of which is our privilege to elect our leaders.
Veteran’s Day is celebrated on November 11 because at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, hostilities between Germany and the Allies ceased, bringing to a conclusion the fighting of World War I, the bloodiest and most destructive war the world had yet known. Although the formal treaty wasn’t signed for another seven months at Versailles, France, November 11 became the day connected with ushering in a new era of peace.
Of course, it wasn’t called World War I back then. It was referred to as “The Great War” and more optimistically described as “the war to end all wars.” All of that made sense, given the unprecedented destruction and carnage the war wrought.
In November of 1919, one year after the ceasefire was signed, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 Armistice Day, saying
To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.
I don’t know this for sure, but it seems that, since my youth, observance of this holiday has waned. In this area, where many veterans live, observance is still pretty strong, but I find myself having to remind people all the time that November 11 is Veteran’s Day, and that observance of this holiday means something.
But I’ve wondered if Veterans Day has become somewhat neglected because we’ve grown more accustomed to war, accepting it as a given rather than mourning its presence and vowing each November 11 to stand against it.
In the church we are called to be peacemakers. The proclamation of Christ’s victory and “winning souls for Christ” has been common Christian language for decades, but as we immerse ourselves in a culture that celebrates its military victories with fireworks and flyovers, we may not truly understand what Christ’s victory means for our lives and for creation.
Victory, as far as Jesus is concerned, means life. Life for us. Life for others. Life for all people who are both inside and outside the norms of society. When Jesus takes the time to observe people putting money into the treasury, he notices the woman who drops in two pennies, which was all she had. We often use this scripture as a lesson on stewardship, but is it really? Is it not instead a lesson for us to recognize that he noticed her and that we should notice her too?
Jesus challenges us to look beyond the obvious. Our response to the invitation of Christ to be his Body in the world is to make these sacred narratives more real in our own lives for the sake of the world.
In 1 John 3:16, John writes, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” Every soldier takes an oath to defend our country from our enemies, both foreign and domestic, and every soldier understands that at some point during his or her service, he or she may be called upon to make this kind of sacrifice.
And so as we go forth and prepare for tomorrow, Veterans’ Day, let’s remember our Veterans and the sacrifices they made so that we could live in a free country – a country that offers us hope and guarantees that we can experience religious freedom, which means we can profess our faith in a God who promises to see us, regard us, uplift us, and equip us as beloved children of God, no matter who we are. If you are a Veteran and are here today, allow me to say thank you. Your service is truly appreciated. Let us pray…
God of peace,
We pray for those who have served our nation and laid down their lives to protect and defend our freedom, asking that we remember their sacrifice and make right use of our liberty.
We pray for those who still bear the scars of their service, asking for healing for them in mind, body, and spirit.
We pray for those who serve us now, especially for those in harm’s way, asking that you shield them from danger and bring them home in safety.
We pray for all those who govern, asking that you turn their hearts and minds to the work of establishing a peace born of justice and equity.
We pray for all those who are caught up in conflict around the globe this day, civilians and peace-keepers and the poor who have no escape, asking that we have the courage to defend the defenseless, make room for those who flee for safety, and look to that day when we will train for war no more.
May the peace you gave us, the peace that passes all human understanding, be the peace that guides and sustains us. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.
