Made for More Love than We Realize

Brad Sullivan

7 Epiphany, Year A

Sunday, February 23, 2014

St. Mark’s, Bay City, TX

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
Psalm 119:33-40

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Matthew 5:38-48

Seems like we’re beating a dead horse with Jesus’ expounding on the commandments which are really all commentary on the commandments to love God and love each other.

Good horse to beat.  Love and relationship is what and who we are made to be.

Olympics – done with what you do at 30 / 35.  What we do doesn’t define us.

We’re defined by our relationships, at how good we are at loving.  From Genesis, we were made to be in relationship with God and each other. 

Jesus’ commands to love and the commands to love in the law are simply telling us to live fully as who and what we were made to be.  Jesus’ meditation on forgiveness and love show us the level of love to which we can strive.  We were made for greater love and forgiveness than we usually ever imagine.  Love and forgive not only your friends, but your enemies, those who do evil and hurt us.  Love and forgive even them, Jesus commands us, so great is the measure of love and forgiveness you were made with and made to be.

Sigh No More  

Serve God, love me and mend
This is not the end
Lived unbruised, we are friends
And I'm sorry
I'm sorry

Sigh no more, no more
One foot in sea, one on shore
My heart was never pure
You know me
You know me

But man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing

Love; it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be

There is a design, an alignment to cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be

Amen.