1.
Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave
Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the
will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians
1:3-5) Happy
Mother’s Day to all you mothers! God
bless your work of love that you continue to carry out for your husband, your
children, and all the people God has placed into your midst to care for. But, do we always love our neighbor as we
ought? Sure, on this Mother’s Day we’re
told to remember our mothers and show them that we love them, but what about
the other 364 days of the year? Do we
love our mothers, our fathers, other family members, our friends, and yes, even
our enemies? Let’s listen to what our
Lord has to say about this in John 15:9-17, the message is entitled, “No
Greater Love,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
Jesus said in John 15, “9As the Father has loved me, so have I
loved you. Abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in
my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your
joy may be full. 12[Jesus said:] “This
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater
love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.
14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you
servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known
to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you
should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you
ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17These things I command you,
so that you will love one another.”
3.
When
our Lord Jesus says here in John 15 that Greater love has no one than this, that someone
lays down his life for his friends that made me think of
a story I recently read about a mother who deeply loved her daughter, Dottie
Mae. Stacie Crimm
had been told she couldn't have children. That’s why at the age of 41 she was
surprised to find out she was pregnant with the child she had always wanted. But, the good news that Stacie was going to
have a child didn’t last long. A few months
into her pregnancy, Stacie was told she had cancer of the neck and head. For
her there was a choice. Either she could have the treatment that would save her
life and end her unborn child's life, or she could try to carry her child and
forfeit her chance for a long life. Stacie opted to forego the treatment and
give her child a chance for life. Stacie
Crimm died on September 11th, 2011. Before she did, from a hospital
bed, she had the opportunity of holding her tiny, baby girl -- Dottie Mae.
4.
No
matter what you may or may not have done in this lady's place, the truth is
this: one person died so another might live.
This is also the story of our Savior Jesus. We have grace and peace from
God our Heavenly Father because Jesus gave Himself as the ransom price to save
us from our sins and deliver us from a whole wealth of worldly evils. Sacrificing your child for someone else is
probably not what you would have done, but it is the course our Lord took so
that we might be saved. Now I don't know
as Dottie Mae grows up how she will feel about that which her mother has done.
I pray that you as you grow in faith may become ever more appreciative of the
gift of life, which is yours because Jesus Christ died so you might live.
5.
How
are you doing at loving your neighbor? Would
you be willing to go to the great lengths that this mother Stacie Crimm did in
order to save the life of her child Dottie Mae, even if it means the expense of
your own life? As children we often
overlook the sacrifices our parents make for us. We fail to realize the sacrifices that our
mothers and fathers make for us just so that we can have clothes on our backs,
a roof over our heads, shoes on our feet, an education, and so many other
things. Our parents are patient with us
even when we do things that really try them.
As children, we often fail to love our parents and show them that we
appreciate them as we ought. But, what
about you parents? I know that you
provide for, protect, and love your children as well as you can, but do you
ever exasperate your children with demands that you put on them that are too
high for them? Maybe you make demands on
one of your children more than all the others.
Or, you show favoritism to one child and often fail to recognize your
other children. As parents we also don’t
set a good example for our kids even when it comes to giving honor and respect
to those God has placed in authority over us.
We may not show to our children the importance of loving God and our
neighbor as Christian parents.
6.
But,
even though we fail to love God and our neighbor as we ought, we know of the
one who did love all of us, yes, even the whole world, to the point of His own
death on the cross. It’s the love that
prompted the Father to send the Son (John 3:16) and caused the Son to do his
Father’s will. As the Father loved the Son, so our Lord Jesus loved you and has
invited you to remain in his love. All of us then are His disciples, who by
faith remain in His love.
7.
Our
Savior Jesus gives us his own example of what it means to remain in his love. It
means keeping God’s commandments as a show of that love at work in our lives,
just as Jesus kept all of the Father’s commands. The fruits of our faith will
demonstrate the faith in our hearts. When
that happens, the Lord rejoices. Yes, it brings joy to God when we live in his
love by faith and produce fruits of faith. At the same time, we can experience
no fuller joy than to live this way in the Savior’s love. Christ’s love for us produces love in us. So
Jesus could summarize the commands of God in this single command here in John
15: “Love each other as I have loved
you.” We can show that love in many ways, but none greater than to give up
our lives for our friends. Real love will make the ultimate sacrifice for
others, as Jesus was about to do the next day.
8.
When
we do what Jesus commands us to do, we not only show that we’re dwelling in His
love, but then also He calls us His friends.
It seems arrogant to think of being Jesus’ friends when we don’t even
deserve to be his servants. But still,
as his disciples, we serve Jesus and are rightly called his servants.
Furthermore, He’s taken us servants into His confidence as friends and revealed
all the things He had heard from the Father.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are friends of Jesus. That’s a
thought to ponder. But don’t think about how we deserved it. We didn’t. For we’ve failed to love both God and our
neighbor as we ought. Think of Christ’s great love for you in choosing to make
you His friend, even to the point of His own death on the cross for you in
order to forgive you of your sins. We didn’t choose him. He chose us.
9.
In
John 15 Jesus tells us that we’re the branches connected to Him, the True Vine. As Christians connected to our Lord Jesus
through His Word and Sacraments, our Lord Jesus expects us to bear fruit for
him. And, what fruit will last more than
to share Jesus’ love with others? What command of Jesus has more lasting
results than his Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew
28:19, 20)? And, this starts with those
in our own family as mothers and fathers teach their children the Christian
faith. What assurance is more comforting than to know that whatever we ask the
Father in Jesus’ name he will give us? What better way to show we are chosen by
Jesus than to love one another?
10.
Moms
and dads don’t underestimate the influence you have on your children. What you do and yes, even what you don’t do
is leaving a lasting impact on them. I
can think of no better words to describe this than what the country singer,
Bucky Covington, has written. One of his
songs goes like this, “Well I grew up back in the sticks, I was
raised on cornbread and scripture, And praise God for teachin' me wrong from
right, I had a wild streak, Three counties wide, They would have me, Dead in
the sack, It was the hand of God,' That got me out of the hands of the law,
Mama taught the bible, Daddy wore the belt, Momma set the table, Daddy rang the
bell, The preacher did his best to show me the light, But daddy was the one
that kept me walkin' the line, Momma sang the gospel, Daddy drove it home,
Momma was an angel, Daddy was the brimstone, One foot in heaven, One foot in
hell, I found religion between the bible and the belt. I guess it rings true, But the good book
says, What you learn young, You never forget, Daddy's belt left quite an
impression on me, I can still hear Momma's voice in the choir, She set the
whole dang church on fire, And it still burns in the deepest part of me”
11.
Happy Mother’s Day moms! Children, show your mothers that you really
do love them and appreciate them today for all the sacrifices that they make
for you. Dads, show your wives that you love them too. Live in the love the Savior has for you in
dying on the cross for your sins, for there’s no greater love than His love
that He’s laid down His life for you to forgive you all of your sins. Amen.
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