Contributed by Pastor Randall Forester, St. Paul's Community Church, Chicora, PA

Posted on 2009-02-16 07:24:02

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.-John 15.13

 

At the end of this month (25 February is Ash Wednesday), we will enter the season of Lent once again.

 

This is a time to prepare to meet Jesus on the cross, to consider His deep love for us, and to think of how we should respond with our lives.

 

Jesus said in John 15.13 that there is no greater love than someone willing to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus did this for us because of His love for us and because of His desire that none should be lost. He died, so we could be counted as His friends, as the friends of God.

 

He continues on in verse 14 by reminding us that we are His friends if we do what He commands. As He sacrificed for us, He asks us to sacrifice for others. As He left Heaven to come to earth, Jesus calls us to go into this world.

 

You are My friends if you do what I command.-John 15.14

 

Being a friend of Jesus means more than accepting the title. It means taking on a lifestyle that reflects that love at work in us, working its way in and through our lives.

 

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you..-John 15.15

 

Jesus was a great teacher to His disciples, but He wanted them to be more than that, and that is why He "promotes" them in verse 15. He tells the disciples that He no longer looks upon them as servants/students but as friends. Jesus was preparing for the cross that was in His near future along with preparing the disciples for the ministry and work they would soon be needed to perform.

 

Jesus was teaching them, not to lay a heavy burden upon them, but to inspire the disciples for He knew what they were capable of doing. In verse 17, Jesus said: This is My command: Love each other.- John 15.17 This is My command: Love each other. John 15.17 Jesus wants love to be the guiding force of all that we do, and so how appropriate that we begin our Lenten journey in February, the month of St. Valentine's Day. Divine love causes us to be active in this world. First, we actively seek out Jesus, study His life, and seek to emulate His ways today. Then, we act like He did-seeking the lost and ministering to their needs. In other words, we love as He first loved us, willing to sacrifice for the benefit of others.

 

I know for many among us in the church and in the community, Lent often brings groans and grumbles as we think about ashes, abstinence, and confession. More than that, Lent is about taking on the mind of Christ and putting on His ways so that we wear His manners seamlessly as though they were our own.

 

Lent allows us the space to think deeply about the awesome love of Jesus where He would come from Heaven to live and to die for us. In Him, we have an example of what we should be. He desires to teach us to emulate His ways and to grow like His disciples into a spiritual friendship with Him. When we mature in our faith, we respond by sharing that love with others and continue that process for generations to come.

Learn more about St. Paul's Community Church: www.uccwebsites.net/stpaulsuccchicorapa.html