Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
– Acts 2:46–47

Love God/Love Neighbor

This Sunday we will continue our dive into to what it means to live out what Jesus refers to as the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as you wish to be loved.” Our attention this week is on loving God by loving our neighbor.

Loving our neighbor might be the hardest thing we are called to do, especially the neighbors we don’t understand, know, or like. Jesus was no fool and when folks attempt to trip him up, perhaps like the teacher in this story, Jesus could respond with his understanding of scripture. To which, the teacher knew Jesus was correct.

As Mark 12:34 teaches, “When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”

I find the humor and anxious response of the people comforting in Mark’s Gospel, noting that no one dared ask Jesus any more questions. Jesus confirming that loving our neighbor is the second most important commandment, is a tough reality to sit with. If I am not ready to live with the answer, I shouldn’t ask the question.

My Grandma would remind me that if following God’s commandments was easy, God wouldn’t need to remind us to do it. To love our neighbor as we wish to be loved, we must start close to home. Focus on the needs nearby. My Grandma would probably also remind me to “Eat the low hanging fruit before picking something I must stretch to reach.”

A supporting text for Sunday will come from Acts 2:42-47. The early church came together and shared their enthusiasm and all that they had and all that they were to serve Christ together. In the sermon we will explore the ways we too come together in our discipleship. We will bless the commitments we prayerfully chose to make as a congregation in 2024. During the congregational meeting we will approve a slate of leadership as well as a budget to guide us in the coming year.

Please note that the memorial service for Diane Wallace is scheduled at the church for February 24th at 2 pm.