“Something not as easy as it sounds”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, February 19, 2022

1 John 3:11-18 (Forward, p. 21) CEV p. 1288

In today’s passage the apostle John makes an eloquent and passionate appeal to us that we love one another. He tells us to not hate one another, as did Cain with his brother Abel, and to put our love, mere words, into action by helping others when they are in need. Indeed, he counsels us to give our lives for each other.

But then, I have a question, or actually, two of them. Firstly, does this apply only to our fellow believers in Christ, or to everyone? And secondly, how do we apply this when the other person, sometimes apparently a fellow believer, does outrageous and destructive things? Here I am thinking very concretely: what about those in the present Ottawa truck protest, or in the January 6th US Capital insurrection, or the residential school staff who abused children in their care? Many of them would claim to be Christian. Just how does one go about loving such people as these?

John tells us the pattern of our love, and indeed, the measure of our love, should be the self-giving of Jesus Christ. “We know what love is,” he says, “because Jesus gave his life for us. That’s why we must give our lives for each other” (verse 16). So, what does that tell us? Jesus loved us, and forgave us, even (or especially) when we didn’t deserve it, that is, while we were yet sinners. And, He did so while we were still ignorant (‘they know not what they do’), blinded by the devil. But then, you might say, Jesus’ words and actions there on the Cross applies to non-believers, non-Christians. So, can this apply even to our fellow Christians, fellow believers? I think so. All of us can still sin and therefore need forgiveness and all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, can be deluded and be bereft of the truth. And, so we are still to love them, and to express that love in tangible, practical ways. How are we to do that? I would guess that this depends upon ourselves and our own capabilities and our own situation. Here, most surely, we need to be guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit, for we can scarcely do this on our own. Amen.

Forward notes: “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (verse 17)

“Like most parish priests, I administer a discretionary fund for providing emergency aid to people in need, and I always agonize over whether I am using it in the right way. When I give someone cash assistance, I know there’s a good chance that some of that cash will be spent in a way I might not support. But because the point is to give generously, I have to trust the person receiving the gift to use it as they see fit. If I can’t let go of my own desire to control the outcome, it’s hardly a gift at all.

“Letting go of control is difficult but also liberating. It frees us to spend less time worrying about others’ motives and more time paying attention to our own, especially when it comes to sharing ‘the world’s goods.’ Scripture is unequivocal in its demand that those of us with more than enough must be intentional about giving to those in need. Only when we live out this principle—no matter how imperfectly—can God’s love abide in us.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Who needs your help today? Respond to that need with generosity and compassion.”

A concluding note: after many years both as a social worker and as an inner-city pastor, I’m not sure that I can agree with our author in today’s post. While I do indeed see a need to be sensitive to the situation and need, and therefore occasionally give out cash, I do not see this as a wise thing to do on a sustained basis. I do not see this as stemming from a need for control on my part, but as a means of preventing possible harm. No one in their right mind would give a firearm and ammunition to an obviously mentally unstable person and so I, in like manner, would not give cash to someone who is more than likely to use it in a way that would harm either themselves or others. To recklessly give out the cash willy nilly would be a form of facilitating what is possibly an unhealthy behaviour. To do so is neither loving, nor caring.