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Jesus’ exhortation to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbour as we love ourselves must be one of the most well-known of his commands. This summation of the Law that he came to fulfil is so all-encompassing, so deep, so unavoidable as to be wonderful.
I remember the experienced minister who pulled me up short upon hearing me say that I was happy with saying I loved God, and I did my utmost to love others, but that I could never get myself to the point of loving myself. This, he said, was impossible, and a disobedient response to what Jesus was asking of me.As my feeling, doing and thinking have developed over the years, I’ve accepted that sometimes I need to allow for myself to be loved as somebody else’s neighbour. I’ve asked God to help me to love myself and others in the light of seeing them as he does, as cherished precious jewels, beloved by him. This goes for people I like, people I don’t like, people I more than don’t like, people I radically disagree with, people who have done things I find detestable. I am called to love them all, with the love of God, that is within me, as my life is hidden with Christ within it.
In the light of all that, the very least I can do is to love people to the same standard as I would want to be loved myself. Love can bring both acceptance, on the one hand, and challenge on the other, but perfect love always does, always will drive out all fear. It’s a grievous mistake for me to think that my God needs protecting. That heart that beats with a fierce love which cannot be overcome simply does not need me to ‘protect’ him, keep him safe or anything else. The kingdom of God is always progressing forwards, towards final fruition. In the meantime, let’s not get bogged down.
As a Celtic invitation to confession we use at Church invites, ‘whoever is on the Lord’s side, let them join with me, that [together] we may come to the visions of God.’ We were made and meant to be together, bound with a bond of love that cannot be broken. Nothing we do, think, say or believe can break the bond of love that God has decided to make with us. We are brothers and sisters, drawn together around one table. Let’s remember that today.