Ascension Sunday
Created to Love
These verses from John 17 are usually used to stress the unity of the church as the gift and desire of Jesus. But these verses also say something else about our faith: despite the gulf between God the Creator and humanity the creature, we can relate—just as we as human beings relate to one another.
When we look at the world around us, near and far, we see many situations where power is abused or misused. We see violence in many forms. We see families disputing or torn apart. We see nations fighting one another. We see workplaces where persons are not treated well or not taken seriously. It is easy to be cynical and pessimistic about human possibilities. We hear about the worst of humanity from many media. And that message of how power is abused is part of the truth, but only part of the truth.
Let us also listen to the words of Jesus. One message of these words of Jesus in John 17—words perhaps shared by Jesus more than once with those close to him, but here spoken on the evening before his arrest and execution—is that God has created us to love one another and to love God.
In fact, that is the purpose of our creation: that we learn to love God and one another.
What a difference that would make if we really believed that and lived that!
Are our churches places where we learn to love? Are our families places where we learn to love? Are our conversations with strangers places where we learn to love? Are our prayers places where we learn to love? Is our study of Scripture a place where we learn to love?
Hermann Weinlick, retired pastor
Minneapolis, Minnesota