A simple request

Photo by Vitaly Gariev, Unsplash

Matters of Faith

By Dr. Bascom Ratliff, pastor

Parker, Beagle, Fontana United Methodist Churches

Scripture (NRSV): Matthew 22: 37-39. Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

There are hundreds of Bible verses which speak to the power of love and the importance of loving God and others. We are told to love our neighbors. We are told to love our enemies. And we’re even told to welcome aliens into our midst and to treat them well.

When I read all the passages that speak to loving others I am often overwhelmed with this simple request from God that we love God and others with our whole being. I struggle because sometimes I find it very difficult to simply love my family or my neighbors.

When I see how some of people act when they condemn and exclude others from God’s healing and friendship, I think that God surely has made a mistake in asking us to do the unthinkable and impossible. Worse yet, I fear I have a tendency to simply pay lip service to this notion of love and simply avoid – or neglect – putting any real action or interest in helping my neighbor. I do not do well at all with loving my enemies.

Fortunately, this doesn’t sit well, or fit, with God’s message of loving others. As difficult as it is, I believe the God’s message is quite simple: Love God and love others. If our commitment is to follow Jesus we are commanded to love and care for others regardless of their backgrounds or differences. Our job is simply to love them and share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Not only are we to share the good news of God’s grace, forgiveness, and salvation, we are also asked to provide them with food, drink, clothing, and visits (see Matthew 25: 37-46).

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving and begin celebrating the coming birth of Jesus, it is important to reflect on this notion of love as we share the good news of Christ with others. It greatly helps when I acknowledge the wonderful gifts of love and joy that God has provided us through the life of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It helps to remember that although God appears to be asking a great deal of us, it is but a small portion of the wonderful bounty that he has provided us through the love and leadership of Jesus. It also is important to remember that Jesus is the good news of God and has promised us forgiveness, relief from our burdens and sins, and everlasting life.

These may not seem like great gifts at first glance. However, when we reflect upon the wonders of God’s grace and love, we begin to gain an appreciation for the magnificence of God’s generosity in giving us Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I challenge you this holiday season to spend more time reflecting on your relationship with God and the real meaning and strengths of God’s love for us.

What are the greatest gifts that we can receive or that we can give others?

Do we see love and companionship and fellowship as genuinely valuable gifts?

Are we able to set aside the material and temporary feelings of gift-giving and focus on the long-term, continuing benefits of God’s love?

Consider making a commitment that for the next two months you will think about the coming of Christ and the truly wonderful gifts that come from having a relationship with a loving God.

God’s love is a lifetime gift. It never fades. It never ends. And when you give this gift of God’s love to others, it reaps unimaginable rewards.

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If you are ready to worship and serve a loving God who welcomes everyone to God’s banquet table, please come worship with us. We will give you a warm welcome, a hot cup of coffee, and a homemade cookie. And, most important of all, we will give you a small sample of God’s love.

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We will have Sunday morning services during the months of November and December at 10 a.m. at the Parker, Kansas United Methodist Church.

We celebrate communion on the first Sunday of each month.

All are welcome in God’s House.  Come and celebrate the risen Christ.

Dr. Bascom Ratliff  (913-710-5748)

Pastor: Parker/Beagle/Fontana

United Methodist Churches