CrossReach Sunday reflection
Rev Douglas Hamilton - Vice Convener
When the scribe approached Jesus to ask about the greatest commandment in this week’s gospel reading from Mark, he already knew the answer he was looking for. The greatest commandment is love – love for God and love for others. These were not new commands that Jesus had come up with, but ancient, foundational commandments that underpinned all the other commands that were set out in the Torah.
The scribe understood that this was much more important than all the rituals and festivals that dominated so much of their religious practice and their religious debates. I picture the scribe as one who was constantly getting frustrated with his colleagues in the synagogue as they debated the finer details of morality, purity laws and sabbath observance. I can imagine him regularly appealing to the other scribes, reminding them that they needed to see all these other issues through the lens of love.
When it comes to anything to do with understanding God, or figuring out how to live a life pleasing to God, Jesus agreed that the starting point is always love. We move from there to try and make sense of everything else. Love is the starting point because love is the essence of the character of God.
The writer to the Hebrews would have been able to debate the finer details of the laws of sacrifice with any of the scribes. They would have recognised the importance of these laws as part of maintaining the covenant with God, but the ultimate act of love at Calvary meant that things had changed forever. A new covenant was in place as a result of the blood of Christ. It was love that took Jesus to the cross. God’s love for humanity is a sacrificial love.
God’s love is also demonstrated through justice. In Psalm 146 we read of God’s love for the righteous and his particular concern for the poor, the humble and the oppressed.
Sacrifice and justice are not the words that tend to be accompanied by flowers, chocolates, and a Hallmark card. The love that we read of in the bible requires perseverance. Love requires a conscious decision to love, and a commitment to keep on loving. That is what is implied by loving God with ‘all our heart’. Loving with ‘all our soul’ is about our very being. Loving with ‘all our strength’ is about loving with all of our abilities and resources. The foundational command in Deuteronomy is driven more by will than emotion. If we are to be the Psalm 119 person who seeks God with our whole heart and keep his decrees, then we will start by loving God and loving others.
If sacrifice and justice are aspects of God’s love then these should be displayed in our love for others. The passage from Ruth provides an example of what this can look like in practice. In the context of extreme hardship, tragedy and loss, Ruth is prepared to sacrifice the hope of a better future in order to show love to her mother in law. Naomi is weak and vulnerable, but Ruth is prepared to do whatever it takes to support her through the difficulties that she will face.
Love underpins all the lectionary readings this week, just as it underpins the overall message of the bible. This is the same love that underpins the work of CrossReach across all of our services. We offer loving care to people of all ages who need a helping hand, and support them to live life to the full whatever their circumstances. Everything we do in CrossReach is driven by a desire to follow the greatest commandment – to love God and to love others.
As you read through the stories of the people who use CrossReach services, look at them through the lens of love. As we think about what dominates the religious practice and debate of our church, consider what is most important.
On Social Care Sunday we have the opportunity to put love at the centre of our worship. We can give thanks for the way that our church lives out the greatest commandment through the work of CrossReach, and pray for those who deliver our services. We can pray that more people will experience this love, and that love will overflow into the families and wider communities that surround our services. We can also seek to share the love by finding ways for our local churches to work together with CrossReach through fundraising and active involvement with services.
As we ask questions about the future of our church, locally and nationally, we already know the answer starts with love, and it is from there that we will seek to make sense of everything else.
