Universal love - God's love for everyone!

Sermon preached at St Michael’s, 10:30 Eucharist, Sharman Cross School, Solihull
Sunday 6th September 2009. Trinity 13, Proper 18, Year B

Readings: Isaiah 35: 4-7a James 2: 1-10 & 14-17 Mark 7: 24-37

I once saw a film about the childhood of the American president John F. Kennedy (JFK). John was born in 1917. He was the second of nine children. The film depicted what appeared to be a very happy childhood, with lots of brothers and sisters and lots of friends around to play. I was very struck by a scene in the film where there are lots of children around playing and Kennedy’s father, the larger than life Joe Kennedy, arrives home. The children run to gather around him and he greets them and sits with them and talks to them and asks them questions and is always encouraging them, even when he is correcting them. It is presented as a wonderful image of fatherhood, and it made it easy to believe that so many of those nine children would grow up to be such significant figures. Then this father figure asks a question which is answered by a visitor to the house, a friend of one of the boys. Suddenly and completely abruptly Joe Kennedy’s tone changes completely. Rather than making the most of and celebrating the answer given he barks out “Who asked you?” The young boy is much taken aback, and probably feels very hurt by this. He is courageous and remains gracious, but the message from Joe Kennedy is very clear. I love and teach and celebrate and promote my own children, but you are not one of them, this love is not for you.
Well, it is rather an extreme example, but this is a very characteristic aspect of a love that is merely human. How often does it happen that we love our own people, but hate the others? And the examples are endless. Perhaps we love our own children, but hate other peoples. Perhaps we love Villa but hate City, or perhaps it’s the other way round. Perhaps we love Christians, but hate Muslims. Perhaps we love people of our own race, but hate other races. Perhaps we dislike people who are poorer than us, or wealthier than us, or better educated than us, or not educated or learner drivers or traffic wardens, or politicians, or teenagers, or old people…
But the love of God is not like this. The love of God is universal. God loves everyone who he has created. He has a plan for each person; a path to fulfilment for each person, a special role of service for each person, a place in heaven for each person. He makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the good and the bad alike (Matt 5: 45). And each one of us is called to share in the love of God. We are called to share in the love that he has for all people, even the most unattractive, even the ones who are suffering, even the ones who cause us problems, or who are on the wrong side of the law or are far away. God loves them and we too are called to love them as he does.
In our gospel reading today it seems that Jesus himself realises that he is called for the good of all people, not just for the Jews. He is approached by the Gentile woman who needed his help. Now the Gentiles were the people from “the nations”, the people from outside of the Israel, who were not Jews. And because of this Jesus is unwilling to help her. In fact is a very rude to her. He says, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” What he means is, “My ministry is first and foremost to the people of Israel. I must not waste my time looking after other people.” But the woman replies, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And Jesus is deeply impressed with this answer. He realises he needs to help the woman. He tells her than her daughter has been healed. And this is a crucial early example of Jesus’ love spreading beyond the Jews. And as the New Testament unfolds this spreading happens more and more, especially in the Acts of the Apostles. There is a growing realisation that the love of Jesus is for all.
And this also comes up in our reading from the letter of James. James insists that the Church must love all the people who come. It must not prioritise the rich person over the poor person; it must find ways to love both. He says the churches must not “make distinctions among themselves, and become judges with evil thoughts.” And James makes another point. The proof of our love is in what we do. Our love must be practical. We must help one another, according to the different needs each one has. James says that if anyone is naked owe should give them clothes, or if they are hungry we should give them food. But in our present day context we might think if any are lonely we should befriend them, if any lack social skills we should be patient with them, if any need prayer we should pray with them, if any are suffering we should wait with them.
And I would like to just clarify a couple of things. The fact that we are called to love everybody means, first and foremost, that we have to love the people around us right now, in each present moment of our lives. So, of course parents have to have a special love for their own children, of course football fans have a special love for their own club. But the point is that this love for one thing cannot be hatred for another. Rather it is a love that pour outwards, over all that it has contact with. We love our own household first, in order to love the other households, then also to love our street, our town, our nation, our continent and our whole world.
And a second thing. We know that we are all far from perfect. We know that the love we have in our own hearts is but a very poor shadow of the love of God. But we must not be disheartened. If we keep practising then love will grow in us. If every time we fail, or become aware of our shortcomings, we offer them to God and keep trying, then we are working with God, and it will please God to make his love will grow within us.
And finally a third thing. We all know that there are some people who are very hard to love. Well, loving them does not always mean going along with everything they say or do. It doesn’t mean pretending they are good when they are bad. But love does mean looking for the good in them, seeking to see Jesus present within them. It means being patient with them. It means wanting their good. It means being ready to share in their sufferings and problems. It means trying to find the right way to help them. It means wanting, one day, to share with them in the life of heaven. This is what God wants for all his children. This is what he wants for us. This is what he wants us to want for all of our brothers and sisters. Amen.