Love One Another
Psalm 119: 1-24 • Psalm 12, 13, 14
Deut. 1: 1-18 • Rom. 9: 1-18 • Matt. 23: 27-39
Have you ever wanted to be a friend with someone only to be rejected? It hurts a lot, doesn’t it! Rejection means refusal; to not accept something that has been offered, a smile, a kind word, a friendship.
I’ve been moved by the #blackatuark messages posted in twitter in recent weeks. They are heartbreaking in what they reveal about some faculty, staff and students on campus. The most distressing post for me was the young black woman, first day of her freshman year, who sat down by a white woman in class, only to see the latter immediately move to the other side of the room. Rejection—emotional, physical, spiritual.
Rejection is not about the quality of the person. Instead, it is about who the receiver chooses to accept. Paul describes rejection in his letter to the romans: “… I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart” (9:2). He is expressing his anguish that so many have chosen to reject Christ.
Although Christ is rejected, this does not change the fact that He gives love to us all, unconditionally. Nonetheless, when we reject others, we also reject Christ. When we reject others, we refuse to offer Christ’s love through us to the other person, unconditionally.
John the Evangelist sums it up: Dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it. (2 John 1:4-6)
As children of God, we are loved constantly, to the smallest of element of our being. Always remember: there is more than enough room within us to love one another.
Written by Linda C. Jones
Linda has been an active member of St. Paul’s since 2000. She is NOT a fan of twitter but made it a point to read the #blackatuark posts to understand and help strive for a fully welcoming campus environment for everyone.