Views From The Pews – Fifth Sundy After The Pentecost – Proper 10 – July 13, 2025

Brothers and Sisters,

“A new Commandment I give to you

That you love one another as I have loved you,

That you love one another as I have loved you..”

I do not use these words lightly; certainly not since I have taken note of the weight of meaning that the Apostle Paul placed on them in his letter to the Church in Philippi.  Paul expressed his feelings openly as Eugene Peterson shows in his translation of chapter 4, verse 1:  “My dear, dear friends!  I love you so much. I do want the very best for you.”  The followers of Jesus are called to be a community of love, for Jesus himself said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  

We see from the description of the Early Church given in Acts 2: 42, that it was a loving church.  The fellowship was inspired by genuine love.  One would not dare to pretend that there were no problems, for they were far from perfect, but the standard had been clearly set by Christ, his followers must love one another, and they must make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  The challenge to us today is to renew our love for one another, so that there is always a deep desire, a longing, to meet together in fellowship and worship.  I choose to call this a double longing that will draw us to the place of worship, a longing for God and a longing for each other.

Let us pray earnestly that together we will renew the love which God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us, that we will become much more than acquaintances or church members, that we will all become friends.  Are we a community of love?  This is a great place to begin renewing our church.

Contributed!