Abide in My Love

At this week’s staff meeting we talked briefly about Gregory of Nazianzus, whose feast day it was. I happen to like Gregory because I once preached a seminary sermon on his explanation of the Trinity. I really like his defense of why he ran away right after his father (a bishop) ordained him a priest. Gregory was overwhelmed by the responsibility and did not feel worthy of the office. I can relate to that. Indeed, “What am I doing here?” should be a question asked by anyone on track for ordination.

Feeling unworthy is not limited to clergy. It is a common human condition. For some it is a consequence of not being part of the dominant culture (i.e., not being a white male). Others grow up hearing they are not good enough, often in comparison to a sibling. Some religious traditions even emphasize unworthiness by teaching the total depravity of humankind or reinforcing guilt in order to fill the offering plate.

In the New Testament, “worthy” never has the moral quality we usually give to it. It has nothing to do with merit. Instead, worth is associated with receiving the good news of Jesus Christ and doing something with it. Christianity is not about worth or merit; the Christian life is all about grace. None of us is worthy of God’s attention, but that’s not the point. God loves us anyway and is ready to fill our lives with grace.

Perhaps that’s why John the Evangelist rarely uses the word “worthy.” Instead, he uses “love” over and over again. “As the Father has loved me, even so I have loved you,” Jesus says in John’s Gospel. “Abide in my love.” John is trying to communicate his own experience of Jesus Christ, one that lies beyond human words or comprehension. He is trying to explain who God is, an eternal relationship of love into which we are invited.

The closest analogy we have on earth is the love of parent for child. Through a godly coincidence, Sunday’s readings will come on Mother’s Day. Both mothers and fathers know what it is to love a child, even when that child makes poor decisions and suffers the consequences. Yet not all adults become parents, and not all parents are able to show love to their children. If no one loves a child, that child will never be able to form loving human relationships as an adult.

Gregory of Nazianzus understood all of this. After he ran away, he began to realize that none of us is worthy, none of us is able to do what God calls us to do. But that’s not what God asks. God asks for love, not worthiness, a return of that love which God first showed to us through other human beings. And God asks for faith, for trust that God’s grace will be sufficient for all that we are called to do.

It all happens because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in relationship with one another as though in an eternal dance. They are the Lover, the Beloved, and the Love flowing between them. It is within that love that Jesus commands us to abide. Living there, embraced by joy, how can our own joy be anything but complete?

[Easter 6: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17.]

Listen to this as preached on the Sixth Sunday of Easter.