They Love One Another

A Sermon for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2023

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now, O Lord, take my lips, and speak through them. Take our minds, and think through them. Take our hearts, and set them on fire. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

One of my favorite things to do when I come to a new parish is to take some time to walk around the church building and get a sense of where everything is located. Now, I’m still new. So, it’s going to take some time for me to find where everything is.

But, one of the reasons why I love doing this is I get to discover some hidden treasures along the way—especially in a place like St. Mary’s, which has a lot of history.

The other day, as I was walking from the church back to my office, something caught my attention. It was propped up on a table close to the nursery. So, I stopped to see what it was.

What I discovered was a small, framed print that looked like a piece of parchment paper, with beautiful handwriting.

I brought it with me this morning to show you in case you’ve never seen it before.

And, since the print is so small, I want to share with you the words.

They love one another,
They never fail to help widows.
They save orphans from those who would hurt them.
If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing.
If they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy,
as though he were a real brother.
They don’t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense,
but brothers instead, through the Spirit, in God.

If you had to guess who these words were written about, what would you say?

I’ll give you a hint.

At the bottom of the page, there’s a caption that says, “Aristides, a non-Christian, describing the Christians to Hadrian.

Now, if you don’t recognize the names I just mentioned, that’s okay. I didn’t either when I first read it.

But, later I did a little research to find out who Aristides and Hadrian were, and what I discovered was really interesting.

Aristides was a Greek philosopher who lived in Athens during the second century.

There’s very little we know about his life, but what we do know—based on the writings of historians from that time—is that Aristides eventually converted from paganism to Christianity.

And, in the year 125—only about ninety years after the birth of the Church—he wrote a letter to the Roman emperor, Hadrian, in defense of the Christian faith in order to convince him to stop persecuting Christians.

The words I shared with you just a few moments ago were taken from that letter, which is now commonly referred to as The Apology of Aristides—one of the oldest documents of its kind in existence today.

It was written at a time when the Christian faith was still in its infancy—when the number of Christians  was relatively small and followers of the way of Jesus were being persecuted and killed because of their beliefs.

Before his conversion to Christianity, Aristides was someone on the outside of the Church looking in, who observed in the earliest followers of Jesus a way of life that he believed to be the truest expression of who God is and how God wants us to live our lives.

He was so captivated and moved by what he witnessed in the early Christian community that he changed his life and became a follower of Jesus.

You can almost hear it in his words.

They love one another,
They never fail to help widows.
They save orphans from those who would hurt them.
If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing.
If they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy,
as though he were a real brother.
They don’t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense,
but brothers instead, through the Spirit, in God.

This is how Christians in the earliest days of the Church demonstrated the love of God in Christ Jesus and, it’s what they became known for.

They became known for loving each other.

They became known for giving to those in need and not expecting anything in return.

They weren’t consumed with themselves or their own well-being.

They understood that the call to walk in the way of Jesus meant loving and serving their neighbors—especially those who lived on the margins, those who were often overlooked and ignored.

As Christians, there’s nothing more faithful we could possibly do than serving those in need—and doing so with a joyful and loving heart.

The kind of love that Aristides described in his letter to Hadrian almost two-thousand years ago is the same love we’re called upon to share in our own time.

It’s a love so deep and so strong that it’s impossible not to be moved when we see it in action—a love steeped in the message of the cross and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In our lesson today from I Corinthians, Paul writes: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I want us to consider for a moment just how counter-cultural it is to be a Christian.

When you think about it, it really doesn’t make much sense, does it? Especially when you consider it from a worldly point of view.

The world around us would have us believe that we only need to care about ourselves—that we should always put ourselves first and not make any sacrifices for the well-being of others.

The world around us would have us believe that in order to be happy and fulfilled, all we need to do is accumulate more and keep everything for ourselves.

The world around us would have us believe that showing compassion and mercy are signs of weakness.

But, the message of the cross teaches us otherwise.

The message of the cross teaches us that there’s nothing more powerful on this earth than the love of God. Jesus showed us, through his sacrifice on the cross, that not even death could contain God’s love.

He said to his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

In other words, if you want to lead a happy, comfortable life and not ever be concerned with the needs of those around you, Christianity is probably not the best choice.

C.S. Lewis said it this way: “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

It’s true.

Our faith in Christ is based on a love that’s self-giving, not selfish. We preach Christ crucified and risen  and worship a God who loved us so much that he came to live and die as one of us and to save us from the power of sin and death.

The challenge, in every generation of the Church, is to look beyond ourselves and to remember who we are and to whom we belong.

So, my question for you is this.

For those on the outside looking in—what would they say about our community of faith here at St. Mary’s?

Would they say the same things that people observed about the early Church?

Would they say we love each other?

Would they say we give to those in need?

Would they say we take care of those on the margins?

Based on what I’ve already seen and what I know to be true about this parish, I think they would.

I’ve only been with you a little over two weeks, but I can already tell that you have a heart for ministry and a desire to reach out and share God’s love with others.

I’m amazed and inspired by the level of outreach our parish does—especially for a church our size. Yesterday, for example, we hosted our Rice and Beans Ministry for those in our community who need a little extra help with food each month. We gave out bags of dried beans, rice, and other pantry staples, and we fed well over a hundred people with a warm breakfast.

None of it would be possible without the support of our parish and a strong group of volunteers who work together to make it happen.

And, I’m sure, as I continue to get to know you better and learn even more about what goes on here at St. Mary’s, I’ll continue to be amazed and inspired by your commitment to service.

But…there’s always room to grow, and there’s always room to try new things.

And, as more people come to join us, we’ll be able to do even more for the sake of the Gospel.

I really believe that, and I hope you do as well.

God is still at work in our community, leading us and guiding us to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. All we have to do is be willing to answer the call and step out in faith, knowing that God is always with us. Amen.