Sermon

Garrett Jones
Youth Led Worship

February 11, 2007

As Jesus said, “My Command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends.”

As I heard this I thought: What does it mean to lay your life down? To honestly die- to give all remnants of life- for another being. To love as Jesus loved- is that conceivable? And if so, what love is it. Is it a love of respect, of friendship, of passion? To answer this, we must turn from our own word “love” and look to the past. Ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks of Jesus’ time, spoke different words to represent the different kinds of love. The Greek word for the love by and towards god was Agape. Agape is the love of Jesus to us, the mortals. This love that we are to strive for.

And yet, one may ask “exactly how should I demonstrate this love?” Jesus was divine, supreme in that he died for all of us. Is there an example, one which is concentrated into a means we as Christians can understand? As I pondered this question, my mind traveled back to our youth’s mission trip in San Francisco last year. There, one is quickly exposed to the harshest elements of society. When dealing with the poor, homeless, or any other sort of those we are called to serve, one quickly realizes these people have become etched to their care; they rely and supply for themself and themself only. This was evident during our first few days in the city, in which our youth group (now divided into two smaller sub-divisions of our whole) was sent out into the “tenderloin”, a small section that stretched out between some of the “high class” districts of the city. The area cut right into the urban scape, and was typified by run down buildings and others of the sort not to be mentioned in church. It was here, the “poor” side of town- full of tenements and Single Occupancy Rooms, that we worked. On our first day we worked for a local food distribution center, where the poor and homeless came in up to three times a day in order to receive food. In order to receive the food, they first had to listen to a short service, usually consisting of scripture and a song or two, followed by a powerful and concise sermon. At the service, there were people of all kinds: families, single males and females, groups or numbers of friends, and they all shared the same characteristic- they fought for themselves. Now, considering that these meals could very well be their only for the day, they had all the right to be of the temperament centered upon themselves. And so, when the sermon ended, men and women hurried and fought for a place in line after being called to rise by pew; all but one that is. There was one man, who sat near the front in the third pew, who was slow and at ease in his actions. Now, I had the fortune of compiling the deserts that went onto the trays that were served, and my place of work was right next to the counter where the full trays were handed out. From this spot I caught sight of this man who stood out from the crowd. As he came up I watched him receive his tray with a grace and politeness that was uncanny for those around him. Not long after this man had gone back to sit at his pew, another man approached in a raucous fit and demanded his food, saying that he had been “skipped” and never got a tray. The man who was serving the trays denied him a meal because he had already served him, and knew he was lying. So after a brief squall, the angry man went back and sat down in the pews. And as I watched, the man who was so incredibly kind and calm tapped the angry fellow on the shoulder, exchanged a few words, and handed over his tray to the upset man. Now, needless to say I was shocked, but I didn’t dwell over the action to much due to my need for concentration at my task at hand. But soon the repercussion hit me. This man, in all of his grace and splendor, had given his meal away. And while this may not seem like any great feat, consider this: that meal could have very well been his only of the day. He had just given away a vital part of his life, one which he had waited for quietly, unlike the others, and had honestly deserved. And yet it was the liar who received his food, the one who had already had his share. This man gave, in essence, his nourishment and consequently his life for another, out of the greatness and kindness of his heart. This man is agape. He acted out of a love towards another.

During the next few days I tried to digest this feat. I couldn’t comprehend the selflessness and pure generosity of this man. It was honestly one of the closest examples of love, and even more still Jesus himself that I had ever seen. And yet I could still not pinpoint the source or reason as to this action. The answer to this riddle came when I least expected it.

It was at the Salvation Army daycare center, where our group worked for two days with the children who were sent there. They too were of mixed backgrounds and societies, all of which suffered from some sort of monetary or family trouble. But they hardly seemed to care, or notice, for that matter, their situation. They were young, and while definitely having a taste for their problems, did not grasp the entirety of it. That is to say, all but one didn’t. It was our second day at the center, and we had just gotten back from the beach (a favorite among the numerous activities), and were “settling down” inside. I was at the arts and crafts table, recreating numerous pictures of spider man, power rangers, and hello kitty. While drawing, I was asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. I received many responses of spacemen, firemen, and ballerinas, as well as even a dinosaur. But there was one response that surprised me. It came from an older boy, roughly 7 or 8. He simply responded “you.” At first I was puzzled, and asked him what he meant. He gave me the same answer. Then it dawned on me. “You mean someone who goes on mission trips?” I asked. He said “Yeah, I wanna help people like me.” I was shocked yet again. This boy, not even ten years old, had just declared he wanted to serve others “like him.” He then went on to explain to me that he wanted to come back and help his family one day. I would have inquired more, but our time ran out and we had to part. This was the answer I had been looking for. This boy, in the forced maturity of his situation, had decided that he wanted to help. I soon realized that the grace and love that was exhibited by the man at the food drive had stemmed from the very same source as this boy’s passion. It was their strive to help, to act, in order to better the world around them. While they may have never heard a scripture dictating such, they knew subconsciously that they must act as well as love; they must act out of faith that better things will come. I now had two clear examples of Christ’s love, agape.

To this day I remember seeing the man give his food, and the quotes of the little boy will be ingrained in my head for the rest of my time. These two souls did not die for anyone; they did not make the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins. And yet they did just as Jesus did himself. They were willing to give whatever was necessary in order to create a better life for someone else. They acted upon this faith, and it is their actions that strike into the hearts of others as a means of giving without receiving. They exemplified agape, and consequently have opened my heart to Jesus’ wisdom as mentioned in the scripture. I hope that they too will allow all of us to understand the true meaning of actions with love and faith, and allow us to follow in their footsteps.