May 6, 2018

12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

When you go to the beach, do you like to play with a beach ball? Beach ball is also a great game for the church, because it is more than just a game, it is a way of life, it is the way of life that Jesus taught. I like to call it "Beach Ball Love."

When playing with a beach ball, it is most fun when the ball is tossed and caught and returned from person to person many times before someone misses it. The more times that the ball is tossed, the more fun it becomes. It takes some skill to do this. A beginner often misses the ball or misses the other player. A beginner tries to play like a professional, wants to look cool, and so tries to hit the ball hard so the other person cannot get it, and they usually hit it wild off to the side or too far or even into the water. Then the game is frustrating and boring. An easy-going game where one player tries to throw the ball so that the opponent can easily return it, I think, is the most fun. I think that this is the way Jesus wants us to play it. This is "Beach Ball Love." Jesus said it this way, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." This command is the only rule of the game, that we "love one another" just like Jesus loved us. In other words: love, and when loved in return, then return the love, and so forth.

Unfortunately, rather than "beach ball love," what we regularly see is "beach ball hate." Someone says something rude, the other person returns an insult which is returned with an even bigger insult, etc. If our brother hits us, we hit back, etc. Revenge is a never-ending game. It seems that people love the game of "beach ball hate." It is so popular that most people engage in it. It is even an international sport where war and civil war go on for ages. There is no winner in this game, except the devil. He would say that the rule is, 'Hate one another as I have hated you.' And when we play the devil's game, we are eternal losers. We lose love, we lose friends, we lose self-respect, we lose salvation.

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." And how did Jesus love us? He played the game of "beach ball love." He served the ball easily so we could return it; so that we could return his love.

But the sinful world wanted to play "beach ball hate" with Jesus. He was arrested and accused of breaking their rules. But when served hate, Jesus returned love. He refused to play by sinful rules. When sinned against, he returned love -- over and over again. Even on the cross, when people shouted insults against him, he spoke words of love: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. -- They don't know how to play the game of love." Jesus was crucified because he loved other people. He was killed and buried. But on the third day he arose again. Like a bouncing beach ball coming back, Jesus came back. He arose. His love forgives us. His loves gives us eternal life. His love teaches us the new rule of the game of life. There is just one rule, one "command," one goal, which is to love one another.

To become good at any sport, you need practice. The same is true with "beach ball love." We need teachers. The best coach is Jesus, of course. "Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Other teachers are our fellow believers who live according to this rule of love. And love does take practice. But we can get better at it if we practice it. Just return love with love. Just return hate with love. Just return an insult with a complement. Just return a hit with a smile. Just return rudeness with kindness. Why? Because that is how Jesus loves us even when we return his love with anything less than love. When we ignore Jesus, when we break his commandments, when we don't love God or our neighbor, when we don't return the love of Jesus, what does he do? He shows his love. He gives us forgiveness. He gives us eternal life. He gives us resurrection. He gives us compassion. He gives us peace. He gives us love.

God himself started "the game of love" when he created the world. Is he keeping score? We ourselves make no points. The only point that counts is when Jesus loves us. The only point that counts is when Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day. What is the score? Infinity! Eternal life!

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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