Read: Psalm 98, Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17 Easter Six
“Abide in my love.” One of the last things Jesus offered to the disciples before his death was this command to abide. The word abide can be defined: to wait patiently. Abide can also be defined: to remain or dwell, in other words, to stay put. To wait patiently for Christ’s love is a wonderful idea, nice to offer, but hard to accomplish. Most days we are anything but patiently waiting. Rush, rush, rush.
How lovely to linger in the path of the love of God. I like the idea of dwelling in Christ’s love. To remain, as if I already have that love about me, I dwell richly; I stay put in the midst of grace offering life. What if … I was able to live my life in the midst of a constant experience of God’s love? What if … we as a church we willing to stay put in the midst and not allow our minds or our tongues to wander or wag causing divisions and hardships in our relationships? That would be something to behold. I believe it is possible, yet not easy. Abiding is not our thing. But Christ helps us again.
The next verse (vs. 10) offers Christ abiding in the love of the Father. As we abide in Christ, so Christ abides in the Father, therefore we have direct access to the Father through the Son, or along with the Son. “Where I am, there you will be also,” Jesus said to the disciples just a few verses before this passage. Fear not, my sisters and brothers in Christ; Abide.
Scripture: John 15:9-17
Sermon: “What If …”
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