Stand Out, Stand Out for Jesus

 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Yesterday I was walking along the path adjacent to a stream behind our apartment complex (really, it’s a drainage canal, but it sounds more idyllic if I call it a stream). As I was walking, I noticed something that I hadn’t seen a week ago. The wooded areas along the path were dotted with splashes of yellow hanging from the trees and bushes. No, it wasn’t the pollen that is so ubiquitous this time of year. It was our state flower, the yellow jessamine (also called yellow jasmine or Carolina jasmine).

Carolina jasmine is a vine that quietly wraps itself around anything it can find. People love it as a decorative vine covering a lattice or fence. It spreads almost as easily as kudzu, I think. In the wild, the vine weaves itself throughout entire bushes and trees. Most of the time, you wouldn’t notice the Carolina jasmine if you were just walking by, because it blends in with the other plants. 

But then the flowers burst into bloom and suddenly the glory of the Carolina jasmine is revealed. Pine trees and wax myrtles and fences and light poles are suddenly overtaken by a sea of yellow in their midst.

It made me think about us as followers of Jesus. On most any day, I suspect that you and I blend pretty well into the broader population around us. Generally speaking, people don’t look at a crowd of people and say, “well, there’s a Christian, and there’s another one, and there are a few others…” 

What would it take for us to get noticed, in a way that gives people a glimpse into the glory and grace of Jesus? What would it take for us to stand out in the crowd in a beautiful way, like the Carolina jasmine does?

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another" (John 13:34)

Jesus gives us a hint. Actually it’s a command: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” he says to his disciples (that includes you and me). Then, to follow up his command, he said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

And there you go: the way for us to stand out as followers of Jesus is for us to love one another in the same way that Jesus has loved us.

Love one another unconditionally.

Love one another by serving one another.

Love one another sacrificially.

Love one another by giving of ourselves for the other.

Love one another.

Do this, and the beauty of the One we follow and worship and serve as our Savior and Lord will be on full display.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could stand out among the people of the world in such a beautiful way?

We can. Love one another.

A Prayer

The thought of my affliction and my [bitterness]
    is wormwood and gall!
My soul continually thinks of it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him."

- Lamentations 3:19-24, NRSV

A Prayer

Shock.

Terror.

Sickened.

Numb.

Grieving.

Confused.

Heartbroken.

Angry.

What words are there, O God, to describe how we feel?

How can we possibly wrap our minds around the slaughter in Las Vegas?

     One man and his guns.

     Over 50 dead, hundreds wounded or injured.

     A city reeling in the aftermath.

     A nation in shock, mourning, grief.

Is there no limit to the evil that people are capable of perpetrating on one another?

Can we not put a cap on the human capacity for evil?

Our hearts ache.

Our hearts groan.

But before we ask you to tend to the tumult in our hearts, O Lord, we direct your compassion and your mercy upon those whose lives have most acutely felt the wrath of this evil act:

     The families of the dead

     The injured and the wounded

     The first responders and medical professionals who must

     still perform their duties in the face of unspeakable horror

     The city of Las Vegas

     The pastors, rabbis, clerics, counselors, and caregivers

          who will be providing comfort and care

          in the days, weeks, months ahead.

In the midst of the evil and chaos, we pause to give thanks for

     the law enforcement officials who acted with speed and

          precision

     the civilians who administered care to the wounded

     the emergency personnel whose actions saved lives.

And now, O Lord, also tend to our hearts.

Grant us peace, we pray.

     Not simply absence of hostility,

     but peace in our hearts;

     peace that comes from the assurance of

          your love which is from everlasting to everlasting

          your righteousness that always prevails

          your providence by which you work all things toward

               your purpose of redemption.

Grant us peace.

Let this truth fill our hearts:

     that nothing in all of creation

     will ever be able to separate us from your love

     in Christ Jesus our Lord.

          Nothing.

          Not ever.

As a world grapples with a response to this senseless slaughter of innocent human beings, help us to show the way of Christ:

     trusting in you and your faithfulness

     manifesting your grace

     working for reconciliation and justice.

After the shock wears off

and the blame game begins

(because we know it will)

make us the voice of Christ who said,

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled...”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God...”

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you...”

“Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword...”

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...”

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Make us the voice of Christ.

Saving God,

     All creation groans for the redemption that awaits us.

     We are groaning today, for the need for redemption

     is as great as ever.

In our groaning, we wait for you.

We look for you.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Heal us.

Comfort us.

Strengthen us.

Amen.

#AllinforWilkins!

“Love one another as I have loved you.” - JesusJohn 15:12

Full disclosure: This is a parental pride post. Please indulge me.

So, our son Stuart got married the other day, to his fiance Kate.

I'm going to write that sentence again, so you can see the delight and excitement that has filled Carol and me:

So, our son Stuart got married the other day, to his fiance Kate!!! (Insert about a million smiley-faced emojis 😊😊😊 here!)

I didn't officiate the wedding; it was my distinct privilege to be the father of the groom, and I didn't want to give up that privilege. Besides, if I had officiated, it would've taken all I had to resist doing this (turn up the volume): 

So Stuart and Kate got married, and I got to be the father of the groom.

After a week of nail-biting to see what Hurricane Irma was going to do (the wedding was in Charleston, SC – one of the preliminary paths forecasted for Irma) and then to assess the flood damage that Irma's remnants did to our wedding and reception venues (thank goodness, all was dry and clean by the end of the week), we had a wonderful celebration for Stuart and Kate.

I think every parent wants to see their parenting bear fruit in their children. Certainly Carol and I, as well as Kathy and Stan (Kate's parents) were beaming with pride as we witnessed the love that Stuart and Kate professed for one another, as well as their maturity as they affirmed their commitment to each other.

As is often the case in weddings nowadays, there was a fun theme running through the weekend celebrations. Stuart and Kate are both graduates of Clemson University, and they are avowed fans of all things Clemson. In fact, they waited as long as they could before setting the date, because they didn't want to have to compete with a Clemson home game.

As a tribute to their Clemson roots, they created a social media hashtag for the weekend: #allinforwilkins. “All in” is the rallying cry for the football team that was instituted by head coach Dabo Swinney. They even had a friend design a koozie with a New Mexico / South Carolina emblem (they live in NM, but are from SC), and the hashtag, #allinforwilkins.

All in. It is a simple two-word phrase, but it denotes 100% commitment. Coach Swinney expects it of every person associated with the football program, and he asks the students and alumni and fans to be “all in” for the team. All in. It's an attitude that has played a major role in the spirit and success of the national championship football program.

But alas, I stray. Back to the wedding. Where was I?

Oh yeah: All in. #allinforwilkins. Truly, everyone who attended the wedding and festivities were all in for Stuart and Kate. And of course Stuart and Kate are all in for each other.

“All in,” it turns out, is a perfect theme for a marriage. Because in marriage husband and wife declare their unconditional love for one another, and they promise their undying commitment to one another and to their family. All in.

Jesus told his disciples, “Love one another as I have loved you.” In fact, he said that to his disciples twice on the last night he was with his disciples. The second time Jesus said it (John 15:12), he follows the command with this observation: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Sounds like an all-in kind of love that Jesus commands of us, doesn't it?

Marriage is an all-in proposition. Husband and wife giving themselves for the sake of the other, and for their family. All in...

...The other day, a church member was reflecting on being married for 52 years. She said, “Marriage doesn't take two; it takes three.” What she meant was, for marriage to be as abundantly blessed as God intends it to be, it takes husband, and wife, and Jesus. Marriage takes three.

I agree. So just as husband and wife need to be all in for each other, so should their life together be lived all in for Jesus. Marriage is not just for the benefit of the husband, wife, and family; it is also for the glory of God.

All in. I'd say it's a winning formula – for Clemson football, for life, for marriage, for faith. All in is win-win.

Photo credit: David Wilkins

#allinforwilkins!