Since Lent is a season for Christian reflection, I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ call on his followers to LOVE. Of course, this call to love hits its peak in at least three prominent scenes in the Gospels. First (and these are not in chronological order), the call to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds…   and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 23:37). Second, the call to love one another just as Jesus loved us, because THAT is how the world will know we are his disciples (John 13:34-35). Third, the call to love even when we are wronged…   to love our enemies.

²⁷ “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6”27-36 NRSV)

I know for myself, and I see it also in my brothers and sisters in Christ, often we cannot even manage to love those who love us (as even sinners are capable of doing) much less loving our enemies and those who hate us or wrong us.

We live in polarized times and we have potent tools to express our love and our hate. I’m consistently amazed at how we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, (sometimes even members of the same church!) can go at each other on social media (and in person) in some very mean and nasty ways over differences in politics, theology, Biblical convictions, ethics and the hot-button topics that go along with these.

We live in a fast-paced, high pressure culture. I’m shocked at how we can proclaim Christ’s love on Sunday and yet drive like a road warrior from the apocalypse Monday through Saturday. Even cars bearing the marks of a Christian (the fish ‘ichthys’, a cross, a ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ bumper sticker) are aggressively tail-gating, drivers are gesturing and yelling, and unwilling to cut anyone else a break.

We live mostly self-centered, self-absorbed lifestyles. I’m discouraged at how we can go to great lengths to protect our investments, property values, and personal safety while many of our neighbors go without. We lose sleep over the market, our retirement account, and the cost of college while brothers and sister (sometimes right next to us in the pew) lose sleep because they are starving, or their child is sick, or they do not have a roof over their head.

And then there are the family conflicts, neighborhood tensions, national social fault lines over race, culture, economic status, politics…   and I’m sad that we often fail to love in such a way as to make things better…   and I’m sad that we sometimes act in such a way as to make things worse.

If we can’t get LOVE right…   we simply can’t fully follow Jesus right. Not because he is isn’t calling us to follow, or allowing us to follow, but simply because to follow rightly we have to DO WHAT HE DOES.

During the season of Lent, we are called to re-center our lives on Christ. I read a great church sign once that said, “When Christ is the center of your life, your live is centered”. A Christ-centered life naturally expresses in love: love for God, neighbor, stranger, and even enemy. Jesus promises that when we live the way he has called us…   we will experience life, life to the fullest, and life eternal. LOVE is an essential piece of that.