Love Your Enemy

I went to church last Sunday.  The Gospel reading was the words of Jesus in Luke 6: 27-38. 

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  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.  Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  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.  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.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

That is a lot to process.  Especially here and now when so much of what I hear in today’s news upsets and angers me.  Things that are happening are painful to me and do not jibe with, indeed are opposite of my understanding of God and country.  So, how am I supposed to incorporate this text into my life?

Helping me to grapple with this question comes big, strapping Max Miller, a not yet thirty-year-old seminarian with a Duke Divinity degree.  This wise-beyond-his-years soul whom I have known since he was a child growing up in our congregation is now on his way to becoming a called and ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Max delivered for me.

In his sermon on this Gospel text, Max reminded us that the practice of loving your enemy has already moved mountains in our country!  He used the examples of Jackie Robinson, Reverend Pauli Murray, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., all of whom helped us to evolve as a country by their example of love for ALL of their fellow humans.  This radical love did not mean that they were doormats or were silent in the face of evil.  Rather, it meant that they confronted these challenges not with violence or degradation of others, but with love.  God’s love.  And you can’t beat that.

The text of Max’s sermon can be found here and a video recording of his sermon can be found here.

I hope this Gospel text and Max’s observations on it give you food for thought and encouragement as they did me.

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.