When asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Love God
– and –
Love Neighbor
There are many Christians that go out of their way to try to convince others that God is real and worth loving. But what happens when those same Christians hold a concept of God that isn’t very loving? An ‘understanding’ of God doesn’t inspire love of neighbors? A view of God that even tolerates or promotes the exclusion, harm, and abuse of neighbors?
It makes me wonder. . .
Rather than starting with some heady, propositional-theology concept of God – even one authentically to be loved –
What if we just love our neighbors?
What if we make a radical, joyful commitment to care for our neighbors’ wellbeing, celebrate our neighbors’ worth, and live in empathy and justice?
Of course, some would say that we can’t really even understand or practice love, care, celebration, empathy, or justice apart God’s revelation.
But since God’s revelation is always incarnational, we will undoubtedly discover love, care, celebration, empathy, and justice in the presence of our neighbors.
Maybe we if start with love for neighbor, we’ll actually discover a loving God.
Smuggling Grace 