Love Forward

6.1.2025

Love Forward: shaped by Jesus’ new commandments and moved alongside His prayer

[Texts]

Acts 16:16-34 While in prison, Paul speaks to the jailer, who is then baptized

Psalm 97 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous. (Ps. 97:12)

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 Blessed are those who wash their robes

John 17:20-26 Jesus prays that the disciples will be one and abide in his love

Easter Blessings!

The passage from John 17 is often known as the High Priestly Prayer, serving as a powerful conclusion to the Easter season. As we move forward toward next Sunday to celebrate the Day of Pentecost, we hear His final prayer.

Today’s scripture marks a symbolic shift. Jesus moves from praying for His immediate disciples to interceding for those who will come to believe in Him, just as His mission expands from baptizing and teaching in Judea to reaching the ends of the earth. It is like foreseeing a future partnership, where we no longer think only of our own well-being but consider the collective well-being of all involved. We begin to dream, so to speak, dream about what deep connection in partnership looks like.

The efforts of His first disciples were not in vain, even in the face of persecution. Those who believed multiplied exponentially. We are the result of that multiplication. But has the mission ceased? I often hear a widely shared confession that we Lutherans struggle to share our faith　whether in congregations I’ve served or from my colleagues. Does that mean the call to reach those who may still come to believe has been abandoned or set aside?

How close are we to the stage of ceasing to believe as Jesus believes, to love as Jesus loves? Is this why we no longer witness disciples multiplying exponentially?

John 17:26, the final verse, is a prophetic statement in Jesus’ prayer to God the Father before His crucifixion. He declares that He has made God’s name known to His followers, and they will continue to do so, so that the love God has for Jesus may also be in them and that Jesus Himself may dwell in them. This verse underscores the deep connection in partnership between God, Jesus, believers, and nonbelievers. That’s the ONENESS in divine love we have reflected upon for the past three weeks.

Jesus reveals that knowing God is not merely intellectual; it is about experiencing divine love, the most essential ingredient for deep connection in partnership. We have all been taught that God’s kingdom is both here and not yet. I wonder if the “not yet” suggests that divine love has not yet fully impacted Christian communities!

We are all familiar with the principle of paying it forward. Paying it forward means repaying kindness by helping someone else rather than simply returning the favor. What if we applied divine love to this principle? Love forward. Love forward means extending love, grace, and compassion without expecting anything in return.

Imagine love forward happening not only within the confines of our comfort zones but outwardly, wherever opportunities arise. The ripple effect keeps growing, inspiring others to do the same. Or perhaps the ripple effect leaves nonbelievers and doubters no choice but to love forward.

Speaking of the ripple effect, have you heard of Matthew Hoffman’s You Are Beautiful campaign? In 2017, a large sign bearing the words You Are Beautiful was affixed to a building in Chicago’s Chinatown. My husband and I actually went there to take a photo with it as a reminder. Hoffman's movement evolved from a simple message into a nationwide effort, spreading optimism through public art. No longer just stickers, it became a movement to prove that a few words can have a lasting impact. I wonder where this impact stands today. Has anything stopped the movement?

By the same token, what has hindered the impact of disciples multiplying through divine love? When did the movement of exponential multiplication stop? And what would it take to create a ripple effect of divine love so strong that the world could no longer ignore it?

We are surrounded by cultures that prioritize speed, convenience, and instant results. For example: microwave culture’s demand for immediate success, fast-food culture’s preference for efficiency over quality, hustle culture’s glorification of nonstop productivity. Consumer culture fuels rapid consumption, while instant gratification culture and social media culture shorten attention spans and shift priorities toward quick rewards.

How have these cultures shaped our daily lives? To counter them, the best way forward is to reclaim intentionality in how we love forward and move alongside Jesus’ prayer for us today. We can practice purposeful divine love by taking time to listen, serve, forgive, and invest deeply in others without expecting instant reward. By doing so, we plant seeds that multiply far beyond ourselves, creating a true ripple effect of divine love that cannot be ignored.

It is both shocking and rewarding to know that Christianity remains the largest religion in the world, with approximately 31.6% of the global population identifying as Christian. In the United States, around 65% of Americans identify as Christian. And in Washington State, 61% of the population identifies as Christian.

How close are we to ceasing to believe as Jesus believes, to love as Jesus loves? Is this why we no longer witness disciples multiplying exponentially?

Imagine hearing people say, “It’s almost impossible to behave badly in front of Christians because their hearts are so beautiful, more beautiful than their looks, their words, and their deeds.”

The call to make disciples of all nations is not a distant ideal; it is a living movement, one we are meant to carry forward with divine love. Though we may face challenges in a world consumed by speed, distractions, and self-interest, the power of divine love remains unchanged. Jesus did not ask us to be perfect; He asked us to love as He loves. It has to do with his divine posture. The posture of washing His disciples’ feet serves as a great reminder.

When love is multiplied, it creates ripples, mobilizing hearts, transforming lives, and turning impossibility into reality. The mission has not ceased. The invitation remains open. What would each church be like if all truly embraced loving forward alongside Jesus’ prayer? What if loving forward with intention, patience, and authenticity became our daily prayer?

Perhaps, then, the world would say one day, “It’s impossible to behave badly in front of Christians because their hearts are more beautiful than their looks, their words, and their deeds.”

Let us love forward and pray daily as Jesus prays.

Amen.