Lectio Divina: Love One Another (As I Have Loved You)

This Lectio Divina reflects on Jesus' words in John 15:9-17. A rich passage full of memorable and contemplation-worthy phrases such as "Love one another as I have loved you", "Abide in my love", and "Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends", the Spirit is sure to reveal new insight into this passage time and time again. This is a Lectio meditation you are sure to use often.

Transcript

Hi this is Mark Ludman welcoming you to this Lectio Divina meditation based on John chapter 15 verses 9 through 17. A much loved passage contains some very deeply loved verses such as love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for a friend and remain or abide in my love. Just before we enter into our time of reflection on the passage I just want to touch on two things that might help us as we reflect on it today. The first one is that word abide. There's a beautiful translation of John 15 where the word abide or remain is translated as make a home and if you take the time to reflect on that it's so humbly powerful. Making our home with God and God with us is the perfect translation. The word abide at its fullest meaning speaks of dwelling which isn't just living but has a sense of settling in. It speaks to us of setting up house and placing ourselves somewhere permanently. It even has a hint of quiet and stillness to it also. Just abiding spending time together. One of the Benedictine vows is that of stability which is a commitment to remain in one place or abide if you will and live permanently with a particular community. It's a vow that's about settling in and placing oneself in one spot and dwelling there. Staying still long enough for God to be able to speak deeply because we have paused and entered into relationship long enough to listen. Now when you think back to the verse now God makes their home with us and we make our home with God and when we do this we learn to draw on God's continual strength as we go through our day. God's spirit empowers us to bear fruit in our lives because the vine and the branch are joined. In our busy and fast paced highly destructive world this isn't easy to stop to be still to abide to make our home. In fact in looking at this word abide one dictionary said that when used in this way it's an archaic use but the source of all awaits for us to abide together with them and that is how we know God by making our home with God and abiding with God. There's another word in this passage though that sometimes causes some people consternation and that's the word command. A number of times in this passage Jesus talks about us obeying his commandments as he obeys God's commandments. We often think of commandments as being negatives as being a whole bunch of don'ts. I just want to draw your attention to something that's extremely important for this passage. In verse 12 Jesus says my command is this love each other as I have loved you. That's it. He doesn't point out this or that or any other commandment he doesn't give you any new commandments or lay on any other extra levels or heavies. Just love each other as I have loved you. Which really fits when you think about it because Jesus made it very clear that loving God and loving God by loving our neighbor fulfills all the law and the prophet. In fact that means all the commandments. So if you keep that in your heart that love is the fulfillment of the law and love is the fulfillment of all the commandments then I'm sure you'll be able to treasure this passage in your heart as you reflect and dwell on its words today. In being such a rich passage with so much to take in from it I'm sure it's one that you'll come back to time and time again and every time I'm sure spirit will draw you to something that will grow you and deepen you in God. And so we pray open our ears to hear what it is that you have to say to us through the words of scripture today. Open our minds to think carefully about what they might mean for us. About how we might live these words. And open our hearts to receive these words like seed planted in good fertile soil that they might bloom and blossom and grow and bear good fruit that will last. So that your kingdom God may come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. As God has loved me so I have loved you abide in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept God's commandments and abide in God's love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer because the servant does not know what the master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from God. You did not choose me but I chose you and I appointed you to go and bear fruit, Fruit that will last so that God will give you whatever you ask in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. You you As God has loved me so I have loved you abide in my love If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love Just as I have kept God's commandments and abide in God's love I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends You are my friends if you do what I command you I do not call you servants any longer because the servant does not know what the master is doing But I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from God You did not choose me but I chose you and I appointed you to go and bear fruit Fruit that will last so that God will give you whatever you ask in my name I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another As God has loved me so I have loved you abide in my love If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love Just as I have kept God's commandments and abide in God's love I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends You are my friends if you do what I command you I do not call you servants any longer because the servant does not know what the master is doing But I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from God You did not choose me but I chose you and I appointed you to go and bear fruit Fruit that will last so that God will give you whatever you ask in my name I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another As we rise from this time of prayer we give thanks for this moment reading the scriptures, Meditating, Praying and contemplating on their meaning and the change and transformation that can be done in our lives through these words As we go from this place today may we go seeing the world with fresh eyes knowing that love lives in us and allowing that love to flow through us to the world in which we live Amen And as you go may the abiding grace, Peace and love of God make its home in you now and always and may you carry that as you share it with others loving God as you love your neighbour Bye for now

Reviews

A beautiful reflection. Trying to practice this in my heart in these challenging times. Many thanks as always and many Blessings 🙏🕊️💜

Thank you for this beautiful passage and reflection. It truly touched my heart. 🙏

Thank you 🙏🏻
God truly is love, and we can follow his commands by that love in us. His children are blessed beyond measure.

I'm really enjoying your work Mark
As a recovering fundamentalist evangelical this stuff is really important to me right now... you are like Australia's own Richard Rhor 🤠

I’m glad I found you!
Blessings 🙏🏻👼🏻✝️🛐🕊