A New Way to Love
My First Sermon
I don’t think I’ve ever shared this story, but the very first sermon I ever preached was for the Southside Church of Christ in Montgomery, AL.
I was in high school at Alabama Christian Academy and I was a part of the chorus. Each week in the Spring on Sunday nights the chorus would travel to a different church around the city and we would sing.
My dad was the director of the chorus. He taught Bible and directed the chorus at ACA for about 18 years. And every year he made sure that we got the chance to sing at the Southside Church of Christ, an all-black church in Montgomery, AL.
The preacher at the Southside Church of Christ at the time was a man by the name of Brother K.K. Mitchell. Brother K.K. Mitchell was legendary in that part of the world. He was an incredible preacher and leader in the black church. On the Sunday night that our chorus was singing at his church, he happened to walk by the front of the auditorium while we were rehearsing. He stopped and talked to my dad for a moment and then he asked him this question, “Do you have anyone who wants to preach tonight?” Without any hesitation, my dad turned, pointed at me, and said, “He will!”
Now what you need to know is that I had never preached a sermon in my entire life. But my dad was famous for putting me on the spot. At our school, he was in charge of our chapel assemblies because he was the lead Bible teacher. On more than one occasion he informed me on the way to chapel that I was speaking in chapel!
That Sunday night, as soon as we finished rehearsal, I ran to the back of the auditorium, borrowed a Bible, and started turning through the pages of scripture to find something to preach. I don’t remember exactly what I preached on that night, I think it was something from Romans. What I do remember is that I preached for probably 5 minutes but it felt like 50! I was so nervous. The only reason it probably lasted as long as it did was because the church said enough “Amens” to stretch it out!
After I preached and we finished worship, our chorus sang. When we were done we all sat down. I’ll never forget what happened next.
After we all sat down this spiritual giant of a man, Brother K.K. Mitchell, walked up to the front, took the microphone, thanked the chorus for singing, and then… he thanked me for preaching.
And then, he asked the church to thank me for preaching and for the great job I did that night. And then, he asked the deacons in his church to stand up, take the offering baskets and pass them because he wanted the church to give a love offering to me for preaching that night!
That night, Brother K.K. Mitchell came to me in the lobby of that church with a fist full of cash, about $200, and it was the greatest feeling in the world.
What does love look like?
Sometimes, love looks like that. It’s the giving of a gift.
Sometimes the gift is something, but more often than not the greatest gifts of love are intangible. It’s the gift of time. The gift of opportunity. The gift of encouragement. These are the gifts of love that mean the most to us and make us feel the most loved.
We know this is true, but my guess is you also know that we get fooled by the world into believing that love is something different.
The world would have us believe that love looks different, feels different, and it would lead us down a different path to find what love looks like.
The Greeks had different words for love.
One word is eros. It could be defined as romantic love. The kind of love that exists between two people who are intimately attracted to one another. This is one kind of love. One way of understanding love.
Another word is philia. This is brotherly love. It’s friendship love. This is the love you have for people who love you back.
Both of these kinds of love are reciprocal. You love me so I love you. As long as you love me I’ll keep loving you. But if one of us ever stops loving or being loving to the other, this love falls apart.
Another Word for Love
But there is another word in the Greek language that speaks of a different kind of love. It’s called Agape love. This is what the biblical writers would call the love of God.
According to Jesus, this is a new kind of love. A new way to love. Before Jesus introduced this kind of love, all anyone knew was the old way of love. The old way of love taught us to love those who love us. The old way of love instructed us to love others, certainly. But that love was limited and the expectation of that love was limited.
All of that changes with Jesus.
Right before Jesus faces the cross, he gathers his disciples and this is what he says,
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13.34-35
Love each other.
How?
We’re not talking about eros love. This isn’t romantic love. We’re not talking about philia love. This isn’t loving others back because they love you. We’re talking about a NEW kind of Love. A NEW way to Love.
We’re talking about Agape love!
Love as I have loved you…
Love each other the same way I have loved you over the last 3 years of our lives together.
Forgive
Love each other by forgiving each other!
Peter, remember when I had to tell you to “Get behind me, Satan!” James and John, remember when you got your mom to come ask me if you could sit on my right and left when I entered into my Kingdom? You got your mom to do that?! Nathaniel, do you remember when we first met and you said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Have I held any of that against any of you guys? Of course not! Love each other by forgiving each other. This is a new kind of love. A new way to love.
Sacrifice
And you guys, do you remember when I sent you out on that first mission trip in twos and I told you not to take anything with you, that God would provide for you. What I was wanting you to learn was love through sacrifice. Loving sacrificially, that’s the kind of love I’m talking about.
Unconditional
And you remember when I taught you what love looks like in my Kingdom. It’s not just loving those who love you. It’s loving your enemies. It’s praying for those who hurt you.
This is the new way of love. This is the new command. Love people the way I have loved you. Love by forgiving. Love through sacrificing. Love unconditionally.
And if you read the rest of the story, that’s what these disciples of Jesus did. They lived out their lives loving others this way. And all of them, except one, died a martyrs death, forgiving even those who would kill them because it was Jesus, the One who they believed was Lord and Master, who said from the cross, “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.”
Even from the cross, He taught them and showed them what love looks like.
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