This is Sacrificial Love
Implosion Gone Wrong
Has anyone gone down to see the Leaning Tower of Dallas?
If you’ve somehow missed this story, what’s happened is that a demolition crew was asked to implode this high rise in downtown Dallas. Except, when they set off the explosives, it didn’t work. I mean, it did some damage, but the building didn’t come down. It’s still standing. It’s leaning, but it’s still standing.
Here’s the video footage from the implosion attempt. Watch this…
What’s been so interesting to watch is how many people have been drawn to the “Leaning Tower of Dallas.” People have gone down to picnic, camp out, take pictures, and sit and watch as demolition has continued.
Local news crews are onsite doing stories about the leaning tower of Dallas, there’s a Livestream where you can watch and see what’s happening, it even has its own twitter feed you can follow.
People across the country and around the world are watching to see what’s going to happen with the Leaning Tower of Dallas!
Something Different
The question I have is, WHY?
Why in the world are people so interested in this demolition gone wrong?
We could probably name a lot of reasons, but I think people are generally attracted to the leaning tower because it is something different. It’s unusual. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. People wanted to come and see this strange sight.
Ok – here’s the connection I want to make… We live in a world where it’s normal to see people divided over issues. We live in a world where our news feeds are filled with people yelling their opinions at each other. We live in a world where hatred runs rife. We live in a world where fear drives people to respond with force. We live in a world where people in power are more concerned with self-preservation than serving others. We live in a world where people are forced to pick sides and then fight. We live in a world where people are more concerned with their rights than the needs of their neighbor.
So what would happen, in a world like that, if a group of people were to emerge who…
When they disagreed were able to speak the truth in love?
When there was a difference of opinion, they listened before they said a word?
When there was the opportunity for hatred, they chose love?
When they were afraid, they chose the way of nonviolence?
When they found themselves in positions of power, they looked for ways to humble themselves and leverage that power to serve others?
When they felt forced to pick a side, they stood in the gap as people of peace?
When it came to their rights, they laid those down and surrendered their rights for the sake of someone else?
What would happen in a world like that?
I think it would be kind of like the Leaning Tower of Dallas. I think people would be drawn to people like that. I think the world around us would be attracted to a group like that. Why? Because it’s different. It’s unusual. It’s not normally this way. People would want to come and see this strange sight.
The Church
Jesus has a name for this… He calls it His church.
And the good news is that His church is a place that is completely different than what we see in the world around us. To an outsider looking in, it’s a strange sight. It’s different. It’s unusual. And what makes us so different is the way in which we love each other.
For those of us who belong to the Jesus way, we look to Jesus to learn who we’re called to be and how we’re called to live.
Here’s what the Apostle John once wrote some 2000 years ago.
“If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.” – 1 John 3.14-16
Do Unto Others…
I don’t know about you, but I was raised in a Christian home and we were taught from an early age what has become known as, “The Golden Rule.” Even if you weren’t raised in a Christian home, you’ve probably heard of this. It says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Basically, whatever or however you want people to treat you or speak to you, you should act that way towards them. These are actually some of the most well-known words of Jesus from what we call the Sermon on the Mount.
And if we JUST did that, if everybody JUST did that, the world would be a better place! AMEN?
If we could just speak to each other and treat each other the way we want people to speak to us and act toward us, I have no doubt that the world would be much improved.
In the first century, there was a well known and highly respected Jewish Rabbi by the name of Hillel. As the story goes, he was once approached by a non-Jew who asked him this question:
“Can you teach me all the Jewish traditions, values, and practices while standing on one foot?”
I don’t know who this wise-guy was, but it’s kind of a funny question. Some of you might think… that wouldn’t be that hard. Just stand on one foot and recite the 10 Commandments. And while the 10 Commandments are certainly important, the Jewish leaders had actually parsed out over 633 different commands in the Law of Moses. So how in the world could Rabbi Hillel recite all of those, along with all the traditions and values of the Jewish people while standing on one foot?
His response?
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn.”
In other words… “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Love Each Other
If we all just did that, the world would be much improved. But Jesus wasn’t going for improvement when he spoke those words. His intention wasn’t to make the world a better place. Jesus came from heaven to earth, he lived among us, died on the cross in our place, and then rose again on the third day not to improve our lives, but to SAVE our lives.
And how did he do that? At the cross.
So John, now in his old age, talking to different churches in different places, churches living in a world where the Empire was in power, where people yell their opinions at each other, where hatred runs rife, where fear drives people to respond with force, where people in power are more concerned with self-preservation than serving others, where people are forced to pick sides and then fight, where people are more concerned with their rights than the needs of their neighbor… some 2000 years later and the world hasn’t really changed all that much… into that world John wrote these words…
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.”
But he didn’t stop there. Here’s the rest of that verse in 1 John 3.16…
“So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
What makes the way we love each other and treat each other within the church different?
Is there anything weird about the way we love each other? Anything different? Anything SACRIFICIAL about the way we love each other?
According to John, there should be. Because this is the way Christ has loved us.
Real Love = Sacrificial Love
John says, this is real love. Real love is sacrificial love. And if we love each other, really love each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be willing to lay down our lives for each other.
What would possess a group of people to willingly sacrifice for each other, lay down their own personal wants and desires, set aside their own personal preferences, look to the benefit of others ahead of themselves, give up their time, give of their talents, even give sacrificially of their money to other people in a church? Love.
But not just any kind of love. Sacrificial Love.
It’s this kind of love that simply says, It’s not about me.
It’s this kind of love that says, I will die to myself and live for someone else.
I care more about the kingdom than I do about myself. I care more about future generations of faith than I do about myself. I care about my brothers and sisters in Christ than I do about myself. I care more about laying down my life so that I can live for someone else.
Jesus didn’t nail anyone to a cross.
He took the nails so we could live.
John says, “…we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
The Gravitational Pull of our Lives
We live in a world of self-preservation, not self-sacrifice. But Jesus says, “The only way for you to find your life is to lose it.” (Matthew 10.39)
We simply cannot spend enough time at the foot of the cross. The gravitational pull of our lives is always toward our own self-interest. But the pull of the cross is always towards self-sacrifice. Toward sacrificial love.
2000 years from now people won’t wear a necklace with the Leaning Tower of Dallas on it. But 2000 years later we’re still wearing the cross around our neck.
Why?
Because the cross is the definition of real love. Because it’s the greatest example of sacrificial love the world has ever seen.
So let’s love each other with that kind of love. If we do, it will not only change this church, it will change the world!
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