One
Anothering One Another
1
John 4:7-12
May
31, 2015
Grace
Presbyterian Church
Rev.
Dr. Richard E. Miller
One Anothering Have you one-anothered anyone recently? I’ll
bet you have. In fact, I’ll bet you were one-anothered several times this
morning. What is “One Anothering?”
All
we need do is look to the Bible since it is teeming with all kinds of
“one-anotherings” such as greet one another, be kind to one another, forgive
one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and love one another.
Whenever we do any of these things for others, we are “one anothering one
another.” To the extent that we do these things well and faithfully, Grace
Presbyterian will be filled with the energy and power of the Holy Spirit. To
the extent that we fail in one-anothering one another, this precious outpost of
the kingdom of God will lose its connection to God. For the next few minutes,
I’d like to look at the one-anotherings of greeting, being kind, forgiving,
encouraging, praying and loving.
Greet
One Another Last Sunday, one of
our members said to me that when she first visited Grace, she was welcomed so
warmly that she felt at home immediately. Every Sunday morning and every event
during the week, we welcome one another with handshakes, hugs and kisses from friends
who are delighted beyond belief to see us. They call us by name and ask about
our week, or our recent operation, our vacation, or our new baby or grandchild.
To be welcomed warmly, sincerely and lovingly is something we all want. Both
Peter and Paul encourage us to greet one another with a kiss of love. [Romans
16:16, 1 Peter 5:14] And many are the times when I am greeted with a kiss on
the cheek.
The
theme song from “Cheers” reflects this need.
“Making your way in the
world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries,
sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go
where everybody knows your name, And they're always glad you came.”
At
Grace, we know each other’s name and we surely are glad that each other came.
It makes each of us feel included and wanted and needed. So keep it up.
Be
Kind and compassionate to one another [Ephesians 4:32] Next, Paul tells us
that we are to be kind, compassionate and tender-hearted to one another. It has
been said that “Kindness
is a language that deaf people can hear and that blind people can see.”
It’s touching another human being with your heart. Sometimes kindness is
putting your own agenda on hold and patiently listening to the story of one who
is hurting. It is written by Luke that when the prodigal son returned home, his
father could have bawled him out for wasting all that money and living so
lavishly. But that wasn’t the kind or compassionate thing to do. Instead, the
father ran and put his arms around his son and kissed him. [Luke 15:20]
When
Jesus saw a great crowd filled with sick, he could have ignored them and gone
on his way. instead he had compassion for them and cured them. (Matthew 14:14]
Jesus
saw two blind men sitting by the roadside. Moved with compassion, he touched
their eyes and immediately they regained their sight. [Matthew 2029-34]
Forgive
One Another [Ephesians 4:32, James 5:16] Forgiving one another is essential in the
world of “one anothering.” Many years ago, I was serving a church in Iowa that
had two elderly sisters as members. When I came as pastor, they were in their
23rd year of a feud. They refused to talk to each other. They’d walk down on
different sides of Main Street. And when they came to worship, each came in a
different door and sat on opposite sides in the sanctuary. One warm August
Sunday, I preached on the liberating joy of forgiveness. And the Spirit of God
said, “Enough of this!” and went to work. After worship was over, one sister
left and began walking down the sidewalk. She hadn’t gone more than fifty feet
when the other sister ran after her calling her name.
And
there, in the bright spirit-filled day, I watched them fall into each other’s
arms, laughing and crying at the same time. That very week, the one moved back
in with her sister and they lived in joyous harmony for five more years until
one sister died.
Whether
it’s at work, or at home with the family, or here at Grace, there will be times
when we mess up and hurt someone’s feelings. If we are too proud to ask
forgiveness, we and they end up miserable. Or there will be times when somebody
hurts us. If we are too resentful to forgive, we and they end up miserable. But
when we’re immersed in the world of “One Anothering” we will find the humility
and strength to seek or give forgiveness. Remember, forgiving is not saying
what that person did or said was right. It simply means that you will no longer
hold it against that person. And you will do yourself the favor or releasing
yourself from your prison of hatred, resentment, bitterness, and anger. When
Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he wrote”As I walked out the door toward the
gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and
hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”
Of
course, some people are like old Ben.
Old Ben was dying. For
years he had been at odds with Jake, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting
to straighten things out, he sent word for Jake to come and see him. When Jake
arrived, Ben told him that he was afraid to go into eternity with such a bad
feeling between them. Then, very reluctantly and with great effort, Ben
apologized for things he had said and done that had hurt Jake. He also assured
Jake that he forgave him for his offenses. Everything seemed fine until Jake
turned to go. As he walked out of the room, Ben called out after him, “But,
remember, if I get better, this doesn’t count!” [“Our Daily Bread,” June 18,
1994]
Encourage
one another and Build One Another Up [Hebrews 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:11]
To encourage one another and build one another up makes all the difference in
the world.
Alex Haley, author of the
book “Roots,” had a photo in his office of a turtle sitting on top of a wooden
fence post. Why? Because if you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he
didn’t get there all by himself. He had to have a great deal of help getting up
there.
In
like manner, if we look back through the years, we realize that many people
lifted us up to where we are today - parents, teachers, friends, pastor.
When
we face health, family or financial crises, we are there for one another. We
help put one another back on the fence post.
One
person illustrated the impact encouragement has by saying:
Flatter me, and I may not
believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not
forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. - Wm Arthur Ward
So
don’t miss any opportunity to encourage one another. And encourage Josh when he
arrives. This is his first pastorate and he’ll need you each day to encourage
him in his ministry.
Pray
for One Another [James 5:16] Praying for one another
is a vital part of our life with one another. We write prayer requests for
loved ones and friends to be included in my morning prayer as well as to be
included in the daily prayers of others. We ask one another to pray for people
to get well from sickness. We ask one another to pray for those who need
employment. We ask one another to pray for the safety of our military
personnel. We ask one another to pray for ourselves. The power of prayer is
strengthened by praying for one another.
A story is told about
a small town that had always been “dry.” However, when a local businessman
opened a tavern, Christians from a local church were up in arms. They conducted
an all-night prayer vigil asking God to intervene. A few days later, lightning
struck the tavern and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the
church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible for his
loss. The lawyer for the church argued
in court that the prayers of the church members were not responsible for the
fire. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that
"no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner
believes in prayer and the Christians do not."
Love
One Another [John 13:34] The greatest One Anothering is loving one
another [Romans 13:8]. Paul said that we should “Do everything in love.” I
Corinthians 16:14.
In
our morning scripture, John said, “let us love one another, for love comes from
God. If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in
us. Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
What
does it mean to love one another? One person put it this way.
Love is remaining
silent——when your words would hurt.
Love is being
patient——when your neighbor’s curt.
Love is being deaf——when a
scandal flows.
Love is being
thoughtful——for other’s woes.
Love is being prompt——when
stern duty calls.
Love is being
courageous——when misfortune falls. [Anon]
We need one another
[1 Corinthians 12:12-31] As we love one another, are kind to one another,
forgive one another, encourage one another and build one another up, and pray
for one another, the truth becomes clear - folks, we need one another. Paul
describes us as the Body of Christ [1 Corinthians 12:27]. The body, he goes on
to say, is made up of many parts, such as a foot, a hand, an ear, and an eye.
He then points out, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And
the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” [1
Corinthians 12]
Our need for one another
is illustrated by the giant redwood trees of California. They are the largest
living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are 300
feet high, as high as the Statue of Liberty, and over 2,500 years old.
Amazingly enough, their roots system is only five to six feet deep. However,
that root system extends out 250 feet in all directions. As a result, the roots
of the trees in a redwood forest are intertwined with one another giving them
an enormous stability when high winds come through.
In
like manner, when by ourselves, our roots systems may not provide us sufficient
stability to weather the storms of our lives, but when the roots of our hearts
and souls are intertwined in love with others in the congregation, we gain
enormous strength. The more that we one-another one another, the more we’ll be
able to hold up in times of need and stress.
Final Thoughts Remember, we cannot separate sacred and
secular - Sunday morning from week days. We can’t engage in “one anothering” on
Sunday and discontinue it during the week. Why? Because the church is not a
social club, dining hall, sports arena or status symbol. The church is our
life. In essence, we don’t go to church, we are the church seven days a
week. Amen.
1 John 4:7-12 NRSV
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from
God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this
way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In
this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we
also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one
another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
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