It can be easy to avoid our enemies, but it may be even easier to be offended by them. Jesus calls us to do something different: to love them. When we give up being offended, opportunities for love abound…even love that gets close. Jesus demonstrates this in his ministry. He gets close to people that his own community would consider enemies. When a tax collector shows up to see Jesus, Jesus doesn’t get offended by his swindling ways. Instead, he gets proximate in a surprising way. Come and learn more this Sunday.
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If your sworn enemy asks you to love those who hurt you, you should run. If God asks the same, you should lean in and listen. Most people nod and agree with the teaching to love your neighbor — even if we don’t. But to love our enemies? Most laugh. Why love people who will hurt us? Why prioritize people who want to harm us? This seems foolish, unwise, even abusive. Yet, loving one’s enemies is the foundation of Jesus’ teaching…and his life. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us….For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:8,10) Jesus starts his enemy love — with us. In turn, God’s love for us —not our natural love for our enemies - is the foundation of this radical teaching and practice. But what does it look like? For some of us, we’re confused if we even have enemies. For others, we know exactly who they are and we are not excited for Jesus’ words on these matters. For all of us, Jesus has a good and powerful invitation as we respond to his transformative witness in a time of division, cancelation, and violence.