Meditation for Easter 5
Collect
Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him:
Grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
John 13: 31-35
When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him,* God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Love one another. Easier said than done.
Those of us who are fortunate and blessed to be in love, have no difficulty with obeying that commandment. It’s harder if that love was in the past, or no longer exists.
Loving family is the most straightforward, but even then it’s not always easy. (Particularly, it seems, for celebrities.)
Loving friends is somewhat easier – at least you can choose who your friends are.
But loving as meant by Jesus – ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους ‘you should love one another’ is something else entirely. Agape love means selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others. Partner, family, friends – that’s hard enough. But Jesus tells us that isn’t enough. It’s not just ‘love each other’. It’s love …as I have loved you…
So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side. Bury you and think that’s the last they’ll see of you. Forgive them. All of them.
Love as I have loved you, says Jesus.
Spend a few moments asking yourself a question – what if I did?
Previous Posts
Praying Together 30th March 2025
As Julian of Norwich wrote, ‘the example of a mother’s service is closest, most willing, and most sure because it is most true’, and thus we use that example as part of our Lenten journey.
Praying Together 23rd March 2025
God gives us the freedom to make that choice, and will always offer us another chance when we fail, as He did to the barren fig tree.
Praying Together 16 March 2025
Unlike the other tragic heroes, Jesus has no flaw or blemish other than those inflicted by others: the scars on His back, the thorn-blood on His forehead, the betrayal by His friend.
Praying Together March 9th 2025
God’s demand for perfection need not discourage you in the least in your present attempts to be good, or even in your present failures.
Praying Together 2nd March 2025
God of the nations, whose sovereign rule brings justice and peace, have mercy on our broken and divided world.
Praying Together 23 February 2025
Meditation for the Second Sunday before Lent CollectAlmighty God,you have created the heavens and the earthand made us in your own image:Teach us to discern your hand in all your worksand your likeness in all your children;through Jesus Christ our Lord,who with you...
Praying Together 16th February 2025
And if you accept Him as Lord, allow Him to lead you as you walk into the future without looking back, and do what He has equipped you to do as His body on earth
Praying Together 9th February 2025
We are all asked to have the faith to put out into deep water, but we must remember that we will never be on our own. Peter’s ministry was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, as will ours.
Praying Together 2nd February 2025
We are all called to be the Body of Christ in His entirety – and we are to take the example of all ‘Saints’ who have gone before, both male and female, as models of our required behaviour.
Praying Together 26th January 2025
Most importantly, in the face of what appears to be a society built upon prejudice and hatred, we are sustained and strengthened by the knowledge that in the end, love will triumph, leaving the wordly values of the tyrant to be forgotten.
Praying Together 19th January 2025
Jesus has demonstrated His authority and power. He takes something ordinary, and it becomes extraordinary. He turns water to wine. He heals the past and offers a new future. He changes his followers from sinner to saint.
Meditations 5th January 2025
With the same eyes as the Magi, we look into the manger, see the light of the world – be it for the first time, after a dark time, or in our daily devotions – and every time we see something new.