A Community that Practices Love

          Dear friends, have you heard about the Law of Hate?

         

         The Law of Hate is like an awful dervish, 
out of which spins all kinds of ills
—betrayal, murder, theft, and greed.

         It is the anvil upon which 
every commandment is broken, 
both tablets smashed to bits.

         It is an anvil upon which 
every link between sin and evil 
is forged for our imprisonment.

         The Law of Hate has but one goal
—dividing neighbor from neighbor, 
transforming each of us 
into unrecognizable enemies.

         It makes no distinction 
between victim and perpetrator, 
sinner and the one sinned against.

         It starts so simply
—any fault you see, 
no matter how small, 
assume the worst, 
respond immediately, 
and with all the bombast you can muster.

         Don’t go to the person whom it concerns 
that might lead to reconciliation
—no, instead publicly humiliate them, 
point out their fault and sin 
to as many people as possible… 
this will breed conflict.

         Whatever you do, 
don’t back down. 
No matter what, don’t stop, 
keep picking at it, 
like your disagreement is an itchy scabbed over wound.

         There will likely be off-ramps offered, 
olive branches extended. 
Just keep your foot on the gas, no matter what! 
Blow by anything that might ameliorate the hurt.

         Push every button, 
do everything to embarrass and escalate, 
until you are both bound to hell, 
until not a single word that you breath to one another is in agreement.

         Truly, if you do these things, 
Christ will never be among us.

         This is the Law of Hate.

 

         It might sound rather stark, 
perhaps even overly dramatic, 
but it is worth spelling out 
the Law of Hate, 
in all its viciousness, 
so it is clear what we’re fighting for, 
it is clear why love matters…

         It can fell like our society’s default 
is the Law of Hate, 
that there are plenty of people and communities 
who regularly practice hate…

         That’s why we need to be 
a community that lives 
by the Law of Love, 
that practices love…

Prayer

         We need to be 
a community that lives 
by the Law of Love, 
that practices love…

         In medieval Japan, 
when a ruler would break a tea pot or bowl 
they would send it back to China for repairs… 
and the vessel would come back 
stapled together with ugly metal staples… 
so eventually the Japanese created their own form of repair
—Kintsugi, 
in which broken vessels were repaired with gold or silver
—so the broken place became the most beautiful portion of the piece.

         So too, communities can mend broken relationships well, or poorly. 
We can practice hate, or love. 
We can embrace vengeance 
or repair breaches so that they 
shine forth with the light of Christ, 
reshaped for the better.

         And the advice Jesus gives us, 
as found in Matthew, 
steers us to a loving practice, 
the golden way that repairs the breach 
and brings us closer to being a community 
that shines forth God’s love.

 

         Firstly, the initial step is one of discretion
—the sin is brought up 
one-on-one. 
Randomly embarrassing your sister or brother in Christ, 
in front of a bunch of people isn’t the point, 
but instead the point is getting them to repent, 
so you can forgive them.

 

         If that fails, 
the second step is to get a few people to help you confront them about the sin
—and this is important
—this 2 or 3 witnesses business, is legal language 
that fellow Rabbis of Jesus’ day would understand, 
the question is, “do they have a case?”

         After all, sometimes a trivial thing can be blown out of proportion 
and it takes a few faithful friends to say, 
“Hey, they didn’t mean that the way you took it.”

         You are not trying to make your brother or sister in Christ 
walk on eggshells around you, 
because you’re too sensitive, 
you’re getting them to repent, 
so you can forgive them.

 

         If that too fails, 
the whole church gets involved
—this is to make sure those two or three you’ve gathered 
were not lackeys
—that you weren’t trying to triangulate this accusation of sin.

         You know what triangulation is, right? 
It’s the worst form of passive aggression
—you remain passive while someone else does the aggression, 
keeping your hands clean.

         Well, if the whole church is involved 
that kind of deceit becomes much less likely, and that’s good, 
because you aren’t trying to sabotage your sibling, 
you are getting them to repent, 
so you can forgive them!

 

         Finally, if all else fails, 
the person who has sinned against you ought to be treated like a tax collector or Gentile
—that is to say, as outside the community, but still welcome
—after all Jesus is constantly shamed 
for welcoming tax collectors and Gentiles into the fold. 
This breaking of community, 
alongside welcoming back to community, 
is done so the sinner might repent and receive forgiveness.

 

         In case you’re not getting the pattern here, 
the point of Matthew’s advice to the Church, 
found on Jesus’ lips, 
is that when someone hurts us, 
we ought to let them know 
in a way that allows them to repent, so we can forgive them.

         That’s what makes the Church, 
this group gathered together glistening golden 
with our breaks and tears, 
so amazing.

         In the face of the Law of Hate, 
practiced so easily, 
we struggle 
to be a community that lives by the Law of Love, 
we yearn, 
and sometimes even succeed to be 
a people that practices love…

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