Love One Another Thursday
Today we’re going to compare news headlines from The New York Times and Fox News, because today is Love One Another Thursday.
You might be more familiar with the Latin name for today: Maundy Thursday. Back when the Church used Latin all the time, “Maundy” was the shorthand title for “Maundatus Novum,” which is Latin for “New Commandment.” What is the “new commandment” to which this Thursday points?
John 13:34 - A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, so you are to love one another.
Spring Church has a rather strict translation policy: Don’t use a word in an ancient language if we have a perfectly good word in everyday English. Therefore, since we don’t live in a culture brimming with Latin enthusiasts, I suggest we call today “Love One Another Thursday,” so that everyone can know what today is all about.
And, for this Love One Another Thursday in particular, I would like to highlight the sheer impossibility of Jesus’ command: Jesus loves us perfectly, and he commands us to love other people with this same perfect love.
Two days ago, here was a headline from Fox News:
Michigan State Democratic Rep. Karen Whitsett says that her Covid-19 symptoms went away after taking a drug that President Trump endorses, and she publicly thanked President Trump and that drug for saving her life.
Disclaimer - I am not endorsing, neither am I discrediting, Fox News, this drug, President Trump, or Rep. Whitsett’s experience.
Also two days ago, here are the headlines from the top two stories on The New York Times:
The two most-read articles for the New York Times on Tuesday described President Trump as a narcissist without a soul.
Disclaimer - I am not endorsing, neither am I discrediting, the New York Times or the medical condition of narcissism as it relates to President Trump.
For now, I do not intend to weigh in on any of the very important subject matters related to governance, medicine, social justice, public policy, race, gender, journalism, or anything else raised by putting these two headlines together. I do want to highlight one very specific thing: These two news outlets describe the world in such dramatically different ways, I wonder sometimes if we are all looking at the same world.
This is the essence of Uncommon Friendship. We are called to love everyone with the same perfect love that Jesus loves us with. Everyone means, well, everyone. And we use the term “Uncommon Friendship” to describe relationships which are out of the ordinary, require more effort, or where love might be hard to cultivate.
Today is Love One Another Thursday, and when I look at these two headlines, I wonder how any Christian who regularly gets their news from one source could ever learn how to love a person who gets their news from the other source? It feels impossible to me. We need something beyond the news to help us see our political enemies as whole people.
Side note - Three “pandemic news practices” I’ve picked up, to help me connect to all of my Uncommon Friends:
I routinely skim the headlines from American news sources that span the political spectrum, and I try to learn why this perspective is important to my Uncommon Friends.
I tend to read the news from non-American news sources, especially from sources which limit themselves to only describing things they see with their eyes and hear with their ears.
I rarely spend more than 30 minutes a day reading the news. Any more than that, and I’m probably meditating on the news instead of reading it.
Today is Love One Another Thursday, and I’m called to love people who are actively harming others and themselves. Jesus commands me to love them perfectly. It feels impossible to me.
On one extreme, I want to rail against my Uncommon Friends and force them to feel the pain they are inflicting, but Palm Sunday was just a few days ago, and I still remember that Jesus doesn’t show up and force his will and beat up the bad guys.
On the other extreme, I want to ignore the pain my Uncommon Friends are causing. I want us all to be reunited in friendship, sweep all the hurt feelings under the rug, and move on without dealing with the brokenness. But Holy Friday is tomorrow, and I know that Jesus takes the brokenness so incredibly seriously that he himself is broken.
I cannot force my will, and I cannot ignore the pain. This feels impossible.
When I admit how impossible this feels, I am brought back to the place where I was created to be: In the loving arms of Jesus, who is the source of all love. Jesus alone is able to cultivate his love in my heart, and Jesus alone is able to cause his love to flourish in my community. Love One Another Thursday brings me back to repentance, every single year, just as the whole Church celebrates the initiation of Communion in a global act of repentance. Maybe, for today, I can remain in the loving arms of Jesus.
Uncommon Friendship still feels impossible. The world portrayed by Fox News and the world portrayed by The New York Times are very different worlds. I still have relationships which are really hard for me, and I know I can be a challenging person to love, too. Yet, if I lived in Jericho, I would find it impossible to be friends with Zaccheaus the traitor. Jesus cultivated his love in Zaccheaus’ heart, and then Jesus invited the folks in Jericho to participate! Maybe, for today, I can listen for Jesus’ invitation to participate in what he’s doing in the lives of people I find difficult to love.