Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

The first commandment is to love God and the second command is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is a command given to us by God and reiterated to us by Jesus. it seems to be something we need to pay attention to. We are called, summoned to love God and the people around us.

We have been talking about this verse in the context of loving and listening to our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We started this with first examining ourselves and then we talked about what it means to process this culture through engaging our minds. This coming week, we are exploring how we can move on mission to tangibly love the LGBTQ+ community in our neighborhoods. What does loving tangibly look like for us?

It begins with bridge-building. What is a bridge builder? What does this look like in our contexts? Building bridges is simply the practice of empathy with people who are different than us. Bridge building is a sustainable friendship, a relationship, a bond, camaraderie, closeness and strong confidence. We are called to build bridges informed by the Scriptures and empowered by the Spirit. We’re called to let the Holy Spirit whisper truth into each person’s heart. And we’re called to show love unconditionally, tangibly, and measurably.

In her book, Rethinking Sexuality, Juli Stanley states: “We build bridges by communicating in a hundred different ways that ‘I want to know what it’s like to be you.” It is a simple act of understanding and walking in another person’s shoes. “By listening and caring, we become a safe place for people to talk honestly about their marriage, their loneliness, their disappointments in love, and their perspective on cultural issues. Instead of shutting down these discussions with awkwardness or brash opinions, we ask questions, lean in, and earn the right to share what God has taught us (Stanley, 158).”  

It is so important to listen and to lean in with people in this way. When talking about loving our neighbor, Jesus tells us what this needs to look like. Jesus explains to us how our neighbor can be anyone and everyone (Luke 10:25-37). We are called to a high standard. We are called to love one another as we love ourselves. Jesus commands: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34)

As I have loved you.

We probably have not fully processed how difficult this might be. It’s not just about loving well or being nice. He calls us to love each other better than we love ourselves. It is honestly about out serving one another. He calls us to lay down our lives for each other. And that is a difficult command to follow. We will only stand out if we love as He loved.

When we think of our neighbors, how are we loving them? How much time are we giving to them? Are we paying attention to them? What are we sacrificing to build them up and consider them better than ourselves? In what ways are we prioritizing the “one another” commands God gave us? What are we doing to love one another (even those who are different than us) as Jesus loved us?