Dwelling in God's Love

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ

July 27, 2013

The Wedding of Pauline Eddy and Nigel Fraser

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-24

Psalm 128

Ephesians 5:1-2, 20-33

John 5:9-12

Dwelling in God’s Love

            The passage I just read comes from a lengthy part of the Gospel of John that’s called the Farewell Discourse. It’s Jesus saying good-bye to his disciples.

            Jesus knows that he is running out of time. Jesus knows that soon he will be arrested and executed. So, since time is short, Jesus wants to teach – wants to get across to his often thick-headed followers – what’s most important.

            In the short passage I read today, Jesus reminds the disciples about the love that they have experienced – the love that they have shared.

            Jesus tells his closest friends and followers, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.”

            “Abide in my love.”

            That word “abide” is unusual, isn’t it?

            It’s not a word that we use very often. And, when we do use it, it’s often meant negatively. Maybe you’ve heard somebody say something like, “I can’t abide So-and-So.” Or, “I can’t abide liverwurst.” Or, “I can’t abide country music.” Or, “I can’t abide long sermons.”

            You get the idea.

            But, in the gospel Jesus uses the word “abide” in the most positive way imaginable.

            Jesus says, “Abide in my love.”

            Which really means, “Live in my love.”

            Or, maybe even better, “Dwell in my love.”

            And that’s been God’s great hope for all of us right from the start.

            God wants us to dwell in God’s love.

            In today’s first reading we heard part of the creation story from Genesis. In that story God creates the heavens and the earth and then God forms man from the dust and God breathes life into the man and then God creates a beautiful garden from the man. In the story God creates all the earth’s creatures to keep man company.

            But, still, there’s something missing.

            And then, I think we can all agree that God outdoes God’s self and creates woman to be man’s helper and partner.

            Seeing woman for the first time, the man says, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

            Which might be loosely translated as, “Now, that’s more like it!”

            Man and woman were created to dwell in God’s love.

            And man and woman were created to dwell in each other’s love.

            And what was true for the first man and woman remains true for us. We are made to dwell in God’s overflowing love. And we are made to dwell in each other’s love.

            Unfortunately, in the creation story the first man and woman almost immediately forget that they were made to dwell in God’s love and in each other’s love. Instead, they listen to the voice of the serpent, disobey God, and even hide shamefully from the God who loves them – the God who seeks them out.

            And just like the first man and woman, we also often forget that we’re made to dwell in God’s love and in each other’s love.  We get distracted. We give into temptation. We stumble and fall. We disrespect each other. We don’t love one another as Jesus has loved us.

            So, every once in a while God sends us a reminder – a reminder that we are made to dwell in God’s love and made to dwell in each other’s love.

            Which is part of why we are here today.

            It’s been a privilege to help Nigel and Pauline prepare for today and for married life.

            And during these months I discovered what most of you already know – these are two extraordinarily kind, bright, generous, and dedicated people.

            Over the course of their lives, like all of us, they’ve faced hard times and disappointments. But, those experiences planted the seeds for the remarkably rich and mature love that they now share – a love that, God willing, will continue to deepen for many years to come.

            They abide – they dwell - in each other’s love.

            So, we’re here today to support these two wonderful people. We’re here to pledge our love and support during the inevitable tough times that, like all of us, Pauline and Nigel, will have to face.

            But, most of all, we’re here to be reminded of what life is all about – what we’re all about.

            Whether we’re married, single, widowed or divorced, God’s great hope is that we’ll abide – that we’ll dwell - in God’s overflowing love and that we’ll abide – that we’ll dwell - in each other’s love.

            Today we’re reminded of what life is all about – what we’re all about - because we see the love shared by Nigel and Pauline.

            Amen.