The Second Sunday After Trinity, June 29, 2025

The Second Sunday After Trinity, June 29, 2025

Jesus had no “ought” in laying down his life for us. God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, his Son, had no ought, no coercion, no compulsion, no command, and no shoulds or musts. The love we know from Jesus laying down his life for us is pure… love without restraint… without requirement… without reward… love as life: his life for our life. By laying this command on us (we ought…), John reveals the truth of the Apostle Paul’s declaration, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The love we know in the flesh is love with restraint… love as a requirement… love anticipating reward. It is love tainted by the sin in the sinner’s practice of it. The new creature in Christ, though, does love spontaneously and without command. For as long as the new creature lives entirely by faith in Christ, there is no ”ought” in the new creature’s love. But if that new creature makes any attempt to quantify or measure that spontaneous love, it collapses into the tainted love possessed by the sinner. There is both joy and warning in this. The joy comes from serving the neighbor. Regardless of whether love is commanded or spontaneous, the neighbor benefits. The warning humbles those who confuse obedience with love, leading to pride.

Prayers from a sinner needing the commandment to love but desiring the faith that delivers pure and spontaneous love…

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant that your Holy Spirit so work faith within me that love flows out of me spontaneously and freely. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant that, as this love flows from me without restraint, I would be oblivious to it, not attempt to measure it, quantify it, qualify it, or take pride in it, but solely trust that such love is present. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant that, if I fail in such trust and quantify that love, and when my love lapses to that of mere obedience, my neighbor will still benefit from my better behavior. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant that, as my neighbor benefits from my spontaneous love or my obedient love, we would build together trustworthy communities and neighborhoods. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant that the Institute of Lutheran Theology would be one of those trustworthy communities. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

Heavenly Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus. Grant me the joy and contentment of spending the days of my baptism living among neighbors who either love spontaneously or love obediently. For Jesus’ sake. Amen