The theme of love continues in the Lectionary this week, but the “one another” that we are called to love expands radically. In the Psalm all creation is called to praise God for the righteousness and justice that God brings to all people. In the Acts reading, Peter preaches to a group of Gentiles, with the result that they, too, receive the Holy Spirit, revealing that God’s love, grace and salvation is for all people, not just the Jews.
With these two readings in mind, John’s letter, which calls us to love all of God’s children, becomes even more challenging because we realise that the whole creation is God’s child, and all people who inhabit God’s world are God’s children – which means that there is no one to whom we can legitimately deny love.
Finally, in the Gospel, the call to love one another must now be understood to go beyond just our companions in the faith. The “one another” whom we are called to love through the sacrificial laying down of our lives, now includes all people and all creatures.
The moment we begin to try and exclude some people from our love, for whatever reason, we have failed to truly embrace the love of God. But, when God’s love flows through us to all – including even our “enemies” – we know the vibrant, abundant life of resurrection, and we become life-bringing agents of God’s love to the world.
Let us then embrace this transformative love and let it create a generous dwelling place in us individually and communally.