Neighbor.
By Rev. Mark Buetow
Faith says “Amen” to Loving Your
aith says “Amen” to all of the gifts of Jesus.The Good News that He died for our sins and rose earns a resounding “Amen!” The Good News that we have this salvation delivered to us in the means of grace also can get a big “Amen!” But when it comes to the Lord’s command to love and serve our neighbor, to put up with people around us, especially the ones we don’t like, that amen usually turns into an “Aw, man!”
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It can seem easy to be hyped up for the good gifts given by Jesus to me.That’s because we make it all about something for me. But when it comes to our neighbor, we’re not so excited. Jesus says,“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Sinful Old Adam says,“Aw, man! Do I have to? I won’t do it!” Faith, on the other hand, as it does when it hears all of God’s Word, says,“Amen!” Love your neighbor? True. Solid. It shall be so. In fact, the amen of faith isn’t any different when it comes to serving our neighbor than when it hears the Lord has good gifts.That’s because those gifts are for all people in Christ, so faith says,“Amen! The Lord’s salvation is for all people. My good works will be for whoever needs them.” Now, saying amen to loving our neighbor doesn’t mean we suddenly find some strength in us to keep God’s Law on our own. No, our amen to loving our neighbor is where every amen is: Jesus. Only in Jesus do we love God and serve our neighbor as we should.The sins against our neighbor are forgiven in Jesus, to which we say,“Amen.”The good works we do for our neighbor are pleasing to God because we are His children in Jesus. Faith says,“Amen” to that too. So when the Lord teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He’s just teaching us to believe and trust in Him again.That’s because Jesus has done all things well, and He alone has truly loved and served His neighbor. Baptized into Jesus, absolved of our sins, and full of His body and blood, His telling us to love our neighbor is just more good news to which we say “Amen.”
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Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church, Du Quoin, Illinois, and is a plenary speaker for the Amen 2008 Higher Things conferences.
