Virtual Worship and Communion @ 9:30am, May 9th -
Minister Kim Braxton, preaching - Lectionary is (John 15:9–17)
John 15:9–17 follows last week’s “I am the true vine” passage and continues to expand on the character of Christian love. This love is a joy (v. 11), not a burden. However, it is not “easy” or sentimental: it requires nothing less than a willingness to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. To become a friend of Jesus carries a commitment, obedience to the commandment to love one another sacrificially, as Jesus has loved us (see also John 13:34). In this friendship, we make ourselves vulnerable in making ourselves known to others, as did Jesus. This vulnerability brings risk, but it also brings the promise of abiding together, of deepening our relationships. Self-revelation, in this sense, can be a form of laying down one’s life for others
