Rochester, MN UCC - "Be Merciful, Just as Your Father is Merciful" - Luke 6:27-38

The Pope and the Vice President have had a bit of a public theological debate these last few weeks. After VP Vance used the latin phrase, “ordo amoris,” to support his claim that Christianity teaches to us to love those with closest relationships to us first and foremost, Pope Francis responded in a letter to the US Bishops that the “true ordo amoris comes from meditating on the story of the Good Samaritan.”

 Ordo Amoris is a Latin phrase, meaning rightly ordered love, that was used by St. Augustine when discussing how to deal with the fact that we have limited time and capacity for love. Augustine argues that we should prioritize those closest to us and those to whom we have responsibility. You have a responsibility to your child, and if your child is starving you should not prioritize giving food to others over them. However, the idea is not to reduce your concern for others. If there is a stranger on your street who is starving, and your child is well fed, you should absolutely feed the stranger! So yes, it is important for Christians to rightly order their loves, but this does not mean you should only show concern for those closest to you.

This Sunday we’ll read a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain from Luke, which includes the line, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” Jesus Christ calls us to the highest moral standard, he insists that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, he calls us to be merciful as God is merciful. By contrast, the world often gives us excuses to curtail our concern for others, to limit the scope of our love and mercy to those who already love us.The statements from the Pope and our Vice President come in the context of a debate about the morality of a mass deportation of our immigrant and refugee neighbors. These are people who live close to us. People who have fled their homes to find safety or a means to support themselves and their families. They are being demonized and slandered by our political leaders and they are being torn from their children and sent back to countries many had to flee for their lives. I personally believe that God would be merciful to these people, and so, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I must also be merciful to them.

 This Sunday in worship come and be reminded of the depth of God’s love for you and for all people. Come and be reminded of the high moral calling that Jesus gives to his followers. And finally, come and pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit as we each do our best to show the love and mercy of God to our neighbors.

 Pastor Andrew Greenhaw