John 13:34

Loving And Giving

Love one another. John 13:34.

When Jesus knew that His earthly life was nearly ended and that the time had come when He should be parted from His disciples, He left them this message “Love one another.”

Now people always like to fulfill the last wishes of their friends. They look upon it as a sacred duty. You remember King Robert the Bruce's last wish that his heart should be buried in the Holy Land and how brave James Douglas died in trying to fulfill it. Jesus has left His great Heart of Love in our keeping, but He does not wish us to bury it in the Holy Land: He wishes us to carry it all over the world so that the whole earth may become a Holy Land.

How can we do this? By loving one another.

But what does “loving one another” mean? You may think it is very easy to answer that, but it is not so easy as it looks, because love is such a big word and it means a great many things. I was trying to think of some way of making this plain to you, and while I was thinking, an old rhyme came into my head. It is a rhyme about the days of the week on which children are born. I expect most of you know it. It begins

Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace.

And when it gets to “Friday's child,” it says

Friday's child is loving and giving.

When I reached that line I said, “Now that's just it. ‘Loving and giving' always go together, for ‘ loving' is just ‘ giving' in some form or other.”

1. And, first, loving means giving in.

Once two children were sitting together on a stool which was just a little too small to hold them both comfortably. At last one said to the other, “Don't you think if one of us got down, there would be more room for me?”

Often in our homes or at school it happens like that. Two people want the same thing a thing that can't be shared comfortably; and when that is the case, there is usually a quarrel unless one of the two gives in. Now loving just means giving in. It means thinking of others and realizing that they have a right to things too. It means saying, “Don't you think if one of us got down, there would be more room for you?”

2. And then loving means giving up.

There was once a little boy who owned a canary. He loved it very much and he fed it and cared for it every day. But one day his mother fell ill. She was very, very ill indeed, and the singing of the bird hurt her and made her feel worse. The boy carried the cage to a distant part of the house, but still the shrill notes reached her room. One day the child was beside his mother when the canary began to sing. A look of pain crossed her face and when the boy saw it he left the room and ran downstairs. Without saying a word to anyone he took the bird, cage and all, and gave it away to a friend. When his mother heard what he had done, she was very much touched, and she said, “But you loved the bird.” “Yes,” said the child, “but I love you more.”

So loving sometimes means giving up.

3. Loving also means giving away.

On the day that Queen Victoria died, the news of her death was telegraphed all over the world, and wherever the tidings went people were very sorry, for she had been a good and kind and wise ruler.

Now among other places, the news came to Dublin. And on the bills of the evening newspapers there was printed in large letters “DEATH OF THE QUEEN.” One newspaper boy was busy laying out his bills on the pavement when a little ragged bare-footed urchin came running past. He stopped to read the news and when he saw it two big tears rose in his eyes and trickled down his grimy cheeks. Suddenly an idea came to him. He fumbled in the depths of his pocket and brought out a penny the only penny he possessed in all the world! Then he darted across the street to where a flower-girl was standing and purchased a bunch of violets. Back he came, handling the flowers so tenderly. He unfastened the string and laid the violets one by one all over the word “QUEEN.” Then he stood looking down on them with tears in his eyes.

A gentleman who was passing had noticed the incident and he stopped to ask the boy what had made him do as he had done. The little fellow replied, “I didn't seem as if I could help it. I loved her so, for she was always so kind. My two brothers are soldiers out at the war in South Africa, and she was always so good to her soldiers.”

Yes, boys and girls, loving means giving away.

4. Again, loving means giving yourself.

About three hundred years ago there lived in Portugal a monk called Fra Bernardo. He was supposed to be holy and happy, but he was neither. For in his heart was neither faith, nor love, nor any vision of God.

Now it came to pass that the plague visited the city in which this monk lived, and many people fled the place; but not so Fra Bernardo. He went in and out among the stricken people, he fed them, he comforted them, he nursed them with his own hands. And, little by little, as he shared the sorrows of others, his cold empty heart was filled with a great pity. But still he had no vision of God.

Then one day he visited the home of a poor woman who was dying of the pestilence. She was in great distress and she said, “I am not afraid to die, dear

Father, but who is to look after my boy and girl?” And there and then Fra Bernardo promised to care for the children and bring them up.

So he took the boy and girl home with him. He cared for them and amused them. He fed them, and clothed them, and took them for walks. He was to them father and mother and big brother all rolled into one. He loved them and gave himself to them. And then, one day, the great thought came to him if these children mean so much to me, perhaps I mean something to God. The vision of God had come, and his heart was filled with love and joy and peace. For the great secret of loving is serving giving yourself to and for others.

5. That's four things to remember. Loving means giving in, giving up, giving away, giving yourself. Can you remember one more? Loving means for giving.

The other day I read the story of two cannibal chiefs who were neighbors and who both became Christians. One was called Panapa and the other Tamati. In the old, bad days, before he became a Christian, Panapa had killed and eaten Tamati's father, and he was very much afraid to meet Tamati, because he thought Tamati would want to kill him.

Now it so happened that a Communion service was being held in a neighboring village, and the two chiefs, each unknown to the other, resolved to be present. When Tamati went forward to the altar rail to receive the bread and wine as they do in the

Church of England who should be kneeling beside him but Panapa. Tamati's face became convulsed with rage. He lifted his fist as though he were going to strike Panapa. Then all of a sudden his hand fell to his side and he rose up and left the church. In a few minutes he returned, tears streaming down his cheeks. He knelt down in his old place at the altar rail and drank out of the same cup as the murderer of his father.

When the service was over, the missionary asked Tamati how he had received grace to act as he had. And the chief replied, “I remembered how it is written in God's book, ‘ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.'”

Boys and girls, if we want to be the disciples of the loving, gentle Jesus we must be forgiving. Loving means forgiving.