Commanded to love

 by Margaret Killingray (Word for the Week 07-04-08)

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere mutual affection, love one another deeply, from the heart.  1 Peter 1:22

Peter repeats this command to love several times in this letter: Love the brothers and sisters (2:17), love one another (3:8), love each other deeply (4:8).  We are not advised to wait for love to overwhelm us, like a Disney fairy touch with a sparkling wand.  We are told to love from the heart, deeply, now – to go beyond ‘sincere mutual affection’ and to love at full stretch.

It is clear that Peter is talking about love within Christian fellowships – not just compatible friends, nor beloved family members, but the arbitrary mixed bag of humans who worship together.  That is demanding enough, but Jesus told us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves and explained that he meant anyone.  Moreover we may find ourselves the love target of those we dislike, as the man on the road to Jericho did.  

How do we obey this command to love?  First, we have to make a decision of the will to ‘love’ someone, however we feel about them.  We cannot wait for feelings of love to arrive, nor for dislike to evaporate.  Secondly, we need to work out what actions love will require.  So I see a colleague coming and I ignore my deep desire to avoid him.  I recognise that he has a hard lonely time and needs to talk.  So I ask him out for lunch, and listen.  I look at my overworked line manager and I curb my desire to talk to him about the minor issues I want him to sort out, at least for a day or two.  

But sometimes being loved also presents problems.  So, once again, the will has to conquer reluctance and I will allow myself to be encouraged, rather too loudly for my delicate sensibilities, by a neighbour on the train to town.  And I will be happy to be prayed over by a very loving member of my church.