Love One Another

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, May 18,2025, drawing from John 13:31-35

What more can I say about today's biblical passage, which is so very, very simple? But when we say that Christianity is centered on the teachings of love - specifically loving one's neighbor - do we really, truly have a good understanding of that?

Today's reading from the Gospel of John contains something we often overlook; where Jesus says, "Where I am going, you cannot come." Of course, this is in the context of loving ones neighbor, which means that when Jesus is not right beside us, we are still meant to love one another. In so doing, in loving in this way, Jesus' presence will always be with us.

The love of neighbor we are taught by Jesus is not one where we love each other in our own ways, in ways that make sense only to us; we are to love each other as Jesus loved people. This is why we are to study the Bible, read it carefully, allow ourselves to learn from it, and to continue to be corrected in our actions and in our prayers.

Let us pray, O God, that we may remember that in the most basic act of loving one another, we must not be distracted by ourselves, but remember to follow you always.

Amen