Examples of Christ to the World
A Week with W. H. Auden
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“We love because he first loved us.”
We are commanded (or forbidden) to love our mates, our children, our friends, our country because such affections come naturally to us and are good in themselves, although we may corrupt them. We are commanded to love our neighbor because our “natural” attitude toward the “other” is one of either indifference or hostility. –A Certain World, “Neighbor, Love of One’s” (1970)
What God asks of us is anything but fair. Fair means loving those who love you back. That is why new parents often struggle with the demands of raising an infant. They love this child, but the baby doesn’t yet offer love in return. Adding to the pain is the frustration of constant demands placed upon the parents. Especially with first-time parents, the shock of constant demands with little or no immediate emotional benefit in return is overwhelming. And this is a child we love.
Now, consider the demand of loving individuals we do not know, who do not care for us, or may even desire our harm. How in God’s name can we be expected to love these people? Yet, loving those who care little or nothing for you is precisely what God requires of us. Auden writes of this type of love so no one who reads his works can take the shallow path. Divine love, at its core, is love that is unfair and not deserved. That is what makes it so unique.
Jesus landing in this world is an unfair act. We humans did not, and do not, deserve Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We do not deserve the sacrificial love God provided through his humble infant birth. We are unworthy of God’s loving example in life perfectly shared. We certainly do not deserve redemption through the cross and the promise of following Jesus into God’s kingdom through the resurrection. So today, pray for the courage and humility to love without restraint. In loving the unlovable, we become examples of Christ to the world.
