Walk in Love

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Originally Published in the Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper
This summer, I am spending three weeks at our three Episcopal camps. I want to share a bit of what I'm teaching, and what we are learning together. I sought our stories from the Bible of people on their journey encountering God, and learning to walk in love. The stories that I recalled probably says as much about me and my theology as about the theme.

Abraham, Sarah, and the Strangers (Genesis 18.1-15)
In this bizarre story, strangers show visit Abraham and Sarah as they are camped in the wilderness in the shade of some famous oaks. Abraham, following Torah, rushes to prepare a meal for the strangers to show hospitality. Actually Sarah does a lot of that work; it turns out to be the God, or Angels of the Lord. By showing hospitality to strangers, Abraham and Sarah show kindness to God.
St. Paul's Encounter with Christ (Acts 9. 1-19)
This guy Saul had everything figured out: he knew he was right, and his religion was right, and that the new group of people claiming God was enfleshed in Jesus were just a bunch of crazy atheists. He was so certain that he helped round them up and have them imprisoned or stoned to death. Then
Jesus showed up as he was traveling and changed Saul's life forever. He became St. Paul, and we are still learning how to love one another from his example today.
The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24.13-35)
Two mourning disciples are traveling along after the crucifixion and resurrection when a stranger starts walking with them. They explain their sad state: Jesus, who they thought was the messiah, had been killed by the governmental authorities, then the Stranger shared a different perspective. They invite him into eat with him, and when he take break and breaks it for them to share, they recognize that it is Jesus, and head home to tell the others.
Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3.1-17)
Moses, the little Hebrew orphan, has grown up, married, and is dutifully tending his father's-in-law sheep. Until he sees a fire in a bush. Because he turns aside from what he's supposed to be doing, God speaks to him, and leads him to liberate the people of Israel. Listening to the God "I AM" empowers him to face a mighty king and lead oppressed slaves into freedom.

All these sacred stories have elements of God showing up in surprising places, when, perhaps, the people least expect it. I hope that by spending time with these stories, our hearts might be open to God showing up in the midst of our everyday lives, and more importantly, that we are open to the transformation that occurs when we start listening to God's voice. We might find we are dining with God in the stranger, or we might find our lives turned in a radically new direction. Walking in Love as Christ loved us is about offering our lives to God so that when God shows up, we are open to following God's call. Whether or not you make it to a camp or retreat this summer, I hope you practice, along with those examples from the Bible, being open to what new thing God may be up to, I hope that we can all learn to walk in love as Christ loved (or loves, as some of my campers remind me) us.

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