Matthew recounts the story of Jesus besting the Pharisees, answering the question of the "greatest commandment" with love God, love neighbor as yourself. The "love" Jesus talked about was not the Hallmark, soap-opera definition of love that inhabits this culture's definition and expectation, but a love based on restorative behavior, reaching out to enemies to reconcile, treating others as fully human regardless of current circumstances, not fearing for or clinging to your own life and circumstances when you are called to share with or serve others. It is a simple concept, so very simple. It is the most difficult choice for any of us. A few, probably many more we don't know, but only the rare public leader is able to act as God demands.
Mandela invited his jailers to attend his inauguration and recognized them. He brought people together because he treated all people as fully human, even those who had wronged him. The nation of South Africa was able to move forward because Mandela set an example and galvanized enough people to act in ways that demonstrated reconciliation and justice.
No human is perfect. Mandela had his faults. His legacy is one, however, that steps toward the kind of world that God envisions. The Advent season invites us to recognize those moments of "in-breaking" and move toward making choices that invite more "in-breaking" of the presence of God. We are certainly flawed humans, no one of us is likely to ever have the influence of a Mandela or a Martin Luther King. But we can reach out to the people God places in our time and space and trust that God will take care of the big picture. It's a simple concept; it's a difficult choice.
'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
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