Listen

This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13

Think

John serves up a tall order today. Are we really expected to give up our life for our friends? What does that even mean? We know that Jesus gave up his life for all of us for all eternity, but are we really supposed to give up our lives that same way Jesus did?

In this time of pandemic, life and death have become scary and confusing. Adults can’t seem to make up their minds about the best way to do things. People are blaming and shaming one another about a virus and how to deal with it. School, whether online or in person, is supposed to be a safe space for students. But nothing feels really safe right now. Maybe Jesus is reminding us to be thoughtful, considerate, and kind. Maybe we are supposed to be thinking about others instead of ourselves, and that’s how we can follow the example of Jesus.

Bronwyn Clark Skov

Pray

Holy one, bless me with compassion today, so I don’t worry too much about myself. Help me focus on being helpful to others. Help me be a protector of others through my own actions, like Jesus was a protector of his friends.

Go

Let me be a friend to those who have few friends,

Let me find a friend when I feel lonely,

Let me walk away from danger to safety,

Help me walk in the light and love of Jesus.