I was driving behind a bus and the poster on the back of the bus stated “This bus can take 75 cars off the road”
When I got a little closer, I noted it didn’t quite say that. It actually said, “This bus can take 75 cars off the road*”
There was a cheeky little asterisk that directed you to another sentence that explained that the bus had to be a double decker and it had to be full. A clever little disclaimer. We get a bold statement, tempered by a slight get out clause.
These asterisks are like the stars in the night sky. At first you don’t see them, but then when you do, you start to notice them popping up everywhere, always adding some nuance or clause to a claim.
They are especially popular in adverts.
“Get this new car for just £30,000!*”
Then you notice the little asterisk that leads you to the smaller writing that states “Car in poster is actually £38,000.”
“70 percent of women said this night cream was amazing”
Asterisk…
“We asked 75 women if it was amazing or if it was terrible, and 52 said amazing.” So actually a third of women think the product is terrible.
At one point the three top selling toothpastes all claimed they were the one that a dentist would recommend which seems unlikely, but each claim would have an asterisk that explained how they reached that conclusion.
These asterisks work wonders because you can advertise with bold claims and wonderful statistics, and then you can temper what you have said by adding some more information that means the original claim isn’t quite as it seems.
Can I tell you where you won’t find an asterix?
The scriptures and the teachings of Jesus.
In the Gospel Jesus makes a bold statement;
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
Jesus commands us to love one another.
Not “Love one another*”
We don’t get an asterisk that leads us to a list of clauses or nuances or reasons why sometimes we don’t have to love another. No such luck!
Jesus does not say “Love one another….. apart from LGBT+ people, you don’t have to love them, tolerate them, that is enough.”
He does not say that so don’t let anyone ever tell you he does.
Likewise he does not say “Love one another*”
*Apart from nasty homophobes transphobes and bigots.
We might think it says that, we might like it to say that, but it doesn’t.
In Jesus vision of love, All means All, not All means All*.
So today whatever reasons you have come up with to not love another, as valid as that reason may feel, you made that reason up and you act upon it on your own terms. But you don’t get to edit Jesus words and add an asterisk to make your life easier.
However whilst Jesus doesn’t give us an asterisk and a list of get outs, I think he does get how incredibly hard it can be to love others, to love everyone.
Jesus was God made human and he walked amongst us and he saw that families fight, friends fall out, bosses can tyrants, others who we are called to love hurt us and treat us poorly.
It can be hard to honour this simple yet radical commandment. Many of us today are struggling with it.
But it is worth the struggle and more than that, Jesus gives us a place to work from.
Let’s look at that commandment again;
“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
“Just as I have loved you.” Jesus gives us that guidance and we today are so lucky because we have four gospels full of examples of how Jesus loved one other.
Jesus enabled others to see.
He worked in ways to bring healing to others.
He fed others.
He provided clothing to others.
Jesus told others about the wonder of faith.
Jesus acted with respect and led with compassion.
Jesus listened. Jesus encouraged others.
He prayed for others, I mean how simple an act is that?
So yes, whilst loving others can be a hard challenging task, we have a way in, we have a place to start, so today go home, grab your gospel and explore the ways in which Jesus loved others and find an example that could work for you. Be bold, be brave, pick someone who rubs you up the wrong way and then love them as Jesus would.
Let us pray.
Jesus you are the ultimate example of unwavering, unconditional un-asterisked love.
You call us to follow your example and today we step boldly out in faith and begin a journey of loving a little bit more each day, step by step, bringing more and more love in to this world, guide and bless us each day.
Amen.
The Unexpected Prayer 