Of my many weaknesses,

6th Sunday of Easter
Gospel of St. John 15:9-17

Of my many weaknesses, and there are a few, my tendency to “overthink” solutions to problems is one with which I struggle. This weakness causes me to look past the clear and simple solution of a problem, and instead, direct my focus towards the more complex and complicated one. This expense of unnecessary energy and effort has on many an occasion resulted in failure and discouragement and leaves me right where I started; having a problem in need of a solution. I wish I could tell you that as I have grown older, I have been able to eliminate this weakness, however, that would not be entirely true. Yet, that does not mean I am not without a solution. It just means that I don’t always apply it. So, today, I would like to share with you, those who may suffer from this same weakness, a solution. When faced with a problem or struggle the best way to find the fix is to…K.I.S.S it.

If you had a father like mine, you may be already familiar with the acronym K.I.S.S. For those of you who didn’t have a father like mine, I will fill you in. K.I.S.S stands for Keep It Simple… I will let you insert your own descriptor that starts with the letter “S” here. The idea behind this acronym is of course; when presented with a problem the best solution is typically the simplest solution.

Now, with all that being said, I propose that Jesus himself was a proponent of the K.I.S.S method as evidenced by his instruction to his disciples in today’s Gospel.

First, for a little context. If you recall last week’s Gospel reading, Jesus was instructing his disciples about the importance of “remaining” in the vine in order to produce fruit. He said that since he was the vine, and that God, his father, was the master gardener, it is imperative that we, his disciples, remain in him in order that we bear fruit.

If you are like me, then your response upon hearing Jesus’s instruction to “remain” in the vine, may have been to develop of a complicated set of rules. We might have created systems and mechanisms that govern behaviors, attitudes, and appearance. We may have created rules about the places where we can go or the people with whom we associate.  We did this in hopes that these rules will keep us attached to the vine. Rules that we believe would allow us to meet all the perceived nuances and subtleties of our faith and therefore allow us to be considered obedient followers of Christ.

You see, there is comfort in rules. Rules direct our charity, dictate our relationships, and define our roles in our communities and allow us to feel comfortable in a chaotic, lost, and out of control world. Rules provide comfort and support and, typically, when we feel comfortable and supported we tend to think that our rules our right. Once we have convinced ourselves that our rules are right we then come to believe that we are right. And when we come to believe that we are right because of our rules, we are then no longer dependent on the vine, the source of our righteousness, Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the vine, the source of our righteousness, has only one rule, “love one another as I love you.” The quintessential K.I.S.S method, if you will, simple, clear, and direct. His promise for obeying his only rule; “If you keep my commandment you will remain in my love.” To love one another is to remain dependent upon the vine, Jesus Christ.

As I mentioned previously, rules provide comfort, stability, and support. However, the love that Jesus is commanding us to emulate is a love that motivates us to step out of our comfort zone and experience the insecurity and vulnerability of taking risks. Risks that involve offering refuge to the displaced and disadvantaged. Risks that require the removal of labels and ideologies and insisting that our all our human interactions first begin with respect and dignity. Risks that are associated with responding to challenges and struggles in love.

The love that Jesus is speaking of in today’s Gospel is transformative and allows us to be in right relationship with him and with one another. We are his friends and we are friends one with another. We are not slaves or servants who are valued because of our ability to adhere to rules and perform tasks; rather, we are called to relationship, a friendship founded and forged in love and fellowship.

This love is not designed to make us feel comfortable. That is not the ultimate goal of this love. Rather, this love will challenge us to re-examine the rules that govern our behaviors, beliefs, attitudes. This love will cause us to speak kindly to people that we previously ignored and will cause us to engage in service that was once “just something we don’t do.” This love will cause us to look upon the suffering of others and allow us to see ourselves, and our savior, Jesus, in their pain and misery. This love will cause us to respond to that suffering first with love knowing that is exactly how Jesus responds to our suffering.

To love one another as Jesus loves is the simplest commandment. To live out this commandment however, becomes our greatest challenge. There are a host of problems that confront our society, affect our decisions, and cause us to seek the comfort of rules. May we, I pray, respond to these problems; these problems that challenge our positions, opinions, and beliefs, as Jesus commanded… may we respond first in love.