Our unity is not created or maintained by cultural norms, familial ties, convenience, or a particular appetite. No, it is the Word of truth that shapes and establishes the unity of the Church. But when we look around, when we take in the whole scene of the visible Church on earth, “unity” may not be the word we use to describe it.

Born in Carthage under the Roman Empire, the early church father Tertullian wrote a famous description of how the Church was viewed by the world of his day. This was many years before Emperor Constantine made Christianity the religion of the empire, so there was no prominence attached to being a follower of Christ. Churches were small, often meeting in homes, and suffered regular and, at times, extreme persecution. Yet, there remained something about the Christians which intrigued the masses, something that stood out. Tertullian puts it this way, “It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. ‘See,’ they say, ‘how they love one another,’ for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred. ‘See,’ they say about us, ‘how they are ready even to die for one another,’ for they themselves would sooner kill.”

See how they love one another. Love is the early hallmark of the people of God. But to love, especially the love Tertullian is speaking about, is far more difficult than it may seem from the outside. What we will be examining today is how love flows from the Word of God, and such love is encapsulated in God’s Law and Gospel. It is far more than an emotion or a desire for peace at all costs. In fact, such love may cost you everything. Love is the Law of God, the word that is for correction and rebuke, the word that declares sin to be sin, the word that no one wants to hear. Yet, this too is love. So, love is also the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the word of hope and salvation outside of ourselves. Love is forgiveness and mercy when we are backed into a corner with no way to go forward on our own.

To love by the Word is the heart of our life together. God’s Law and Gospel collide with our lives over and over again. This brings repentance and assurance of salvation, and from that flows love. It is a love which ought to be visible to the world around us, a love that unites us together, binding us to one another. As Saint Paul famously said, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In John 17, we are invited to listen as Jesus prays to His Father. It is a prayer for those who believe in His name, a prayer for the Church, a prayer for you. What a joy it is to read this prayer, to hear our Lord making intercessions for us as He knows the dangers and obstacles that will come.

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