18-May-25 Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 13:31-35)

Jesus says that people will know us by how we love God's other children. But what does that look like. When Jesus announced his ministry, he said that he was sent by God to visit the sick and suffering and those in prison, that he was sent by God to help others in their needs, that his proclamation of "the acceptable year of the Lord" was to be evidenced by concrete actions of love and mercy.
So it was with him and so it should be with us. We should be known by the concrete actions of love, mercy, and justice that we do. When people look at what we do, they will see evidence of the love of God for each and every one of them.
We can do that in person, for those ministries that are nearby to us, and we can do it by empowering our representatives to do those concrete actions throughout our country and in the whole world by giving generously of our financial resources.
The deacons will collect those gifts as we take up our offering for today.

Prayer:

Please join me in the spirit of prayer.
God, whose love knows no boundaries of time or space or person, we pray for these gifts that we have returned to your hand. Bless them and multiply them so that they could do concrete deeds of love, mercy, and justice in our world.
Bless us as well, that in our actions, your love for each and every one of your children would shine through us, that they would know your love through us, and that they would recognize us as Jesus' disciples.
In the name of Jesus, our Risen Lord, Amen.