“The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” –1 Peter 4:7-8
After viewing or reading about local, national and world events on your favorite media source, if I were to ask you to sum up what you saw in one word, what would it be? Now let’s say that you knew the end of the world was coming — and soon — and I asked you the same question. What would your word be this time? Hopelessness? Anxiety? Fear? All three would be good top contenders.
Recently, I received an advertisement for emergency preparedness supplies. There’s nothing really noteworthy about that. Living in Southern California, I often receive ads for fire or earthquake preparedness. But this one? This one was different. This preparedness package contained all the items I would need to survive for a year when society collapsed and Armageddon was upon us. Really?! How would that even work? I have a store of food and supplies while the marauding, starving crazed hordes are ravaging the land and they are just going to wave and pass me by? Now don’t get me wrong. We should all take seriously the state of things around us. Being prepared for emergencies and natural and manmade disasters is just good sense. But if we are talking about the end of the world coming soon — what would be most important to you?
That is the context and question posed in our scriptural passage found in the writings of Jesus’ disciple, Peter. What did Peter consider to be the most important of all? Top on his list is to “…continue to show deep love for one another.”
Let’s look at the key components of his statement. The first is to show deep love. Not the kind of “love” I have for my favorite technological gadget or top tune on my playlist. Not the trivial “love you” tagline on a text or tweet. Rather, a deep love. Deep love is a love that knows one another. Deep love is one that comes from journeying through life’s ups and downs with one another. Deep love helps and sacrifices and holds accountable and lifts up and is there when you need it. Deep love changes everything. Deep love transforms.
Just as important as the deep love concept is the “one another” component. Fact: never have there been so many humans so crammed together on this earth.
Fact: never have we been more connected to each other through proximity and technology. Fact: never have so many people felt so lonely and isolated.
We were not wired to live alone. In our deepest being, we are all about “one another-ing.”
Take stock of your time expenditure in life. Who do you spend most of your waking hours with? Spouse? Significant other? Family? No. We spend most of our time at work — here at our spot at Loma Linda University Health. This should be a place of “deep love for one another.” Why? Because that is our mission — “To continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” Jesus said:
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” –John 13:34
“One another-ing” is not just something we should do. One another-ing should be the very focus and goal of everyone who works in and walks through each entity, office, clinic and classroom of Loma Linda University Health. It starts with you. Love and care for one another. It changes everything!
Terry Swenson, DMin
Campus chaplain
Loma Linda University