Fr. Tony’s Letter to the
Trinitarians
April 2015
Jesus Loves You
Some of you have noticed that when I
distribute Communion, I use slightly different words of administration when I
give the sacrament to any of the Godly Play children. Instead of “The Body of Christ, the Bread of
heaven,” I say simply, “Jesus loves you.”
When my son Charlie was five years
old, we lived in Beijing. One cold January morning near Spring Festival
(Chinese New Year), we went to visit a Temple Festival with him. His older
brothers and sisters didn’t want to go out in the cold. We went into Lama Temple
(Yonghegong) after seeing the street festival. All the altars in front of the
statues of the Buddha were loaded with fresh fruit, candies, and treats. We
went from room to room, looking at each altar.
An old Tibetan monk in saffron robes watched us. He smiled at Charlie.
Then as we were about to leave, he came up to us, went to one of the altars,
and took a handful of candies. He gave them to Charlie with a big smile. In heavily accented Chinese, he said, “Fosa ai
ni” “Buddha loves you. Both Charlie and we were surprised. We knew you
shouldn’t take anything from the altars since they were gifts to God. But here
was one of the monks of the Temple who knew that the little foreign boy liked
candy and wanted to tell him something about his faith. Charlie has always
remembered it, and I think he is at heart a Buddhist to this day.
It struck me that day and many times
since that if children ever go to Church, no matter what else they might hear,
the one thing they must hear is this: Jesus loves you. Every
time they go to Church: Jesus loves
you.
Jesus taught that above all else,
God was love.
Once, he pointed to the sun, and to rain clouds, and said this, “God makes his wonderful sun shine on both good people and bad people alike. Both good people and bad people can feel its warmth, and go outside and enjoy it. God also sends his rain to both the good and the bad alike. It gives water to make the gardens and farm plants grow of both good people and bad people, so that everyone might have enough to eat. God gives good things to both good people and bad people. And that’s how we should be--kind and good to everyone, no matter what we think about them being good or bad.” (Matt. 5:45)
Another time, a large building (called the Tower of Siloam) collapsed and many people were killed. People came to Jesus and said, “Those people who died when the building fell down—they must have been really bad people. That’s why God made the building fall down to punish them, right?” (Luke 13:3-5)
But Jesus replied, “No. It’s not that way at all. Those poor people weren’t any worse than anybody else. God wasn’t punishing them. Bad things happen, and sometimes they happen to good people. We don’t know why. But we do know that God loves us, and that we should love other people.”
Jesus didn’t just teach us to love and be kind. He showed us the way to do it.
Jesus spent a lot of his time people that others loved making fun of or belittling—outcasts, foreigners, poor people, sick people, those who were judged not good enough. He welcomed them and said they were God's special people, the ones closest to the God who loves all. He told jokes, and laughed a lot.
The powerful people of the day didn’t like this, and finally they killed Jesus because he wouldn’t shut up about being fair to and kind to others. Jesus died for us. As he taught, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things to bad. His death was unfair, and very painful. It was bad indeed. And he was not just good, but he was exactly what God set out to make when he created us people. And though Jesus knew he was going to suffer an unjust death, he did not give up talking about being fair and just to outcasts, and never turned from God in doubt about God's love for him and for all. And God showed he was true and loving by raising Jesus from the dead.
Once, he pointed to the sun, and to rain clouds, and said this, “God makes his wonderful sun shine on both good people and bad people alike. Both good people and bad people can feel its warmth, and go outside and enjoy it. God also sends his rain to both the good and the bad alike. It gives water to make the gardens and farm plants grow of both good people and bad people, so that everyone might have enough to eat. God gives good things to both good people and bad people. And that’s how we should be--kind and good to everyone, no matter what we think about them being good or bad.” (Matt. 5:45)
Another time, a large building (called the Tower of Siloam) collapsed and many people were killed. People came to Jesus and said, “Those people who died when the building fell down—they must have been really bad people. That’s why God made the building fall down to punish them, right?” (Luke 13:3-5)
But Jesus replied, “No. It’s not that way at all. Those poor people weren’t any worse than anybody else. God wasn’t punishing them. Bad things happen, and sometimes they happen to good people. We don’t know why. But we do know that God loves us, and that we should love other people.”
Jesus didn’t just teach us to love and be kind. He showed us the way to do it.
Jesus spent a lot of his time people that others loved making fun of or belittling—outcasts, foreigners, poor people, sick people, those who were judged not good enough. He welcomed them and said they were God's special people, the ones closest to the God who loves all. He told jokes, and laughed a lot.
The powerful people of the day didn’t like this, and finally they killed Jesus because he wouldn’t shut up about being fair to and kind to others. Jesus died for us. As he taught, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things to bad. His death was unfair, and very painful. It was bad indeed. And he was not just good, but he was exactly what God set out to make when he created us people. And though Jesus knew he was going to suffer an unjust death, he did not give up talking about being fair and just to outcasts, and never turned from God in doubt about God's love for him and for all. And God showed he was true and loving by raising Jesus from the dead.
That’s the meaning of Easter. Love wins.
Gentleness overcomes harshness.
Kindness overpowers judgmental hurtfulness. Hope outdistances fear. Life and love, in the final count, is all
there is.
Because God is love. And because Jesus loves you. He always has.
Because God is love. And because Jesus loves you. He always has.
Grace and Peace, Fr. Tony+
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