In today’s Gospel we hear again of the command to love one another. This entire Easter season is a celebration of this command to love one another, as Christ shows us that there is no better way than to lay down your life for the sake of others. We sing of this love in our songs today. Our opening song, “At the Lamb’s High Feast”, speaks of how Christ gives Himself to us entirely in love. At the presentation of the gifts, we switch styles to a more contemporary song that takes its text from the familiar 1 Corinthians 13 text – “love is patient, love is kind…” What great words to remember in our everyday relationships whether with a spouse, our children, or other loved ones. Our communion song “Where Charity and Love Prevails” expounds on Christ’s teachings and speaks of ways in which we can lay down our lives for others – by forgiving one another, by not fighting among ourselves, by not excluding due to race or creed. For our closing hymn, we sing of our duty to go out now into the world to pursue justice for all as we spread the message of God’s love and goodness. We can’t keep this love hidden, we need to declare it to the world through how we live.
