Ruth 1:1-18 Mark 12:28-34
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus is stopped by strangers as he goes about doing ministry? There are those who are seeking healing for themselves or for someone close to them. Their approaches vary – they politely come up to him, call out to Jesus, sneak up behind him, or drop their friend through a hole in the roof. But regardless of the way they get his attention they all want him to heal.
Then there are those who come up to Jesus primarily to check him out. While those who seek healing vary in class and status from Roman officers to beggars, those who are testing Jesus all seem to be church or legal authorities, usually with some connection to the religious and political establishment. And just as Jesus answers the requests for healing, so he answers the questions posed by these sometimes powerful men.

In this morning's reading it is an eavesdropping scribe who questions Jesus. He'd been listening in on Jesus' conversation with the Sadducees about resurrection of the dead. Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection after death, while the scribes and pharisees did. And this particular scribe, rather than disagreeing with Jesus, seemed pleased with what he had heard and wanted to hear more. So his pop quiz was probably a friendly one.
“What commandment is the first of all?” he asked, and Jesus responded the way he did when he was asked this question – which seemed to be a lot. “The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe agreed. “You're right,” he said. “Nothing else is as important.” To which Jesus responded, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one else dared ask him a question after that.
I suspect they were all just standing there, looking at each other – but also looking into their own hearts. Giving themselves their own pop quizzes, wondering what they would answer if asked, “What is the one thing, the main rule, the foremost belief that rules your life?” What's your bottom line?
What would be your answer? How might you respond if that quiz were popped on you? What is the one thing, the main rule, the foremost belief that rules your life?” What's your bottom line?

Now I suspect that many of you might answer somewhat the way Jesus did, by saying that it's most important to love God, then neighbor and self. Many of us have heard that quoted to us by Sunday school teachers and various preachers over the years. That rule of love was quoted a good many times by Jesus too, and it does seem to be his bottom line. So it probably should be ours as well.
But if you say you agree with Jesus and this particular scribe, what does that mean in real life? What are you really saying?
It means your life is ruled by love. First and foremost the love of God, fully revealed and lived for us in Jesus Christ, and then love for one's neighbor and one's self. It means living a life grasped by the power of love.

Now I wish I could take credit for that last phrase - a life grasped by the power of love – but it's not mine. It's from a quote by Presbyterian pastor and preacher extraordinaire, William Sloane Coffin. I was reminded of it in a video interview of Coffin the Hoxie PW watched last Wednesday. He said that faith is being grasped by the power of love.
And I think it would be really quite wonderful if we could all say that being grasped by the power of love is the main rule that guides our lives, is our bottom line, proclaimed it to be our own statement of faith and the foundation of our living. What would it be like to be truly grasped by the power of love – God's unending and gracious love given to us in Jesus?
And wouldn't it be equally wonderful if we could say that our church lived by the power of that same love? There would be no stopping us if we loved God, others, and even ourselves with half the faith and commitment that Jesus loves us. And there's no reason why we can't.
Except one. If we're really honest we will all admit that we tend to put other things first, before God. But if we live grasped by the power of God's love, it means making God our first priority. It means sharing our money, our time and our talents in the work of God and God's church, not as a second thought, not just when it's convenient, not on our terms, but moving our giving to God to the top of our list.
It means taking Jesus' admonition to love God, neighbor and self to heart, and living the way Jesus taught.
I know that this church has been and is now very important in your lives – and I also know that there are concerns about its future, as the congregation ages and the population of our community gets smaller.
But I believe that if we can, as individuals, and as a congregation, live as people grasped by God's love, we will be doing the best thing we could possibly do to prepare the way for this church's future.

Let me finish Coffin's quote so you can get an idea of what I mean.
Faith is being grasped by the power of God's love. Faith is recognizing that what makes God is infinite mercy, not infinite control; not power, but love unending. Faith is recognizing that if at Christmas Jesus became like us, it was so we might become more like him.
We know what that means: watching Jesus heal the sick, empower the poor, and scorn the powerful, we see transparently the power of God at work.
Watching Zaccheus climb the tree a crook and come down a saint, watching Paul set out a hatchet man for the Pharisees and return a fool for Christ, we know our lives too can become channels for divine mercy to flow out to save the lost and the suffering.

Because of God's great love for us, Jesus came to be with us so we could be like him, to put God first, and to be grasped by God's love and drawn closer to the kingdom of God.

If we claim that kind of faith and that kind of hope and claim Jesus' promise of a new way of living in him, demographics won't make a difference, because we will be loving God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind, and all our strength; and we will be loving others and ourselves with that same God-given love; and we will share it joyfully in this church and in this community and in God's world – and this church will not be very far from the kingdom of God.
Next Sunday is stewardship Sunday. It is the perfect opportunity for us to rededicate ourselves to the work of God's kingdom here in this church. But for now, here's another pop quiz for you. Why is this church here? It really isn't that hard a question because you already gave the answer earlier in worship and if you pick up your bulletin you'll find it there. Our church's mission statement is our answer to “Why is Colby First Presbyterian Church here?”

Two weeks ago I helped provide the leadership at the training for pastors in our synod who are in their first call. One of the other leaders, Paul Reiter, who is the Presbytery exec in St. Louis told the group that every church needs to have a mission statement similar to what we have, a brief statement of faith that tells who we are and why we're here.
Then he added that every member of the church should have it memorized – so that any time anyone ever asks “Why is Colby First Presbyterian Church here?” you can respond – come on now, say it with me:
As followers of Christ we seek God's vision. Through worship and prayer we are empowered to share Christ's love and grace with one another, our community, and the world.

Here's part 2 of the quiz: - How important is this church to you – today – next year and for the years to come?

How does your faithful commitment to the Body of Christ here at 4th and Garfield show your faith as a being grasped by the power of God's love?
The faithful commitment you make of money and time to this church is your loving response to the love you have already received in and through this church and, most especially, from the God of your salvation, fully revealed and given to you in Jesus Christ. It is your own personal statement of faith made visible, real, and active in your church, your community and God's world – a statement of faith that declares that “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Final question: What does it mean for you to be grasped by the power of love – and how will you share that power with your church and your God?