new mandate

Im going to begin this blog by stating that I did not attend seminary and I have never taken Latin. I also have enough problems spelling words in the English language let alone in Latin. That having been said, I ask that you please over look any problems with this blog that prove the above mentioned statement.

Novus Mandatum, loosely translated from Latin means new mandate. I have been taught that this is also where we get the name Maundy Thursday. It is thus named for the mandate that Jesus gave: "Love one another as I have loved you."

As I listened to my husband preach tonight one sentence kept coming to my mind: Christians are not very good at that mandate. As a Christian, I am guilty. I have trouble loving everyone.
There are some people that I want to ask God to put in a time-out or to ground them. Sometimes the people that I have the most trouble with are my "fellow Christians". I try real hard to remember that it is not my job to question or judge what others do and that it is God's and he will take care of everything in his time.

However that is not always easy. Recently a local pastor asked another family (the third in 9 months) to leave the church. These three families all held "core" leadership positions in the church but once they started questioning the decisions of their pastor they were asked to turn in their keys to church and not return. I know two of the families personally and am happy to say that they are thriving at their new church. This is a perfect example of Christians not following the mandate.

The Episcopal church just deposed two bishops. I believe that what needed to be done was done. The question is: where is the love?

In this mandate, do we get to pick and choose who we love? I would like to think that I have more trouble with applying the mandate to my fellow Christians because I expect more out of Christians than non-Christians. Afterall non-Christians haven't been taught that they have a mandate to follow.

Often parents have a hard time disciplining their children. "This hurts me more than it hurts you" has been a phrase related to disciplining children. When we don't follow the mandate, do you think God is shaking his head and saying "this hurts me more than it hurts you"?