"Love beyond Limits" - Message for 5/18/2025

Love Beyond Limits
John 13:31-35; Acts 11:1-18
Series: Rise Up: How to Start Living Again

There’s a fable about a man who spent his whole life drawing lines. Each time someone disagreed with him, challenged him, or simply made him uncomfortable, he drew another line to put them on the outside. Over time, his circle got smaller and smaller. By the end of his life, he stood in the center of a tiny, lonely circle. But then he looked up and saw Jesus. Only Jesus wasn’t drawing lines—he was erasing them.

That story isn’t in the Bible, but it might as well be. Because Jesus spent his life doing just that: erasing lines, widening circles, and welcoming the people others left out.

I’ll be honest: I’ve drawn lines before. Maybe you have too. Sometimes without even realizing it. And today, Jesus invites us to see those lines—and let him erase them.

Let me ask you: Have you ever been on the outside of someone’s line?

Maybe you weren’t invited. Or you felt judged. Maybe a church told you in a hundred subtle ways: You don’t really belong here.

And let’s be honest—we’ve drawn our own lines too:

·       That person you avoid at work.

·       That relative you gave up on.

·       That group you’ve silently written off.

We draw these lines to feel safe, right, pure, certain. But the love of Jesus doesn’t operate within those borders. It never has. And that’s the good news of the gospel.

From the beginning of Scripture, God has been in the business of expanding love’s boundaries. It has been God’s mission throughout history.

In Leviticus 19:18, God commands, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and several verses later, expands it: “Love the foreigner residing among you as yourself” (v. 34).

The prophets echo this. In Isaiah 56:3-8, God says, “Let no foreigner say, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me…’ … To the foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord … [I will] give joy in my house of prayer. … My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” God makes similar promises in this passage to eunuchs who serve the Lord.

Jesus picks up this thread and stretches it wide open. In John 13, after Judas walks out to betray him and just before Peter will deny him, Jesus says this to his disciples:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

It’s not new because no one had ever said “love your neighbor” before. It’s new because of how we are to love—as Jesus loved: sacrificially, unconditionally, without exceptions.

Just before this, Jesus had washed their feet—including the feet of the one who would betray him. And he said: This is the way.

Then in Acts 11, Peter tells the Jerusalem church about Cornelius, a Gentile. Peter had followed Jesus for three years and learned from Jesus’ ministry and teaching. Yet, Peter still carried the attitude that saw Jews and Gentiles as very different people – Jews as people chosen by God and Gentiles as outsiders. But Cornelius had a vision from God and sent for Peter.

Then, the next day, as Cornelius’ messengers were traveling to meet with him, Peter had his own vision from God, which said, “Do not call impure anything God has made clean” and told him to go with the men who were coming. Peter went with them into the house of Cornelius. He shared a meal with them, listened to Cornelius’ story, and then Peter began telling Cornelius and his whole household about Jesus. As he did, he witnessed the Holy Spirit poured out upon this house full of Gentiles. The believers who had traveled with him were astounded that the Spirit was given to Gentiles, the people the church labeled as outsiders.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the leaders and church there criticized him for eating with Gentiles. He told them the whole story – found in Acts 10 – about his vision, Cornelius’ vision, and what happened. Then he concluded: “If God gave them the same gift he gave us... who was I to think I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17)

And the church responds: “So then, even to the Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18) Their objections fell away and they rejoiced that God had erased lines that people had drawn and loved beyond limits.

This isn’t a one-time event. The Spirit keeps pushing the church outward:

·      In John 4, Jesus sits with a Samaritan woman and makes her an evangelist.

·      In Luke 10, Jesus makes a Samaritan—an ethnic and religious outsider—the hero of the story and a neighbor.

·      In Matthew 5, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus includes both neighbor and enemy as the one we are to love.

·      In Acts 8, Philip baptizes an Ethiopian eunuch, someone excluded by Jewish law.

Then Paul sums it up in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

And in Ephesians 2: “He [Jesus] has broken down the dividing wall of hostility… creating one new humanity.” (vv. 14-15)

God’s love has never been contained. It flows across every human-made line.

Where are there lines in your life?

• Who have you labeled as “other”?
• Where have you assumed someone is outside God’s grace?
• Where do you need to cross a line to show Christ’s love?

Jesus didn’t just talk about love—he demonstrated it. In the letter to the church at Rome, Paul tells us that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

You and I were loved before we got it all right. Before we cleaned up. Before we believed properly. That’s love beyond limits.

So what would it look like for you to live that love this week?

Try one of these five actions:

1.     Cross a line – Talk to someone you’ve avoided.

Remember Daryl Davis? He’s a Black jazz musician who did something few people would dare to do—he walked straight into conversations with members of the Ku Klux Klan. Not to argue. Not to shout. But to listen. He asked one simple question: “How can you hate me if you don’t even know me?”

That question led to friendship. And over time, Daryl’s willingness to sit down and build relationships—one human being to another—led more than 200 people to walk away from the Klan. He didn’t hand out tracts. He handed out trust. He didn’t erase their history. He invited them into a new one.

He later said, “I gave them the chance to know me.”

2.     Erase a line – Forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it.

Consider the story of Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel, recorded by StoryCorps and shared nationally. In 1993, Mary’s 20-year-old son, Laramiun Byrd, was killed during an altercation in Minneapolis. The killer was 16-year-old Oshea Israel. Mary was devastated, consumed by grief and rage. But over the years, her heart began to shift. She reached out to Oshea while he was still in prison. They met. They talked. And something miraculous happened—Mary forgave him.

When Oshea was released, Mary welcomed him into her community. They now live in the same apartment complex—next door to each other. They call themselves mother and son. Together, they speak across the country through their organization, From Death to Life, about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. As Mary says, “Unforgiveness is like cancer. It will eat you from the inside out. Forgiveness is what set me free.”

That’s not just erasing a line. That’s tearing down a wall and building a bridge.

3.     Extend the circle – Invite someone to your table.

Ellie, a middle schooler who noticed Maya always sat alone at lunch. One day, she simply sat beside her. They became friends, and later, Maya said that one act of kindness gave her the courage to speak up when she was struggling.

Lindsey, a single mom with tattoos and a diaper bag walked into a church, looking for hope but sure she’d be judged. Instead, an older woman smiled and said, “I saved you a seat.” That small act of welcome changed her life—and now she leads a young moms group in that same church.

4.     Live visibly – Show your faith through action, not just belief.

In Tampa, Florida, a group of friends started the "Laundry Project," organizing monthly events at local laundromats where they paid for strangers’ laundry and provided detergent and snacks. The project was open to anyone in need, no questions asked. Over time, the initiative became a community hub where people from different backgrounds-homeless individuals, working parents, retirees-connected, shared stories, and supported each other. Volunteers reported that the simple act of doing laundry together broke down social and economic barriers and fostered genuine friendships.

5.     Receive boundary-breaking love – Let Jesus erase the line between you and God. Accept his love, not because you’ve earned it, but because he’s already offered it. Ask him to fill your heart and transform your love to reflect his.

This is what love beyond limits looks like.

Now imagine this kind of love defining us.

Imagine Monroe UMC as a church where the communion table is long, the doors swing wide, and every person—regardless of past, politics, or pain—hears:

“You belong here.”

Imagine being known not for what we’re against, but for how we love. Not because it’s trendy. Because it’s true to Jesus.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Let’s rise up. Let’s love beyond limits. And let’s show the world what Jesus really looks like. Amen.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: LOVE BEYOND LIMITS

Leader:
We believe in a God whose love crosses every border and boundary.
People:
God welcomes all people and calls each one beloved.

Leader:
We believe in Jesus Christ, who erased the lines of division.
People:
He ate with outsiders, forgave sinners, and washed the feet of friends and betrayers alike.

Leader:
Jesus gave us a new commandment:
People:
To love one another as he has loved us—freely, fully, and without limit.

Leader:
We believe the Holy Spirit is still at work today.
People:
She moves us beyond our comfort zones, stretching our hearts wider.

Leader:
The Spirit calls us to cross lines, erase walls, and widen the circle.
People:
To forgive, to welcome, to serve, and to love with action.

Leader:
We believe the church is Christ’s body on earth—
a place where all belong, and none are excluded.
People:
Not because we are perfect, but because grace has made room for us.

Leader:
This is our faith. This is our witness.
People:
To love beyond limits, just as Christ has loved us. All: Amen.