Love is the True Christian Fundamental

Today, we talked about how we love because God first loved us. It got me thinking of the first sermon that I preached at Light of the Canyon. It was called "Fundamentals." Here is an excerpt.
I love baseball. I love everything about baseball. I love the smell of the fresh cut grass in the outfield; I love the sound of the crack of the bat as it makes crisp, clear contact with the ball. I love the roar of the crowd, I love hot dogs…I love baseball. One of the most powerful memories of my childhood is the first time I took my seat at Tiger Stadium in Detroit to witness my first live major league baseball game. All of my heroes were there, Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Bill Freehan. It was absolutely awe-inspiring.
One of my favorite memories, however, is how my dad and I shared our passion for baseball. Whether we were playing catch in the yard or watching a game on TV, one thing remained constant. And that is how my dad used this time together to teach me about the game. From practicing throwing, catching, or fielding in the yard to discussing strategy while watching the game on television, my dad had one mantra that he would say over and over again until it was indelibly imprinted on my consciousness. “Fundamentals,” he would say. “The game is won or lost on how well you execute the fundamentals.” Years later, when I coached little league baseball, I would repeat this refrain for my own players. I think they probably received it about as passionately as I did when I was their age. They would smile, and laugh and their silly old coach, and then ask when we were going to learn the double steal, or the hidden ball trick, or more importantly, what snacks were being served after the game. And then I would explain it to them. Even if they know all of the trick plays ever devised, and even if they can hit the ball a country mile, unless they can consistently execute the fundamentals of catching, throwing, hitting, and base running, they will never be a good team. These fundamental skills are the foundation upon which a skillful player is developed. Without sound fundamentals, even the best talent will waste away. I might add that this is not just true in baseball; it is true in any endeavor. In music, you must learn your scales before you can play Mozart. In art, you must learn brush strokes before you can paint like Picasso. And as any professional athlete, or musician, or artist will tell you, and certainly as my dad told me time and time again, the only way to develop these skills is…practice, practice, practice.
The fundamental Christian truth, simply put, is that before we develop the doctrines and dogmas that define us, before we establish the social classifications that separate us, before we determine which church structure is the most “holy,” or which worship style is the most edifying, we must first learn to love…That’s it. That’s the whole shebang, the secret of the universe in a nutshell. Love one another. Love your family, love your friends, love the people of your church. But also, love the stranger, love those that believe or live their lives differently from you, love the people that are difficult to love. Love them into knowing Christ themselves. Love first, ask questions later. Love is the true Christian creed. For without love, the rest of it is simply talking loud.
The reality is that this simple, fundamental truth is as revolutionary today as it was when Jesus first proclaimed it with his words and with his life. Jesus declared with the simple act of sharing a meal with tax collectors and sinners that love is above the law, love is above dogma, love is above prejudice, love is even above religious authority. This is the truth that defined Jesus’ ministry, and it was also the truth that brought him to the cross.
And in this we have our hope. For I know that the gospel that Jesus proclaimed is that love will win out. And I rejoice because we have been called to the glorious task of sharing God’s love with the world in which we live. We are called to make real the promises of the truth of Christianity, and it is a task that is being carried out all around us. When a group of people from this church venture to Mexico to be in service to our friends south of the border, love is winning out. When volunteers come out to share Christ’s love with the young people of our community at Vacation Bible Camp, love is winning out. When the hungry are fed, and the sick are cared for, and those who are in prison receive visits, the church is proclaiming that love is the force that guides us. When people of diverse backgrounds are able to come together and celebrate God’s gracious love in Jesus Christ, we are proclaiming that the love that unites us is stronger than the walls that divide us.