John 15: 9-17

Have you got your listening ears in? I wonder how much you listen to what other people are saying? If it’s half of what they say then you’re above average!

I used to listen to far less than that. I interrupted people mid-sentence! I was far more keen to talk than to listen. But we’ve got two ears and one mouth, so we’re supposed to listen twice as much as we talk. It takes practice, but I think I’m better than I used to be.

Jesus often said ‘Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen!’ If we do listen to what he said, we’ll try to love one another, and guess what? That means listening to other people. It’s good to feel as if someone is willing to listen to us. It’s a loving act.

Today is Remembrance Sunday, when we think of the people who faced death and suffered in war. Some willingly signed up while others were conscripted. All kinds of issues arise around this, but the fact remains that some people put themselves in danger and died or were wounded for the sake of others. Theirs was the greatest sacrifice, an act of self-giving love, which we remember and reflect upon today.

We would all be pleased if war didn’t happen any more though, wouldn’t we?

Some of you may remember John Lennon singing ‘All we are saying is give peace a chance!’ many years ago! And who remembers Edwin Starr’s song?: ‘War! Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothin’!’

But is there anything that we can do to help to prevent nations from fighting each other - which is usually over land, resources, politics or status?

Well we can listen to and do what Jesus asked of us. We can love one another, and listen to each other. This builds up relationships. Good relations help to reduce conflict.

Even if someone says things we don’t like, we can listen and try to understand. We can gently discuss things with them, so that they might hear us too. That’s far better than calling people names or trying to silence them. That never works. It’s always good to make the effort to build relationships.

In our reading Jesus told us that we’ll know what joy is like if we live in his love and love one another. Joy is an inner peace which helps us to be strong in our faith whatever we go through. If everyone in the world had this joy in their hearts there would be no more war.

Just imagine that.

If everyone in the world had love and joy in their hearts there would be no more war.

So let’s put on our listening ears, listen to Jesus and each other, and live in love.

Amen.

Julie Rubidge, Lay Minister