From the Editor

By Andrew Yang

“The love we are commanding to have for God and for our neighbor is a state of the will, not out of the affection (though if they ever play their part so much the better).”
-C.S. Lewis

Many asked Jesus what they had to do to inherit eternal life – experts in the law, a rich young ruler – all of which received the same reply. Sometimes I wonder if I would be more comfortable if that reply had been, “There’s nothing you can do, it’s all grace. Believe in me and be saved.” It would certainly fit more easily into my neatly organized doctrines and beliefs if he had said that. But he didn’t.

Instead Jesus says, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus tells the story of two sons, both of whom were commanded to work in the vineyard by their father. One of them obediently said, “I will sir”, and then did nothing. The other refused to but later went to work in the vineyard anyway, ending up being the obedient son. In this way perhaps Christ is teaching us something important about salvation; it’s easy to call Jesus, “Lord, Lord!”, but much more difficult to will ourselves to act with love as he commands us to. And (perhaps chillingly), Jesus says only those who actually do the will of our father in heaven will enter the kingdom.

We have two stories in this issue. Caren King writes about her experience of working with an inner city ministry. Wendy Hsieh writes about her experience of loving someone who doesn’t necessarily want to be loved. Two stories of individuals who try to put into practice that commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself”, and as they demonstrate, it’s not easy.

Andrew Yang