Mission: Love One Another

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:31-35 NRSVUE

Everybody say Love!!!! Isang mapagpalayang hapon sa ating lahat, muli po ako si Sean, been with Open Table MCC since 2015, isa sa mga Hermana, at Deacon, also the lead of Pride Cares na charity arm ng ating church, pero mas kinikilig ako sa title na “Mother Sean, at ako ang makakasama nyo for 4 Sundays, and ang tema ng ating easter preaching series is still “The gift of Surprises: The Joy of the unexpected, parang yung pagkaka hanap ko sa MCC, Some of you may already know the story, I was active sa HIV/AIDS Awareness Advocacy, and umattend ng LGBT Advocates training na facilitated by then MCCQC, na di rin naman natuloy, at first, the surprise was meeting the people from the church at that time, naisip ko, ay grabe, napaka profound ng mga tao, and one of them is Pastora Kakay. What’s more surprising was me still being here for almost 10 years now despite all the things that our DIY church have went through na surprisingly na-witness at naranasan ko rin.

So yung text natin for this Sunday ay mula sa Gospel of John, bilang isang Christian, probably the very first bible verse that you would memorize is yung John 3:16, kaya hindi na natin yan i rerecite today, kaya yung gospel of John din yung tinatawag na the Gospel of Love, bilang bunso sa 4 na gospel, very unique din sya compared dun sa 3 Synoptic Gospels, very poetic, at very powerful din hindi lang sa mga bold statements ni Jesus dito pati na rin yung mga signs, and of course ang favourite nating litanya na Very truly, I tell you! Sa Gospel of John mahilig chumika si Jesus – “Very truly I tell you.” Anong equivalent nyan sa ating ngayon, yang Very truly I tell you?

So kung babalikan natin ang ating reading natin today, yung cheka ni Jesus dito is maihahambing sa isang magulang sa kanyang death bed, na naghahabilin sa kanyang mga anak na maiiwan, Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Kung napanuod nyo na yung series na “When life gives you tangerines”(spoiler alert sa mga hindi pa nakakapanood. Sorry na lang kasama talaga sya sa preaching.) I remember the scene nung mamamatay na yung nanay ni Ae-Soon, at nag hahabilin ito sa kanya, and hindi lang naman dun sa series, applicable din talaga ito in real life, madalas ang bilin ng mga magulang bago sila ma lagutan ng hininga ay “magmahalan kayong magkakapatid” or pag ikaw ang panganay, usually, they will say “ wag mong pababayaan ang mga kapatid mo, magmahalan kayo”. Pero actually, I just realized na kakaiba yung bilin ng nanay ni Ae Sun, watch nyo nalang kung bakit kakaiba, at meron ding magandang element of Surprise dun sa first episode ng series, so konting context, yung main character na si Ae-soon, ay nakatira sa family ng tatay nya na deceased na, kasi yung mom nya, may bago nang asawa at meron na ding mga anak, yung mom nya ay isang “Haenyo” sila yung mga women free divers from Jeju Island in South Korea, The haenyeo culture is recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, highlighting the unique traditions and skills of these female divers.

kung ma aalala nyo, ayaw syang pauwiin nung nanay nya sa kanila, kasi nga yung family ng tatay nya yung may kakayahan na pag aralin sya, pero araw araw syang nag aabang sa nanay nya sa diving spot, until mabasa nung nanay nya yung Tula nya na naging 2nd Place. na antig yung puso ng nanay nya, kaya ayun, binawi na sya nito. Eto yung laman nung poem:

Damn abalones by Oh Ae Un

All day, every day, Abalones, Abalones

when the typhoons blow, abalones, abalones

worth more than a daughter those damn abalones

“Hurry back” I tell her when she dives in the sea

What could down there so cold and so deep be, is she looking for clams burried under the sand? Did she run out of breath, will she come back to land? Why does a daughter ehat here on the shore? Because damn abalones

That’s what it’s all for

If abalones cost a hundred won to find

I’d pay it all back for a day of mom’s time

My mom with her sore back

My mom with her bad cough

A hundred won per day, if it means mom can rest. Bongga diba….watch nyo na, don’t worry hanggang first episode lang muna tayo. Balikan natin yung habilin ni Jesus, and yung habilin ni Jesus dito very specific noh, at may disclaimer sa dulo “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Palagi ko na din tong dialogue na kung sinabi mo na Christian ka and you Stan Jesus, then you should follow his commandment. Kung idol mo sya, then makipamuhay ka dun sa mga taong pinili nyang makasama.

Dito sa church, madali nating makikilala na si Keppy ay isang Little Monster, at BeyHive, Si Mars Lawrence ay isang “Lambs” at Regine Velasquez superfan. Talagang ma fefeel mo, kasi si Keppy, updated sya Gagachela week 1 and 2, sa Dance Steps ng Abracadabra at iba pang songs from Mayhem, tama mali? at si Mars Lawrence naman ay talagang well known, at na try na rin mag Marih Carey in Drag,lahat ata ng concerts ni Song Bird recently ay napuntahan nya. So kung si Jesus ay isang Pop Icon, malamang ang title ng number one album nya ay “ Mission: Love One Another” at ilan sa mga kanta nyang pasok sa billboard charts ay may temang love for humanity, at social justice, Mga songs nya be like “ Glow Up from Galilee”, Messiah Energy, Clothe me in Kindness, Stranger no More, When I was hungry, you found me at “The least of these (Is me). Kayo? Ano sa tingin nyo ang magandang title ng song ni Jesus? ikaw? Rev. Joseph, kung ikaw ang tatanungin, anung magandang title?

So what am I really trying to say here, hindi ba’t as an avid fan, we get inspired by the song of our idols? Like for me, sobrang powerful ng message ng “One Moment in Time” ni Whitney Houston, I feel like if there is a song bout my life, yun yun, kaya as christians, we get inspired by the life lived by the historical Jesus, na kung susumahin natin ay makikita natin sa Matthew 25:35-40. na again, uulitin ko lang, na ang message ay makipamuhay tayo sa mga uri ng tao na pinili ni Jesus na samahan.

So pag nagsama sama na ang lahat ng fans ni Jesus, syempre ang tawag na dun ay fans club at madami nang fans club si Jesus, isa lang dyan ang Open Table MCC, hindi man tayo perfect, we try to maintain a safe space, proclaim God’s radically inclusive love for all people through Jesus Christ, and participate in the wider works of Justice and Peace in the World. Pero syempre, hindi naman mawawala ang mga bashers, paano kaya tayo nakikilala ng mga tao outside of our community? ng ibang groups? Ay, sila yung burgis na simbahan, na naka aircon, sa Greenhills, ay mga maldita yung members nyan, ay kulto yan, eto isang example, na talagang naka comment dun sa FB page natin, “ An apostate church” so ginoogle ko agad ang meaning ng apostate na yan, pero syempre, kebs ako jan, hindi ko yan papatulan because I know my community, kung merong search for number one advocate ng church na to, I can say na isa ako sa mga contender, I am a living example, at least I hope to be that way, most of the time if not always. Isa akong buhay na patunay and an answer to the question kung bakit kailangan pang magpatuloy ang simbahang ito.Isa sa mga cheka ko sa mga previous kong sermon is to take up space, bilang isang queer christian, to tell the world that we exist, when I decided to be a part of the community, it wasn’t that hard for me to understand the concept, the equation na LO+ LO = LG, to love others as we love ourselves is to love God. Pag-ibig sa kapwa tulad ng pag-ibig sa sarili ang manifestation ng ating pag-ibig sa Diyos. Hindi mo pwedeng mahalin ang Diyos kung hindi mo mahal ang iyong kapwa tulad sa sarili. At dito nanggagagaling yung fire, at ang drive na magpatuloy, but at the same time, dito din nanggagaling ang frustrations. At this point, mayrong 2.4 billion christians sa buong mundo, ang estimated population naman ng mundo is around 8 billion as of 2023. dito lang sa pilipinas, mayroong at least 90 recognized religious affiliations, pare parehong mga christians, nag aaway-away pa, nakakalungkot lang isipin na most christians, maganda naman ang intention, at talagang mabubuti ang puso at may malasakit sa kapwa, pero nalilihis at tila naliligaw ng landas, dahil sa mga lider ng kanilang simbahan, I hope and pray that christians today go back to basic, napaka simple lang ng formula, pero andaming efforts ang nasasayang, nakakalungkot lang na minsan, yung mga beliefs at paniniwala natin ang sya pang naglalayo, imbis na mag lapit sa atin sa Panginoon at sa isa’t isa. Sabi nga ng ating Founder na si Lolo Troy, let’s keep the main thing, the main thing, and the main thing is Jesus, the main thing is love. While I am writing this preaching, I had a Holy Spirit activate moment, na parang sinasabi nya, baks, kaysa ma stress ka jan sa frustration mo, bakit hindi mo yan idagdag sa mga advocacies mo, struggle through it, diba nga? Bakahin mo, kasama ang mga kapatid mo sa simbahan, And so I take on the challenge, and make it my mission to remind others of how simple it is, sobrang simple lang ng ask, to love one another, kaya din siguro mahirap dahil sa ating buhay, may iba’t ibang manifestations ang love, minsan love is present but we don’t appreciate it, maybe because iba ito sa inaasahan natin. We Pinoys and Asians in general ay hindi mahilig magsabi ng “I love you” sa ating mga kapamilya at mahal sa buhay, kaya ang love minsan ay disguised as “ Nak, kumain ka na ba? anung gusto mong ulam?” Nak, anong oras ka uuwi? “Nak, ilabas mo na yang mga labahin mo” pwede ring “Ma, bawal sayo yan, hinay hinay lang sa lechon, Ma ang maintenance mo, nainom mo na ba? Pa, ako na bahala sa bill ng Internet at Kuryente this Month, Ma, Pa, eto pandagdag sa tuition ni bunso. Yan yung mga simpleng manifestations ng love. Love din yung kahit na laging binabash eh Rally parin ng rally ang mga aktibista, kahit na minsan, kinukutya by the same people na pinaglalaban nila, Love din yung desisyon ng ating mga farmers na patuloy na magtanim ng sibuyas, magsaka ng palay, kahit minsan, hindi sigurado kung mababawi ba nila lahat ng ginastos nila or may kikitain man lang ba sila. Love din yung pagboto ng tama tuwing eleksyon, para sa kinabukasan ng ating mga anak, so pag bumoto ka nung may redflag na nga, part ng political dynasty, may kaso ng pandarambong at pagnanakaw, ayan, malinaw na malinaw, hindi love yan. Isa pa sa mga manifestations of love is ang pakikisangkot natin kahit paminsan minsan lang, today, May 18, 2025, we also commemorate The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, which is a time for all of us to remember the many lives lost to AIDS. It is an opportunity to honour those who dedicated their lives to helping people living with and affected by HIV and continue to mobilise our communities in solidarity. Patuloy nawa tayong makisangkot upang labanan ang stigma about HIV/AIDS, at nagpalaganap ng awareness at kaalaman tungkol sa sakit na ito, dahit hindi ito isang death sentence.

The mission is to love one another, present perfect tense yan, gaya ng habilin ng isang magulang sa kanyang mga anak na maiiwan, Christ’s commandment is to love, and how does that look like today? sa kapwa natin Christian, you can show your love by opening up your hearts and minds to the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, even if you don’t understand, after all, just like all of you, we are created in God’s image and likeness, and more than that, we are also human beings who are fighting for the same rights. Para sa atin namang mga queer christians, let’s continue to take up space and live our truths, Ituloy ang kabaklaang yan, Go lang mga accla, ipakita sa lahat na we are queer, christian and fabulous. Let’s appreciate our allies and hope that someday we continue to gain more allies, let’s not give up on the conservatives, medyo mahirap itong sabihin, pero I hope and pray that they realize that we are not the enemy. And by this everyone will know that we are his disciples.