Eastertide Day 34 Friday May 23 2025
John 15: 12-17 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
In this passage, Jesus calls us to a profound and challenging love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This command is at the heart of the Easter message. Christ’s love is sacrificial, unconditional, and life-giving. During Eastertide, as we celebrate the resurrection, we are reminded that love conquers death and brings new life.
Jesus speaks of friendship rather than mere servitude. He chooses us, calls us friends, and shares with us the intimate knowledge of God’s plan. This friendship invites us to live in love, not out of obligation, but out of joy and gratitude for the love we have received.
The call to lay down our lives for one another echoes the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. It challenges us to embody that same self-giving love in our daily lives—through acts of kindness, forgiveness, and service. Eastertide is a time to renew our commitment to this love, allowing the risen Christ to transform our hearts and relationships.
Let us remember that we are not alone in this mission. Jesus promises that when we remain in his love, we will bear much fruit. Our love becomes a witness to the world of the resurrection’s power and hope.
Prayer: Risen Lord, You have loved us with a love beyond measure, giving your life so that we might live.
Help us to love one another with the same selfless love, to be your friends and witnesses in the world.
Fill our hearts with your Spirit, that we may bear fruit in every good work.
Teach us to lay down our lives for others in small and great ways, reflecting your mercy and grace.
In this Eastertide, renew our hope and deepen our joy in your resurrection.
May our love draw others to you and glorify your holy name.
Amen.