We Should Love One Another (“Gotta Serve Somebody”)

We Should Love One Another (“Gotta Serve Somebody”)

Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another. 1 John 3:11

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, "Follow me." John 1:43

Piety

“Gotta Serve Somebody” by Bob Dylan

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes

Indeed, you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief

Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music

Study

Love, even to the point of self-sacrifice, is the point of the commandment – if not the entire Sacred Scripture.  The story of Cain and Abel that is recounted in today’s Epistle and in Genesis reminds us of the egotistical rivalry between two brothers, in a contrast of evil and righteousness, where envy led to murder. For Christians, proof of deliverance is love toward others, after the example of Christ. This includes concrete acts of charity, out of our material abundance.

The end of today’s first reading is our call to action:

The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth. 1 John 3:16-18

If “Love One Another” is the first commandment that we encounter today, the other is to “Follow Jesus.”  If Jesus laid down his mortal life for us, are we not asked to do the same for others?  If not by literally giving up our lives, then we follow Jesus by at least serving others and giving up some of our time, our financial resources, and material abundance.

Action

Growing up, I was a generation behind the Flower Power-Hippie Culture. I was only ten years old when Woodstock took place.  I was only 12 when student protestors at Kent State were murdered by “friendly fire” from National Guard troops. Even the great musicians of the 60’s were more of a blur to me.  I was less a fan of the Beatles or Elvis than I was of Chicago and Paul Simon. The coarse, nasally voice of Bob Dylan did not catch on with me until very much later.  I was more akin to listening to the syrupy renditions of Peter, Paul, and Mary rather than the protest songs of Dylan.

However, since Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, I have paid more attention to his role in shaping the culture not only of the 1960s in Greenwich Village but also of our modern times today.  In studying that role, I have come to discover (new to me but maybe not you) that in the early 1970s, Dylan experienced a profound conversion to Christianity after a fan tossed a silver cross on stage at one of his concerts.

In the late 1970s, Dylan converted to Evangelical Christianity, undertaking a three-month Bible Study course run by the Association of Vineyard Churches.  Songs that he wrote in this phase of his career reflect that conversion and a total understanding of the message in today’s reading.  His also launched his two most profound Christian albums: Slow Train Coming (1979) and Saved (1980) winning a Grammy Award as best male vocalist for the song “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

They may call you doctor or they may call you chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

And we know that you can not serve God and mammon. Dylan influenced and inspired millions to serve others.  Who are you gonna serve today?