Love Anyway

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb SokolScripture: Matthew 5:38-48Who do you love?How wide is the circle of your love?Is your love reserved for those who love you back, or at least agree with you?How do you respond to those who oppose you, frustrate you, or even despise you?Most of us are good at loving the neighbors and friends we have chosen. But loving our enemies? That's a different kind of call—one we often resist and avoid. And still, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not soften this teaching. He invites and challenges us to love anyway.This Sunday, we conclude our series on the Sermon on the Mount by wrestling with Jesus' call to love those we would rather ignore, resist, or even hate. What might it look like to love beyond comfort, beyond preference, and beyond self-protection?