There is a place where names are engraved on stone; it is called the Garden of the Righteous. In that same place, trees are planted along what is called, the Avenue of the Righteous. The location is Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. The Righteous are those Gentiles who risked life and limb, fame and fortune, to save even a single Jew. Trying to hide them from hell holes like Dachau, Treblinka, Auschwitz.

The Righteous Ones of Yad Vashem. They are all Gentiles, non-Jewish. Whether they risked everything in the name of Jesus or merely in the name of humanity is not important. What counts is the fact they had the milk of human kindness coursing through their veins. Knowingly or not, they modeled the love of Jesus. "Love, one another," Jesus said. And in terms of the milk of human kindness, the question this morning is, "Got milk"?

Again, not all the Righteous Ones were Christian - but they were righteous. One was a man who wouldn't know Jesus from Adam; however, he knew right from wrong. Mohammed V was king of Morocco during World War II. There were hundreds of Jewish communities in North Africa and the story is told of that time in 1940 when a Nazi official came to Morocco. He brought with him boxes and boxes and boxes. Each box was packed with yellow cloth stars. Forget tying a yellow ribbon. This was, "Sew a yellow star on each Jewish chest." A yellow star, marking that person for eventual death.

King Mohammed V was told there were a total of 200,000 yellow stars. And the king said, "Only 200,000 yellow stars? We need more; we need twenty more." And the official was taken aback. "I bring you 200,000 yellow stars, and you need twenty more?" And the king replied, "Yes, twenty is the number of people in my family." Righteous royalty.

The number of participants in an upper room for a final supper: thirteen. And of these, Judas leaves mid-meal for the act of betrayal. Jesus knows it and the remaining disciples must sense it: things are not going well. Jesus is a marked man. The religious authorities are jealous of his growing popularity; the political authorities are worried he might lead a rebellion against Rome. He might as well be wearing a yellow star ... he is destined for the cross. Everything seems to be falling apart.

Jesus chooses his words with great precision. If his mission to change the world is to have any success, these remaining followers, frightened and frail, will have to be the ones to do it. Only Jesus can save the world, but his disciples are called to change the world. And here is the plan. Love. "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." 2,000 years later, in anticipation of brutality and mass murder, the Nazis provided yellow stars to identify the Jewish people. But on this night in an upper room, Jesus, the Jew from Galilee, tells his followers that they will be marked as his followers. "The world will know you follow me - as you love one another."

This is no abstract instruction that is given. No call to simply feel something. Rather it is a commandment to do something. Love is something you do. "Love one another," Jesus says, "even as I have loved you." Jesus would bend over backwards for the sake of the world; he will be nailed upright for that very purpose.

I read something recently that reminded me of my own upbringing. Maybe your families are similar. There were five of us Kennedy kids, and growing up we had our fair share of fights and arguments - some less fair than others. Sometimes things would get so out of hand, Mom would step in and referee. She would always say to us, "Go into the living room, sit down, and straighten this out. And remember, you are part of the same family!" "But Mom, you don't understand; she cursed at me." "But Mom, you don't understand. He hid my shoe." "But Mom, you don't understand...." Years later I recognize, whatever the spat, Mom did understand. And Mom's mantra was, "Go sit down, and straighten this out. And remember, you are part of the same family!"

My sisters and I now recognize that this was most important to Mom; not who was right or who was wrong. Can you imagine? Right and wrong was not the important thing. Rather, it was that we behave in such a way that demonstrated our bond as family. "Remember you are family." In this text Jesus is telling us, "Remember, you are sisters and brothers." "But Jesus," we protest. "He did this; she did that." And Jesus says to us, "I command you, love one another, as I have loved you."

In our world today, which is being taxed by terrorism and hatred on a global scale, it seems difficult to believe that love can ever truly win out. In our own towns and villages, yes - even in this community of Christians called the church -  love too often seems a rare commodity. Let me give a silly example - but it gets to the heart of things. This morning following worship, I am going to invite everyone to the fellowship hall for a coffee klatch. Very hospitable; no one can possibly take offense. But if I couch the invitation this way, "come to the fellowship hall for a tea party," well - half of you might call me a saint, while the other half would call my bishop. And to quickly clarify any possible misunderstanding, you are all welcome into the fellowship hall following worship, as we serve both tea and coffee. And me? I'm just trying to stay out of hot water.

My sisters and brothers, if the Bible is ever going to be relevant to you and me and to this world of ours, it has to be right here with the declaration that we are to love one another, and that love will have the final word! Being politically or culturally correct takes a back seat to being loving to one another! "Remember," as Tim's mother once said, "I don't care who's right or wrong, you are family." Remember, as Tim's Savior once said, "You should love one another as I have loved you."

The refrain of a camp song from three decades ago plays off the words of Jesus, "and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love." Not by our generosity. Not by our bumper stickers. Not by the crosses around our necks or the Bible verses we can quote. Uh, uh. Yes, they will know (whomever "they" are) we are Christians by our love! Now that can be a scary thought.

For the past several Saturday mornings, fifteen youngsters and I have spent a few hours together talking about Communion - and about community. Maybe it was beyond their understanding at this point, but I tried to get across the fact that the church of Jesus Christ, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox - whatever the label - the Church of Jesus Christ makes us brothers and sisters. Without regard to race, color, political leaning,  or nationality. Love one another. And with regard to orientation? Simple. We are oriented to love one another! As we receive Communion, we are blood brothers and sisters.

During our time together, we talked about baptism and I showed them our parish register which contains the names and the dates of four of these fifteen. They were Baptized in this very sanctuary. Well, ten years ago, it was a much smaller sanctuary. A much smaller font. For that matter, a much thinner pastor.

I told them wherever it was they were Baptized, the pastor or priest traced on their forehead a yellow star, I mean a cross. They were marked for a life of loving others - and a life eternal. And now, at the altar these young men and women are ready to receive bread and wine, the very presence of Jesus Christ.

This sacred meal has power ... the power to create in every one of us the ability to follow Jesus more closely. The nutrition to love and to obey the final command of Jesus, "As I have loved you, so must you love one another!" In his book, that's the best way, in fact love is the only way, to be counted among the righteous.