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 13:34-35
Dear People of St. David’s,
I played several different organized sports growing up: soccer, baseball, football, tennis and then tried my hand at others like basketball and pickleball just for fun with friends. So, I’ve always been interested in learning how to be good at (or at least decent at) a variety of sports. However, the one sport that always eluded me was golf. I honestly never had much interest in it. It seemed boring, and it felt out of reach for a kid from a lower-middle-class family. Golf also requires a lot of time and patience just to become halfway decent.
But in April of 2024, something changed. As I held my newborn son in my arms and sat in front of the TV watching Scottie Scheffler win the Masters, I actually said aloud, “This looks like fun!” Shortly after, I picked up a set of clubs for cheap to take up my new hobby. I took a couple of lessons, spent time at the driving range, and… well, I’m still not particularly good (ha-ha!). Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be. I’ve only played about three rounds so far. I probably picked an inconvenient time to learn a sport like golf being a new dad and serving an active parish like St. David’s. I’m not exactly flush with free time.
Yet there’s something about golf that keeps drawing me in. I think it’s because I’m not good at it. Because I know I’ll never be as good at golf as I was at other sports, I’m motivated to keep learning and growing.
In our Tuesday morning Bible study, we’ve been reading the Gospel of John. Just a few weeks ago, we discussed chapter 13, where Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” We had a robust conversation about how difficult that commandment is to follow. It’s hard in a world where people are so often at odds. Even within Christian community, people aren’t always loving (kind of odd, right?). As former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry says, “You don’t have to like everyone, but you do have to love them.”
Every time I hear that quote from Bishop Curry, I think of John 13, and I think about how much practice I still need. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a Christian since my baptism, and I still struggle with loving people I disagree with or who see the world differently than I do. I’m especially not great at loving Red Sox fans (Go Yankees!). But this is what we’re called to do. It’s the center of our faith: the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples and to us. So, like golf, it’s something I need to practice. A LOT.
My prayer is that we at St. David’s can be a model of that Christ-like love in a broken world. That we can practice love a little more each day, continuing to grow and become a beacon of light in a world that too often feels dark.
Love you all,
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Jr.
Associate Rector
Published on July 24, 2025.