Word to the Wise
Friday, January 6, 2017 - Jan. 6 (if Epiphany is Jan. 7 or 8)
[1 John 5:5-13 and Mark 1:7-11 or Luke 3:23-38 or Luke 3:23, 31-34, 36, 38,838]FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY - FRIDAY [1 John 5:5-13 and Mark 1:7-11 or Luke 3:23-38] I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. [1 John] The Letters of John form part of what scripture scholars call the "Johannine corpus" in the New Testament. I have called attention to major themes in the Gospel of John, and these are continued in the letters that bear his name. Today's first scripture presents one of these themes. It says to us that eternal life does not begin with physical death but with faith in Jesus! (Scripture scholars call this "realized eschatology."). The quote above says it simply, "......that you may know that you HAVE eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God." If we think of the old expression, "Heaven on earth," we capture the essence of this truth. Faith is not simply an intellectual assent to a set of statements in a church document or creed. It is a relationship with the love of God. When that relationship occurs we experience "Heaven on earth." We are often asked online to click on a button to indicate that we agreed with the "terms and conditions" of whatever transaction we are performing. Faith is far more than agreeing to "terms and conditions," it is the presence of God within us. What we do when we believe in God is to acknowledge that loving presence and live according to it. The writings of the "Johannine" community remind us of this wonderful reality. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
282 ms
4
