Word to the Wise
Friday, January 3, 2025 - Jan. 3
[1 John 2:29-3:6 and John 1:29-34]THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2024 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY[1 John 2:29-3:6 and John 1:29-34[ See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. [1 John] One of the major themes in the Johannine literature of the New Testament is "life" - "eternal life" in particular. Generally speaking most Christian people would associate eternal life with what happens after physical death. But the Gospel According to John makes it clear: "I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10] In other words, faith in Jesus is life itself. It is the relationship in faith that enlivens. We do not have to wait until death to receive it as some kind of reward for being good. This is what is meant by "grace." Grace is the very life of God in us - God's presence. A relationship of love or friendship carries responsibilities that go beyond individual states of being. The love that God gives to us must overflow to our neighbor: This I command you: love one another. [John15:17] It is this relationship to God and neighbor that defines us as Children of God, as presented in the first scripture for today from the First Letter of John: Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. This theme of love of God and neighbor as the very meaning of eternal life will be occurring frequently in the first scripture for daily Eucharist over the next few days. AMEN
One of the major themes in the Johannine literature of the New Testament is "life" - "eternal life" in particular. Generally speaking most Christian people would associate eternal life with what happens after physical death. But the Gospel According to John makes it clear: "I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10] In other words, faith in Jesus is life itself. It is the relationship in faith that enlivens. We do not have to wait until death to receive it as some kind of reward for being good. This is what is meant by "grace." Grace is the very life of God in us - God's presence.
A relationship of love or friendship carries responsibilities that go beyond individual states of being. The love that God gives to us must overflow to our neighbor: This I command you: love one another. [John15:17] It is this relationship to God and neighbor that defines us as Children of God, as presented in the first scripture for today from the First Letter of John: Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
This theme of love of God and neighbor as the very meaning of eternal life will be occurring frequently in the first scripture for daily Eucharist over the next few days. AMEN
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