God is love

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Tomorrow we'll be back at the Boulevard at 8:30pm for a discussion on asking big questions when you don't know the answers. Last week we had an engaging and wide ranging discussion talking about community, scripture and life experience. 


In a recent survey of non-church goers who were asked to give the first word that came to mind when they thought about Christians, some of the most common responses were: judgmental, hypocritical and close-minded. While those traits might describe some of the loudest public voices in Christianity, John makes it clear that they are not traits of faithful Christians. He says love is the point of our faith. God loves us so deeply and sacrificially in Christ that our first calling is to love others in the same spirit. If we truly follow that, we'll be on the right path.

God bless,
Sam

1 John 4:7-21

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

love in action

Good morning brothers and sisters,
John reflects on how we know we belong to God. We know we belong to God if we love each other, because love is from God. We don't earn God's love, God gives it freely, but when we know and love God, that love bears fruit in our lives. Love leads us to love others in clear, practical ways. Love demands service; faith demands action. As we love others, we grow in faith and become more like Christ.

Blessings on your journey today,
Sam

1 John 3:11-19

¹¹For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. ¹²We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. ¹³Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. ¹⁵All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. ¹⁶We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. ¹⁷How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? ¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him.

perfect love casts out fear

Good morning friends,
First, I'd like to ask you to keep our secretary Maria Bennett's father in prayer for God's healing touch. He's at Rochester General with pneumonia and needs God's care. Please also keep his wife, Ginny, and the whole family in prayer.

Our reading from 1 John tells us that God is love and the only way we know God is through love. God allows us to love by loving us. We respond by loving God, but even more, by loving other people. How we treat others is the test for whether we truly love God. When we really do love God and others, and we know that God loves us, fear will vanish because we know that love wins.

Blessings on your love today,
Sam

1 John 4:7-21

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

a merciful example

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading makes the case that since Christ came to save humanity from sin Christ had to be human. By taking on every part of human life, Jesus serves as our faithful high priest. Like the priests of the old temple Jesus offered a sacrifice to take away our sin. They offered lambs and goats and cattle; Christ offered himself. Because the sacrifice is perfect and the priest offering it doesn't need to offer sin offerings for himself, the one sacrifice frees us from sin forever.

Since Christ is our brother he shared the struggles of being human and understands our weakness. That means we can always bring our fears and struggles to Jesus in prayer because he understands us and can sympathize with human weakness. He also sets an example for us by living a perfect human life. Jesus brings us home to God and makes God understandable to us. Thanks be to God.
Enjoy your freedom in Christ today,

Sam


Hebrews 2:10-18

10It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." 13And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given me."


14Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.