Blog Archives - St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church

God is love part 4

7/31/2014

1 John 4:15-16a click here for the reading

The tangible signs of love are important for this book of love to make sense. John hopes that these verses produce the tangible lives of love in the people of the community. The fellowship that exists when love is made known in Christ is the true fellowship that is a hope for the world.

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

These simple verses reflect the love that is incarnational, made of flesh and blood, tanglible, touchable, livable. This love is found in the person of Christ (how we know God loves us) and this love brings life (in relationship with God and with one another). To say God is love is to know love. To know love is to live that love as a tangible sign for the world to see.

God is love and our lives are signposts of that love in the world.

Where is God's love needed most in the world today?

Lord, help us live lives of love so others might come to experience your love for them. - Amen

God is love part 3

7/30/2014

1 John 4:13-14 click here for the readings

And we have seen with our own eyes. What great words to give witness to what this letter of love is really about. John and those within the community are testifying to what they have experienced; mainly, God has Sent Christ into the world so that the world may know God's love. Simple.

Yet, this witness is not just reporting a car accident that someone saw and reports to the police, this testimony is moving, life shaping, life changing, and transforming. This account tells the story of God's love that has come into the world through Christ.

As a Lutheran Christian, I grew up with the feeling like we shouldn't talk about our faith, that is because that is the culture I grew up in. Not a biblical one, a cultural one. It wasn't til I left the church altogether that I was able to tell God's story and how that story was my story. There is something transformational about telling people my story by saying....I wasn't supposed to be here. My mother and I almost died when she was giving birth to me. Yet the doctors, nurses, my parents and all others account this day as a miracle. Given by God. And being able to tell God's activity in my life from the day I was born, helped me tell of the stories of love I have experienced through God since that time. Yet never in an abstract format. Because those stories always include people to help me hear God's voice, see God's fingerprints (see God is love part 2) and experience God's love.

How do you tell the story about God's love that you have seen or experienced with your own eyes?

God is love part 2

7/30/2014

1 John 4:11-12 click here for the readings

No one has ever seen God. John certainly taking a bend on a theological and biblical understanding of God's presence. {God has constantly and consistently made God's presence known, just not through a physical construct, i.e. the burning bush, the pillars of cloud and fire, the whirlwind. Also, Job 42:5 explains Job's predicament of no longer hearing about God but experiencing God face to face.}

John intends for us to know that love was perfected in Christ, God's outpouring of love by sending God's son into the world to bridge the gap of sin that separates us from God. Hence, God is love. But here John insists that the community, as the body of Christ, brings love to fulfillment when we show love to each other and the world God made.

Love comes not from the best of the human spirit but it comes from God. The fulfillment of love experienced by loving others and having been loved by others in community brings us as a community into the fullness of God's love. This is a tangible sign of God's presence, much like the burning bush, the pillar of cloud and fire, whirlwinds and Job's experience of God.

God is love part 1

7/29/2014

1 John 4:7-10 click here for the reading

Who wrote the book of love? John did. This entire chapter helps explain the connection between God and love. "God is the subject and love is the descriptor" (from Craig Koester at Luther Seminary). It is tempting to try and work that the other way around. Love is God. but that is a temptation would should avoid. Elevating love to a divine status is avoiding the sacrificial nature of God's love. Far too often Christians try and avoid a bloody incarnational account of love and prefer the precious moments, hallmark versions instead.

1 John 4:9-10 "God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

Agape love, sacrificial love is often hard to discuss because we prefer eros or philo (emotional, physical and intellectual love). Everyone always wants to have 1 Corinthians 13 read at weddings thinking the couple is a reflection of the love that Paul unfolds in that brilliant and poetic chapter. But, they are NOT! Paul is unfolding the love that God pours into the world when Christ died on the cross.....a sacrifice that we might know and love the God who would go to this end to show God's love for us.

John intends for the love that we share with one another is a reflection, representation of the love that God gives.

Lord, help us to receive your love in such a way that we see you as the source of all love, encouraged to share in small and sacrificial ways of our own lives so that the world may come to fall in love with you....again. - Amen

Love one another part 3

7/26/2014

1 John 3:23-24 click here for the reading

Fellowship is a funny word. Understandably we throw it around an awful lot. We intend it to mean something like sharing time or hanging out. John's emphasis for his community to remain in fellowship is brought through relationship. A vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with one another. In John's discription of this fellowship (or koinonia) the life of God comes through in the life of the community. As we will soon see, this life (given thru the Holy Spirit living in us) is a life of love, love for God and love for one another. This is the vision of true fellowship, koinonia, living in life with one another, expressing the life God has given thru God's son.

This is the essence of what it means to be the church in the world. If the world peaked into the lives of our communities how would they see the love of God and each other expressed? (obedience comes through our identity as God's children, telling of our Father who loves us). What does this look like in your household?

Love one another part 2

7/25/2014

1 John 3:18-22 click here for the reading

The expression of love at a wedding is priceless. It is the heightened day of anticipation for the couple, friends and family gather around to see them kiss and be presented as husband and wife. I recently officiated a wedding for a couple, and they chose this as one of the scripture readings. I believe they chose this because we spent a significant amount of time equipping them as a couple with skills of communication, conflict resolution, and most importantly seeking and granting forgiveness....for the benefit of their marriage (not their wedding day).

When they chose this as their main scripture to celebrate the launching of their life together, it was significant. Basing their long term relationship on the trust of love for one another in words and in their actions is a great metaphor for the church.....Oh wait, that is exactly what Jesus gave us; the church as the bride of Christ, a deep intimate love between Christ and God's people. One based on love that expands to a tangible witness of the love we share with Christ.

Love one another part 1

7/24/2014

1 John 3:11-17 click here for the reading

Questions are important. Sometimes more important than the answer. Since John is establishing the foundation of his letter to the community on love, love one another is a major theme. yet the question at the end is also crucial to understanding that John is not seeking an abstract love. John is speaking of love in tangible ways.

As believers we show our love to one another we know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us....a tangible sign of love. So when the question comes;"if someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?" This is at the root of authenticity of koinonia (true fellowship/community) for what John is speaking to his community about. Yes we know we are supposed to love one another but this cannot be lip service.

Given the state of refugees in the united states and the response from people given their political views and even some of their religious views, one might ask the same question that John asks. This is not to politicize the refugee issue but it is to ask the question when someone stands up to speak to a child refugee as a christian that "you are not welcome here, Jesus didn't break the law" says something about their understanding of christian love. In response, we might be prone to ask the question John asks - "how can God's love be in that person?" In the Gospel of John, love is poured out for us to see...."For their is no greater love than this than to lay down one's life for one's friends. To build authentic communities, the root of which is God and God's love, we are tasked with the incredible difficult thing to love one another in tangible ways so that the world might know God's very love.

Lord, help us to love other in incredibly radical ways so that your love would shine in our darkness. -Amen

Children of God part 3

7/23/2014

1 John 3:9-10 click here for the reading

Given a literal reading of this passage, one could use it to continue to separate at will who is 'in' and who is 'out.' But John's purpose is to help the community understand the basics of theology, reiterating that Jesus was both human and divine. Those that denied Christ's divinity are the antichrist because that denial is very antichrist, anti-orthodoxy.

What needs to be reiterated in this passage is the intention that John establishes in naming us as God's children. Children eventually become like their parent. For those who have the claim as children of God live lives that reflect God's life and teaching (righteousness). Those who claim the teaching different from God's have the devil as their parent and do not belong to the Koinonia (the community of faith) will be like their parent. Probably pulling from John's Gospel (John 8:44) the father of lies is the Devil himself.

The positive apporach of this passage is that we are encouraged to live our faith daily, contiunuing to mature in faith and growth as chidlren of God. Thus imitating the righteousness of our Father, our parent, God in Christ."

How do you live out the faith of being God's child?

Lord, move me from my sin into your righteousness so that I may represent you as your child here on earth.-Amen

Child of God part 2

7/22/2014

1 John 3:4-8 click here for the readings

Being filled with grace (getting what you don't deserve) often means downplaying the significance of sin. yet, Scripture tells us that we cannot continue to sin that we go on showing how gracious our God is. John describes to his community that living in the forgiveness of sin (Exactly what it is that Christ does) draws us into relationship with Christ (to know who he is).

Moreover, John is more concerned with the community not giving lip-service to being a Christian. John was concerned that we preach what we practice so that our actions and deeds match our theology (how we talk about who God/Jesus is).

Children of God Part 1

7/21/2014

1 John 2:29- 3:3 click here for the readings

Sometimes it is more important to know who's we are than who we are. Identity issues rise up during times of transition and times of change, naming these milestones in life are helpful. Here John is attempting to help remind us of God's claim on the Christian life...."
for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!"

God's claim on our lives in Baptism reminds us that we are not our own entity. Given an identity from another claims us as that very one. In Baptism we all have been claimed by God, given an identity with a new middle name "Child of God." In this identity as child we are given a level playing field for, not only how the world views us, but how we viewed the world.

Instead of speaking words of vitriol and hatred or demonization of others in words that hurt like, homeless, addict, lazy, bum, jerk, bitch, whore, etc......we use the title God placed on others lives to see them as they are, children of God.

What would it look like if you began to see others like God sees them....As God's children? What if it were even your worst enemy?