Stroll through Scripture for July 7, 2024

Based on 1 John 3:16–24

Is it coincidence that John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 sound so very similar? Both talk about love that is willing to lay down one’s life for others. One of the most popular topics of music is love. But often it’s not this type of love that is being sung about. God’s love is deep and vulnerable. Do we think of God as being vulnerable? I’m not sure how else to describe a willingness to lay down one’s life for another other than being vulnerable. It’s the ultimate act of vulnerability.

Each verse of this selection of Scripture can stand alone as a sermon. Every verse has a powerful message. Verse 17 is just one example — “How does God’s love abide in anyone who had the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” Yes, good question. Yet, somehow there seems to be plenty who in so-called Christian America who have no trouble refusing to help someone in need. We’ve gotten really good at coming up with excuses for why we shouldn’t help too.

Verse 18 — “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” So why is the focus of so many churches about who have the “right” beliefs? It’s as if we have read the words of this letter and decided to do the exact opposite over and over again.

But none of this is new. I’m imagining that the author of 1 John wrote what he wrote because the same issues that see around us and within us today were there when the author penned the words. Why else would they…