1 John 4:12-16 The love of God covers a multitude of sin…ours!

 1 John 2:5–6

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We love because He first loved us! Without love in our actions we are just making noise. Carla

1 John 4:12-16

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected •in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. NKJV

No one has seen God. That is, in His full, manifest form. John argues that although no one has seen God, His character can be seen in believers who love as He does (John 1:18; 6:46).

In the Old Testament, figures like Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah had encounters with God, yet none involved witnessing God in His full glory—as He really is. John doesn’t consider Old Testament characters to have seen the fullness of God (Exodus 33:20)

God’s Spirit not only resides in believers, but teaches them the truth concerning the saving work of the incarnate Christ (1 John 4:14; 3:24).

Savior of the world describes the purpose of Christ’s incarnation—to rescue humanity from sin (1:7; 2:2; 4:10). John wants his audience to understand that properly responding to Christ’s saving act requires affirmation of Christ’s existence in bodily form (1:9; 4:2). By implication, the false teachers reject the basis of God’s plan of salvation by denying that Christ was the Son of God in the flesh.

God resides in him through the work of God as Holy Spirit in the life of a believer (2:24; 3:23–24).

Who resides in love resides in God. This phrase, which continues the thought from verse 15, represents the main point of John’s letter: A person who is truly a Christian and part of the Christian community correctly identifies Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. Christians demonstrate their belief in Jesus by loving others, admitting sin, and letting God transform their life (1:6–7; 2:10, 19). These actions also define a person as a true child of God and a member of the believing community. Faithlife Study Bible

Mutual abiding refers to the fellowship we have with God as a result of our salvation. The evidence that God abides in us and we in Him is the experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. In the remainder of this passage (verses 12–16), John explains how a believer can know that the Spirit is working in his or her life (verses 15, 16). Abides, in this context refers to salvation rather than the fellowship that results from salvation. To be a Christian, a person must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And we have known is parallel to “and we have seen” in verse 14. 

Abides in love means the Christian lives within the sphere of God’s love. That love is both experienced and expressed through the Christian’s life. The NKJV Study Bible

1 John 3:23–24

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

John 1:18

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 3:17

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

1 John 2:23–24

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Here’s what I know: Life seems to ignore the script we have in our mind.

But this is also true: when that happens, we walk. We walk toward, or we walk away. Either way, we begin a journey—a pilgrimage to find or restore or forgive or heal, or to forget or bury; or perhaps, just to have the deck of our world shuffled.

And gratefully, a Pilgrimage-Camino walk is a good reminder.

Its wisdom calls me daily to pick up my pack and march on. To trust, find beauty, and to be vulnerable. To share pain, joy, and connection. To, with practice, patience (lots of patience), faith, and grace, continue walking.

So. Sometimes we need a different way to measure what really matters.

This brings to mind my mentor, Lew Smedes’ reminder, "Gratitude dances though the open windows of our hearts. We cannot force it. We cannot create it. And we can certainly close our windows to keep it out. But we can also keep them open and be ready for the joy when it comes."

Living one open window at a time.

I once did a workshop where I asked the participants to describe life. One woman said, "Life is so… life is so… life is so… daily."

Yes. She's right. And that is the secret.

The miracle is that there need not be a miracle—just a slow drip of experience. Being mindful of small things; the ordinary is the hiding place for the holy.

Places where we are able to receive. And places from which we give: wholeheartedness, joy, grief, compassion, sorrow, kindness, grace, forgiveness, gladness. And until I understand that truth (until I take it to heart), I miss the point.

Or, in the words of William Kittredge, "Moments when nothing happened. What sweet nothing."

In other words, we don't run from the moment (even moments that unnerve and distress).

We don't suffocate the moment with stuff (physical and mental).

We don't sanitize the moment with platitudes.

We sit. We listen. We look. We taste. We smell. We see.

We look for the light of God in the most ordinary, and even the most dull, of contexts.

(I know that I preordain, when I hope or try to orchestrate, rather than just experience. I also know that whether it is, experience or relationship or liturgy or prayer or meditation or Camino, if you don't bring it with you, you're not going to find it there.) SabbathMoments 

Matthew 5:14-16 We need to let the light of Christ shine in our lives so that God is glorified.

 1 Peter 2:12

having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The things of darkness will one day pass away in the light of God’s love. Jesus came that there would be light and it would be the light of the world. In Him there is no darkness for the light dispels it and all things hidden are revealed that the evil deeds done by man in secret will be exposed. Christ in us is to show God’s glory to the world at large and to others individually. In Jesus all the requirements of the Law and the Prophets was fulfilled. Now we need to spread the Good News to everyone who will listen. Carla

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father •in heaven. NKJV

The believer does not have inherent light; rather we have reflective light. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we reflect it. Therefore, we need to make sure that nothing comes between us and the Lord’s light. The NKJV Study Bible

Light of the world recalls Israel’s role as a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). In John, Jesus describes Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5).

Jesus commonly refers to God as Father which indicates their relationship of father and son. The concept of Yahweh as a father was common throughout Israel’s history (2 Samuel  7:14; Psalm 2:7). Here, Jesus extends this metaphor to members of the kingdom (Matthew 5:45).

In Matthew he is saying that Jesus performed or upheld that which was required by the law and met the expectations of the predictions about Him in the writings of the prophets. In Him, the Law and the Prophets reached their fullest expression. Faithlife Study Bible

Mark 4:21

Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 

Luke 8:16

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 

Luke 11:33

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

These days, I’m grounded with Sister Joan Chittister’s wisdom. “We do not pray in order to escape the world around us. We pray with one eye on the world so that we can come to understand what is really being asked of us here and now, at times like this, as co-creators of the universe.”

One of the gifts on this Ireland pilgrimage is the stories about men and women throughout history, who did just that. The came to understand what was begin asked of them, in the present—often during a time of serious turmoil and unrest and chaos. Sabbath Moments

At the end of His ministry on earth, Jesus informed His disciples, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do" (John 14:12). So our Savior has given us a task: to join Him in drawing people to God! And we have the Holy Spirit to empower us with the discernment and endurance we need. Relying on our divine Helper teaches our hearts to rest in His strength, wisdom, and peace (John 14:26-27).

Friend, the enemy wants to discourage us, but we can learn from Nehemiah to turn to the Lord and ask Him to help us remain undeterred. We might feel the urge to quit or feel overwhelmed by discouraging distractions ... but "with the help of our God," we can accomplish what He assigns (Nehemiah 6:16).

Instead of giving way to fear, let's echo Nehemiah's prayer: "But now, O God, strengthen my hands" (Nehemiah 6:9). First5

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 In Christ, God, was reconciling the world to Himself.

 2 Corinthians 6:16 

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said•:

“I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

•I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.”  NKJV

We are the righteousness of God in Christ. God sees Jesus in us and we are reconciled to Him. God’s love conquered sin and death in the salvation of Jesus. It is only through His sacrifice that the world could be saved. El Roi  God sees me. He sees you. Carla

The Hebrew name for God that means "the God who sees me" is El Roi (or El Ro'i). This name was coined by Hagar in Genesis 16:13 after she encountered God in the desert, marking a profound moment of feeling known, seen, and cared for during a time of extreme distress.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NKJV

Because of Christ’s propitiation, His satisfaction of God’s righteous demands, God is now able to turn toward us. God has made us new creatures in Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, a word meaning “a change of relation from enmity to peace.” We who have been reconciled to God have the privilege of telling others that they can be reconciled to Him as well.

God could change His relationship toward us because our sins have been imputed (reckoned) to Christ, instead of to us. In other words, God placed our sins on Christ, who knew no sin. His death was in our place and for our sins. If we believe in Jesus, God counts Jesus’ righteousness as our righteousness (verse 21). 

The word of reconciliation that has been entrusted to us is to tell all people that God wants to restore them to a relationship with Himself (Romans 5:8). This is the Good News that everyone needs to hear. 

Ambassadors are more than messengers. They are representatives of the sovereign who sent them. In the Roman Empire, there were two kinds of provinces, the senatorial and the imperial. The senatorial provinces were generally peaceful and friendly to Rome. They had submitted to Roman rule and were under the control of the Senate. The imperial provinces, however, had been acquired later, and were not as peaceful. These provinces were under the authority of the emperor himself. Syria, including Judea, was such an imperial province. To these provinces, the emperor sent ambassadors to govern and maintain peace. 

Christians have been called by their King to serve as ambassadors in a world that is in rebellion against Him. However, God has given His representatives a message of peace and of reconciliation.

Jesus never did anything wrong. Yet He died for our sins, so that we could be declared righteous, that is to say, justified (verse 19). The NKJV Study Bible

Reconciled  refers to the end of hostility between God and people. 

Christ’s death provided the means of reconciliation. His suffering made peace between God and humanity possible (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3). Paul presented Christ’s sacrifice as the basis of reconciliation and the source of his apostolic vocation (verses 14–18). He wants the Corinthians to understand the centrality of Christ in his ministry in contrast to other teachers, who boast about themselves.

The Hebrew word used here for world, kosmos, refers to people estranged from God and under the influence of sin and the devil (4:4). God does not use people’s sins as a reason to withhold salvation or reconciliation.

We  are ambassadors meaning representatives of Christ. Paul and his companions not only spoke on behalf of Christ, but their lives—namely, their endurance of suffering—represented Christ’s life and character. As Christ’s representatives, they were charged with presenting the message of God’s plan of reconciliation to the world.

Paul affirms that Christ did not sin, though He was tempted (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13; Hebrews  4:15).

Not counting their trespasses against them is how God regarded Christ as sin for the sake of undeserving sinners (Galatians 3:13). More specifically, Paul may be presenting Christ as a substitute for sinful humanity or he could be referring to Christ’s identification with sin through His union with sinful humanity. Another possibility is that Paul is interpreting Christ’s sacrifice in light of Old Testament sacrificial concepts (Leviticus 4:24; 5:12; Isaiah 53:10).

Through Christ’s death and resurrection, God demonstrated His righteousness (dikaiosynē) by judging sin yet showing mercy to sinners. Here Paul refers to the idea of Christians becoming the righteousness of God. He may mean that believers, as a result of God’s justification, receive a right standing before God while Christ takes on their sins (Romans 5:8). Alternatively, Paul could be describing God’s righteous character, which believers receive and should live out in their lives. Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 5:10–11

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Ephesians 6:20

for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Romans 1:17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

1 Corinthians 1:30

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

2 Corinthians 6:1

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

I relate to Wade Rouse's admission, “It was my time to look God in the eye. I had already spent much of life trying to avoid direct eye contact with God—like I did country dogs that people kept chained to a post all winter—worried that He would see into my soul, see my darkest secrets, know that I was thinking, and want to rip me apart.”
'Tis true. The God of my youth is a tough audience, especially when perfection is the goal.

A disciple of Rabbi Menachem-Mendel complained: “I come from Rizhin. There, everything is simple, everything is clear. I prayed and I knew I was praying; I studied and I knew I was studying. Here in Kotzk everything is mixed up, confused; I suffer from it. Please help me so I can pray and study as before. Please help me to stop suffering.”
Menachem-Mendel replied: “And who ever told you that God is interested in your studies and your prayers? And what if he preferred your tears and your suffering?”
Yes, what if I knew (and lived) as if all my broken pieces are loved?
This is in contradiction to a world that honors beauty as perfection, where it is easy to miss the gift of the here and now.
But what if spirituality is about here and now, with all of the passions, and the imperfections—and yes, “suffering”?
What would it mean to embrace the self—This Self—as imperfect, and ambiguous, and exquisitely human?

But what about the irritations and “suffering”? No doubt we want them to go away. Here's the paradox.
You cannot change anything until you can love it.
You cannot love anything until you know it.
And you cannot know anything until you are willing to embrace it.

On this day, I am grateful to offer the prayer of St. Patrick…

As I arise today,

may the strength of God pilot me,

the power of God uphold me,

the wisdom of God guide me.

May the eye of God look before me,

the ear of God hear me,

the word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me,

the way of God lie before me,

the shield of God defend me,

the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today.

Amen. “Sabbath Moments”