Love Is Light MARCH 4. Theme Statement

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1 1 MARCH 4 Love Is Light 1 John 2:7-11, Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, I am in the light, while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. Theme Statement Jesus is the Light of the world. He shows us how to be in a lifegiving relationship with God by revealing to us the true nature of God and by showing us ways in which we can be more receptive to God s coming into our lives. 8

2 Exploring the Word Today s session is the first of four sessions in Unit 1, Known by Our Love. Each session will provide an opportunity to focus on the concept of God s love and understand its place at the center of the Christian life. New Testament scholars generally regard 1 John as being written by someone within the circle of Christians whose understanding of Jesus life was shaped by The Gospel of John. It makes use of some of the language and imagery from John s Gospel in helping the community to work out what it means to follow the command of Jesus to love one another (John 13:34-35). Like Christians in all times and places, the audience of 1 John wrestled with the question of how to fit Jesus radical command to love one another into their daily lives. The five chapters of 1 John join the more familiar 1 Corinthians 13 as the most extensive and eloquent expressions of the New Testament understanding of love and its central role in Christian faith and life. The second chapter of 1 John reminds readers that the source of this commandment to love is Jesus himself (John 13:34). True love, as revealed to us in the life and teaching of Jesus, is what drives the Christian lifestyle. The love shown to us by Christ is what saves us from the consequences of our sin, and enables us to fully enjoy relationship with God and God s creation. 2:7-9 New commandment, old commandment The writer focuses attention in a fairly dramatic fashion on the command to love one another. The language of new commandment and old commandment reminds readers from where this commandment comes. Jesus uses this same language when he teaches the disciples about loving each other as a central component of Christian living (John 13:34). A note of rebuke may be detected in these verses. Because the first audience of this letter is in the circle of believers formed in the tradition of The Gospel of John, it may seem that it would not have been necessary to remind them of the 9

3 importance of Jesus commandment. This commandment to love remember that? the author seems to be saying. Does any of this sound familiar? If the people have to be reminded in such a way, perhaps it seems to the writer that they have forgotten the centrality of this command to love. The writer seems to be trying to follow the command to love even as he critiques the community. His words are gentle, with repeated demonstrations of affection ( beloved ) as he calls them back into relationship with God. 2:10-11 The light-love connection It is likely that the believers in the community addressed by this epistle were familiar with the repeated references to Jesus as the Light of the world in The Gospel of John. They would have been taught that Christians are those who walk in the light. Because of Jesus, they knew who God is, what God is like, and how to be in relationship with God. As people who profess their faith in Jesus, they claim to be people who have seen and embraced the light. That is, they believe themselves to be living in right relationship with God. The writer reminds this early Christian community that living in proper relationship with God leads to loving others as they have been loved by Jesus Christ. The light of Christ shows the way of God, and that way is love. Therefore, logically, if these believers do not show love to others, they are not living in such a relationship with God. Despite their claims of belief in Jesus, those who do not show Christ-like love to others are not living in the light. They are stumbling around in the darkness, just as people who have not known the light of Christ. In verses 12-14, which are not included in today s reading, the writer reminds these first readers that God has provided what is needed for living in the light. 10

4 2:15-17 Love in all the wrong places In these verses, 1 John identifies the root of the problem of those who claim to be walking in the light when, in fact, they are wandering around in the darkness. They are sidetracked from seeing the light that reveals true relationship with God by short-term, temporary, physical satisfaction. The shorthand that 1 John and some other New Testament writers use for such works of sin, death, and the devil is the world. The writer is not saying that the created world is bad; after all, God made the world. But when we start putting our desires for personal gratification and material pleasure first, we stumble off the well-lit, loving way of Christ that draws us into relationship with God. Martin Luther said that our god is that which we value most. When we begin valuing our own temporal pleasure above other things, we put our own wants first, contradicting to the commandment to love others. The Word Today We take light for granted. When light is all around, we hardly notice it, much less appreciate it. But have you ever been where there is no light? When I was young, my family went on a tour of a copper mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We kept going down, down into the ground deep below the surface of the earth. As we stood at the bottom of the mine, our guide began talking about total darkness. Words could not describe it adequately, he said. He wanted us to experience total darkness. With that, he shut off the light. I was terrified. Even sitting with my family, led by a tour guide who had things under control and a switch that could turn everything on, total darkness was like no other darkness I had ever experienced. Instantly, reality was distorted. I became disoriented. I couldn t help imagining what would happen if the light failed. How could I avoid falling into holes 11

5 and chasms? I was sure we would never find our way out; we would never escape that darkness. When the guide turned the light back on, it was the most beautiful light I d ever seen. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the light that stands between us and utter disaster. He is a light that shines clearly and unmistakably, a light that cannot be extinguished under any circumstances. (See John 1:3-9; 8:12; 12:46; and 1 John 2:8-10.) The light of Christ shows the way to relationship with God. It shows us how God established a relationship with us and brought us to God. It shows us that the way to share life-giving communion with God is through love of God and of each other. Loving others as God loves us is so contrary to our selfish nature that we cannot see that pathway of God s love outside the light of Christ. When we start going after other lights, we wander off the path. It is easy to be attracted to those other lights the lights of worldly, short-term pleasures. There are many wonderful gifts in God s created world, and they are here for us to enjoy. But material pleasures do not bring us closer to God. Only the light-filled love of Jesus Christ can do that. Love of material and physical things can only bring us closer to ourselves. When we draw closer to ourselves, we draw further away from God. We find out, sooner or later, that the light of worldly pleasures does not take us anywhere. It does not last. When tragedy strikes, when our hearts are broken, when our health is gone, when we don t have a friend in the world, when death and suffering lay all around us, when we have lost our sense of purpose that s when we desperately need the light of Christ s love. And that light always shows us that living in relationship with God is expressed through love of God and love of others. The world was never darker than when Jesus was put to death, and the love of God has never shone more brightly than it did in raising him from the dead. The light of this love is always ready to claim us and show us the wonders that God would give. 12

6 Questions for Discussion Beginnings 1. In 30 seconds, list the names of people you love. Why do you love them? Next, in 30 seconds list the names of people who love you. Why do you think they love you? What insights can you draw from comparing the two lists? Exploring the Word 1. In what way is Jesus command to love a new commandment? In what way is it an old commandment? 2. In what way might hatred cause a person to not see the light of Christ s love? The Word Today 1. When have you experienced God s love in your life most strongly? 2. Which of these things hold the greatest appeal for you? In what ways might you balance your delight in them with Jesus command to love others? Clothing Collections or heirlooms Entertainment Fame House Investments Outdoor recreation equipment Retirement Travel and transportation 13

7 Closing Prayer Gracious God, thank you for the light of your love that has shone upon us and shown us the way to receive all the good gifts you intend for us. Help us to turn away from those things that lure us away from Christ s light, that we may live always as your people. Amen. Further Study John 13 Daily Readings M. 2 Peter 1:5-11 F. 1 Peter 4:1-11 T. Romans 12:9-21 S. 1 John 2:7-11 W. Romans 13:9-14 S. 1 John 2:12-17 T. Galatians 5:13-26 Memorization Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. (1 John 2:10) 14