Day 3: Called to Community
Bible: 1 John 4:7-16
‘Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In 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. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So 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.’
Read the passage through a couple of times. What words stand out to you from this passage? Why are they important for you today?
Reflection:
Below are two pictures of a Triquetra or a Trinity knot. It is an ancient symbol from the Celtic tradition that represents the Trinity. There are three arcs joined seamlessly together. It is an illustration of the perfect community of love that exists within the Holy Trinity. Our church communities are called to be a reflection of this heavenly community, places where the divine love is known, made known and declared in words and deeds. However, living in Christian community is not easy, with any family there are arguments and grumblings.
Naturally we find some people within the community of faith easier to love than others. Yet as one former bishop of Bradford once said: “There is no way of belonging to Christ except by belonging gladly and irrevocably to that marvellous and extraordinary ragbag of saints and fatheads who make up the one holy catholic and apostolic church.”
Put on some soothing music. Use some colouring pencils to colour in the Trinity knots below. As you colour, pray for those in your church who you find easy to love and those who you find difficult.
Paul