Eastertide Lectio Divina 2
Read 1 John 2:3 – 17, 24 – 3:7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.
A New Commandment
7 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. 8Yet 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. 9Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister,* is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves a brother or sister* lives in the light, and in such a person* there is no cause for stumbling. 11But 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.
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. 14 I write to you, children,because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
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; 16for 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. 17And the world and its desire* are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever.
24Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he has promised us,* eternal life.
26 I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. 27As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.*
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of him.
Children of God
3 1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he* is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
Meditate
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he* is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
Contemplate
This passage from The First Epistle of John provides a word about the present and the future for Christian believers, about now and then, The author of his "letters" is very honest about what we know and what we do not know.
And the truth is, we do not know very much about then. From the beginning of the Church, books have been written about what heaven looks like, or how to get along with angels, or the Five People You Will Meet in Heaven. For the most part they do no harm, but they lack St. John's honest reticence: "What we will be has not yet been revealed." That is exactly what we don't know.
Here is what we do know now. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
We do not know for sure what God gives us at the end of life and what God gives those we love. But we do know for sure what God has given us now: astonishing love−love that makes us God's own children.
And having loved us to the end, surely we can believe that God loves us beyond the end as well.
We get Christian hope confused when we think that our hope is based on now nice we are, or how well we behave, or on some hidden piece of us called "the soul" that will survive through death and destruction.
We come closer to Christian hope when we contemplate the love of God that has made us and those we love, which is strong enough to keep us with God even in the face of death. - David Bartlett, Professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA
How is God present with you in the here and now? What comes to your mind when you think of “heaven”? How can having Christian hope (read again Prof. Bartlett’s definition, above) strengthen and empower your witness to God’s love in your life?
Pray
Almighty and everlasting God, let your fatherly hand ever be over us your servants; let your Holy Spirit ever be with us; and so lead us in the knowledge and obedience of your Word, that we may serve you in this life, and dwell with you in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 310)
Read 1 John 2:3 – 17, 24 – 3:7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.
A New Commandment
7 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. 8Yet 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. 9Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister,* is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves a brother or sister* lives in the light, and in such a person* there is no cause for stumbling. 11But 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.
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. 14 I write to you, children,because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
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; 16for 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. 17And the world and its desire* are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever.
24Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he has promised us,* eternal life.
26 I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. 27As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.*
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of him.
Children of God
3 1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he* is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
Meditate
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he* is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
Contemplate
This passage from The First Epistle of John provides a word about the present and the future for Christian believers, about now and then, The author of his "letters" is very honest about what we know and what we do not know.
And the truth is, we do not know very much about then. From the beginning of the Church, books have been written about what heaven looks like, or how to get along with angels, or the Five People You Will Meet in Heaven. For the most part they do no harm, but they lack St. John's honest reticence: "What we will be has not yet been revealed." That is exactly what we don't know.
Here is what we do know now. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
We do not know for sure what God gives us at the end of life and what God gives those we love. But we do know for sure what God has given us now: astonishing love−love that makes us God's own children.
And having loved us to the end, surely we can believe that God loves us beyond the end as well.
We get Christian hope confused when we think that our hope is based on now nice we are, or how well we behave, or on some hidden piece of us called "the soul" that will survive through death and destruction.
We come closer to Christian hope when we contemplate the love of God that has made us and those we love, which is strong enough to keep us with God even in the face of death. - David Bartlett, Professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA
How is God present with you in the here and now? What comes to your mind when you think of “heaven”? How can having Christian hope (read again Prof. Bartlett’s definition, above) strengthen and empower your witness to God’s love in your life?
Pray
Almighty and everlasting God, let your fatherly hand ever be over us your servants; let your Holy Spirit ever be with us; and so lead us in the knowledge and obedience of your Word, that we may serve you in this life, and dwell with you in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 310)