The Light

John, the last living disciple, wrote this first epistle to a group of Christians who were facing false teachings.  We don't really know which group, but we do know that he was familiar with them.  Gnosticism was gaining ground.  What is Gnosticism, you ask?  Gnosticism is a complete contrast to what Christianity is.  It was the most dangerous heresy of the first century.  It taught that salvation is achieved through special knowledge.  It's a little too complicated for this discussion though.  This letter was really to give his readers the basics about faith in Christ.

1 John 1:1-2 states "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us".  John was telling his readers that he was a witness.  He saw Jesus with his own eyes, witnessed His miracles, saw him crucified and even witnessed his reappearance after the resurrection and touched him then.  He was an eyewitness!   

John goes on to describe Jesus as light.  1 John 1:5-7 says, "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.   If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.   But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Jesus is light.  Light is Truth.  Therefore, Jesus is Truth.  This is the message of Christ that John heard.  He is a truth of hope and joy.  With Christ there is no darkness.  Darkness is full of threat and is dangerous.  This, again, doesn't mean Christians will not have problems or trials.  It does mean that Jesus is with us in whatever trials we face.  And in the end, if we have Jesus, we will live in eternity with him.  That is the hope and joy that we should carry around with us.

What about the darkness?  What does that mean "walking in darkness"?  I think it means being a person of hate, being controlled by the things of the world, living sinfully and never being remorseful for it, and being controlled by power or prestige.  Does this describe you?  You can change that.  You can become a person of love.  A person who is full of light.  John tells us that if we have the "blood of Jesus", we can be cleansed "from all sin."  We can walk in the light.  We can be the light for others.  

This reminds me of the hymn "Trust and Obey".  I know you've heard it.  It says this:

When we walk with the Lord   In the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way;   While we do His good will,   He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.
	Trust and obey, For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus,   But to trust and obey

See that?  It says the His Word is Light.  And if we trust Him, he will abide with us and his glory will light our way.  He will be the light on the dark pathways of this dark world. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for this message today.  In a world full of darkness, you are the light.  Thank you for sending Jesus, your precious son, to cleanse us from our sins.  I pray that if anyone that is reading this doesn't know Jesus as their personal Savior, that they will ask you for forgiveness and ask you into their heart.  Shine your light on them today.  Father, I ask that you forgive me when I've not been the light that I was supposed to be.  Help me, Lord, to share the hope and joy that your love brings.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Do This In Remembrance of Me

Tomorrow is a 5th Sunday.  Our church commemorates this day by partaking of Holy Communion.  We do this every 5th Sunday.  So, since we only do this four times per year, it's a really special occasion.  

Holy Communion is representative of the Last Supper.  This is the last meal that Jesus was able to have with His beloved disciples.  Paul takes the words of Jesus and proclaims that we should do this until His return in his letter to the church in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV) 

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let's look at these two items:  the bread and the wine. 

First is the bread.  Bread is symbolic for Jesus' body.  The body that was beaten.  The body that was bruised.  The body that took lashings from a cat of nine tails.  Have you seen pictures of that?  It has pieces of broken bone on leather-like straps.  They mocked him and placed a crown of thorns upon his head.  The thorns cut into his head.  Have you ever had a cut on your forehead?  My daughter hit her head over a nightstand and she bled and bled.  I'm sure that Jesus was bleeding so badly that he had blood running down his face and into his eyes.  After being beaten so badly he had to carry his own cross.  Most men wouldn't even make it through the lashings. Can you imagine the pain and suffering that He went through? 

Next is the wine.  The wine is symbolic of Jesus' blood.  Blood is life.  All throughout the Old Testament, God required his people to offer blood sacrifices to atone for their sin.  They would offer the best of the flock or harvest.  Look at it this way:  God sent the best He had for us.  He gave us the ultimate sacrifice.  He was perfect and without blemish.  He bled and died for you and me.  And, God is a God of forgiveness and grace.

What does all this mean in regards to communion?  Well, God wants us to prepare our hearts before partaking of the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.  When you are sitting in the pew waiting on the bread and the wine consider the following:

1.  Is there sin that I have not repented of to God?  Am I struggling with a sin that I haven't confessed?

2.  Look around.   Is there someone that you're holding a grudge against, that may even be sitting next to you?

3.  How is your current relationship with Christ?  Do you have one?

Make sure that these questions are answered before you take the bread or take the wine.  God wants us to have a clean heart so that we can truly understand what that sacrifice was.  Do this in remembrance of the one that sacrificed so much to secure our eternity with Him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I humbly come before you.  I ask that you create in me a clean heart.  You know what I'm struggling with.  I bring that before you now.  I ask your forgiveness.  Be with me when I face temptations and help me to make the right decisions.  Thank you for what you are doing and what you are going to do in my life.  Let me be a light that points to you.  In Jesus' precious and holy name, Amen.