"Whoever does not love abides in death." These were the haunting words we encountered last week from 1 John 3. Words which hold the question over us: where are we abiding in death? What parts of our hearts and our lives are not marked by love?
We all have those spaces in our lives in which love has not taken over, and that's okay. God is patient and faithful as He forms us in love. But we may still feel like we don't know how to get from point A to point B, from death to life, from hate to love.
Enter Jesus. Our texts this week point to the person of love, the WHO of love. The Gospel reading will make this most explicit: to abide in love means to abide in Jesus. He is the vine, we are the branches. For as much as we stay connected to him, love will bear its fruit in our lives.
Acts 8:26–40
Psalm 22:25–31
1 John 4:7–21
John 15:1–8
My prayer for us: Jesus, the Vine, draw us into your life this week. Hold us close and keep us connected to your love, so that as Branches of your presence in the world, we may bear the fruit of truth, goodness, and beauty that leads back to you. In your name and in the power of Your Spirit, I pray. Amen.
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