Scripture: 1 John 2:9-11 Series: 2020
An Evensong reflection pairing 1 John 2:9-11 with the image of building and tending a fire. The spark (like new friendship or sudden awareness of God’s love) is exciting but fleeting; love and mercy are the fuel that keeps the fire burning. Walking in the light means continuing to love; when we stop loving we slip into darkness and begin seeing brothers as enemies or rivals. Staying in the light requires daily relighting, gathering fuel, and planning ahead, with the Spirit present to sustain us. Closes by tying into a morning-started series on each person’s sacred story: God’s prior love, forgiveness through mercy, and a purpose and mission in the world.
Illustrations: tending-a-fire, spark-of-friendship
October 4
Starting a fire (fuel, spark, oxygen) The spark of friendship is the most exciting but the spark doesn’t last.
The fuel makes the fire burn. The fuel of love and mercy.
If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them. If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don’t know where we are going, because we can’t see in the dark. 1 John 2:9-11
Starting a fire (fuel, spark, oxygen)
Staying in the light. How to stay in the light How to keep the fire going?
Daily you have to light it again
You have to gather fuel You have to plan ahead
We can’t light the fire once and think it will burn for ever. The Spirit is there with us and for us, but if we stop loving, we are going to stop seeing as God sees. If we stop loving, we will start seeing our brothers as enemies or rivals.
This morning, I started a series on the sacred story on how God has a sacred story for each of us. How God loves us from before we know it, How we are forgiven no matter what we have done when we seek mercy, and how we have a purpose and mission in this world. Awareness of God’s love can happen like a spark or