Eastertide
April 5, 2018
Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. –1 John 1:5-10
Most of us probably have a list of behaviors that we classify as sins; most of which we probably never do. Other people commit them. We are not commanded to confess the sins we believe others are doing. And I doubt if many of us consider our acts of omission as sins. Before we can confess our sins we must identify them. Jesus provided a list of sins that we probably need to add to ours since I doubt most of us have them on our list:
- Not feeding the hungry
- Not providing water for the thirsty
- Not welcoming the stranger
- Not clothing the naked
- Not caring for the sick
- Not restoring the prisoner to wholeness*
While I do believe donating to the church or other charities is necessary and a good thing to consolidate our help and make it go a little further, these are all calls to personal action. I am not sure we are required to do all of them at once. Some have committed their lives to bring water to the people of the Congo, others have dedicated themselves to resettling refugees, and many work on restorative justice, all being Christ’s hands and feet and heart to a broken world.
Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see our own sins of both omission and commission. As we name them before you forgive us. Turn us toward seeing opportunities to be our part of your Body at work toward fulfilling your vision of our world. Amen.
*See Matthew 25:31-46