Sunday, October 19

1 John 1 “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

Reflection:

The writer of the letters of John knew of Jesus the Christ in many ways: by what had been heard, seen, and felt concerning God’s word made alive. The experience of Christ is one that we do not only know about by seeing. It is not something that we solely hear about. Nor is our encounter with Jesus to be something uniquely physical. Rather, our experience of Jesus is to come in many ways, shapes, and forms. Perhaps John is working to speak to a life of faith that is all encompassing. God in Christ does not only want part of our hearing, sight, our touch. Instead, God wants all of us, all of who we are. We can know Christ by many of our faculties with a corollary to this being that Christian fellowship is not singular but rather about fellowship, about community.

Questions for reflection:

Worship can be a matter of not just one of our faculties but many. How have you experienced worship as more than just a matter or heart…or just a matter of the mind…but, rather, have been impacted by many different experiences (or ways of knowing) God?