09-18-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 18, 2020
Scripture: 1st Corinthians 8:3
…but anyone who loves God is known by God.

Thought for the Day: You might remember as I do a Sunday School teacher saying when we were young, “God knows you inside and out. God knows every thought in your head and heart.” That might have sounded, in theory, like a wonderful thing. It might have been thought of, by the teacher, as Good News. But as a young kid, if you were like me, there were some thoughts in my head and heart that were not very nice. Actually, there were some thoughts that were not kind at all, some that were not very pure, and then a lot of strange stuff as well. Most all of it was kept inside because we assumed that we were the only ones who ever had such thoughts. And then there was the panic that all our hiding, all our creative concealing might not work with God. Now I think the Holy Other of the Universe, God, must know all there is to know, but I also do not believe that God is shocked or disappointed or pondering whether a lightening strike might be the best response for that one really bad thought. The word KNOW is a rich word in scripture that has less to do with knowing statistics and lists and trivia. It is about relationship, and to be known is to be in relationship with God. God is always seeking the relationship, yet when we choose to love, we are making ourselves vulnerable and available to God. It is there that real faith begins to take shape.

Prayer: As Paul worked to have a community focus on love above all other things, we seek your assistance as we too easily become concerned with stuff other than love. Lord God, we desire for our love to grow, and in that growth, discover new and life-giving aspects of our relationship with you. Amen.

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