Thursday 5 January 2023

Today is Thursday the 5th of January, in the season of Christmas.

Madison Cunningham with the Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Little Things with Great Love’. Where do you recognise the love of God in your life at the moment?


In the garden of our Savior, no flower grows unseen;
His kindness rains like water on every humble seed.
No simple act of mercy escapes His watchful eye —
for there is One who loves me: His hand is over mine.
In the kingdom of the heavens, no suff’ring is unknown;
each tear that falls is holy, each breaking heart a throne.
There is a song of beauty on ev’ry weeping eye —
for there is One who loves me: His heart, it breaks with mine.
Oh, the deeds forgotten; oh, the works unseen,
every drink of water flowing graciously,
every tender mercy, You’re making glorious.
This You have asked us: do little things with great love,
little things with great love.
At the table of our Savior, no mouth will go unfed;
His children in the shadows stream in and raise their heads.
Oh give us ears to hear them and give us eyes that see —
for there is One who loves them: I am His hands and feet.

Today’s reading is from the First Letter of John.

1 John 3:11-21

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God.

The book of Genesis tells us that Cain killed Abel because God preferred Abel’s sacrifice to that of his brother. It’s a strange and disturbing story, but John here regards it as an example of the ongoing struggle between good and evil in the world. What do you make of this way of looking at things?

John suggests that “the world” will hate those who put themselves on the side of good. What is there in your own experience that bears this out?

For John, being on the side of God involves loving all those who are in need. What do you make of his call for a love that is shown in action, not just in words?

As you hear these words again, look out for the note of reassurance at the end of the passage.

Speak, finally, to the God who shows his love for you in action about how you want to respond to that love.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.