What Love God Has Bestowed on Us

January 3, 2012

Christmas Weekday

By Beth DeCristofaro

If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. … No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. (1 John 2:29, 3:1,6)

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. … Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God." (John 1: 29, 34)

Piety

Oh, I woke up dis mornin' wid mah min' / An' it was stayed / Stayed on Jesus / Woke up dis mornin' wid mah min' / An' it was stayed / Stayed on Jesus / Hallelujah

Can't hate your neighbor in your min' / If you keep it stayed / Stayed on Jesus / Can't hate your neighbor in your min' / An' it was stayed / Stayed on Jesus / Hallelujah

Makes you love everybody with your min' / When you keep it stayed / Stayed on Jesus /
Makes you love everybody with your min' / When you keep it stayed / Stayed on Jesus /
Hallelujah (Negro Spiritual, WOKE UP DIS MORNIN' (http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/woke_up_dis_mornin.htm )

Study

In Luke’s Gospel, we meet John before his birth when he leapt for joy at hearing Mary’s voice (Luke 1:41). Although John doesn’t say it, I imagine that John leapt for joy, too, as he saw Jesus approaching. His life was acted in righteousness which allowed him to recognize the revelation of God right in front of him at the humble river Jordan.

The letter 1 John, believed to have been written after the Gospel, deals with those who already doubt both the divinity and true humanity of Jesus. Two thousand years later, of course, many people doubt as well. We reveal our doubt in our activities, choices, priorities, cravings and distractions many of which are sinful. If we truly believed what great love God has for us in sending Jesus to remove sin one would think we would stop looking for gods within ourselves and within other “golden” idols.

Action

Not that I endorse eating locusts, but perhaps the fierce focus of John “preparing the way” is an image to help us keep on the way. Prepare His way not my own. Rabbi Israel Salanter once taught that “the material needs of my neighbor are my spiritual needs.” Jesus’ love was dynamic and living, reaching out to the sinful, the downtrodden, those who were “unclean” and outcast. This love is so contrary to our society it even gave heart and hope to people that were legally enslaved in our own history. In the plenty of God’s love, what can we focus on so that we can everyday see Jesus walking toward us and our spirit might “leap for joy.”

Hyperthermia shelters, food and clothing drives, teaching someone to read or speak English, helping on a Cursillo committee or cook crew…on what can you focus?