1 John – that epistle which brings the love of God into bas relief is our subject this week, and truth is the center of the passage. The hymn in the video I have attached is an old favorite of mine – and I think, to be honest, its because its one of the first hymns I learned the alto part for! I felt so powerful knowing my part of the hymn – without even looking at the hymnal. I wish I could say I was 8 when this happened but I think it was more like 28!
Being a grown up in faith is such an odd concept – we yearn for childlike faith, and yet we also desire to have strong roots into our faith life that keep us from being tossed about by the current trends in churches, or in the world.
Being a person of faith in 2018 is a challenge. Our numbers appear to be dwindling, and there are strident calls for us to follow very specific expectations to be ‘real christians’. But it is really all about truth. We have the truth in a life of faith because Jesus is the only truth I count on. Jesus was real, he lived, he cared, he died, and rose again. And life is changed forever for you and for me. As the writer of 1 john would say, “Little children, this is the truth”. Amen. See you in church on July 8th at 9:30am at Holy Cross Lutheran at 1998 Lansing Ave NE, Salem, Oregon 97301 and we’ll talk more about this – Pastor Patricia+