Weston Park Baptist Church

We live in a society filled with fear. We are fearful for our kids, jobs, money, elections, wars you name it and we worry about it! Yet, the Epistle of 1 John emphasizes that as we trust in Gods love fear is cast out and we will experience the peace of God. Our choice is fear or faith. Trust or anxiety. Confidence or worry. The invitation is to rest in Gods loving arms and trust that God has your back! Dont give in to fear! The Creator and Saviour of the universe is on your side.

This Sunday, well explore one of the most profound truths in Scripture: God is love. In 1 John 4:7-12, John invites us to reflect on the depth of Gods love for us. We'll dive into what it means to love others as God loves us sacrificially, unconditionally, and perfectly. Together, well discover how this divine love transforms our lives and is perfected in our relationships. Come and be reminded of the power of love that comes from God Himself.

Jesus is our example in living a loving, giving life. Indeed, he gave himself so we might have life and encourages us to imitate his practice of loving sacrificially for others. The question is Will we follow the lead of Jesus? Will we take our eyes off ourselves and see the plight of our neighbours and do what we can to alleviate their needs? May we answer the question with a strong affirmative Lord use me for your Kingdom sake.

As children of God we have the promise of continual growth through our connection with Jesus. We enjoy the gift of eternal life which begins now in our everyday. When we see Christ our transformation will enter a new phase as we become like him in our eternal state. Of course, there are incredible promises to take hold of in our broken world. Yet, the promises of God are true enabling us to live with assurance and hope as overcomers in Jesus Christ our Lord.

John (the Evangelist) uses the two images of 'master/disciple' and "parent/child" to describe a believer's relationship with God. First, we are invited to follow Jesus as both our Lord and the Leader of our lives. Secondly, we are graciously determined to be children of our Heavenly Father. Both images explore the relationship of intimacy that we share with our loving God in Christ. As a result we are encouraged to follow Jesus with zeal as we enjoy the gift of 'eternal life' now and into our eternal future.

In the heady days of the Roman Empire John cautions the church of Christ to not become overly enamoured with the glory of Rome. As a civilization it was no doubt impressive but the seeds of descent were already taking root. In light of this reality John encourages believers to see what is passing and what abides forever. The question for John's church (and for us!) is can we have "in-sight" into our cultural mors and pursue what is essential and of true value.

The First Epistle of John begins with the famous statement that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (v5). John the Evangelist also affirms that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). In both cases light communicates illumination and guidance for the way we live our lives. The Father and the Son join together to provide all the light we need to enjoy a meaningful and empowering life both now and forevermore.

Psalm 139 is a treasured Psalm of the church of Christ. It reminds us that our 'all-seeing' and 'all-knowing' God is present with us in every circumstance of life. Nothing lies beyond the care and touch of our loving God. It is for this reason we can trust Him as we pass through both the blessed and challenging epochs of life's journey.

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The psalmist calls us to give thanks to God for his enduring, compassionate love. He encourages us to be mindful of Gods loving presence in our day to day. We are not to grow absent-minded or become forgetful of what is most essential. Rather, we are to remain full of God always praising him for his faithful care.

The smallest psalm in the Psalter is Psalm 117. It is little in size but powerful in its message. The psalm focuses on two key attributes of God - His 'loyal love' and his 'never changing faithfulness'. God remains faithful even when we are faithless! It is for this reason that we are called to praise (and enjoy!) our magnificent triune God.

The Psalmist presents a picture of God as both high above creation as well as being near to us in our everyday world. (Theologians call this combination as God being both transcendent and immanent.) As a result we can place our faith in a mighty God who travels with us in the nitty-gritty of our taxing and troubling world.

Our Journey of a Disciple series focusing on the life of Peter comes to a close with the story of Peters restoration to ministry (John 21:1-19). Peter has denied Christ three times and now he is restored by three times vowing his love and service to the risen Christ. In this story Jesus is revealed to be a patient and forgiving Master who gives us multiple opportunities to return to him as we come with repentant and honest hearts. In a similar manner may we come to Jesus with devoted hearts and pledge our commitment to follow him with perseverance and passion.

Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment that they are to love one another even as Jesus has loved them. They are to love one another with a sacrificial love as Jesus has modelled before them. The question is the same for them and us , How will we respond to Jesus love and the call to love each other? Will we accept Jesus love or push his love away? Will we love each other or seek power over others? It comes down to a crisis of commitment. Are we really for Jesus or for ourselves? Our answer determines the course of our lives.

The foot-washing event in the Upper Room is a powerful enacted parable recorded by the Evangelist. By washing the disciples' feet Jesus challenges the assumptions of his own disciples (and the society at large). Jesus is pointing out that a pyramid model of "power over others" has no place in the new Kingdom of God. Rather than "power over" we are called to be servants of one another where humility and gift-love are the chosen values of Jesus. The invitation is to move beyond competition and comparison and to simply love and serve one another. Too often our own prejudices and "hard lines" keep us back from showing compassion and kindness to all of God's created family.

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