Happy Sunday everyone! May you be blessed and be a blessing today.
With love, Rev. Dr. Sandy Seaton-Todd
Bible Verse 1 John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God who is faithful will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Bible Story 1 John 4:7-9 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. This is how God showed God's love among us. God sent God's one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
It's so simple. God is creator. God is truth. God is love. Jesus is the embodiment of God's love on earth. Jesus shows us what the fullness of love looks like. We are able to love ourselves, letting go of shame and insecurities and fear, when we accept God's forgiveness and love. When we do that, we are able to forgive and love others.
The moral of the biblical story is love. It is easy for us to get caught in the weeds and misunderstandings of the language and historical context of the Bible, but as long as we measure everything - in the Bible, in our lives, and in the world - by the standard of love, we will always find our way to God' truth and healing presence.