Today's Scripture Reading (May 25, 2021): 1 John 4
At home, in one of our bathrooms,
there is a slow drain. It is never really stopped, at least not often, but it
is often slow. And I have tried many things to get that drain to flow,
including, unfortunately, harsh chemicals. Sometimes it works, freeing the
drain at least for a short time. But the clog returns. The problem is that if
the drain doesn't flow, then it is useless. Draining is what it is designed to
do. It is supposed to take all of that dirty, disgusting water away from me
when I am finished with it. Most of us have experienced a plugged drain, or
toilet, at some point in our lives. Sometimes, when it is stopped, we can fix
the drain with a plunger, or, sometimes, it takes strong chemicals. And
sometimes, you have to spend some real money and hire a professional to fix the
problem—all to get something to work the way it was designed.
John writes that because God loves
us, we should love each other. God's love is supposed to flow through us, his
church, to a world that needs to experience that kind of love. Essentially, we
are the pipe. But instead of being the pipe that drains away the disgusting by-product
of our lives, we are the pipe that funnels the positive love of God into the
world.
But you don't have to look too
closely to discover that there is a problem. Too often, our pipes are clogged,
and the love of God isn't getting through. When that happens in our homes, all
of that dirty water threatens to flow into places where we don't want it. But that
doesn't seem to be our problem. Instead of the church being flooded with God's
love, we seem to reject God's love before it ever reaches us; we block the pipe
carrying God's love before we even get to experience it. And since we do not
know the love of God, we cannot pass it on.
John's message begins with the
apostle begging his audience to receive the love of God. And then, once it is
received, to pass it on to those around us. It was a message that Jesus tried
to pass on to his disciples "on the night he was betrayed." As the
disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover, he took a towel and wrapped it
around his waist and began to wash the disciples' feet. And when he had finished
the task, he offered this explanation.
"Do you understand what I have
done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and
rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your
Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's
feet. I have set you an example that you should do
as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no
servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the
one who sent him. Now that you know these things,
you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:12b-17).
We are loved. As God's children, his love flows through us.
We need to be open to that love, removing whatever blockage there might be that
has stopped the flow of love into our communities. But that cannot be the end
of the process. Once it flows to us, it has to flow through us to the world.
After all, we are just the conduit that carries God's love to the world.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 John 5
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