Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter: Year 1
“And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.” (1st John 17:17)
Over and over in this 1st John reading for today, John repeatedly says that, “I am writing to you”, or, “I write to you,” as a way of leaving us with the beginning of faith. From John we learn that faith has its value in its ability to help us overcome the toxicity of our hearts and its vanishing desires, or rather, its desires for vanishing things. Such desires are the by-products of creation. God never meant for us to focus our craving and desire on created thing, but rather, on the Creator.
It is good and pleasing to enjoy creation and one another. We are brought into this world to do the will of God and this often means caring for creation and one another. Caring for creation and one another is the will of God and are therefore eternal vocations.
Even as creation passes away, or “evolves,” we, the caregivers of it, also evolve. Our devoted lives to the will of God does not end, it just changes. Believing this, causes us to live our lives in support of God’s plan for continued life – life that God brought into existence for God’s pleasure, and ours as well. Such believing is faith. Faith is a word hard to find in the writings of John, in his Gospel accounts, or his letters. Faith is a noun. Believing is a verb. John wants active ministry. Active ministry does not pass away. It continues for all eternity.
Once we learn to live our lives in faith, supporting God by caring for all of God’s creation, which includes all people, and loving to do this work, we have set ourselves up for eternal life in the presence of God. This desire to appreciate the gift of life that God has brought into being makes itself manifest in love – love of God and thanksgiving to God. We didn’t have to be. But we do exist, thanks to God. And as human beings, we have the unique invitation to live on in the service of God by doing the will of God. Our goal should be to love. It is the love of God that brought us into being. And we are created in the Image of God. this Image is not the physical, anthropomorphic image, but the spiritual loving Image. We are love embodied.
John writes to us that we might believe. I also write to you that you might believe. How will your life change once you shift from love of the created, to love of the Creator? Doing the will of God will enable you to live forever in love and happiness.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 