1 John 1:4-10  ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.  ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;  ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

            For the past few weeks we have had lessons that describe the followers of Jesus as “children of the light.”  That phrase appears in Luke, John, Ephesians, and 1 Thessalonians.  So what does it mean to be a “child of light”?  Light is synonymous with the goodness of God in the Bible.  As you read above, God is light and in him there is no darkness, i.e., no sin.  So to be a child of the light is one who is a follower of God.  A child of the light is one who tries to live a godly life by repenting of sins. 

            You may have also noticed that our text above is the core of our brief order for confession and forgiveness.  It is fitting that we begin worship with this text each week, so that we might “cleanse” ourselves before we participate in the worship of our God.  This cleansing then begins our weekly growth in discipleship, as we leave God’s house for our own houses, refreshed in the comfort and forgiveness of our God.

In our prayers this week:  Robert, Ann, Charles, Marjorie and her family (mourning the loss of her sister), and Scott (stationed in Afghanistan)

God’s Peace,