– As many Know-You-still in Your lifeAs a grown-up daughter begins her speech at the Golden wedding of their parents. You know how we do in the holidays went, and then the car broke down and it had to be in the workshop, and we only arrived a day later, the los, and there were quite a wonderful holiday.” It tells the story of the beautiful moments and sad. From the Laughter and the tears, that her parents and she and her siblings shared. After a picture of the love that unites these people is created. She is alive and beautiful, you can hear and see on this day. She is shown as a romantic love in the first meetings of the young bride-to-people, and then they seem to pass through as active love in each other, the family, save the botched start of the holidays, because you bear it all with a sense of humour with each other, because they support each other.
They appear in the tales of the Solid with the neighbors. The Couple, the children, to celebrate the friends life. And guests will be delighted with the cheers of the couple. You sigh and let a few tears of emotion, and think about their own stories of love and tenderness, of marriage and partnership – remember the people you love or once loved.
People can live well, if you feel that you are loved. It will then love natural for you to get others to empathize with others and to help.
How to find love that is wearing? And what has this to do with God?
Anything we get paid, that’s because, at the beginning of our life, in the eyes, in the arms of the mother, of the father. We draw from this life, pass it on, share it and let it grow for a lifetime. Where love grows, succeed in life. This has to do with God, says John. For God is love. God’s love comes to us in other people, and on the other, if we accept you, and wasting.
Maybe it is a Feast, to which he keeps this speech for the first time. Probably but it’s more of a crisis in the relationship of this Church leader John to his people. Because in the municipality of this letter writer, it crunches between the two groups. There are rivalries. And the first Christians to be critically or open hostility from other groups in their society: the ruling Romans, the Emperor did not want to worship them as a God and the Jews waiting for the Messiah, and as a fundamental critique understand that these communities worship the Risen Christ as the Messiah.
In this difficult Situation, John makes love to a hallmark of his community. To love God is to recognize. Yes, God is love – more than anything, he is love. So, it looks to John. Although God is also Holy. Although God is also omnipotent. Although he is also omniscient. Although he is also scary, because we don’t always understand what he’s doing. But above all, he is love, and Jesus of Nazareth to recognize the people.[1] His other properties to let him strange and aloof appear. Martin Luther said that God is hidden in it. He is God, but we don’t see him. He is there, but we do not understand him. In Jesus of Nazareth, his son, whom he has in the world, he has to identify himself as the one who loves us the people infinitely. He wanted to, and he wants us humans to be very close. He has made himself a adorable and vulnerable – he died in Jesus and raised him to new life – so that we should feel human, and know that God loves us. Therefore, we recommend Luther, should we always stick to the loving God, if we think of God. Because: [2] not Only is he without a doubt recognize. Limitless these is love. It doesn’t end even in death.
Therefore, the love became a distinctive mark of the Christian. Anyone who has experienced love, and the connection to God has drawn, which describes itself embedded in the Action of God in this world.
People can change through God’s love. You say and show that it is God that we experience in this force. He is close to us, when we feel love. Not only romantic love, but also the compassionate love. A helping of love. The one that thinks of others and it helps that one overcomes himself and for another, another as is. God’s love is visible where such happens. It becomes visible when people are thoughtful and lovingly with each other. It becomes visible when people are Strangers to oppose, without reservation, and you invite. Where the two come together, in love and loving Action.
John makes his parishioners, courage to show the love that’s in you. And to understand it as a trademark. John appeals to your mind – you are what you believe, work deliberately: lovingly with others. You can see your Faith. Love is not just a gift, it is John, a task, an important task of his community. Because God is visible, where people can cast it.
You know – he could remember them. You know how I told you about Jesus Christ, and you felt that this is also about you. You understand your life better. And now get on with it and make it work. If you feel that God loves you, then it doesn’t make you cold, whether in our community, someone who is sick and can’t provide. Then you’re going to find a way to help him. It has a lot to do with God.
John has written in his letters with great enthusiasm. He has not told by each of the encounters of life stories that could take us today in this enthusiasm. Remember – this is a very personal question. For each of you is different. John tried to sift out what is true for all.
If we love one another, God abides in us.“
Through this miracle we are able to think for us today, and ask ourselves, you Know?
Then I would say: Yes, I know how I stand on the death bed, the old woman with her husband and the Psalm I read that begins: We have prayed the Lord’s prayer. Very quiet and solved the Dying was. Yes, I know that you ausatmete later and died. It has touched me very much. And I felt it was a good thing, since a lot of love around you. The love between the two spouses, but also to the love between God and you. A love that gave her the confidence to embark on the path on the border of life and beyond.
You know? Yes, I remember how we celebrated again with women and men of our partner Church in Africa is a family-worship, and how the black Pastor and white Pastor alternately, the Confirmation, and confirmation of our community baptizing. It was a very cheerful mood. And at the end of the divine service, both in small bowls slightly baptismal water, and drew those who wanted it, a water-cross in the Hand, and blessed them. Because I have felt that God’s love moves very different people, us in a mysterious way, and the life beautiful.
So many Growing by it go to waste. Inexhaustible love of God is. Every single Moment of our lives has this quality, has the makings of a Because God will go with every step.
I hope that you can feel it and rejoice. Amen.
[1] This idea leads Arnulf of Scheliah in his article Between reason and piety. Schleiermacher’s response to God’s ideas of the enlightenment“ from. In: trust in God anew. Evangelical Church in Germany, the magazine for The reformation anniversary 2017, p. 32. See also: www.gott-neu-vertrauen.de
[2] Arnulf of Scheliah, ibid.