Reflection Prompt:
This is from 1 John 1:3: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
When was the last time you had a sense of lavish love, when you realized the abundance of what you were giving? How did it feel?
Holy God,
All glory, honor, and praise to you, our wonderful Savior. You alone are worthy of praise. You alone are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. The Sustainer of all things. The Creator, who speaks and it is. The One who holds all power. All authority. All wisdom.
And in your perfect, Kingly ways, you say to us that you are Love. The Sacrificial Lamb, who humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. So, when you say that your lavish love has been given to us, this is the centerpiece. There is no greater love, no greater gift, than the one you have offered us. How you dote on us with your mercy and grace!
As we dwell in the wonder of this truth and sacred promise, you remind us of our status in your eyes — your beloved children, daughters and sons. And it’s not only salvation you offer us. It is new life, healing, a new identity… new robes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, justice, patience, and holiness. It is Your love that becomes our armor as we navigate the daily gift of life that we have been given. It is Your love that keeps our hearts gentle and wise when bitterness and anger seek to have a foothold. It is Your love that renews our minds into truth when the deceiver seeks to entrap us with lies.
Lord, in all our ways, we seek to acknowledge You, knowing that You are our Immanuel. You are with us. When faced with tragedy and sorrow, we look to You, our Great Comforter. When we face the unexpected and disorienting, we cling tightly to You, our Anchor. When we long for direction and safety, we entrust ourselves to You, our Good Shepherd. For illnesses of all kinds, You are our Great Physician. Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, we worship You.
As we draw all the closer to You in quietness, we recognize, Lord, that we are Your Church. We live in submission to You, as You are the Head and we are the Body. We know that You are at work, in the mysterious and the obvious. And we seek to be a perceptive people who abide in You, discerning the ways in which Your Kingdom is emerging in our midst.
Amen.