March 30, 2010
Holy Week

1 John 2

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

This letter is about a spiritual community that splintered off. We're not entirely sure about what, and the theory propounded in my study Bible is about Jesus's humanity and its relation to salvation. Also the connection of works to salvation. What is so beautiful about Jesus's humanity, besides the shocking ridiculousness of God coming down and taking human form (there's a show called Legend of the Seeker which is surprisingly ambitious with its second season in tackling issues of feminism and religion's place in the purpose of life that tackled this issue in this week's episode "Creator," that had my favorite character literally snort at a woman's claim (somewhat substantiated, rather undermined) to be the Creator who gave a vision to a woman and told her she would bear the human incarnation of God into the world - and I love it, because it does sound so ridiculous when you say it like that, doesn't it? And that was how the world was saved - and it is that moment that I think is key to understanding just how wonderful God is and how very much He loves us: this plan does not compute if you love less than absolutely in a way we cannot understand), is, if you can remember the first half of the sentence, is how Jesus remembers His humanity now that He has been returned to the Father. He will intercede for us. He will cover our sins with His Blood. He has gone to prepare a room for us. He will save us on the last day. He is our advocate. That word means so much in my family, and I love its use here.

And I love this author for rolling out this concept again, "not for ours [salvation] only but also for the sins of the whole world" to be followed by "but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection." I encourage you to read the whole verse to decide if I'm taking this out of what you read as the context, but I hear the argument for redemption through the connection to God Almighty, whatever name you give Him. Because I just cannot believe He is limited by what lens you use to find the Divine. I cannot believe He is limited. He chose to be once, and those who can find Him without the aid, without the blessing and welcome of that story, are all the more to be commended for their efforts.

And those of us who have this story should really be something special: "By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, "I abide in him, ought to walk just as he walked." Radical, loving, bold, beautiful, utterly trusting in God Almighty, serving our fellow man, proclaiming the truth with no fear of the consequences, and so many other things that listing here will just start to render meaningless in their multitude.

And for all the hate being flung around, some of it grossly enough in the Lord's name, I say this: "Whoever loves a brother or sisters lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go because the darkness has brought on blindness." That I say to all of those who would lead God's people astray in His own name. All those who would have us understand the Lord Our God as someone we should fear rather than love, and who should make us turn on others or flee from helping others in fear rather than embrace all in love.

"I write to you young people / because you are strong / and the word of God abides in you, / and you have overcome the evil one." He gives a full prayer/salutation mentioning little children, fathers and young people twice each. I think it's time, however, that my generation took up this call. We are strong and we have found our voice. So many are opening their eyes and going, "Why?" to the injustices running rampant in our world. We should all join them. Sudan. Darfur. The Invisible Children. All third world countries. The forgotten.

Immigrants. The unborn. Slaves. Child laborers. Victims of prejudice and racism and oppression. The angry and the weary.

The final parts of the chapter speak of not just one but many antichrists. He doesn't mean the one who will come at the End of Days, I think, but those who would lead God's People - who now include everyone on planet Earth - so far astray from the Path of God, down paths of violence and hate and terror.

Because that it was it literally means to be an antichrist - to lead others to reach for hatred rather than love, to try to build yourself slowly up, in an individual Babel, to the heights of godhood, rather than coming down among the most lowly and truly becoming one of them.

Because, I don't know if you've heard, but God loves us so much He did something that sounds ridiculous in the puny little minds we have - something that our tiny, hardened hearts cannot fully understand. We can only imitate and reach for Him, again and again, and abide in His greater love. And you'll know if we're succeeding, because a lot more voices will spring up offering love to those who least feel the Love of God alive in the world today.