Truly, God expects Christians to grow and go with the word. As we faithfully administer God’s means of grace—the gospel in word and sacraments—the Holy Spirit works to create and sustain faith, to build the church…to pass on the Christian faith to the next generation.
We witness these truths today in today’s Scripture lessons. In Acts we hear how the disciples called a replacement for the departed Judas Iscariot. In John’s first epistle, this writer of love speaks of how God’s love for us moves us to specifically show love to others—share God’s love centered on Jesus’ redeeming work. In the gospel, John records Jesus’ High Priestly prayer; the Savior asks His heavenly Father to bless His believers with unity, a unity shared by Jesus and His Father and one based on unity of purpose that leads to eternal life.
Keywords: God’s love, Christian fear, God’s perfect love, God’s love drives away fear