Daily Readings - Thu Jan 03 2019
1 John
29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
John
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."32Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'34I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
Sermon
In today's readings, we are reminded of our profound identity as children of God and the transformative power of Jesus Christ. The first reading from 1 John invites us to reflect on the boundless love of the Father, who has called us to be His sons and daughters. This divine adoption is not merely a title but a calling to live in holiness, for we are to become like Christ when He appears. The reading emphasizes that sin contradicts this divine calling, yet it is through Christ that our sins are taken away, enabling us to live a life free from sin and in union with Him.
The Gospel from John presents John the Baptist's profound declaration of Jesus as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This moment is pivotal, as it reveals Jesus' mission and identity. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus signifies His divine nature and His role as the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. This passage underscores the Trinitarian reality of God's love and redemption, where the Father sends the Son, and the Spirit rests upon Him, revealing Him as the Son of God.
These readings are deeply connected, as they both point to the heart of our faith: the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. The first reading calls us to live out our identity as God's children through holiness, while the Gospel reveals the One who makes this possible. In our daily lives, let us embrace this identity with gratitude and strive to live in a way that reflects God's holiness. May we turn to Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins, and may we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, who transforms us into the likeness of the Son. In this way, we fulfill our calling as children of God, living in hope and holiness.