St Margaret's Church, Northam

1 John 4.11-18

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV) (NIV)

Reflection

I am on a number of church, deanery and diocesan committees; praise be I have been spared so far from the national church. I have joined the committees not necessarily because I think they are ‘a good thing’ (as Sellars and Yeatman would have said – you show your age and taste in humour if you recognise that!) but because I have the hope – often vain – that I can be a voice of reason and a presence from North Devon. I am often horrified by the attitudes that some on committees can have towards those who hold differing views – we are all supposed to be trying to be good Christians, after all. There do seem to be many who are trying to turn the church into a business model – organised and controlled from the top with all those below kept in line. No wonder so many of the general public turn away from ‘organised’ religion. I do not believe that this is what Jesus had in mind when he set out on his journey of ministry 2,000 odd years ago. I see corporate worship as a good thing – we can achieve so much more when we are together than when isolated on our own, but the fundamental premise must be what John sets out in his letter. If we cannot love one another we have nothing – and we have to remember that the ‘other’ includes people who are not like us, people who do not share our views, people whom we really do not like! But that need not and must not stop us from loving them – that is very different to liking them, or even agreeing with them. Until our church leaders get back to the basics which are set out in those few verses above, I am afraid that we will be lost, floundering around trying to find some relevance to our purpose.

But indeed there are encouraging signs; there are good things happening locally and when we throw off the burdens of bickering and all the in-fighting we can rejoice in all the acts of loving kindness that so many are performing.

Additional Collect

Creator of the heavens, who led the Magi by a star to worship the Christ-child: guide and sustain us, that we may find our journey’s end in Jesus Christ our Lord.

St Margaret's Church, Northam

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