URC Daily Devotion 6 May 2025

St John 1: 6 -13

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,  who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

Reflection

As Christians, or indeed worship leaders trying to save time/words, we too often gloss over this part of the traditional John 1: 1-14 reading, in our haste to get to verse 14. However, we would do well to consider the implications of a world that does not know its own maker and God’s own people who do not accept God coming amongst them.

We are not automatically excluded from either of these just because we call ourselves Christians. None of us can claim to know our maker as well as we could, as all of us show at times by our actions or inaction. Moreover, truly  accepting Christ, involves following him, acceding to his will and emulating him better than we do.

We have seen too many instances across the world recently, where those who call themselves Christians have strayed far from Christ’s path. We rightly condemn their words and actions, but we are too quick to assume that we are not like ‘them’. We can be in danger of emulating the self-righteous pharisee in Luke 18, and forgetting that we too have got a long way to go to be truly Christ-like.

How well do we each know God? How much effort do we each put into trying to get to know God better? How far do our words and actions show that we accept Jesus’ teachings in full and apply them consistently and exhaustively in our lives – in big things and in small things.

If you have no qualms about these things, then you are a Saint with a capital ‘S’. If, like me, you are a saint with a very small ‘s’, then now is the time to make our own small contribution to improving our world, by following God more nearly, day by day.

Prayer

Living and loving God,
I am sorry that I do not know you as I should or could
And that I do not fully accept the personal implications of your teaching.
Forgive me, and help me not only to be open to knowing you more fully
And accepting your teaching more deeply,
But also to acting, so that I follow you more nearly day by day,
Amen.