Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In telling the story of our Christian faith, a faith that expands some 2000 years, we reach back to those early Christians who shared their story, a story of confession and experience, a story of challenge and hope. The writer of 1 John, a letter that circulated throughout a Christian community deeply influenced by the Gospel of John, challenged his audience to foster an understanding of faith that was filled with conviction and commitment, an abiding relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as experienced in a committed loving relationship with one's sisters and brothers in Christ. This letter of 1 John appealed back to those who had had a personal and living experience with Jesus and his earthly mission; they saw and heard and touched. Their shared experiences and understandings reach out to us as present-day Christians. Our faith is historical in its confessions and challenges.

The faith that the writer of 1 John shares is a faith that is illuminating; it brings light and clarity before a world of shadows and darkness. God is the source of this light, and its purpose is to bring us and all creation into the vision that God declares in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the writer of 1 John notes, it is up to us as the faithful to carry out this vision in our faith convictions and our commitments we share as the body of Christ. To be and to do less is to recede back into a darkness that is supported by sin: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:6-7).

To live in and  to experience the light that God brings to us in Christ Jesus is to properly acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives; the brokenness that is revealed throughout the world 

tells this truth. Therefore, the beginning of our faith convictions and commitments must necessarily start with confession as noted by the writer of 1 John: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1;8-10).

Such a confession of sin on our part and holding to the conviction that we have forgiveness in Christ does not suggest that we will not ever fall back into the darkness of sin. But what it does mean is that in those times when we fall into the snares of sin, our faith points us in the direction of Christ who alone has the ability to conquer sin and bring light out of darkness: "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" (2:1-2).

May we live in the joy of a faith that proclaims, confesses, that the reality of life eternal has come to us in Christ Jesus, a reality in God's light that cleanses us from the devastating darkness of sin.

Peace and blessings to all!  Pastor John