Advent 2020 Reflection – Day Eleven

by Chris Hancock · December 10, 2020

Day Eleven – 3 John 1-4

¹The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
²Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ³It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Reflection

Faithfulness in a biblical context is when a person walks consistently with God and in service to him.

In our passage today we see that it is a source of great joy to John when he sees those he has nurtured and taught are growing in their faith journey. There is an equal joy within us as we see our friends and families discover new things about their faith and God’s calling to them.

It is a great privilege to write these simple reflections knowing that God may use a phrase or part of a carol to speak into someones heart.

As I have said before I have been preaching for a fair few years and it is a joy to hear what others have heard within the sermons I have preached. Sometimes it is not what I thought I had said at all, however, whether positive or negative God has taken my words and stirred them in different ways in peoples minds and drawn something unexpected from it. We are called to speak the words God will use. Sometimes how we meant them to be heard and other times in completely different ways, Regardless of which way they are heard we should also be full of joy that we are playing a small part in the faithful journeys of others,

It is clear from the passage that Gaius is walking faithfully and that this is obvious to the people around him as they have taken the time to report this to John.

As we travel through Advent and beyond we walk faithfully in the truth and God will place us where we need to be, he will take our words and actions and turn them into something awesome. May those around us see our faithfulness in all we say and do.

Silence

In our silence today we think of those we should affirm in their Christian journey. We resolve to speak words of encouragement to them.

Carol

I have chosen as the carol today another by Graham Kendrick – Darkness like a shroud. This can be found in Singing the Faith at number 170.

Sometimes we are dismayed by the world and this song takes us from that place and calls us to go out into the world and shine. As John writes to Gaius so we hear the encouragement of the words of this song – “And with faith declare God’s mighty word; Stand up and in His strength be strong”.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for those people who are faithful to you and who seek to serve you in their work, in the church, and in their families. Help me to also remain faithful in everything I do. May I continue to grow closer to you as my eyes are opened and my soul stirred by your word.

I pray that you will use me as you wish. That through my words and actions others will see the love that I have for you. The love that you have shown to me by the coming of Jesus into the world and into my life.

May I be a light shining for you, today, tomorrow and forever. Amen

Copyrights

All images today are from Pixabay.com free for commercial use no attribution.

Reflection and Prayers: Chris Hancock

Hatfield Road Methodist Church CCLI: 4955 Streaming: 989812