December 15th, 20

 Love Each Other Deeply

Today’s reading is I Peter.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

This letter ends with a kiss. Christ offers us all a kiss today, even in the reading of his Word. We can receive a kiss of love, an embrace – we can receive the kindness he offers us. That’s what we have in Christ. And our story will end like this letter ends, with a kiss and an embrace from Him.

Judas offered Jesus a kiss, but it was a kiss of betrayal. All of us, apart from God, have offered God that same kiss of betrayal. We once were enemies of God, opposed to him. But Christ, in his great love, doesn’t offer us what we have given him. He offers us love in exchange for our betrayal. He doesn’t pay us back in kind. He gives us his kiss of love, and that love cost him. The price was paid, not in silver and gold, but with His precious blood that he shed for us – the sinless spotless lamb of God.

Because Christ gave us a kiss of love for our kiss of betrayal, I Peter 1:22 says, we can and must show sincere love to each other, as brothers and sisters.

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

This letter ends with a kiss. He has exchanged our kiss of betrayal for his kiss of love. It’s a kiss of acceptance, an embrace. And we now, being loved, can and must offer each other that same love.

Receive the embrace that Jesus offers – all of Him. And offer that to others. We all need it.

You are loved!