1 John 1:1-4 NIV
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [4] We write this to make our joy complete.

Dear God, these first four verses seem like a hybrid between the first 15 verses of John’s gospel and 1 Peter. We get the part about Jesus being from the beginning, but we also get the part about John saying that he is an eye witness to this Jesus thing.

I guess this is John’s thesis. He starts his gospel and this first letter in the same way: “Jesus is God and I saw it firsthand. Everything else I have to say it true because this is true.“

It starts with saying that everyone has sin (that will be tomorrow’s prayer journal), but just saying that to some people can be hard for them to hear. I prayed “The Lord’s Prayer” twice this morning in church as part of the pre-service and then the service, and I wondered how many people really think about being forgiven by you at the same level at which we forgive others. I don’t know. Maybe I’m rambling now. And maybe I’m accidentally praying about tomorrow’s passage.

Father, at the end of the day, you sent Jesus as your essence and embodiment on earth. Your son. He was born of the Virgin Mary. Lived a remarkable, sinless life. He suffered under Pontius PIlate and the Jewish leadership at the time and was crucified. You resurrected him from the dead and he ascended into Heaven. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom (your kingdom) will have no end. Thank you. Because all of that is true, I can sit here a forgiven man, free from my sin.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen