1 John begins with the core focus that the more we know Jesus, the more we will reflect his grace and forgiveness to others. Our faith in Jesus will naturally draw us to become aware of our own flaws and his holiness and perfection. Considering God’s perfection, and our lack thereof, we move to a place of humility, grace, and love for others. The people of God should be known by humility, love, and grace.
Second Corinthians leans into what can be the stickiest of things for us to give, money. What if the theology behind giving of our finances is less about money, and more about our heart? That anything we give is a concrete expression of a heart seeking to be generous, in light of the giver who gave it all to us.
In Romans 10, the apostle Paul makes an impassioned case that the gospel is good news for all people, but they need to experience it. Paul makes the case that as Christ followers it is our responsibility for the good news that we have been given, that gives us hope that grounds our lives, must be shared, embodied and expressed to people not just within our Christian community.
One of the core ways and places that we are called to express our love to others is through hospitality, which means the love of the stranger. We are to open our homes and lives to others, such that they experience the love of Christ through us and where we live.
At church we are called a covenant community, a community who thrives when its people look out for the well-being of one another. Romans 12 paints a picture of what this life in community, driven by the love of Christ, looks like; selfless, humble, passionate, grounded in Christ, and seeking the good of others in the community through active service and engagement.