Tuesday after Epiphany

Lectionary: 213

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Many people often cite the inspiration, if not the exact quote, of today's reading: "LOVE." 
"Love is all you need!" the Beatles sang as the new age sixties faded and the cynicism of post-Christian culture, which was always there, reappeared. Many people hear that song and don't hear the mockery of a jaded quartet. 
"Love covers a multitude of sins." Saint Peter said, and indeed the word has been used to excuse a multitude of crimes from harassment, rape and incest to genocide. 
Students of the Bible, deeply aware of that Original Sin which plagues our every step, study 1 John and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and guide our steps. 

Saint Augustine nailed it: 

You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for his mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had hastened to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come. Office of Readings, December 24 

He concludes: 

Ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but grace. 

When I was in seminary, I heard there were three core doctrines that set the standard for Christianity. Any church or denomination that dismisses the doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, or Grace cannot be regarded as Christian.  They might be nice people and they certainly mean well, but they should understand Saint John's insistence: 

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Those who think their staying out of trouble, their love of God, good deeds, achievements, wealth, beauty, standing in society, caste or race entitles them to "salvation" are worse than fools. They might say of their piled up merits, "I have so many good things stored up for many years. (I shall) rest, eat, drink, be merry!" 
They dismiss the Father's infinite love and the Son's sacrificial death and the deluge of the Holy Spirit's goodness. They see their world with dark glasses and a flashlight when the sun is shining brilliantly. 
The Christian begins each day with a prayer of gratitude. Opening our eyes we thank God for vision and light. Taking a breath, we thank God for lungs and oxygen. Eating, we praise the Lord for food and the ability to taste it; and if we can't taste it we thank God for relief from hunger. 

Our lives begin in gratitude to God and to others. In that we find meaning, purpose, and salvation.