10 & 11 May 2025 (Pastoral Page) LOVE-LAVISHED LIVES: CULTIVATING UNITY IN CHRIST

By Dn Ernest Tan

Our church’s staff and council recently gathered for our annual retreat at the Village Hotel Changi. Amid meaningful discussions, prayer, and plenty of good food (Changi Village Hawker Centre was less than five minutes away!), we reflected on what it means to grow together in Christ as one body – across different roles, responsibilities, and perspectives. One theme that emerged was the call to cultivate a culture of love and unity that reflects the heart of God.

During the retreat, Pastor Wei-En shared a devotion from 1 John, a letter rich in insights on God’s love. The apostle John writes with tenderness and urgency, calling believers to remain in the truth and love of God. For John, love is not a sappy afterthought – it is foundational to our life in Christ and a sign of God’s presence among His people. Here are some key truths about love from 1 John that we can all meditate on:

• God is love (1 John 4:8,16)

• God sent Jesus Christ to this earth to demonstrate His love and draw us into it (1 John 3:16)

• As we experience the love of God, we are empowered to love one another (1 John 4:7-8)

• Love is not expressed merely through words, but in action and in truth (1 John 3:17-18)

• When we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12)

As our nation recently elected its newest leaders into Parliament, we pray for wisdom and discernment in their governance. In the same spirit, I encourage you to pray for our staff and leaders, not because of any crisis, but because we desire to honour God in how we serve and walk together. Pray that God will continually guard our hearts with humility and wisdom, and that Christ-shaped love would permeate every meeting, decision, and disagreement.

These reminders from 1 John are not just for leaders – they are for all of us as part of the body of Christ to pursue love actively and intentionally. So here are some reflection questions for your own heart: Are we walking in the light of love? Is there someone we need to forgive, or someone from whom we need to seek forgiveness?

In our cultural context, we may sometimes value face-saving and polite silence over honest, open dialogue. While these instincts often come from a desire to maintain peace, we must be careful not to settle for a superficial harmony. When tensions are ignored or swept under the carpet, a calm surface may be preserved – but often at the cost of deeper trust. Over time, unspoken hurts can harden, misunderstandings multiply, and the church quietly suffers.

But God’s Word calls us to something deeper. True unity is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of grace in the midst of it. It takes love that is bold enough to confront gently, humble enough to admit fault, and patient enough to walk with one another toward restoration. Though such conversations can be difficult, they are often the very means by which God grows us in Christlikeness.

When we choose to walk in the way of love, we reflect the One who first loved us. This is the kind of love and unity that glorifies God – a unity not formed by ignoring our differences, but by bringing them into the light of Christ and choosing to love one another through them.

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11, NIV 2011)