The God You Can Touch
Reflection on 1 John 1:1-4 Sermon preached at Bridgeway Church on Sunday, Oct 26th, 2025
John begins his letter in 1 John with something beautifully earthy:
“We heard Him. We saw Him. We touched Him.”
He’s not being poetic. He’s being extremely concrete, almost intrusive in the way he insists on the physicality of Jesus. Why, because it matters over all things. Because so many of us try to build our faith on moods, moments, or spiritual adrenaline hits… and then wonder why our faith wanes when life gets boring or worse, painful.
John says, start and end here:
Jesus was real enough to hear His breathing.
Real enough to watch His face change when He laughed.
Real enough to feel the weight of His hand on your shoulder.
Imagine the apostle as an old man writing these words, replaying the memories that burned in his mind—the warmth of leaning against Jesus at the Last Supper, the steady grip that pulled him out of fear, the way the risen Christ spoke his name, John.
John isn’t giving us an abstract doctrine.
He’s giving us a Person.
And saying: Build your faith on this, or better yet Him.
Not the high of a worship night.
Not the goosebumps of a spiritual moment.
But on the untouchable God who became touchable… and invites you to touch Him. See Him. Hear Him. Know Him.
He is the God you can touch.