CROSSTRAX!
One man’s view
about the things
that really matter….
Pastor’s thoughts
for April….
After Easter
What Then?
1 John 1:1 – 2:11
After all the hoopla surrounding Easter – the sunrise services and early morning breakfasts and pageants and cantatas – after pulling out all the stops and singing at the top of our lungs, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” … what then? Where do we go from here? Is the rest of the year just one big anti-climax?
In a sense, it is. Everyday life pales by comparison to the resurrection of Jesus. Yet, that is where we live, isn’t it … in the everyday of life? Except for a few high moments here and there, most days are mundane and routine and anything but extraordinary.
And that is a problem because, if we are not careful, faith can easily amount to little more than going through the motions, where the transforming power of the resurrection is dumbed down to an historical event, rather than the catalyst of new life.
Be honest: Here we are, only a week or so after Easter, and, already, the Lilies are beginning to fade.
We are not the first to experience the post-Easter doldrums, of course. Take the 21st chapter of John. Peter announces to the others, “I’m going fishing.” Some take that to mean, “I am going back to fishing … back to my old way of life, in other words … to which the others respond, “We are also coming with you.” (John 21:3)
So, it is a valid question: After Easter, then what?
To get at the answer, John wrote it around 100 A.D. from Ephesus. It is a pastoral letter intended to encourage and instruct the congregations in that area of Asia Minor, seven of which are named in the Book of Revelation.
William Barclay explains the context of the letter this way:
“Many (of John’s readers) were now second or even third generation Christians. The thrill of the first days had, to some extent, at least, passed away. … In the first days of Christianity there was a glory and a splendour, but now Christianity had become a thing of habit, ‘traditional, half-hearted, nominal.” … John was writing at a time when, for some at least, the first thrill was gone and the flame of devotion had died to a flicker.”
In particular, the early Christians were plagued with two pressing issues: lethargy and heresy. Lethargy – a lack of energy and enthusiasm – came about because the Christians lost sight of their distinctiveness as disciples of Jesus Christ. They blended in with the world around them. And heresy – false teaching – came about because of competing ideologies and those who were eager to put their own spin on the gospel message.
We will be watching out for both lethargy and heresy as we go along because they are still very much alive in the church today. But, most of all, we will be looking for that eternal flame of God’s Word embedded in this letter that enables us to celebrate the resurrection, not only throughout the season of Eastertide, but through the changing seasons of our lives. John starts out by saying,
“That which was from the beginning… that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us… that our joy may be fulfilled.” (1 John 1:1-4)
From the outset, John wants to make it clear: He and his followers are writing from first-hand experience: “We declare to you, that which we have seen and heard.” Not long after the resurrection, Jesus told his followers,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
A witness is one who testifies to what he has seen and heard and, like a big murder trial, some have more to say than others. Some were right there; some were a step or two removed. Yet, each testimony was important in reconstructing the events and getting at the truth.
The same is true of our Christian witness: Some have more to say than others. At the extremes, some describe the saving grace of Jesus Christ as an unforgettable moment in time; others, as a lifelong process of growing in grace. The majority fall somewhere in between.
Yet, all experiences are valid. What is important is that you share what you have seen and heard and experienced of God’s amazing grace. It does not have to be earth-shaking or profound. Most religious experiences are not all that dramatic.
Just say what you know. That is all there is to it. Yet, in sharing your journey of faith, others will know what to look for as they seek to experience God’s love for themselves.
“Someone first told you about Jesus;
who have you told lately?”
Sharing what you know of God’s love is one of the best ways I know of leading others into a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also a good way of keeping the spark of Easter glowing. John goes on to say:
“This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all…If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)
Light and darkness are a couple of John’s favourite themes. Light represents the righteousness of God and darkness, its evil counterpart. To walk in the light is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and to feel his presence every step of the way. To walk in darkness is choose your own course and pursue your own selfish desires, and that inevitably leads to alienating yourself from God and pitting yourself against others, and that, in a word, is the nature of sin.
Of course, we all do it all the time. Like a Burger commercial, we want to have it our way. It takes a while to grow up and realise that God’s ways are best … that only God’s ways are fulfilling and lasting … that only God’s ways lead to a life of perfect peace and unity with others.
In his letter, John recognises our sinful nature and has the grace not to put us down. His one word of advice is to be honest about it. He says,
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
Ron Paton
TRAX Chaplin
