Becoming an Easter people
Commentary
In 1972, Avery and Marsh wrote a song titled, "Every Morning Is Easter Morning From Now On." The song suggests that every day is resurrection day, and that the people of God are called to be an Easter people who proclaim with their lips and with their lives that the living Jesus Christ has transformed their relationships. They are to be a new creation which meets each new day in the power of the Lord. Resurrection is more than an event in the long ago and far away; it becomes a present experience in the heart of the believer that transforms all of life!
The lessons for this day provide us with a rich opportunity to describe in very practical terms what the new life in Christ should be like. The reading from the Acts of the Apostles sets the tone for our theme. We all know in communication the importance of body language -- those gestures, postures, and facial expressions that send a message that is even stronger than the words we speak. The reading in Acts 4 gives us a glimpse of the body language of the first Christian community. Those Easter people have been touched by a source of power that has transformed their relationships with God, with one another, and with the world around them. They are a spirit-filled body who demonstrate by the quality of their life together that they are continuing the same ministry Jesus began in his earthly life. From them, we learn that Easter people share a common loyalty to Jesus Christ that galvanizes them into one community of faith. That community expresses the love of Christ by sharing its substance with all who are in need, and draws others into its fellowship, because everyone can see the power of God at work in their lives.
The writer of 1 John using the images of light and darkness, describes what it means in practical terms to "walk in the Light." God is the Light we need for our journey through life. God's truth is a dynamic roadway on which we are to walk as Easter people. On that road, we discover that God is on the side of truth and openness. The Light of God exposes the darkness in which we have lived, but we discover that our companion on the road is none other than the source of the Light. To walk in the Light does not mean that a human being is sinless or flawless, but John insists that Christ's costly sacrifice has opened up the possibility of fellowship with God and with others in a whole new way.
The gospel reading provides us with yet another window into the life of God's Easter people. I believe John's account of the appearance of Christ to Thomas is more than just another resurrection story; I believe it was meant to be the climactic conclusion to the entire gospel. We quickly discover that even Easter people experience doubts, but that our doubts can play a positive role in the journey of faith. John broadens our understanding of Easter by insisting that doubts can lead to an even deeper faith in the living Christ. Thomas' ultimate confession becomes the highest and most mature form of belief in Christ.
OUTLINE I
Body language
Acts 4:32-35
A. vv. 32-33: The body of Christ has a language all of its own. It is expressed not only in words, but in the visible life of the community of faith. These words suggest that the Easter people were a fellowship who believed with one mind and heart. It was their common loyalty to Jesus Christ which galvanized this disparate group of men and women into a community whose only desire was to have the life of Jesus living in them. Does this mean that there were no differences of opinion or conflicts? Of course not! But what stands out in this verse is that the Easter people shared a heartfelt conviction that God had raised Jesus from the dead, that Christ was present with them in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that their mission was to share the love of Christ with one another and with the world. That common faith brought them together in a way no earthly ties ever could, and gave them great power in their witness.
B. vv. 34-35: These verses reveal a second characteristic of God's Easter people -- their willingness to share with every needy person. The very essence of their life together was that "great grace was upon them all." They illustrate the supreme expression of Christ's love in our lives: that, having received the gift of God's unmerited favor, we now give from our hearts to everyone in need. Is it any wonder that the body language of these early Christians with their gracious giving and their power-filled witness to Christ's love quickly attracted others to their dynamic fellowship?
OUTLINE II
Living in the light
1 John 1:1--2:2
A. vv. 1-5: In these opening verses, the writer links Jesus with the source of all life. God's breakthrough into our time in Jesus Christ has made it possible for we human beings to have fellowship with God and with one another. This is the source of true joy for God's Easter people.
B. v. 5: In a bold and electrifying sentence, the writer tells us that God is light. The light seems to be almost interchangeable with truth. John affirms that God's self-disclosure is on the side of truth, and therefore when Jesus Christ is Lord of our life, we see the road more clearly. Jesus not only shows us who the Father is, but who we are and where we are. He is the light who makes the roadway upon which we live and move and have our being come into focus.
C. vv. 6-7: God's truth is a relationship to be lived. God is on the side of truth and openness. To have a relationship with God, we must walk in the way of justice and truth. But we have walked so much of our lives in darkness that John's admonition to walk on a brilliantly illuminated roadway is hardly good news. The good news is that Jesus is our companion on the road.
D. vv. 1:8--2:2: To walk in the light does not mean we are free of sin, but our companion on the road, Jesus Christ, cleanses us from all sin.
OUTLINE III
I have my doubts
John 20:19-31
A. vv. 24-25: John structures the climax of his gospel around the experience of unbelief, and shows us the path from doubt to genuine and mature faith. We may well think of doubt as sin, but John sees Thomas' struggle as the occasion for the birth of authentic faith. How easily all of us can identify with Thomas! What he wants is a concrete experience on which to base his religious faith. Christianity is built on the experiences of God's reality and God's call to us.
B. vv. 26-28: It is Thomas' doubt that occasions his experience of Christ. John invites us to express our doubts. He even suggests that doubt is a normal part of being among the Easter people. As Paul Tillich saw much later, John is saying that faith and doubt are not opposites, but different sides of the same coin of belief. Christ invites Thomas to have the very experience which in his doubt he had demanded. In the presence of the resurrected Christ, Thomas makes what is the highest confession about Jesus that anyone can make -- "My Lord and my God!"
C. vv. 29-31: Thomas' doubts prepared the way for the recognition that Jesus is God. But John pushes us even further by speaking of the blessedness of faith without seeing. Religious experience is not the measure of the degree of God's blessings. Perhaps God values most the life lived with doubt and struggle that yet centers itself in faith in the living Christ.
The lessons for this day provide us with a rich opportunity to describe in very practical terms what the new life in Christ should be like. The reading from the Acts of the Apostles sets the tone for our theme. We all know in communication the importance of body language -- those gestures, postures, and facial expressions that send a message that is even stronger than the words we speak. The reading in Acts 4 gives us a glimpse of the body language of the first Christian community. Those Easter people have been touched by a source of power that has transformed their relationships with God, with one another, and with the world around them. They are a spirit-filled body who demonstrate by the quality of their life together that they are continuing the same ministry Jesus began in his earthly life. From them, we learn that Easter people share a common loyalty to Jesus Christ that galvanizes them into one community of faith. That community expresses the love of Christ by sharing its substance with all who are in need, and draws others into its fellowship, because everyone can see the power of God at work in their lives.
The writer of 1 John using the images of light and darkness, describes what it means in practical terms to "walk in the Light." God is the Light we need for our journey through life. God's truth is a dynamic roadway on which we are to walk as Easter people. On that road, we discover that God is on the side of truth and openness. The Light of God exposes the darkness in which we have lived, but we discover that our companion on the road is none other than the source of the Light. To walk in the Light does not mean that a human being is sinless or flawless, but John insists that Christ's costly sacrifice has opened up the possibility of fellowship with God and with others in a whole new way.
The gospel reading provides us with yet another window into the life of God's Easter people. I believe John's account of the appearance of Christ to Thomas is more than just another resurrection story; I believe it was meant to be the climactic conclusion to the entire gospel. We quickly discover that even Easter people experience doubts, but that our doubts can play a positive role in the journey of faith. John broadens our understanding of Easter by insisting that doubts can lead to an even deeper faith in the living Christ. Thomas' ultimate confession becomes the highest and most mature form of belief in Christ.
OUTLINE I
Body language
Acts 4:32-35
A. vv. 32-33: The body of Christ has a language all of its own. It is expressed not only in words, but in the visible life of the community of faith. These words suggest that the Easter people were a fellowship who believed with one mind and heart. It was their common loyalty to Jesus Christ which galvanized this disparate group of men and women into a community whose only desire was to have the life of Jesus living in them. Does this mean that there were no differences of opinion or conflicts? Of course not! But what stands out in this verse is that the Easter people shared a heartfelt conviction that God had raised Jesus from the dead, that Christ was present with them in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that their mission was to share the love of Christ with one another and with the world. That common faith brought them together in a way no earthly ties ever could, and gave them great power in their witness.
B. vv. 34-35: These verses reveal a second characteristic of God's Easter people -- their willingness to share with every needy person. The very essence of their life together was that "great grace was upon them all." They illustrate the supreme expression of Christ's love in our lives: that, having received the gift of God's unmerited favor, we now give from our hearts to everyone in need. Is it any wonder that the body language of these early Christians with their gracious giving and their power-filled witness to Christ's love quickly attracted others to their dynamic fellowship?
OUTLINE II
Living in the light
1 John 1:1--2:2
A. vv. 1-5: In these opening verses, the writer links Jesus with the source of all life. God's breakthrough into our time in Jesus Christ has made it possible for we human beings to have fellowship with God and with one another. This is the source of true joy for God's Easter people.
B. v. 5: In a bold and electrifying sentence, the writer tells us that God is light. The light seems to be almost interchangeable with truth. John affirms that God's self-disclosure is on the side of truth, and therefore when Jesus Christ is Lord of our life, we see the road more clearly. Jesus not only shows us who the Father is, but who we are and where we are. He is the light who makes the roadway upon which we live and move and have our being come into focus.
C. vv. 6-7: God's truth is a relationship to be lived. God is on the side of truth and openness. To have a relationship with God, we must walk in the way of justice and truth. But we have walked so much of our lives in darkness that John's admonition to walk on a brilliantly illuminated roadway is hardly good news. The good news is that Jesus is our companion on the road.
D. vv. 1:8--2:2: To walk in the light does not mean we are free of sin, but our companion on the road, Jesus Christ, cleanses us from all sin.
OUTLINE III
I have my doubts
John 20:19-31
A. vv. 24-25: John structures the climax of his gospel around the experience of unbelief, and shows us the path from doubt to genuine and mature faith. We may well think of doubt as sin, but John sees Thomas' struggle as the occasion for the birth of authentic faith. How easily all of us can identify with Thomas! What he wants is a concrete experience on which to base his religious faith. Christianity is built on the experiences of God's reality and God's call to us.
B. vv. 26-28: It is Thomas' doubt that occasions his experience of Christ. John invites us to express our doubts. He even suggests that doubt is a normal part of being among the Easter people. As Paul Tillich saw much later, John is saying that faith and doubt are not opposites, but different sides of the same coin of belief. Christ invites Thomas to have the very experience which in his doubt he had demanded. In the presence of the resurrected Christ, Thomas makes what is the highest confession about Jesus that anyone can make -- "My Lord and my God!"
C. vv. 29-31: Thomas' doubts prepared the way for the recognition that Jesus is God. But John pushes us even further by speaking of the blessedness of faith without seeing. Religious experience is not the measure of the degree of God's blessings. Perhaps God values most the life lived with doubt and struggle that yet centers itself in faith in the living Christ.
