Many years ago a man was on a journey. As he began to enter one village, he noticed that it seemed more prosperous than many he had been through. As he continued along the main road, he found himself before a large construction site. He wondered what was being built.
There were three men working near the road. So he approached one of them and asked him what he was doing. The man was clearly annoyed by this interruption. He looked up from his work with contempt in his eyes. “Can’t you see what I’m doing? I’m chiseling this huge rock into smaller stones. I’ve been doing it for years; and it looks like I’ll be doing it until the day I die.” He muttered something under his breath the traveler was glad he couldn’t understand and went back to his work.
Still curious about the project, the traveler moved on to the next man who was engaged in the same activity just a few yards farther on. “Can you tell me what you are doing?”
The man relaxed his grip on his hammer and looked up. He seemed pleased for the chance to take a break. “We are shaping these stones to build a wall here,” he said as he pointed along the ditch that lay beside him. “It’s hard work, but I’m glad for the opportunity to earn the money to provide a home and food for my wife and children.” He looked back down at the stone on his bench and raised his hammer once again.
“Better,” the traveler thought to himself; but he still didn’t have any news worth sharing. There was one more man busy chiseling stone. “Perhaps this fellow can tell me more.”
“Excuse me. Can you tell me what you are doing?”
Like the others, the man was covered with dust and his hands were rough; but he laid down his hammer, straightened his back, and looked toward the sky. As he raised his hands over his head, his face broke into a huge smile. “We are building a cathedral—a shrine to God. It will be a light for the world and will proclaim God’s glory to generations yet unborn.”
John tells the community of believers, “It is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2). As we live in the light of the glory of the resurrected Christ, may we more clearly catch the vision that “we are now God's children.” Let that reality give you power to live a life of faith—especially when the work is hard.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
A New Way of Living
Last Sunday in churches around the world Christians united their voices in singing, “Christ the Lord is risen today!” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is certainly an event worthy of celebration. It assures those who put their trust in Jesus that death is not the end—there is life beyond this present reality. The hope of resurrection comforts those who have lost loved ones with the promise that they will be reunited some day.
Fully devoted followers of Christ recognize that this extraordinary, unique and unparalleled event offers much more than just the promise of life after death. It opens the possibility to a completely new way of life here and now. That is what John tries to make plain to the community of believers when he writes his first letter to the church.
John wants those who have put their trust in Christ to know that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has opened the possibility of a transformed relationship with God and with one another. They no longer need to live in fear that God is going to punish them for the things they have done wrong. God wants them to experience the joy of authentic fellowship.
John also recognizes how tenuous this fellowship can seem in the midst of the struggles, trials and temptations of life day by day. He reminds them that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is offered to them as they seek to live lives that reflect the character of their savior. Indeed, it is the love of God—fully expressed in the sacrifice of Christ—that makes it possible for them to live a holy life.
For John this is more than an intellectual argument or a philosophical proposition. It is a message rooted in his direct experience with Jesus—the same Jesus he heard teach with authority; he saw heal the sick, the blind and the lame; he embraced with his own arms and touched with his hands. While the truth he shares concerns eternity, he wants those entrusted to his care to know that this truth has profound implications for their current situation.
This is such an important idea that we are going to take the next few weeks—this whole period between Easter and Pentecost—to consider this message John delivers to the church. As we begin let me invite you to read the whole letter (it’s only five short chapters) as if it were addressed personally to you. I pray that we may all discover a deeper confidence that will enable us to live more boldly for our risen Lord!
Fully devoted followers of Christ recognize that this extraordinary, unique and unparalleled event offers much more than just the promise of life after death. It opens the possibility to a completely new way of life here and now. That is what John tries to make plain to the community of believers when he writes his first letter to the church.
John wants those who have put their trust in Christ to know that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has opened the possibility of a transformed relationship with God and with one another. They no longer need to live in fear that God is going to punish them for the things they have done wrong. God wants them to experience the joy of authentic fellowship.
John also recognizes how tenuous this fellowship can seem in the midst of the struggles, trials and temptations of life day by day. He reminds them that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is offered to them as they seek to live lives that reflect the character of their savior. Indeed, it is the love of God—fully expressed in the sacrifice of Christ—that makes it possible for them to live a holy life.
For John this is more than an intellectual argument or a philosophical proposition. It is a message rooted in his direct experience with Jesus—the same Jesus he heard teach with authority; he saw heal the sick, the blind and the lame; he embraced with his own arms and touched with his hands. While the truth he shares concerns eternity, he wants those entrusted to his care to know that this truth has profound implications for their current situation.
This is such an important idea that we are going to take the next few weeks—this whole period between Easter and Pentecost—to consider this message John delivers to the church. As we begin let me invite you to read the whole letter (it’s only five short chapters) as if it were addressed personally to you. I pray that we may all discover a deeper confidence that will enable us to live more boldly for our risen Lord!
Friday, April 6, 2012
The Light of Hope
As the women were headed toward the tomb very early on that Sunday morning, they were worried. How were they even going to begin to do the difficult and painful task of caring for the dead body of their friend and teacher? They had seen the place where his body was left just days ago. They had also seen the huge stone that had been rolled in front of the opening. The tomb was sealed. The rock was heavy. It was early. They had little reason to hope.
The truth was that from the time they had first begun to follow Jesus the promise of hope was often overshadowed by opposition, difficulty and doubt. Jesus taught the Word of God with authority, and the religious authorities questioned his credentials. Jesus fed the hungry, and people accused him of being a glutton. Jesus cast out demons, and they said he was in league with the devil.
Even this last week had been a real roller coaster ride. The crowd had welcomed him just days before they turned on him and called for his execution. How could the same people who had shouted “Hallelujah!” hurl such insults as he hung on the cross? How could one of his own disciples have sold him out? Where were his disciples now? Is this really where their journey of hope had led them?
Their worry turns to amazement as they approach the tomb. A heavenly messenger waits for them with an astonishing message: “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:6-7).
Who would think to look for hope in a cemetery? It is precisely at the point when despair seems most overwhelming that the power of God brings hope to those who are faithful. Nothing is too great for God to overcome—not even death. That is the great good news of Easter.
Christ is risen.
He is risen, indeed!
Alleluia!
The truth was that from the time they had first begun to follow Jesus the promise of hope was often overshadowed by opposition, difficulty and doubt. Jesus taught the Word of God with authority, and the religious authorities questioned his credentials. Jesus fed the hungry, and people accused him of being a glutton. Jesus cast out demons, and they said he was in league with the devil.
Even this last week had been a real roller coaster ride. The crowd had welcomed him just days before they turned on him and called for his execution. How could the same people who had shouted “Hallelujah!” hurl such insults as he hung on the cross? How could one of his own disciples have sold him out? Where were his disciples now? Is this really where their journey of hope had led them?
Their worry turns to amazement as they approach the tomb. A heavenly messenger waits for them with an astonishing message: “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:6-7).
Who would think to look for hope in a cemetery? It is precisely at the point when despair seems most overwhelming that the power of God brings hope to those who are faithful. Nothing is too great for God to overcome—not even death. That is the great good news of Easter.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,As followers of Christ, let me encourage you to reflect the light of the resurrected Jesus. There are people all around you who are stumbling in the darkness. The One who gives you hope offers hope to them, as well. May those around you see a difference in your life since you have made this journey of hope all the way to the empty tomb.
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:4-5)
Christ is risen.
He is risen, indeed!
Alleluia!
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