First Hand Experience

Easter 2 – April 7, 2024

Acts 4:32-35
Psalm133
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31

It is easy to assume that the development of the Bible was a smooth process. It was not. Just looking at the New Testament we find that it did not take the form that we have until the middle of the fourth century. That is 300 years after the resurrection of Jesus. Until then there were disputes about what books should be included (several gospels and letters were not) and what order they should be in. In some earlier collections of scripture the letters to John occur after Acts and before Paul’s letters. That may have been because John was an apostle before Paul. Modern scholarship doubts John was the author of any of the Johannine material. They base this on the lateness of its composition – First and Second John at the beginning of the second century, the Gospel and First John around the middle of the second century. Long after John was martyred. 

While it is called a letter this is not. Instead it is a short sermon or lesson (an early catechism?) written to the newly baptized members of the community indicated by the plural “we” that the writer uses. The reason for this sermon is to help build up the community of Christ by teaching the new converts how the community lives together. It begins by reminding the reader that they walk in the light with Christ and not in the dark. This walk is not an individual “I can worship God wherever I am” attitude. It is a walk with fellow Christians. In the early church that would be a great benefit since there was no help for those who fell on hard times. No retirement benefits. To live and walk with a community that supported each other was a gift. We note that the Johannine community was not the only community that saw this and worked to make it happen. The community in Acts shared everything they had with each other.

We do not know how the Johannine community lived out this fellowship but they must have lived in close proximity since the letter talks about getting along with each other. That is the sin part. The writer emphasizes that the community is to be sinless but when sin does occur they need to know that God forgives those sins. They only need to confess them. The disciples locked in the upper room were a community also. One that did not seem to be walking in the light. Instead they were hiding in the dark out of fear. But Jesus does not leave them there – he came to them. 

In our times there are many more possible communities that you can belong to. Your daughter’s baseball team, the PTA, the local drinking club, even – What do they call it? – Steeler’s Nation. So many other opportunities and so fewer people see this community – the body of Christ – as an important ingredient in their lives. But those other communities are not concerned about you. Many of them are only thinking about getting your money. Others are only thinking about using the community for personal reasons. This community here is about joining together for others. We gather and believe and work so that others may see and experience Jesus through us. We share our joys and sadness; our achievements and our failures. We can do so because we walk in the light with Christ. That light that reminds us of what Christ did for us and shows us the way to eternal life. As we walk in that direction we are able to bring some of that light into a world darkened by sin and death and proclaim the glories of God’s gift of love.

Christ is risen. Alleluia!