Dear ones,
I have returned from a wonderful weekend in Southern California. We spent time with friends and family, had a day in Disneyland, and summited two mountains. On Friday, I hiked 10 miles with some friends up Mount Baldy. On Monday, Jeff and I summited Saddleback Mountain and did 18 miles and 4,100 feet of elevation gain. If I’m walking a little funny on Sunday, you know why!
My heart was so full of gratitude on Sunday when I ducked in and out of our Live Streams. I saw our teams leading strong, and two very powerful messages from Pastor Paul and Pastor Glen. I realize that it is a privilege for a pastor to step away on a weekend and have things run as smoothly as they did. It is a privilege to have a deep bench of gifted preachers and staff. It is a privilege to serve alongside all of them.
Summer Preaching Series Begins!
This coming Sunday, we begin a new preaching series, Invitations: A Study in the Letters of John. At the heart of scripture is a robust call for the people of God to bear witness to the Light of God, amid a weary and groaning world and dark world. Bearing witness to God is at the heart of what we are to do as Christians. It means that we are to resemble the characteristics of God, so that when people look at us, they will see what God is like. At the heart of the letters of John is a vision for such a witness – that is, to live light and hope when darkness seems to be looming. In the end, Light wins. In the present, Light is here. In the now, we are called to live the Light.
John, the author of these letters – who also authored the fourth Gospel earlier in his life and the book of Revelation later in his life – is referred to as “the beloved disciple” of Jesus. John followed in the footsteps of his rabbi, Jesus. He witnessed Jesus turning water into wine, he stood as Jesus healed the invalid near the waters of Bethesda, he witnessed the wonder of Jesus feeding five thousand with only a few loaves and fishes, he was there at the transfiguration, he followed Jesus to the cross and cared for Jesus’ Mother, Mary, and he was one of the first to hear the news of the empty tomb. In the book of Acts, we see that John became one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church.
Some years later, John wrote this letter to turbulent churches rife with leadership failures, divisions over theology and practice, church splits, and even an infamous “antichrist” who convinced faithful Christians to revolt.
Maybe that sounds eerily similar. It does to me, at least. It seems as though the church is melting under the heat wave of national politics and conspiracy theories, divisions over race and justice, wars raging in the backyards of innocent civilians (sometimes in the name of Christianity!), and hunger raging in the bellies of infants. Where do we stand as a church? Does the world see the light and hope in us amid the darkness?
As a pastor, I feel the weightiness of John’s letters. He writes as one who knows division, church splits, struggle, and ongoing conflict. And at the same time, John writes because he believes in Jesus and he believes in the church. John believed the words of Jesus when he said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We do have trouble in our world today, but Jesus has indeed overcome the world.
For John, the future of the church is not a lost cause. He does not believe his words will be in vain, but instead he recognizes the authority given to him as an apostle, a pastor, a church planter, and an elder. He gives a vision for radiance – that is, as the light of Jesus fills our lives, it exudes and beams out of us and cuts through the darkness. It’s the kind of radiance that flows out of our relationship with God and one another – one that is wrapped in Light, in which God is the source of all these things.
When I think of things such as these, I can’t help but imagine what could happen if Jesus’ people took John’s clarion call to heart. To live a radiant Christian life is to reflect and emit the truth, light, love, and freedom of Jesus – it is to glow in darkness. Thus, the invitation John gives to the reader is an invitation to a life of beaming light.
Throughout the next 3 months, listen for John’s invitations to the earliest Christians and the invitations for us today. The backdrop of the world in which we live is full of bitterness, war, strife, abuse, and misery. We are surrounded by the despairing, hurting, and hopeless. The world needs Jesus, and the world needs to know that Jesus’ family is like Jesus. When the church is truly light, others are drawn into the love and truth of Jesus through our fellowship.
Lean in, beloved. I believe it will be a rich study, and I can’t wait to dig in deep with you. This coming Sunday, I will be preaching live in all of our services. We will be reading from 1 John 1:1-4 if you’d like to saturate in these passages over the next few days.
If you would like to dig deep throughout the Summer, here are a few of my favorite commentaries on the letters of John:
Early Christian Letters for Everyone
I love being your Pastor, Good Shepherd, and I can’t wait for a great summer!
From my heart,
Pastor Tara Beth
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