Third Sunday of Easter

“What Shall We Become”

Psalm 4

1 John 3:1-7

Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows

When you wish upon a star makes no difference who you are; to dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe. These memorable songs of tradition seek to challenge us to stretch the boundaries of life, to get from our life experience all we possibly can. As we move through the Easter season having experienced the resurrection and some of the earliest reactions to it that is also where the lectionary takes us today. From the reality of Jesus’ resurrection to the question of so what. From belief to behavior. From words about the resurrection to the challenges of resurrection living. What will we do with this power over death? What will we do with the challenge of resurrection living? This is the question taken up in our New Testament lesson for today. Scholars have long asserted that the debate which prompted the writing of the Epistles of John was a debate over what was more important; orthodoxy (believing the right things) or orthopraxy (doing the right things). Ultimately, the Elder asserts that both are important, but clearly, he concludes that if we must err on the side of one of these, we should err on the side of doing the right things. What you do the Elder says over and over in these letters is really what you believe.

The clearest message from today’s lesson is that with the gift of resurrection faith the children of God should grow up! As with our biological childhood, our spiritual childhood is a state of preparation that should see us grow in our understanding and practice of our faith. While the Elder feigns ignorance as to what will ultimately become of us, clearly he expects forward progress, maturity, and growth in understanding. My old white haired professor used to say “we may begin as children of God, but we should not stay there, we must grow up, we must become God’s sons and daughters”. The anticipation of the Elder that we should grow up and that we will become more than we are suggests the following about resurrection living:

GOD BELIEVES IN US: Too often our faith focuses only on our need to believe in God. Clearly, the Elder believes the key to resurrection living is that God is on our side. God has invested in us; love and family relations and is waiting in anticipation to see what we will become as we live out the resurrection. What courage will this power over death invoke in us? What hope will this power over death cause us to seek? What love will this power over death compel us to offer others? These are the marks of maturity in resurrection living, these are the hopes God believes his children will realize. These are the things that will help us to look like Jesus. The notion that God believes in us should provide the encouragement we need for the challenge of resurrection living. The Elder further suggests that the challenge of resurrection living is real because:

GOD GIVES US A VISION FOR LIVING, NOT A PERFECT PLAN: Too often our faith sounds fatalistic. In seeking to assert God’s control, we often reduce our experience to a master blueprint in which God is the only actor and we are but movable pawns. The Elder seems to suggest otherwise. He proposes that all of creation anticipates the possibilities of what we will become, but that is not determined without us. He speaks of what we must do to reach this fullness, but never suggests that it will be done for us or without our consent. He makes it sound like our response to the challenge of resurrection living will incite a party in creation, but the party will not begin until our arrival. The Elder proposes that the challenge of resurrection living finds a clear model in:

THE CHRIST OF THE RESURRECTION: Though not always recognizable in his resurrected state, Jesus answered the challenge of resurrection living with a clear model for us to follow. Wherever and to whoever he appeared, Jesus the Resurrected always brought two clear messages. The hope that death does not have the final word over life and the responsibility of caring for those who need care. Hope and mission that was the work of Christ in the resurrection and that is our challenge to live out as Christ’s followers.

So, whether you wish upon a star or dream the impossible dream, know that your life matters to God. Know that God eagerly anticipates what you will do with the challenge of resurrection living. Know that others depend on what you do with the challenge of resurrection living. May God give us the grace to be all we can be through the power of the Resurrection! AMEN!