Resurrection, Faith Hope and Love 1 John 3:16-19 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him. John 10:17-18 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father." Introduction: PPT On this 3 rd Sunday after Easter I want to continue reflecting on the Gospel of the Resurrection asking: What does this mean? and How then could we live in witness of this? Cross - Resurrection Life Life Death The Gospel story and the Christian life have a very clear shape. This is established by the Cross and the Resurrection. We can talk about a Cross-Resurrection Faith shaping a Cross-Resurrection Life. Learning to live that life is what discipleship is all about. Until Jesus returns, living in the Kingdom of God will be Cross and Resurrection shaped. This involves laying our life down again to take it up again as God provides just as Jesus did. We enter into this Cross-Resurrection shaped life through baptism, you AND your children! In as much as we die with Christ, we also rise to new life in Him. Text In today s Epistle and Gospel John spells out that Jesus taking the Cross and Resurrection on for us runs on love as does our living this life ourselves. 1 John 3:16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. John 10:17-18a For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. It involves: God s love for Jesus Jesus love for the Father and for us Our love for each-other Love took Jesus to the cross and love raised Jesus from the grave.
2 This is wonderful but wait before we apply it as there is still more to tell. There is more going on in the Cross-Resurrection shaped life than love, wonderful though that is. I am reminded of Paul s reflection on love which brings in Faith and Hope when he ends 1 Corinthians 13 by saying: PPT So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Love holds priority in all things but it is accompanied by Faith and Hope. This applies to living a Cross-Resurrection shaped life. Reflection: To take up YOUR cross [i.e. deny yourself, embrace death and live in the world as a genuine child of God] requires Faith: PPT Faith in God s faithfulness to his friends. Faith in God being bigger than anything out there including death. Faith in God s eternal resolve to never forget us. Faith in God s Love. Jesus lived this faith. This is why he could embrace the cross for us. This is the faith that was validated by the Resurrection. This is the Cross-Resurrection shaped faith he then called his disciples to live and witness to. o This is what we are meeting here to celebrate and deepen. Amen? And then with Love and Faith there is Hope. PPT Hope is the assurance we need to live in and hold Faith over time. exercise was focused on 3-4 dramatic days. Jesus Cross and Resurrection When he hung alone on the cross seemingly abandoned by God to the dark powers of this world he held on to hope. Hope is that sense of confidence and assurance that what you have experienced of God will triumph in the end and the God who gives life will raise the down-trodden even though presently there is very little to support that. Hope is central to living the Cross-Resurrection shaped life. We can embrace and carry OUR Cross because Holy Spirit established Resurrection Hope lives within us even when all seems lost. This is NOT Stoicism where people simply refuse to allow the pain to impact them. This is NOT a form of positive thinking or what I call Himalaya Happiness as I saw promoted at Floriade this week.
3 Hope is holding on to the experience and assurance that God places within us by his Holy Spirit to maintain Faith, Hope and Love. Let me illustrate Faith, Hope and Love in everyday terms: PPT Faith is believing a person or what someone tells you to the point where you exercise trust, obedience, loyalty and commitment. We actually do this a great deal sometimes even without evidence or proof simply because we may choose to. Love is acting [Love is a verb] to hold another and their well being as more valuable than our own. This is described as Agapé love which is essentially sacrificial. Hope is the abiding assurance of our faith. A few weeks ago we all delighted in the daffodils shining on the traffic islands around Eindhoven. I saw them as symbols of hope. They assured me that winter was really over and that summer was coming. Or to put Faith and Hope in restaurant terms: In faith I enter a restaurant, take a seat and place an order. If I have not been there before I have nothing to base my faith on other than general faith in restaurants. Once the Entrée or Appetizer arrives my faith is met with an experience. If that experience is good then hope is established that the main course and dessert will also be good. Whatever our experience of the Resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit may be, it establishes a measure of Resurrection Hope within us. Our encounter with God through Jesus affirms our partial Faith in him and establishes Hope for the fullness of that faith in him. What has been begun, even under the shadow of whatever Cross we may experience builds in us a hope that triumph will come. Paul describes this as the Down-Payment of the Holy Spirit sustaining hope within us enabling us to hold the Cross-Resurrection shaped Faith even in the midst of great difficulties. Resurrection-Hope is that assurance that no matter what happens NO MATTER WHAT God holds my name in the palm of his hand and knows every hair on my head and will not let me rot in eternity but will restore me to himself Just as happened with Jesus. What happens now DOES matter BUT what God will do in the Resurrection matters much more! Holding that quality of Resurrection-Hope in every breath changes the way we live now. Personal Illustration PPT I want to share a fresh illustration of this. Twelve days ago my mother was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Within a few days she prepared a letter in Dutch to be sent to all her extended family and friends in the Netherlands. I was sent a copy
4 in advance which I received on Monday. As I was preparing this message it kept coming to mind and I want to share a few excerpts as I think they witness to what Resurrection Faith, Love and Love may sound like. [This is my translation of what she wrote] In recent months I have not felt so well and had many problems that frequently took me to the hospital for many tests. The outcome is now known and cancer has been diagnosed in various organs such that treatment is no longer possible. The doctors have given me six months so my life will now slowly come to an end. I have lived nearly 75 years and have a blessed life behind me. I have great trust in the Lord with the hope to spend eternity with him. He has always been a support to me and shall receive me in his glory.. With much love and trust in Almighty God. Riet. That is a witness to Resurrection Faith, Hope and Love in a difficult space. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus and the promise of our own we can say with her that whatever the present circumstances, however death appears God s purposes for us will come to pass. The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus establish and affirm that. Practical Applications What I just shared may be seem an extreme example. What about all of us decades from death in full flow of life. How might we live out resurrection hope in church life and beyond? I suggest it comes down to this: A basic Trust and Hope in the Goodness of God triumphing over all as evidenced by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. For those who believe the Resurrection of Jesus affirms it and makes Cross-Resurrection shaped living the best possible adjustment to reality in a fallen world. Without this a basic hope established by the saving Resurrection act of God there IS cause for great fear and anxiety! Without the assurance that evil will not triumph and cover the whole earth we could be at best cynical and more likely fearful and selfish. Let s get practical and explore some everyday opportunities for witness to the Resurrection. Here are two scenarios: Resurrection Witness Situation #1: The Church Lunch Queue: PPT
5 Faith, Hope & Love Based Living Faith that there is food enough for everyone. Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe who causes the earth to bring forth food for all. PPT Hope that there will be sufficient good food for my needs. PPT Love for others in meeting their needs first. Peace. Fear Based Living If we do not get in quick we might miss out - best load up extra well first time to make sure. Scan for the choice offerings and be in quick! Hardworking selfish anxiety. Qn: Ans: Why talk about this? The Meeting Place is the Training Place for the Market Place. This is where we learn and model Resurrection Faith, Hope and Love. Eating together is one such opportunity to teach ourselves and our children to live Resurrection Faith, Hope and Love. If we can learn and teach this inside the Resurrection Community then we can witness outside as well. Witness Situation #2: Getting on the Plane, Train & Bus Getting on the Plane,Train & Bus! Get on that vehicle with Faith Hope and Love. Economy Airlines do not assign seat numbers. Because of that bit of insecurity people act as if there are not enough seats on the plane and some may miss out. It is riddled with anxiety creating a mild boarding frenzy. Living in the Resurrection makes you immune to that. Let it wash around you. Move in with Faith, Hope and Love. Do not be anxious. o This is a primary message of the Risen Christ.
6 Nothing that could happen in this circumstance can shake the Hope of a Cross-Resurrection shaped life so do not let it. Have you ever been in a plane that dropped in an air-pocket? My experience was that within a second I was surrounded by theologians! Stay cool, keep smiling and know that Jesus your Redeemer is Lord, even if everyone does not yet know it. All will work out his way in the end. Final Application: When we learn these lessons in Faith, Hope and Love there is much more room for compassion. People who are NOT afraid of present circumstances and living in Hope are more likely to find the freedom and courage to love others even at cost to themselves. That is when the witness value really kicks in. Maximilian Kolbe Perhaps the most dramatic example I know of is Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Roman Catholic Polish Priest who died in Auschwitz in 1941. When someone went missing, ten men were selected for starvation. Kolbe volunteered to take the place of a husband and father who had been selected and was in lament. It took three weeks for him to die and then it required a lethal injection. That sacrificial action was recognized by many including Pope John Paul II as a powerful witness to the Resurrection. What makes that such a powerful witness to me is the way he could face his own death with peace for the sake of another. That was a Resurrection Faith, Hope and Love witness in the midst of hell. We will most likely not have to make such a witness although I know some have already come close. Looking at where we are, we may be able to offer the many anxious people in this prosperous rat race a Resurrection witness of Compassion born of Faith, Hope and Love. PPT Here are some ideas to note: Showing grace without compulsion. o Acts of kindness without thought or expectation of return Walking an extra mile in service for another. Allowing for other s difficulties and weaknesses. o - giving someone a needed break. Thinking about the challenges and needs faced by another and being constructive, even at cost.
What do you think? 7 Finally a piece of scripture that speaks clearly for itself: 1 Peter 3:15b PPT always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, Whatever we do to witness to the Resurrection, it may eventually involve opening our mouths to talk about it. If our actions witness to the reality we may get an opportunity to continue in words.