“Offering Ourselves” Pastor Stephen 05-09-21 Part V of the Sermon Series “Easter People in a Good Friday World”
Over the last month, Pastor Laura and I have been preaching a sermon series: “Easter People in a Good Friday World.” As Christians, we are Easter people – people who proclaim the Good News that God’s Love is stronger than the powers of Sin and Death. Yet we live in a Good Friday world – a world where Sin and Death seem to have the upper hand. As Easter people, how are we to live in this Good Friday world?
That is the question addressed in our scripture passage this week (1 John 3: 16-24). 1 John was a letter written to a congregation dealing with conflict. (Imagine that, conflict in a church! Whoever heard of such a thing?) Scholars are unsure about the issue. It appears to be of deep theological concern. A large portion of the congregation had left. Those who remained wondered, “What comes next? How are we supposed to live now?”
The writer of 1 John pens one of the most beautiful letters in the entire New Testament. (Read it this week. It should take less than 20 minutes.) He reminds them (and us) of the core of the Gospel message: We are beloved children of God.
And he gives frustratingly-simple instructions for how we should live. It all comes down to a single word that occurs a gazillion times in four short chapters. I’ll give you a hint at what he says. It has four letters. The first letter is “L”.
Join us this week as we honor the mothers in our lives and remember how God calls us to live as Easter People.
