Year B
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2015
Cross~Wind
Title: A Coach Through Stress
Going deeper
The theme of I John 4:7-5:4a is loving one another. In
3:23, John makes the statement that believers need to believe and to
love. 4:1-6 is an elaboration of what it means to
believe. The opening verses conclude the segment on what it means to
love. Barth says that if love is of God, then God can make of those who cannot
and will not love people who actually love.[1]
1 Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who
loves the parent loves the child. [The Johannine literature has a strong
preference for speaking in terms of the action “believe” (the Greek verb pisteuw)
rather than the idea of “faith” (the Greek noun pistV),
and the action of believing is best identified with keeping God’s command to
show love for one another (cf. 1 John 3:23 and 5:2-3). Thus, belief is immensely practical and pragmatic. What they
are to believe is that Jesus as the Christ has been born of God. Around the
time the Johannine letters were written there was beginning to emerge an idea
among some Christian thinkers that would eventually become known as “Docetism.”
The term is derived from the Greek verb dokew which
means “to seem,” and it designates the idea that the Christ just “seemed” to be
human but was in fact only and completely divine; he was a fully spiritual
being who took on the outward appearance of physicality without taking on any
genuine physical attributes. The teaching of the Johannine community was
adamantly opposed to this way of thinking about the Christ who “has been born
of God” the Father (v. 1; cf. John 1:18). This idea that Jesus was “born” of
the Father is foundational to their thought. The God who is spirit (John 4:24)
has nevertheless brought to birth a son who has genuinely become physical in
nature (John 1:14). That is why this author opens the letter with the
insistence that they had not only “heard” but also “seen with our eyes … and
touched with our hands” this “word of life” who had taken on human flesh (1
John 1:1). Anyone who should teach otherwise is not only a “liar” but also the
very antithesis of Christ himself, an antichrist (2:22). Thus, the phrase
explores what Christian teaching would call the two natures theory of Christ.
The issue is not whether Jesus was the Messiah or perhaps someone else might be
the Messiah. The issue was whether one believed that the human being Jesus of
Nazareth was indeed the Christ who was born of God. If one believed that the
spiritual Christ was identical with the human Jesus, then one would understand
the necessity of relating the spiritual and physical realms. Notice as well
that this opening verse makes it clear that the Christ is not the only one who
“has been born of God.” All those who “believe” — that is, act in accord with
this truth — that the human Jesus is the Christ are likewise “born of God.”
Naturally, such children who have been so born will not only love the parent
who has given them birth but also all those likewise born — both the Christ and
those born of God by their belief in the Christ.]2 By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey [suggests that
specific actions are required on the part of those to whom the author of the
epistle is writing] his commandments. [Love of God is inherently linked with keeping God’s
commands to love others because God has shown by giving birth to the Christ that
the spiritual and physical are inherently linked.] 3 For the
love of God is this, that we obey ("keep,"
thrwmen), his commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world.
Why
did the mutiny occur? No one can know for sure. It is probable, however, that
the split happened at least in part concerning the issue of the identity of
Jesus Christ.
The theme of I John 5:4b-12 is faith as
conqueror. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. [We find here one of the rare moments when John
refers to “the faith” rather than the act of believing. Even in this single use of the noun “faith” within this
literature the emphasis remains on what it does, namely, “conquers the world.”
Clearly then the “victory” is achieved not by an idea that “conquers the world”
but rather by the actions of those who obey God’s commands to show love not
only toward God but all those who “have been born of God.”] 5 Who is
it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God? [Although one might expect the conqueror to possess superior
strength or courage, the epistle here claims that the only requirement is
belief. As long as such belief recognizes Jesus as the Son of God, the power to
conquer is available. This is an extraordinary claim indeed. When heard within
the context of an empire that conquered the world through brute force, military
might and the occupation of conquered territories, the epistle's claim that the
only "weapon" one needs for this task is the belief that Jesus is the
Son of God is a radical assertion.] 6 This is the one who came by water
and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the
blood.[The statement has received much discussion. It could refer
to John 19:34-35, where water and blood came from the side of Jesus, indicating
his quite real death. He did not just appear to die, as some persons would
affirm, including Muslims. Yet, John is often thinking at a symbolic level.
Thus, the public ministry of Jesus in his Gospel is with baptism with water by
John the Baptist, and it ends with the blood of the cross. These are two strong
witnesses to who Jesus is. The church came to symbolize that witness in baptism
and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. These two acts remind us that the
presence of Christ among us is precisely what the church is all about. And the
Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. [That testimony continued to be given through the Beloved
Disciple and the Spirit. The third witness, identified as part of God's divine
testimony, the Spirit, is in fact the witness‑bearer ‑‑ the one who translates
for us the meaning behind the water of baptism and the blood of the crucifixion.
The Spirit "is the one that testifies" ‑‑ an ongoing identity ‑‑
forever keeping the historical evidence of the water and the blood intelligible
to each new generation of believers.]
Introduction
Today, I am thinking about the
voice in the head that guides you in your reflections on what to do with your
life. Let us call it your internal coach.
Such a coach is often the voice of
your parents.
On the humorous side, on this
Mother's Day, we remember the things our mamas taught us. They were not only
the voices in our heads, but around the kitchen table, the living room, just
about everywhere.
- My mama taught me logic: "Because I said so, that's
why."
- My mama taught me osmosis: "Shut your mouth and eat
your supper!"
- My mama taught me about envy: "There are millions of
less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you
do."
- My mama taught me about anticipation: "Just wait
until you get home."
However,
the most important thing mom taught me was the importance of Jesus and the
church. She made sure that the five of us went to church in Austin, MN. She
kept asking questions about her Bible reading over the years I was a student in
college, Seminary, and as a pastor.
Sometimes, the voice might tell you
other things, and they may not come from parents. If a voice tells you to sell everything you
own, get on a plane, go to Vegas, and put all your money on Black 9, please do
not listen.
Julie Bell is a psychologist who
has the image of a coaching voice in our heads. Some people have a strong
voice, and some people need help developing that inner voice.
The story is told of the late Fred
Rogers (of 'Mister Rogers' fame), a Presbyterian pastor, that he was addressing
the National Press Club. He said that he knew that the room was filled with
many of the nation's best reporters -- men and women who had achieved much in
their lives. Rogers took out his pocket watch and announced that he was going
to keep two minutes of silence. He invited everybody in the room to remember
the people from their past --parents, teachers, coaches, friends and others --
who had made it possible for them to reach this point. As the seconds ticked
away, he could hear, all around the room, people sniffling as they were moved
by the memories of those, coaches if you will, who had made sacrifices on their
behalf and who had given them countless gifts, the voice of wisdom and
encouragement. The same could be said for our own journeys of faith.
Application
One of the greatest coaches of the
first-century church was the apostle John, the author of three New Testament
letters and the Gospel of John. His writings have touched many of us deeply and
profoundly. They have done so for centuries.
Love
In his first epistle, he says to
his fellow Christians, "the love of
God is this, that we obey his commandments" (1 John 5:3). Here is
where our focus needs to be, rather than what our culture might entice us to
focus upon.
Coach John begins with love. "Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the
child" (v. 1). Here is a graphic way of saying it. One born of God has
God as their parent, and if you have God as your parent, you love the children
of God. Each of us is a member of the large and loving family of God.
Nevertheless, this love is no mere
warm and wonderful feeling -- it is an attitude that requires us to be
intentional with our thinking and our acting. "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
God and obey his commandments" (v. 2). The visible proof of our love
for the children of God is that we not simply love God, but that we obey his
commandments. Love-talk is empty without love-action -- action that includes
determined commandment-keeping.
Obedience
John's second coaching point is
obey. Athletes understand this, whether they are pros or weekend warriors -- to
put in a good performance, you have to obey your coach. In the year 2000, a
Catholic priest challenged Homiletics contributor Henry Brinton to run the
Marine Corps Marathon. Henry thought he was crazy, since he had no experience
as a runner, and the prospect of 26.2 miles was daunting. However, Henry needed
a midlife challenge. His priest friend had run several marathons, so he coached
him to run and walk, run and walk, run and walk ... one hour at a time ...
three times a week.
The first time Henry hit the road,
he ran for three minutes and had to stop, gasping for breath. However, after
walking for seven minutes, he was able to run for another three, and then he
walked another seven and ran three. Over several weeks, his running increased
and his walking decreased until he could run for an hour. And then he ran two
hours. "If you can run two hours, you can run four hours," the
priest-coach said. "If you can run four hours, you can do a
marathon."
The coach was right. Six months
after beginning his training, Henry finished the Marine Corps Marathon in a
respectable four hours, 12 minutes.
Because Henry obeyed his coach's
commandments, he fell in love with running, and seven years later found a way
to use his running to show love for the children of God. In 2007, he became
part of a team of 50 marathoners raising money for 25:40, an organization
helping to fight AIDS in South Africa.
Suddenly, Henry's running took on
much deeper significance. As he hit the road for long training runs, he thought
of Lithemba, a 5-year-old South African boy with AIDS. Henry was raising money
to support the clinic that treats Lithemba and pays the salary of AIDS monitors
-- native South Africans trained in HIV/AIDS care and prevention. When Henry
felt exhausted at the halfway mark, he thought of the weariness brought on by a
life-threatening disease. When he struggled to make it to his next water stop,
he wondered what it would be like to face real thirst: In rural South Africa,
five million people lack clean drinking water.
Making possible
the impossible
Love-talk is empty without
love-action. What is true in long-distance running is equally true in the
practice of the Christian faith. "For
the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments" (v. 3).
Of course, we will stumble, fall,
wander, and struggle. At times, after we hit the road, we will feel exhausted.
However, here is the promise of
Coach John: If we keep getting up and moving forward: Victory. God's
commandments may be difficult, but they are not meant to be onerous. Instead,
they are designed to help us do our best and succeed as children of God, "for whatever is born of God conquers the
world" (v. 4). John tells us that the God who loves us has set us up
for success: He gives us a Son to believe in, a family of fellow children of
God to love and a set of commandments to follow.
All of these gifts enable us to
persevere when life starts to drag us down -- they are part of "the victory that conquers the world, our
faith" (v. 4). The circumstances that drag us down can make us forget
that Christian voice that if we base our lives on the belief that Jesus is the
Son of a truly loving God, then we are going to be victorious in the face of
any challenges. This does not mean that we will not experience failures,
tragedies, disappointments and disasters, but it does mean, in the words of the
apostle Paul, that "we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). No matter what the
world throws at us, nothing "will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v.
39).
We may stumble across the finish
line, bruised and bloodied. However, with the help of God, we will be
victorious.
Suffering for us
John concludes his coaching by
pointing to the example of Jesus himself. Jesus is "the one who came by water and blood, not with the water only but with
the water and the blood" (v. 6). A mysterious verse, for sure, one
that can leave you wondering. Nevertheless, John seems to be reminding us that
Jesus suffered in this life -- he experienced not only the water of baptism,
but also the blood of crucifixion. His victory involved pain and agony, and
ours will as well.
Conclusion
In the face of life's challenges,
Coach John tells us to make our thoughts obedient to Christ. This means
focusing on the love of God, obeying his commandments and expecting to be
victorious over the world. Remember, "whatever
is born of God conquers the world" (v. 4).
That is the coaching voice, the
voice in your head. Listen to it.
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