In the name of the Living God, Father, son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today as we gather for the first Sunday after Christmas, we also take the time to celebrate St. John the apostle and evangelist.
But before we talk about John, we should begin by breaking the stigma of what evangelist means, because many hear the word, and think of those who we see on the street corner, quoting hellfire and damnation, or perhaps a TV Evangelist.
However, at its base form Evangelist is derived from a group of New Testament Greek words, and simply means, to proclaim the good news.
But back to John, we remember him as one of the apostles who was present at the transfiguration on the holy mountain, seated with Christ at the last supper and described in the gospels as the disciple He loved.
John was also present with Christ in His agony in the garden and the one who stood with His mother Mary, at the foot of the cross and he watched in sorrow as Christ gave His life for our salvation.
It is argued by many theologians and scholars that John wrote five of the books of the New Testament, and he is depicted in Christian art as an eagle, the animal which soars high into the heavens with a grace which seems almost effortless. This echoes how John was held in high regard as he was considered as a man who soared to the heights of exploration into the depth of the meaning of our faith.
The eagle is also to many a symbol of strength and inspiration, and so it is no wonder that many churches have lecterns that are crafted in this style, and that the scripture is read from there.
John uses his writings in such a way that we not only learn from his gospel, but they also allow us to also engage with them in a very personal way, and as we heard on Christmas Eve and day we were invited to enter into the mystery of Christ through the poetry of John’s prologue, as we hear the proclamation that Jesus Christ is the word made flesh, and that He brings grace and truth to all who believe in him.
Very few of the disciples escaped suffering and endured execution in one form or other. John however was one of the apostles who wasn’t martyred for his faith, he died in Ephesus after living into his nineties, which for the 1st century was an impressive age.
John was a man who wasn’t afraid of proclaiming his faith, and it’s clear through his writings that the faith that he had was solid, sure, and built upon the foundation of his unwavering belief in Christ, and all characteristics that we find in every one of the disciples post resurrection.
But how does all of this aid each of us in our Christian walk?
As I sat thinking about these passages, I thought about how are they related, and what message they give to us today just two days after we have celebrated the birth of the Christ child.
In todays gospel, we see John recording Christ’s words to Peter to ‘follow me’ which had been said just after his restoration after denying Christ prior to crucifixion, and in 1 John we see the outworking of these words. John is literally sharing what he and the other disciples had seen, so that others could come to faith themselves.
In some ways it was easier for them, they had no reason to doubt or falter because they had something we haven’t,
John, and the rest of the disciples had an advantage over us, they had seen Christ, they walked and talked with him, they shared fellowship with him while he was here on earth, and for them it would have been much, much easier for them to follow a messiah that they had physically been with.
But we don’t have that same luxury as they did, our belief, our hope; our salvation is not grounded in the physical knowledge of Christ as a person, flesh and blood here with us upon earth.
Our faith is grounded upon our belief in Christ, and the experiences that we have had, the times we have felt something that we cannot explain, the times when our souls have lifted in joy, the times when we have known utter peace, and through the writing and teaching that have been left for us, to aid us on our journey of faith.
It’s also important for use to remember that a little earlier in John’s Gospel this very issue is addressed when Thomas sees the risen Christ in the upper when he said to Thomas, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Whether a disciple or someone who lived in 1st century Israel, who had the opportunity to see Christ in the flesh, or a disciple here in the 21st century who has not seen, but through faith knows the truth, the whys and the wherefores matter not, and while some may call us crazy, delusional, or perhaps something more colourful, no words spoken in hate, or fear can ever compare with that which we know deep within our very soul.
John isn’t just remembered today as one of the Disciples of Christ, he is also remembered as an evangelist, someone who wasn’t afraid of telling people about the grace and love that he had received through Christ, and helping them to find their own way to faith.
His message in our New Testament reading today is one that each and every person on the earth should have the opportunity to hear, not just through a carefully thought out and prepared sermon, which has taken time to write, but through the heartfelt thoughts, feelings and personal experiences of each man, woman, and child who has faith in Christ.
Each one of us has the ability to speak the words that are deep in our heart, about the love and the faith that we have for Christ. It may not be easy, it may well be scary or strange, but it is also something that we will be given the strength to do, when the moment is upon us.
If we are to take John’s words into our own hearts, then we need to remember what he said in his letter – ‘this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us – we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.’
We are the family of God here in this place and time, the torch has passed to us from the previous generation, just as it was passed to them from their previous generation.
We each have a responsibility to proclaim the gospel of love, grace and forgiveness to those who have not yet believed, so that just as previous generations have now received the joy of fellowship with others, we may do the same.
In a few days time we begin a new year, lets enter it with Johns words ringing in our ears, and the next time we are asked why we have faith, let’s not be afraid to dig deep into our own hearts and souls and share with them a glimpse of the love and joy that we have received through our faith in our risen saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
