worship preview

Dear Saints:   We've been reading a lot recently about pirates off the coast of Somalia hijacking ships.  Despite the well publicized rescue of an American hostage last week by Navy snipers, the problem of piracy continues and ships continue to be in danger of being taken over by unwanted forces.   Ships, of course, aren't the only things that can be hijacked.  Faith and religion can be hijacked as well.  Indeed, the history of the Christian Church chronicles a great number of attempts by folks to hijack the gospel.  Beginning soon after the resurrection, various ideas and factions arose that sought to distort or change the essence of the good news.  Over the centuries the Church has been vigilant in fighting off these hijackings and affirming the true gospel of Christ.   This first Sunday after Easter we will take a look at one of the very first hijackings that was attempted.  The apostle John attempts to fight off this hijacking with a letter that we call First John.  In this letter, John seeks to affirm what the authentic gospel calls us to be and do.  Despite the passage of 20 centuries, his words are as significant and timely as they were when they were written.   As you prepared for worship, I would encourage you to reflect on these words from I John:   1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.   5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.   In reading this, I invite you to reflect on these questions:  what is the essence of true Christianity, according to John?  how can you spot the fake versions?  what specific tasks might Christ be asking of us if we are to walk in the light?   My hope is that this Sunday we might commit more deeply not only to believing in the resurrection but to living it as well.   Blessings in Christ,   Bryan