Second Sunday of Easter

So last Sunday I planted a seed with an anecdote about Eugene Peterson being asked to simplify the core of the Christian life to a phrase that could fit on a t-shirt. “Practice resurrection”, was his answer, after some prodding.

I left us to think about what that means. And I want to follow up today.

The readings for this morning set that conversation up well. They are:

From John 20, where Jesus commends those who believe in the resurrection without seeing him and then grants the disciples the gift of the Spirit and tells them he’s sending them into the world like the Father had sent him

From 1 John Chapter 1, where believers are called to live a new life (one of light, not darkness), in the power of the Spirit, because eternal life has appeared in Jesus.

And from Acts 4, where we read THIS

Acts 4:32–35 - 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

I want us to notice that ALL of these passages speak to a NEW REALITY that the people of God are invited to live into because of the resurrection.

And I want to make sure you hear me say “because of the resurrection” and not “because of the cross”.

The cross is important.

But the cross does not represent what it represents without the resurrection.

The resurrection vindicates and validates Jesus.

The resurrection is victory over death and the forces of death.

And the resurrection breaks open a whole new reality.

The empty tomb is the bomb blast, ground zero, for the in-breaking kingdom and the renewal of all things

What I love about Peterson’s phrase is that it centers the resurrection and thus centers this new life as what it means to be a Christian.

A lot of theological frameworks don’t do that, and instead only ever focus on the cross, which centers debt forgiveness as what it means to be a Christian.

But debt forgiveness doesn’t propel us forward in any way.

Debt forgiveness sets us back to zero. It opens the POSSIBILITY of a new future.

But the resurrection IS THAT new future.

We’re forgiven SO THAT we can enter new life.

That’s what it’s all about. Peterson’s right.

Another of my favorite thinkers, Dallas Willard, put it this way

"Jesus offers himself as God's doorway into the life that is truly life. Confidence in him leads us to become his apprentices in eternal living."

Such a powerfully concise way to say it.

Jesus is the door into eternal living (present tense).

Not eternal life that begins when we die. Eternal living that begins now.

How do we do that?

Become his apprentices.

Stay close to him. Learn from him. Do what he does.

WHICH INCLUDES LIVING in the power of the SPIRIT, who empowered him in life and raised him from the dead.

I mentioned that the anecdote about Eugene Peterson comes from a theologian named Cherith Fee Nordling.

She wrote about that in a volume on spiritual formation. And here’s how she comments on what Peterson said.

“Yes, I thought. Practice resurrection. In other words, enact the life of our future human glory now in the power and character of the same Spirit by whom the Father raised Jesus from the dead. The same Spirit by whom Jesus was given—and still lives—his incarnate human life. The same Spirit who empowered Jesus to do the will and work of the Father on earth as in heaven … If ever there was a description of what it means to be human, and thus to bear the image of God, it is this: that we look like our Father in heaven because we look like our incarnate Lord and elder brother, Jesus of Nazareth. This is formation by the Holy Spirit.”

So … there was a point in my life where I realized my theology was focused on getting saved and not on what came after.

I joke that for many people there are two moments in the Christian life, when you pray the prayer and when you die and go to heaven and in between you’re just supposed to be good and not break anything.

I knew there was this implied pressure to not be like a good Christian, to not be “worldly”, whatever that means

But truth is I didn’t see much difference in how believers lived.

It was just a sterilized version of the world, which, if anything, is worse because there was this phony air of righteousness

I saw bumper stickers that said “Christians: not perfect, just forgiven”

I think it means well but it sort of conveys the ONLY difference between me and an unbeliever is that I secured this transaction they didn’t

And there were passages about how to live and a whole Christian Living section at the bookstore

But preachers were telling me every week how hopeless sinful I am and how the only thing to do is keep remembering how terrible I am and how awesome it is that I could be forgiven.

As far as I could tell, living differently was just about showing some gratitude to God.

While remembering that I’m still terrible.

But then why did Jesus talk so much about the kingdom arriving and being reborn if it all boiled down to praying a prayer and then waiting for the afterlife?

And why does the book of Acts show communities being TOTALLY transformed by the Spirit if being a Christian means we’re “not different, just forgiven” and just biding our time until some future reward.

I realized I had a theology focused on accepting the cross that was functionally MISSING THE RESURRECTION AND THE NEW REALITY IT OPENS.

And when that clicked for me I was like, “OH, ALL THESE new testament books make more sense now. A new reality is opened up and there’s a collective imagination being formed for what that looks like lived out.”

Look at this passage in Acts.

This is not business as usual for these people.

They’re not just like, “Hey we should meet once a week and sing songs about forgiveness.”

And listen to this account of early Christian found in a manuscript from the second century

With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign. And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life.

I’m not saying everyone needs to sell their house but we have to let this challenge us and open our imaginations

It’s not about being pressured into meeting some impossible standard.

It’s about seeing a people so convinced of the resurrection, so bought into following Jesus, so led by the Spirit, so untethered to ways of the world that they become this completely set apart people

When Peterson says, “practice resurrection” he’s saying look at these people in Acts.

Look at the response of that first community that saw the risen Lord and received the Spirit.

Center the resurrection as the event that opens a new reality for us to live into.

Yes, we’ll fumble our attempts to live into it.

Yes, we’ll still struggle with idols and old sins.

But isn’t the adventure of living into new life a more beautiful gospel than you’re terrible, show some gratitude?

I think so.

All this to say there was this dissonance between the message that I was supposed to have a new life and a gospel that only ever focused on my old life.

If there was a t-shirt slogan to go along with it it would be “Remember you’re terrible. Pray the prayer.

“So the problem of spiritual transformation (the normal lack thereof) among those who identify themselves as Christians today is not that it is impossible or that effectual means to it are not available. The problem is that it is not intended. People do not see it and its value and decide to carry through with it. They do not decide to do the things Jesus did and said. And this in turn is, today, largely due to the fact that they have not been given a vision of life in God’s kingdom within which such a decision and intention would make sense.”

Does new life matter?

False (truncated) gospel

You’re terrible.

Just believe your debt is forgiven.

Show some gratitude.

Convert people (get them them to believe).

Wait for heaven.

True gospel

You’re captive to sin and culpable.

Trust that Jesus has opened new life.

Follow.

Let your life testify to this new reality.

Align your life with eternity.

In Acts

Testifying to the resurrection

What did Jesus proclaim? The kingdom.

It fully disrupted their reality

Posessions meant less, love for one another meant more

Acts is not the story of a church doing apologetics and getting people to pray the prayer

It’s the story of a new community empowered by the Spirit living entirely different lives

“So the problem of spiritual transformation (the normal lack thereof) among those who identify themselves as Christians today is not that it is impossible or that effectual means to it are not available. The problem is that it is not intended. People do not see it and its value and decide to carry through with it. They do not decide to do the things Jesus did and said. And this in turn is, today, largely due to the fact that they have not been given a vision of life in God’s kingdom within which such a decision and intention would make sense.”

What does “practice ressurection mean”

Tending Soul, Mind, and Body (Center for Pastor Theologians Series) (p. 122). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

So, I think most of us have this sense that our lives as Christians are supposed to be different than the lives of those who don’t follow Jesus, right?

It’s pretty well beat into us I think, the whole set-apart, in the world not of the world thing.

If anything it’s OVEREMPHASIZED and Christians are adversarial with non-Christians.

But, this may seem like a strange question … why?

What does it matter if we live differently?

Maybe you’ve even seen that bumper sticker “Christians, not perfect, just forgiven”

I think it means well but it sort of conveys the ONLY different between me and an unbeliever is that I prayed a prayer and now get to go to heaven

But is that all there is to it?

I’ve said often that many of us were given a reduced gospel

Many of us have heard, God’s mad at you and you’re terrible. Lucky for you Jesus died on the cross, which somehow means you’re off the hook and get to go to heaven. But you’re still terrible so just keep remembering that and show some gratitude.

Then we sort of absorb this sense that we’re supposed to get our act together and fit some good Christian mold to both impress people inside the church and witness to people outside the church.

But there’s this weird dissonance of being told we’re dirty sinners whose works are like filthy rags each Sunday and being told to be good Christian boys and girls during the week.

We hear words like sanctification and transformation but it’s like, how does that fit into a gospel that’s built on the idea that I can’t do anything or contribute anything

I’ve heard preachers say, “the only thing I bring to the equation is sin.”

I’ve heard preachers say, “you works are like filthy rags so quit trying to be good.”

The extension is “just believe, keep remembering you’re terrible, and show some gratitude and you’re good to go”

Believe.

Show gratitude.

Convert.

Wait.

Last week I planted a seed with an anecdote about Eugene Peterson reducing the core of the Christian life to “practice resurrection”.

Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ (p. 91). NavPress. Kindle Edition.