Fellowship, 1 John 1:1-4
There’s a sunset out my western window. Treetops pierce the sky from below, black against the final pale blue glimmer behind them. The clouds, layered one above the other, streak the expanse in pink billows, like the day’s last chance to leave an impression before darkness. If my family was here right now, I’d call them to come and see how stunning it is! Sit with me in it.
Being side by side with people that we love, sharing in the wonder of a sunset, maximizes its joy. Sharing doesn’t divide the joy; it multiples it. It’s why we want everyone to join us in whatever we love - a sunset, a meal, a relationship - and it’s the opening reason for why John writes this book.
Beginning in the initial verses and continuing throughout, John’s message is firm, but his tone is invitational. It's like an arm around another's shoulder, pulling them in close, steering them toward the light. I never knew either of my biological grandfathers, but John’s approach paints a picture of a wise and weathered man of faith beside his wavering child or grandchild. A shaken family member needs reassurance, so he speaks tenderly to his children, his beloved people. He's eager for this family of believers to participate with him in the security of oneness with God.
Eternal life is shared life from the Father, because of the Son, through the Spirit in His children. It's His life in us and among us and still ahead for us. Beyond potluck dinners in a church fellowship hall, eternal life allows us to walk on common ground with other believers and, incredibly, with God Himself. Hear it, experience it: common ground with God’s children and with God Himself. This is fellowship, and it's evidence for eternal life.
When two people share common ground, certain of the other’s love, there’s a joyful confidence between them. The Spirit's aim is that a joyfully confident fellowship exists between God and his child and be evident among God’s children, because fellowship can be threatened. Doubt casts its shadow, deception clouds a relationship, and sin blocks the light, ruining the possibility of enjoying togetherness and raising the question of whether the claim of being in a relationship is real or not.
But we’re not left in the dark. 1 John shows us what it looks like to share together in this eternal life that shines more brilliantly and permanently than a sunset.
