"But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

 

            It was such a nice day on Thursday that I left the church and took a bike ride in the Old School Forest Preserve in the late afternoon sun. If you get on the trail at the Rockland Bridge you can ride through a very nice open prairie and then under St. Mary's Road and make a big loop through the trees. I enjoy riding through that big field with its tall grass and various plants. From the greens of spring, to some bright yellow blooms in summer, and now to shades of tan and brown, it is very beautiful. What is nice at this time of year is the way the afternoon light brings out the life of the dry plants. Each stalk in itself I guess would not look like much: brown and brittle and I'm sure with many imperfections. Yet together in the light, they are really beautiful. But it is the light that makes it so.

            John uses some words to describe the hope that Christians have in looking forward to the return of Christ. He writes to a church and encourages them to continue in the faith in Christ, so they will be confident and unashamed when Christ returns. He uses two words to refer to Christ's return: First, "when he appears," which means when he is revealed, when the whole earth finally sees Jesus as Lord and king. The other word is "at his coming." This is the Greek word "parousia." It means "presence." This word was used in the secular culture when a ruler would visit a town and there would be a celebration or party in his honor. John Stott explains its use for Christians:

"Our Lord's return will involve the personal presence of one now absent, the visible appearing of one now unseen."

Gary Burge says it this way: "Christ is going to arrive, and his appearing will at once dramatically set right the present circumstances and identify those who have been allied with him." What I see in this is that the presence of Christ shines a great light on his people, so that there is a beauty to them. In the light of his presence, we are confident and unashamed.

            A friend of mine recently wrote that he had been to a funeral. At this service, the good qualities of the deceased were extolled, but no mention was made of the resurrection of Christ, who was the Savior and Lord of this good man. The heart of the Christian funeral or memorial service has always been the proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the bold statement of victory over death and the witness to the power of Christ in the lives of the saints. When this is removed, what is left is rather pale in comparison: "Here was a good man and he loved his family and he liked to play golf or go fishing." Then you leave feeling a bit sad and empty.

            But when we talk about a real person, imperfections and all, in the context of Christ, then we see that life in a new way. In the light of the resurrection and return of Christ, his people are beautiful, and their lives shine as we remember them.

            I have come to understand that my own life only makes sense in the light of the presence of Christ. Otherwise, what would there be to say, really? "Here is one who was a rather dry and brittle weed, filled with imperfection." But here is this wonderful word spoken to those of us who are brown weeds.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!"

You are not a dry weed, waiting to be blown over and forgotten. You are a child of God. The phrase "and that is what we are" actually comes from the legal language of the ancient world. It refers to what was called an "act of legitimation." When a child was born into a family, the father would name the child and thereby make a permanent claim to the child's identity. Burge writes, "This child's identity was placed in the father's hands, so that the child's security was assured." Children of God – and that is what we are.

            That brings us to the next remarkable statement, that when Christ appears, we shall be like him. About ten years ago it became popular for many young people in church youth groups to wear a bracelet with the letters "WWJD." What would Jesus do? That is a good question to ask yourself when you are confronted with a whole host of situations. The idea for young people was to help clarify a number decisions and responses to temptations. Jesus is our example and we should always look to him.

            The only problem with the bracelet was the realization that I, for one, always seem to fall short of what Jesus actually did. When I read the Gospels carefully, I am always quite amazed at what he did. That is why this promise is so compelling for me. It goes beyond an example of what I should try to do, to say; at the last day, in fact, we shall be like him! John is quick to admit in verse 2 that "what we will be has not yet been made known." There is a healthy humility here. But he knows we shall be like Jesus. We must admit that our bracelets and our lapel pins and even our church membership certificates do not always make us like Jesus. So we wait in hope. We will be like him, when the wonderful light of his presence falls upon us.

            Gary Burge is somewhat taken aback by the boldness of John here. He points out that John did not write, "When he comes back, he will want to know what we have been doing with the heritage he left behind." What he does say is "Now we are the children of God" and "when he appears, we will be like him." We are indeed like the grass and weeds in a great field, and in ourselves we are aware of imperfection, but in the great light of Christ, there is a shining beauty. It is the light of Christ, his presence, that makes it so.

            So, because of our hope, our longing for his return and presence, we do now live in a new way. John writes, "All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." This is a statement about morality, about how we live. When we lose hope, we lose focus; we end up acting just like the world. It is when we live in the light and presence of Christ, that is, when we live in hope, that is when the life of Jesus, what he did and how he lived, appeals to us. We live in a way that is conformed to Christ. When we live in the presence and light of Christ, we also are very future oriented; we long for his appearing, and deeply desire to be like him.

            Paul says it this way in Philippians 3:21: "We eagerly await a Savior from there, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

            Amen.