Sunday 18th May
Read 1 John 1:1-4
“That 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. 2 The 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. 3 We 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. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.” (NIVUK)
The importance of our senses in the witness to the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus is often overlooked. John reminds his readers, to complete their joy, that they physically saw, heard and touched Jesus. The Christian faith is not based on high-minded religious theory and spiritual manifestations – it is grounded in the flesh and blood of Jesus. The witness of those who walked with Jesus is eyewitness, earwitness and touchwitness testimony!
That witness forms a direct link between us and God – through them. Their senses join us with God and allow fellowship. A fellowship that is not simply between God and us, but between fellow believers all over the world. There is more that unites us than divides us. All of it grounded in the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus. It is why Jesus encouraged Thomas to touch Him – so that Thomas could witness to His resurrection and proclaim it to all he would then come in contact with. To all he would then touch himself.
