Readings: Psalm 92; 1 John 1:1-9
[The righteous] still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright.
Psalm 92:14-15a
That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
1 John 1:3-4
Travis Pickell
Today marks the Feast Day of St. John the Evangelist, the apostle of Christ who wrote the Gospel of John, the Johannine Epistles (1 John, 2 John, 3 John) and the Book of Revelation. I chose for our image today a sculpture by the Italian master Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello), which is often cited as a masterpiece of perspective (the arms and hands are disproportionately large and the legs disproportionately small, to offset its being viewed from below). I want to draw attention to another aspect of the image, however. Often, especially in pre-Renaissance artwork, St. John is depicted as a young man with soft features and a cherubic countenance, but Donatello chose to depict him in advanced age.
Reflecting on the scriptures for today, I have to say I find the choice an inspired one. For one, St. John, at the time of composing his Gospel and letters, was quite old (it had probably been fifty years or so since the first Easter morning!). Second, you can sometimes pick up on his kindly and paternal love for the churches under his care. He regularly refers to the recipients of 1 John, for example, as “my little children” (e.g., 1 John 2:1). He writes as one who has lived long in the world, but who has maintained a sense of joy and peace even as he warns against the dangers of the world, the flesh, and the devil. This is a peace that comes from knowing Christ deeply.
Consider also the words of the psalm: “the righteous will still bear fruit in old age,” alternatively translated as “they will flourish in old age” (Psalm 92:14). Of course, many of us fear old age. Whether we say so or not, we might share author Philip Roth’s sentiment: “Old age isn’t a battle; old age is a massacre.” And yet, the psalm assures us that the righteous can flourish in old age. How so? At least in part, as St. John did, through the vocation of serving as witnesses to the gospel of the Lord Jesus and the grace of God in their lives. What does this look like? Psalm 92 tells us: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1-2), which is to say, all the time. Gratitude, praise, witness — this is the shape of evangelism. With St. John as our exemplar, and by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us all be evangelists today.
MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.