A good story leaves you wanting more. “Happily-ever-after” never satisfies.  Even our children know this and ask, “but what happened next?” The suspense does not end when the narrative does.  Like our own stories, a tale continues to unfold beyond its telling.  And we want to know how.  What became of the hero?  And the villain?  Did the cast of characters find love, peace, redemption, prosperity, or despair? 

A good ending leaves lots of questions.  Questions about the story’s characters.  And questions about ourselves. Movies sometimes ease this tension, providing closure through a postscript of silent, black and white slides before the credits roll.  They give snapshots of the ‘rest of the story.‘  And tease us with the ‘other’ stories begun in the chapter just finished.

John’s gospel holds a surprising ending for its reader.  The story of Jesus appears to end in John 20 with an invitation to the skeptical to examine the strong evidence for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and a final summary of Jesus’ life and work,

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

Then, unexpectedly, we find a postscript.  One more vignette of the risen Jesus with his disciples.  Its point is not to further prove the reality of the resurrection, but to answer the question “What’s Next?”  How does the resurrection powerfully change the lives of those who believe in it?  What does following Christ mean in light of the resurrection?  What does it look like to experience life together?

John’s gospel showed us what Jesus has done to offer us real and eternal life.  But this final story gives us a picture of what that life looks like.  A life described throughout the remainder of the New Testament.  In John 21 we see Jesus preparing the disciples for a new life together.  Until this time, Jesus had been with them himself, but now he will be with them through the ministry of another comforter, The Holy Spirit.  Their life together is moving into a very different phase. 

He has finished the work of redemption.  Destroyed the power of sin and death.  He is raised from the dead and so our faith is not in vain. But now before He ascends to the Father and sends the empowering of the Holy Spirit, he takes time with the disciples to instruct them on “What’s next?”  What will their life look like because he is raised from the dead?  And what will our lives look like because he is raised from the dead?

Join us this Lord’s Day as we examine John’s postscript and consider what it looks like to live in light of the resurrection.  We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join our livestream on YouTube.