Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! 22 Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. 24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. (Joel 2:21-27 NRSV)
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you -- you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25-33 NRSV)
The 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
“WHAT CAN YOU ADD?”
Worry is a part of life. We all have concerns, but some people take it really far. Take, for example, part of the song by Randy Newman which was the theme song for the TV show, “Monk”:
People think I'm crazy, ’cause I worry all the time
If you paid attention, you’d be worried too
You better pay attention
Or this world we love so much might just kill you
I could be wrong now, but I don’t think so!
’Cause there’s a jungle out there.
It’s a jungle out there.
Maybe we know people like this, or even have been like this ourselves. Perhaps we can laugh a bit at this outlook, but there are many things in a day that can cause us to worry, from the news of the world to our own personal circumstances.
Jesus had some things to say about worry and that, by itself, is a bit surprising. Of all the great topics of faith and life, he talks about this. But it can consume us and so is dangerous, ironically as dangerous as all the things we worry about. Worry is an attitude towards life. In the extreme, it can rob us of joy and peace and make us fearful of the future and of others. So it is something significant in our spiritual lives. It matters in how we live.
Jesus’ words challenge the way many live their lives. Few would put worry on the lists of the great sins, but there it is. Don’t worry about your lives, Jesus says. Of course what he is not telling us is to be careless. This is no excuse for stupidity or laziness or bad behavior toward others. We are to exercise responsibility for our lives and choices, not neglecting the opportunities we have. Jesus did not say that life would be trouble-free, just to let today’s troubles belong to today and tomorrow’s belong to tomorrow. We worry sometimes just to avoid doing what we need to be doing today. The nature of worry is to be preoccupied with things, the future, threats—real and possible—and that is what we are to avoid.
So Jesus points out some things. The first is that worry can be about unimportant things. It often forgets what is essential and what is not. Worry changes our perspective and we forget that the birds go about finding what food God provides, they do not sit there and worry about it. They do not pass over God’s gifts because they are not the biggest or most stylish. Jesus reminds us of God’s care. Worry focuses us on us, even when things are not about us. Will it rain tomorrow? That can be an important question. But whether it does or not, we still have to face tomorrow, whatever there is in it. Or as in the old proverb, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.”
Speaking about the weather, worry often focuses on things that are beyond our control, acting as if somehow being concerned about it will change it. Now, caution is always important, but what does worry do to the weather? What does it do about other things? Does worry make you grow taller? The ancient philosopher Epictetus said, “Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.” The ability to know what you can do and what you must simply endure is one of the most important life skills.
Worry gets ahead of itself. We imagine things and spend our time on things that do not come to pass. Worry can leave reality behind. My internship supervisor’s young son, Dale, would run up to him all bothered by something and I would hear Mark say, “Wait until you have something to worry about before you worry.”
Worry changes our picture of God. God gets forgotten in the cares of life. We forget God’s generosity. God not only provides, but it is like the lilies, so stunning in beauty, abundant in goodness. God gives us the gift of this day, among many other blessings. We are reminded of this when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This meal we come back to month after month, throughout our lives, shows us that God is with us and continually gives us what we need, whether it is food or forgiveness or fellowship. And today we particularly recognize that we share it with millions around the world. The reading from Joel reminds us again of the great care God takes of the creatures and people of the earth. What we are not to forget is that God cares about us, cares for us.
When we worry we are not at our best. Worry unsettles our minds and that can’t help spill over into how we behave toward others. That usually robs us of their companionship and help, if we drive them away.
Worry cheats us because it robs us of today. Yes, we need to plan for the future, but when we spend all our time and energy facing it, we forget today. Today has enough challenges. Worry might motivate us a little, but it really can’t add anything to the day we have. Can it make our lives longer? Can it add a minute to the day? No, in fact, you would almost be subtracting time, that is, time lost to worrying. No, we can’t make it longer, but what we do with the day can add value to it.
Elsie Larson tells this story about what worry does to life’s priorities. She was teaching her oldest grandson, Richard, some art lessons and he only drew lines. So she changed the lesson and wanted him to draw a tiger. She wanted him to start, not with lines, but with the imagination and placing patches of tiger-like color on the piece of paper. Then once the shaped was done, could he add the eyes, nose, mouth and stripes. After seeing the picture, she realized that life is her canvas. She wants to draw in the details of her life before she has the basic design.
What if we looked at today, not like something to be rushed through on our way to tomorrow or ignored because of all the concerns that fill our minds, but the way a creator would look at it? It is a place for the birds of the air to feed and for the lilies to display their splendor. What if we looked at today as a gift from the One who cares for us? What if we looked at today not to be wasted in fretting, but to be used to accomplish and enjoy great things? What if we looked at today like an artist—like the block of stone, or blank canvas, or a lump of clay and rather than waste it, asked what we are going to create out of it? That is what we can add to the day.
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Timothy J. Gerarden
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:23-28 NRSV)
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." 52 Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52 NRSV)
“SEEING AGAIN”
When I was in the fourth grade I got glasses. I remember getting them. There was a trip to the eye doctor on Washington Avenue, then getting the glasses. I remember putting them on for the first time and seeing again. Things were so clear. People talk about when something “pops”, that is, comes alive, is transformed, stands out. That was what it was like. I went into the bank lobby to say hello to my dad and I could see everything. It was all crisp and bright. Now, I don’t remember needing glasses. I don’t remember not being able to see the blackboard in the classroom or the ball on the playground. I can’t recall things fading into a haze or walking into walls. But somehow the message came back that I needed them. It is funny that I don’t remember that need, only how it was remedied. But I will never forget the results.
The Gospel reading this morning is of a time when Jesus was near Jericho with his disciples and a blind man, Bartimaeus, approached him. He heard that it was Jesus and began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” There is nothing subtle about him. There is no slight impairment—he was blind and had to beg in order to survive. There is no confusion about what he wants—he wants to see again. He makes no half-hearted effort—he yells. When some told him to be quiet, he became louder.
What happened was that he had the chance to speak to Jesus and the Lord asked him what he wanted. It was not riches or power; it was to be made whole again. He took the chance, sprang up, it says, to talk with him. And when asked, he made his request simply, to see again. He is told to go, but he stays and follows the Lord on the way.
Why do we have and read and reread this story? If it is only the account of one person being healed, it is inspirational, touching, heart-warning. But it reaches deeper than that. It is so that we, like Bartimaeus, can hear the words of those in the crowd who said, “Take heart.” It is so that we can see that glimpse of God’s power which can heal and change. It is so that we can see our lives given life again. Where has God’s power been present in your life? Has there been a moment in your life when you were taken from blindness in some way and given sight? Is something keeping you at the side of the road? What kind of eye-opening moment do you need? What would you ask Jesus for if he came down the road?
The center of the story is Jesus. He is also the center of the passage from Hebrews. The priests in the Old Testament were many, because they were human and died. Now, under the new covenant, there only needs to be one, is only one, because he is eternal. That makes it possible for him to be able to save anyone, help anyone. We need someone who will change our lives and he is the one who is able to do that.
A man named Parker Palmer, a famous author who works with educational institutions now living in Wisconsin, so he knows something about Midwest weather, wrote about his life in the book Let Your Life Speak. He had a promising career but found himself so depressed at one point that he could not move. He had to stop and take a look at his life, where it was going, what was wrong, what was right. He found that we get into trouble when we ignore who we are with our individual abilities and interests and try to do things we are not able to do. We need to find what God calls us to do, keeping in mind the reality of our God-given lives. He had also forgotten to pay attention to what was inside him in his desire to change the world around him. He had to pay attention to the inner life of feelings, thoughts, desires, even limitations. Only then could he begin to start the work of repairing his soul. It was the result of his seeing that he desperately needed help and then looking for it until he found it. He concludes the book by writing about life. How we see it matters in how we live it. Some see it as war, conflict, some as struggle, but he sees it as seasons in which things come, grow and die away to make room for other things. Our lives are part of the fundamental power of the world. Each season has its gifts, he says, including winter which has the gift of being a necessary time of dormancy and rest for living things. It has a beauty of all its own and part of it is the clarity of the season. In summer trees hide things, but in winter they are visible. One can see the ground things are rooted in. Sometimes, the real gift we are given, the real miracle, is insight to see who we are and that there is help for us whatever our need is. We need to find the ground we are rooted in before we can change how we see the world and our lives. Once we discover the meaning in our lives and of our lives, we can see the world anew to join it and serve it.
When we have the blessing of another chance, of healing, of renewal, then things can change, our lives can change. It involves seeing not just our need but the help for it. That is where faith comes in. Dr. Rachel Remen talks about the time she was asked to lead a retreat for a hospice center with a staff of over forty-five. There was tension between those who worked directly with patient services and those who worked behind the scenes. She asked them to bring objects which represented their part of the organization, the meaning of their work. She asked everyone to sit in a large circle, to say his or her name and talk about what they brought. She says there was a silence at first and then a young man named John, showed the group a small ceramic bridge, which he had taken from his aquarium that morning. His reason was that it was a symbol of his work; it was a bridge between those who were dying and their loved ones, and what the hospice could offer them for healing. He was one of the telephone operators. Another person was a middle-aged woman who had brought a crystal paperweight in the shape of a heart. She was a social worker who listened to people. She found a change in her life and work through her role in the hospice. She went from listening with her head to listening with her heart. The objects were placed in the center and everyone else talked about the meaning of their contributions to the hospice’s mission. They also discovered how they all were tied together. They found what was already there.
The Gospel tells us about this one man’s encounter with Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus one day had the opportunity to find his wholeness. He found it because he could see his blindness, but that did not stop him. He found it because he knew what he wanted and needed. He knew what was in his soul. He found it because he found the one who can change darkness into light. He had faith that these things existed, that they were true, and that they were for him. He found the one who could heal him. He saw what he could, what was important, and he could see again. Take heart.
+++++
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:23-28 NRSV)
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." 52 Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52 NRSV)
“SEEING AGAIN”
When I was in the fourth grade I got glasses. I remember getting them. There was a trip to the eye doctor on Washington Avenue, then getting the glasses. I remember putting them on for the first time and seeing again. Things were so clear. People talk about when something “pops”, that is, comes alive, is transformed, stands out. That was what it was like. I went into the bank lobby to say hello to my dad and I could see everything. It was all crisp and bright. Now, I don’t remember needing glasses. I don’t remember not being able to see the blackboard in the classroom or the ball on the playground. I can’t recall things fading into a haze or walking into walls. But somehow the message came back that I needed them. It is funny that I don’t remember that need, only how it was remedied. But I will never forget the results.
The Gospel reading this morning is of a time when Jesus was near Jericho with his disciples and a blind man, Bartimaeus, approached him. He heard that it was Jesus and began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” There is nothing subtle about him. There is no slight impairment—he was blind and had to beg in order to survive. There is no confusion about what he wants—he wants to see again. He makes no half-hearted effort—he yells. When some told him to be quiet, he became louder.
What happened was that he had the chance to speak to Jesus and the Lord asked him what he wanted. It was not riches or power; it was to be made whole again. He took the chance, sprang up, it says, to talk with him. And when asked, he made his request simply, to see again. He is told to go, but he stays and follows the Lord on the way.
Why do we have and read and reread this story? If it is only the account of one person being healed, it is inspirational, touching, heart-warning. But it reaches deeper than that. It is so that we, like Bartimaeus, can hear the words of those in the crowd who said, “Take heart.” It is so that we can see that glimpse of God’s power which can heal and change. It is so that we can see our lives given life again. Where has God’s power been present in your life? Has there been a moment in your life when you were taken from blindness in some way and given sight? Is something keeping you at the side of the road? What kind of eye-opening moment do you need? What would you ask Jesus for if he came down the road?
The center of the story is Jesus. He is also the center of the passage from Hebrews. The priests in the Old Testament were many, because they were human and died. Now, under the new covenant, there only needs to be one, is only one, because he is eternal. That makes it possible for him to be able to save anyone, help anyone. We need someone who will change our lives and he is the one who is able to do that.
A man named Parker Palmer, a famous author who works with educational institutions now living in Wisconsin, so he knows something about Midwest weather, wrote about his life in the book Let Your Life Speak. He had a promising career but found himself so depressed at one point that he could not move. He had to stop and take a look at his life, where it was going, what was wrong, what was right. He found that we get into trouble when we ignore who we are with our individual abilities and interests and try to do things we are not able to do. We need to find what God calls us to do, keeping in mind the reality of our God-given lives. He had also forgotten to pay attention to what was inside him in his desire to change the world around him. He had to pay attention to the inner life of feelings, thoughts, desires, even limitations. Only then could he begin to start the work of repairing his soul. It was the result of his seeing that he desperately needed help and then looking for it until he found it. He concludes the book by writing about life. How we see it matters in how we live it. Some see it as war, conflict, some as struggle, but he sees it as seasons in which things come, grow and die away to make room for other things. Our lives are part of the fundamental power of the world. Each season has its gifts, he says, including winter which has the gift of being a necessary time of dormancy and rest for living things. It has a beauty of all its own and part of it is the clarity of the season. In summer trees hide things, but in winter they are visible. One can see the ground things are rooted in. Sometimes, the real gift we are given, the real miracle, is insight to see who we are and that there is help for us whatever our need is. We need to find the ground we are rooted in before we can change how we see the world and our lives. Once we discover the meaning in our lives and of our lives, we can see the world anew to join it and serve it.
When we have the blessing of another chance, of healing, of renewal, then things can change, our lives can change. It involves seeing not just our need but the help for it. That is where faith comes in. Dr. Rachel Remen talks about the time she was asked to lead a retreat for a hospice center with a staff of over forty-five. There was tension between those who worked directly with patient services and those who worked behind the scenes. She asked them to bring objects which represented their part of the organization, the meaning of their work. She asked everyone to sit in a large circle, to say his or her name and talk about what they brought. She says there was a silence at first and then a young man named John, showed the group a small ceramic bridge, which he had taken from his aquarium that morning. His reason was that it was a symbol of his work; it was a bridge between those who were dying and their loved ones, and what the hospice could offer them for healing. He was one of the telephone operators. Another person was a middle-aged woman who had brought a crystal paperweight in the shape of a heart. She was a social worker who listened to people. She found a change in her life and work through her role in the hospice. She went from listening with her head to listening with her heart. The objects were placed in the center and everyone else talked about the meaning of their contributions to the hospice’s mission. They also discovered how they all were tied together. They found what was already there.
The Gospel tells us about this one man’s encounter with Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus one day had the opportunity to find his wholeness. He found it because he could see his blindness, but that did not stop him. He found it because he knew what he wanted and needed. He knew what was in his soul. He found it because he found the one who can change darkness into light. He had faith that these things existed, that they were true, and that they were for him. He found the one who could heal him. He saw what he could, what was important, and he could see again. Take heart.
+++++
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B
When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out. (Acts 3:12-19 NRSV)
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:36-48 NRSV)
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”
When you are small, little things can scare you. Ghost stories around the campfire, for example. I remember one was called “The Monkey’s Paw” or something like that. Or the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Although I have to admit the tornado in that movie scared me more. Or movies like “The Mummy” or “Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “Frankenstein”. We screamed when we saw them. The 1950s had a lot of them. Monsters seem to be back in style. Vampires are really big nowadays, although they look more like fashion models than monsters. Zombies are big, too; one article in Newsweek said that the undead are very busy nowadays. Hollywood has a long history of manufacturing things that frighten us. I think that suspense actually can be more frightening than showing the monsters. Say, the movie “Quarantine” or “Cloverfield”. Or realistically portrayed possibilities, like in “Contagion”, describing a worldwide flu pandemic.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is Peter’s speech after healing a man who was lame from birth. He was at one of the gates of the temple to beg and asked the disciples for money. They said that they did not have any money, but would give him what they had, so they healed the man. The people in the temple saw what had taken place and were filled with wonder and amazement. Peter tells them that it is not extraordinary, that they really have no cause to wonder since it was not due to their own power or holiness. They are not superheroes. It was God who did it, the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. This plan for Jesus’ life, they say, goes back, way back to the days of Abraham and before. And Peter adds that Jesus was dead in the first place because he was rejected by the people and killed. That is truly ironic, that they killed the Creator of the world, the One who designed life. But now he is alive. It was by faith in Jesus’ name that the lame man in the temple was healed. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, why can’t God heal a lame man? They see God’s power. So they are to repent and believe. The possibility of forgiveness is offered to them.
The Gospel reading is of one of the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection. Here, too, they see God’s power. At this one, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified. You could imagine how this idea might come to mind with his appearing to them after being killed and just walking through locked doors. Those are ghost-like qualities. But he invites them to look at him to recognize him. To touch him. He has bones. And then he eats a piece of fish. He is no ghost. This is to fulfill everything written about him. The Messiah was to suffer and die and be raised. This was the plan. Now they are to proclaim Jesus’ name to all nations. They have not seen a ghost; they have seen the Savior and are to be witnesses. He is not dead, but has defeated death. He offers to us freedom from fear.
The monsters that Hollywood shows us are imaginary and good for some excitement, kinda like riding a roller coaster or watching a scary movie. It lasts for five minutes or two hours and most people like getting a little spooked and then going back to real life where we are safe. There is something comforting in feeling we are OK; we enjoy that feeling. But if we think of it, it is real life that provides what truly frightens us. There are things that can happen to us—storms and crime and illness. Life can end. There are things that are not so extraordinary, really, things that happened to us or could happen to us or will happen to everyone, the losses of life, and they are much more frightening than any movie monster ever could be.
We, like the disciples in those days after the first Easter, look to a risen Savior. He comes among us, sometimes as we expect, but other times he surprises us. He bids us to be at peace and puts our fears to rest. He can bring that peace to us. He has power to make our lives right. He has power to heal and power to forgive. We can share that with others. Phyllis Hobe found that it is possible when she insulted with a look a supermarket cashier, who was very young and didn’t know what cranberries were. She saw the hurt in the girl’s eyes. She realized that not intending to hurt the cashier wasn’t enough and so asked for forgiveness. She received it.
Jesus, the Risen Lord, also comes among us to remove our fears. The Resurrection is proof of life beyond death, life conquering death. When we understand that, we know that our fears are small compared with God’s care for us. When we know that, we live in hope. It is the lesson of those who have learned to live seeing what is stronger in life as Elizabeth Sherrill describes David Waite, the brother of Terry Waite, who was held hostage in Lebanon. He disappeared in Beirut in early 1987, and almost five years of total silence had gone by without a word. David never lost hope as the years went by until his release in 1991. He learned this hope as a small, frail, crippled child. In growing up with continuous struggles strength of character was formed. And so when Terry was released, David was not surprised. Once we know that death has been defeated, all our other fears are small compared to our hope.
One of the ways of talking about people who are frightened is to say that they look like they have just seen a ghost. There is much that can frighten us. The apostles saw no ghost. They saw Jesus and know that he is alive. Jesus comes in power. Jesus comes not to frighten us but to take away our sin, fears, losses. The story of his life is the story of death and new life. It is the story of where we find freedom. Jesus walks among us. Of this we are witnesses.
When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out. (Acts 3:12-19 NRSV)
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:36-48 NRSV)
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”
When you are small, little things can scare you. Ghost stories around the campfire, for example. I remember one was called “The Monkey’s Paw” or something like that. Or the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Although I have to admit the tornado in that movie scared me more. Or movies like “The Mummy” or “Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “Frankenstein”. We screamed when we saw them. The 1950s had a lot of them. Monsters seem to be back in style. Vampires are really big nowadays, although they look more like fashion models than monsters. Zombies are big, too; one article in Newsweek said that the undead are very busy nowadays. Hollywood has a long history of manufacturing things that frighten us. I think that suspense actually can be more frightening than showing the monsters. Say, the movie “Quarantine” or “Cloverfield”. Or realistically portrayed possibilities, like in “Contagion”, describing a worldwide flu pandemic.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is Peter’s speech after healing a man who was lame from birth. He was at one of the gates of the temple to beg and asked the disciples for money. They said that they did not have any money, but would give him what they had, so they healed the man. The people in the temple saw what had taken place and were filled with wonder and amazement. Peter tells them that it is not extraordinary, that they really have no cause to wonder since it was not due to their own power or holiness. They are not superheroes. It was God who did it, the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. This plan for Jesus’ life, they say, goes back, way back to the days of Abraham and before. And Peter adds that Jesus was dead in the first place because he was rejected by the people and killed. That is truly ironic, that they killed the Creator of the world, the One who designed life. But now he is alive. It was by faith in Jesus’ name that the lame man in the temple was healed. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, why can’t God heal a lame man? They see God’s power. So they are to repent and believe. The possibility of forgiveness is offered to them.
The Gospel reading is of one of the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection. Here, too, they see God’s power. At this one, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified. You could imagine how this idea might come to mind with his appearing to them after being killed and just walking through locked doors. Those are ghost-like qualities. But he invites them to look at him to recognize him. To touch him. He has bones. And then he eats a piece of fish. He is no ghost. This is to fulfill everything written about him. The Messiah was to suffer and die and be raised. This was the plan. Now they are to proclaim Jesus’ name to all nations. They have not seen a ghost; they have seen the Savior and are to be witnesses. He is not dead, but has defeated death. He offers to us freedom from fear.
The monsters that Hollywood shows us are imaginary and good for some excitement, kinda like riding a roller coaster or watching a scary movie. It lasts for five minutes or two hours and most people like getting a little spooked and then going back to real life where we are safe. There is something comforting in feeling we are OK; we enjoy that feeling. But if we think of it, it is real life that provides what truly frightens us. There are things that can happen to us—storms and crime and illness. Life can end. There are things that are not so extraordinary, really, things that happened to us or could happen to us or will happen to everyone, the losses of life, and they are much more frightening than any movie monster ever could be.
We, like the disciples in those days after the first Easter, look to a risen Savior. He comes among us, sometimes as we expect, but other times he surprises us. He bids us to be at peace and puts our fears to rest. He can bring that peace to us. He has power to make our lives right. He has power to heal and power to forgive. We can share that with others. Phyllis Hobe found that it is possible when she insulted with a look a supermarket cashier, who was very young and didn’t know what cranberries were. She saw the hurt in the girl’s eyes. She realized that not intending to hurt the cashier wasn’t enough and so asked for forgiveness. She received it.
Jesus, the Risen Lord, also comes among us to remove our fears. The Resurrection is proof of life beyond death, life conquering death. When we understand that, we know that our fears are small compared with God’s care for us. When we know that, we live in hope. It is the lesson of those who have learned to live seeing what is stronger in life as Elizabeth Sherrill describes David Waite, the brother of Terry Waite, who was held hostage in Lebanon. He disappeared in Beirut in early 1987, and almost five years of total silence had gone by without a word. David never lost hope as the years went by until his release in 1991. He learned this hope as a small, frail, crippled child. In growing up with continuous struggles strength of character was formed. And so when Terry was released, David was not surprised. Once we know that death has been defeated, all our other fears are small compared to our hope.
One of the ways of talking about people who are frightened is to say that they look like they have just seen a ghost. There is much that can frighten us. The apostles saw no ghost. They saw Jesus and know that he is alive. Jesus comes in power. Jesus comes not to frighten us but to take away our sin, fears, losses. The story of his life is the story of death and new life. It is the story of where we find freedom. Jesus walks among us. Of this we are witnesses.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Second Sunday of Easter, Year B
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- 3 we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:1-2:2 NRSV)
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31 NRSV)
“THOMAS, WHO?”
Faith is important to life. Without some faith we don’t get out of bed in the morning, don’t go to work, get married, have children. Without possibility, we don’t plan or hope. Without faith, life can defeat us. Some degree of faith is required because there are things you can’t see, like the future. Like a reward for daily faithfulness. Like a better life you are making for yourself and your loved ones. You have to head in that direction and trust. Life can be difficult if you can’t see some possibility of good beyond where you are now or what you can see. What causes you to trust?
This morning we have heard some biblical viewpoints on faith. In The First Letter of John, John states that he declares what was from the beginning of the faith—the things they have heard and seen and touched. What was from the beginning of the faith is Jesus with us. John testifies to this life they have seen and heard and touched. It is for those who have not heard him, seen him, or touched him for themselves. If they hear this and believe, then they share faith. Then their joy will be complete. Those who wish to share that faith must walk in the light. If we have not walked in the light, God can forgive our sins through Jesus. God makes it possible for those who have walked in darkness to walk in the light.
What if you have not seen? What if you have not touched? How then do you find faith? That is the problem of one man in the Gospel reading, Thomas. He is often called “Doubting Thomas”. What started this all was that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he rose from the dead. He showed them his hands and side. They saw, believed, and rejoiced. But one of them was not there. Thomas was not there. The disciples tell him what had happened, but he didn’t believe it. He heard but had not seen. He said, in fact, that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the marks of the nails and his side. He wants proof. The next week he gets that chance as Jesus appeared to them again. Again he enters, even though the doors were shut. He knows what Thomas said earlier. And he offers to him the chance to get the proof he wanted. Thomas responds in complete faith. He is blessed. But blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
Thomas is an example of one who must hear second-hand. The first generation of Christians knew what they saw and heard. That is the foundation both of their faith and the faith that they handed on to others who came after Jesus no longer walked the earth. Time came when generation after generation heard the good news about Jesus. We are those people. But, here, in the Gospel, Jesus makes himself known to one disciple. Who Thomas is matters. He has doubts. He is resistant. Perhaps the disciples who believed called him stubborn. Perhaps Thomas called the disciples gullible. They did not share a faith at that point. But Jesus meets Thomas as he is, with his doubts. Jesus helps Thomas overcome the doubts he has.
Sometimes seeing and believing are portrayed as the same thing. After all, as the saying goes: “Seeing is believing.” But we are not always at every place in life. Things happen when we are not there. We cannot see everything. At some point we have to trust, even if it is only in what others say. And the things we experience, the things we see, can be misunderstood. The reality is that we need both. We need to experience God in our lives and we need that word that helps us understand what we experience. A few years ago, I was on a plane heading to week one of Interim Ministry training reading a book. It said that we understand life and work and churches in part because of our birth order. I am a second child. I love my older brother, but at times I have noticed there is a little tension between us. The book explained that the second child comes into the world, the family, and has to define his or her personality in it. So it is very likely that he or she will be deliberately what the first child is not. That is who he or she is—not the first one. And there will likely be tension until that personality is formed. After reading, I understood the idea better that I had actually felt and lived. The book helped me understand what I experienced. The word interprets experience. Experience makes ideas come alive. We need them both, seeing and believing.
Jesus helped Thomas find his faith. Then he could truly see who Jesus is. Then he could declare Jesus Lord and God. The foundation of our faith is what we have heard and seen and touched. Jesus is a touchable God.
Thomas was blessed when Jesus heard his doubts. He accepted him as he was and helped him become someone better, a man of faith. We need faith because we cannot see the future. We need faith to guide us through challenging times. Part of how we learn it is to know how God has guided us in the past. Mary Lou Carney recalled a grade school teacher who told them that faith was our country’s most powerful resource. She found that to be true in her life through education, military deployment, and illness in her family. She concludes: “In situation after situation, the knowledge that God was in control through faith enabled me to triumph.” Our faith is strengthened by how God has shown us faithfulness, that God’s word is true.
Our foundation is the word we hear, but it is also in experiencing Christ in our daily lives. Thomas wanted to see Jesus. The other disciples had seen Jesus, but he was alone in his doubts. He did not believe at first, but then he had a chance. Jesus came to him and changed his life. His faith was born. Lisa Isenhower tells the story of her son’s favorite book as a boy, about a rabbit who didn’t want to go to bed. It had a tiny mouse hidden on each page and he searched for it and sometimes in frustration he would cry out, “Where is he, Mommy?” She tells us this: “When Christ performed miracles, He often came to people unexpectedly, at unexpected times and places .... Over and over, Christ showed that He was present to believers in every facet of human experience, in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.” Like the mouse, Christ is present even though we can’t always see him. Christ also appeared in Thomas’ doubt. Sometimes having faith can be a struggle. Faith is the discovery that Christ has not only appeared to the disciples, not only appeared to Thomas, but we can see him, too. We can open our eyes for him, because he is with us.
Seeing and believing? Seeing or hearing? We come to faith through both. We need to hear what we cannot see. We need to see God’s power at work so that we can believe. We rejoice that Christ is risen. We rejoice, too, that he is among us, leading us to faith, all of us. Then our joy will be complete. Christ is risen; he lives among us!
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- 3 we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:1-2:2 NRSV)
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31 NRSV)
“THOMAS, WHO?”
Faith is important to life. Without some faith we don’t get out of bed in the morning, don’t go to work, get married, have children. Without possibility, we don’t plan or hope. Without faith, life can defeat us. Some degree of faith is required because there are things you can’t see, like the future. Like a reward for daily faithfulness. Like a better life you are making for yourself and your loved ones. You have to head in that direction and trust. Life can be difficult if you can’t see some possibility of good beyond where you are now or what you can see. What causes you to trust?
This morning we have heard some biblical viewpoints on faith. In The First Letter of John, John states that he declares what was from the beginning of the faith—the things they have heard and seen and touched. What was from the beginning of the faith is Jesus with us. John testifies to this life they have seen and heard and touched. It is for those who have not heard him, seen him, or touched him for themselves. If they hear this and believe, then they share faith. Then their joy will be complete. Those who wish to share that faith must walk in the light. If we have not walked in the light, God can forgive our sins through Jesus. God makes it possible for those who have walked in darkness to walk in the light.
What if you have not seen? What if you have not touched? How then do you find faith? That is the problem of one man in the Gospel reading, Thomas. He is often called “Doubting Thomas”. What started this all was that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he rose from the dead. He showed them his hands and side. They saw, believed, and rejoiced. But one of them was not there. Thomas was not there. The disciples tell him what had happened, but he didn’t believe it. He heard but had not seen. He said, in fact, that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the marks of the nails and his side. He wants proof. The next week he gets that chance as Jesus appeared to them again. Again he enters, even though the doors were shut. He knows what Thomas said earlier. And he offers to him the chance to get the proof he wanted. Thomas responds in complete faith. He is blessed. But blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
Thomas is an example of one who must hear second-hand. The first generation of Christians knew what they saw and heard. That is the foundation both of their faith and the faith that they handed on to others who came after Jesus no longer walked the earth. Time came when generation after generation heard the good news about Jesus. We are those people. But, here, in the Gospel, Jesus makes himself known to one disciple. Who Thomas is matters. He has doubts. He is resistant. Perhaps the disciples who believed called him stubborn. Perhaps Thomas called the disciples gullible. They did not share a faith at that point. But Jesus meets Thomas as he is, with his doubts. Jesus helps Thomas overcome the doubts he has.
Sometimes seeing and believing are portrayed as the same thing. After all, as the saying goes: “Seeing is believing.” But we are not always at every place in life. Things happen when we are not there. We cannot see everything. At some point we have to trust, even if it is only in what others say. And the things we experience, the things we see, can be misunderstood. The reality is that we need both. We need to experience God in our lives and we need that word that helps us understand what we experience. A few years ago, I was on a plane heading to week one of Interim Ministry training reading a book. It said that we understand life and work and churches in part because of our birth order. I am a second child. I love my older brother, but at times I have noticed there is a little tension between us. The book explained that the second child comes into the world, the family, and has to define his or her personality in it. So it is very likely that he or she will be deliberately what the first child is not. That is who he or she is—not the first one. And there will likely be tension until that personality is formed. After reading, I understood the idea better that I had actually felt and lived. The book helped me understand what I experienced. The word interprets experience. Experience makes ideas come alive. We need them both, seeing and believing.
Jesus helped Thomas find his faith. Then he could truly see who Jesus is. Then he could declare Jesus Lord and God. The foundation of our faith is what we have heard and seen and touched. Jesus is a touchable God.
Thomas was blessed when Jesus heard his doubts. He accepted him as he was and helped him become someone better, a man of faith. We need faith because we cannot see the future. We need faith to guide us through challenging times. Part of how we learn it is to know how God has guided us in the past. Mary Lou Carney recalled a grade school teacher who told them that faith was our country’s most powerful resource. She found that to be true in her life through education, military deployment, and illness in her family. She concludes: “In situation after situation, the knowledge that God was in control through faith enabled me to triumph.” Our faith is strengthened by how God has shown us faithfulness, that God’s word is true.
Our foundation is the word we hear, but it is also in experiencing Christ in our daily lives. Thomas wanted to see Jesus. The other disciples had seen Jesus, but he was alone in his doubts. He did not believe at first, but then he had a chance. Jesus came to him and changed his life. His faith was born. Lisa Isenhower tells the story of her son’s favorite book as a boy, about a rabbit who didn’t want to go to bed. It had a tiny mouse hidden on each page and he searched for it and sometimes in frustration he would cry out, “Where is he, Mommy?” She tells us this: “When Christ performed miracles, He often came to people unexpectedly, at unexpected times and places .... Over and over, Christ showed that He was present to believers in every facet of human experience, in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.” Like the mouse, Christ is present even though we can’t always see him. Christ also appeared in Thomas’ doubt. Sometimes having faith can be a struggle. Faith is the discovery that Christ has not only appeared to the disciples, not only appeared to Thomas, but we can see him, too. We can open our eyes for him, because he is with us.
Seeing and believing? Seeing or hearing? We come to faith through both. We need to hear what we cannot see. We need to see God’s power at work so that we can believe. We rejoice that Christ is risen. We rejoice, too, that he is among us, leading us to faith, all of us. Then our joy will be complete. Christ is risen; he lives among us!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Easter/Resurrection of the Lord, Year B
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:6-9 NRSV)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them,'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 NRSV)
“WHERE ARE THEY?”
The Easter story is familiar to us. We hear it year after year. We hear it again this morning in the Gospel reading. Before daylight Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and saw that that the huge stone sealing the tomb was gone. She went back and told Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved about it. They went to the tomb and John outran Peter and looked in. Peter, though, was the first to enter the tomb. They saw where Jesus had been, but he was no longer there. Mary had returned to the tomb and saw two angels sitting where Jesus had been. They ask her why she is crying. It is because the Lord is gone and she does not know where he is. It is so important to her to know where he is. It is then that she sees Jesus and he, too, asks her what she is looking for. She answers—she wants to know where Jesus is. Then he calls her name and she recognizes him. It is he, the one she is looking for, and she finds him. It is a moment of indescribable joy. But she cannot hold him because he must ascend. She goes back to tell the disciples.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addresses a problem of that church. Many believed that Jesus was going to return soon. Some of the believers died before that return. So some began to lose hope in the resurrection of the dead and Paul bases this on the resurrection of Christ. Christ has been raised from the dead, we have proof, and we have seen it. And because he has risen we will, too. And Paul responds to those who question what has happened, with this word on the reality of the resurrection:
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.”
They doubt because they do not know where the dead are. The dead, Paul says, will be in new bodies, far better than the old ones, just as the new plant is so much better than the seed. Those who have gone before us have already experienced the resurrection. They are not merely wisps floating around; they are in a new life. We do not lose hope because we do not see them. Death does not hold them. The Lord holds them. That is why we do not see them anymore. We, who are alive, will see them again at the last trumpet. That is what gives us hope, too, for those we love, for ourselves.
Our hope looks beyond this world. To look only at this world, death is the end. It is like the stone which seals the tomb. We cannot see through it. We cannot go through it. It must be rolled away by another power, a power greater than death. We live in the faith that God has removed it, that there is another place we go to in order to be among those who belong to Jesus. Scott Walker is a pastor in Texas who describes this hope. He came to say goodbye to a friend with cancer and knew that he was not likely to see him again in this world. He struggled with how to say goodbye and gave him a cross. With it he hoped to give his friend faith, as he put it: “A faith that believes that God can take death and change it into life.” When his friend died the cross was passed on to his wife as a reminder of the promise that they will meet again.
Like Mary and Peter and John we sometimes look for what we have lost. We look for what we can’t see anymore. It is natural to want to see it again. But even though we try, we can’t always find it here. That is why we place our trust both in the world beyond this one and in the one who can take us there. That is the faith of Easter.
The faith of Easter grows like its story did on that first day. The disciples heard from Mary that Jesus was not in the tomb. John saw what was not there and believed. Death was gone. There is much that we cannot see. But there is much that we see or we touch or touches us, and when we share it we create hope in others and proclaim the invitation that those who hear us can also join in what we discovered. Karen Valentin was showing her photos of trips to Europe to a friend, who was enjoying each story behind the photos, when he said that he would like to see it all for himself. She encouraged him to do so. Hearing about the resurrection of the Lord is simply an invitation to others to find it for themselves.
Our hope is in the plan that God has laid out. It is to defeat death. We know that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Christ walks among us. That is what we celebrate on this day. We know the tomb is empty, that the stone is rolled away, not just there, back then, but the stones that block all of our ways. We, too, run to the tomb. But it is not to look for Jesus. We know the Easter story, we know he is not there. We run to the tomb to see that it is empty, that death is powerless, that death is changed into life, that the resurrection has begun. We, too, see Jesus in the garden. We hear him call our names. We see him again. And we tell each other the good news. Our faith is formed; our faith is strengthened by that good news. “Here is not here. He is risen.” Let us not run to the tomb, let us run to the resurrection in hope. Let us look there, where Christ is.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:6-9 NRSV)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them,'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 NRSV)
“WHERE ARE THEY?”
The Easter story is familiar to us. We hear it year after year. We hear it again this morning in the Gospel reading. Before daylight Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and saw that that the huge stone sealing the tomb was gone. She went back and told Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved about it. They went to the tomb and John outran Peter and looked in. Peter, though, was the first to enter the tomb. They saw where Jesus had been, but he was no longer there. Mary had returned to the tomb and saw two angels sitting where Jesus had been. They ask her why she is crying. It is because the Lord is gone and she does not know where he is. It is so important to her to know where he is. It is then that she sees Jesus and he, too, asks her what she is looking for. She answers—she wants to know where Jesus is. Then he calls her name and she recognizes him. It is he, the one she is looking for, and she finds him. It is a moment of indescribable joy. But she cannot hold him because he must ascend. She goes back to tell the disciples.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addresses a problem of that church. Many believed that Jesus was going to return soon. Some of the believers died before that return. So some began to lose hope in the resurrection of the dead and Paul bases this on the resurrection of Christ. Christ has been raised from the dead, we have proof, and we have seen it. And because he has risen we will, too. And Paul responds to those who question what has happened, with this word on the reality of the resurrection:
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.”
They doubt because they do not know where the dead are. The dead, Paul says, will be in new bodies, far better than the old ones, just as the new plant is so much better than the seed. Those who have gone before us have already experienced the resurrection. They are not merely wisps floating around; they are in a new life. We do not lose hope because we do not see them. Death does not hold them. The Lord holds them. That is why we do not see them anymore. We, who are alive, will see them again at the last trumpet. That is what gives us hope, too, for those we love, for ourselves.
Our hope looks beyond this world. To look only at this world, death is the end. It is like the stone which seals the tomb. We cannot see through it. We cannot go through it. It must be rolled away by another power, a power greater than death. We live in the faith that God has removed it, that there is another place we go to in order to be among those who belong to Jesus. Scott Walker is a pastor in Texas who describes this hope. He came to say goodbye to a friend with cancer and knew that he was not likely to see him again in this world. He struggled with how to say goodbye and gave him a cross. With it he hoped to give his friend faith, as he put it: “A faith that believes that God can take death and change it into life.” When his friend died the cross was passed on to his wife as a reminder of the promise that they will meet again.
Like Mary and Peter and John we sometimes look for what we have lost. We look for what we can’t see anymore. It is natural to want to see it again. But even though we try, we can’t always find it here. That is why we place our trust both in the world beyond this one and in the one who can take us there. That is the faith of Easter.
The faith of Easter grows like its story did on that first day. The disciples heard from Mary that Jesus was not in the tomb. John saw what was not there and believed. Death was gone. There is much that we cannot see. But there is much that we see or we touch or touches us, and when we share it we create hope in others and proclaim the invitation that those who hear us can also join in what we discovered. Karen Valentin was showing her photos of trips to Europe to a friend, who was enjoying each story behind the photos, when he said that he would like to see it all for himself. She encouraged him to do so. Hearing about the resurrection of the Lord is simply an invitation to others to find it for themselves.
Our hope is in the plan that God has laid out. It is to defeat death. We know that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Christ walks among us. That is what we celebrate on this day. We know the tomb is empty, that the stone is rolled away, not just there, back then, but the stones that block all of our ways. We, too, run to the tomb. But it is not to look for Jesus. We know the Easter story, we know he is not there. We run to the tomb to see that it is empty, that death is powerless, that death is changed into life, that the resurrection has begun. We, too, see Jesus in the garden. We hear him call our names. We see him again. And we tell each other the good news. Our faith is formed; our faith is strengthened by that good news. “Here is not here. He is risen.” Let us not run to the tomb, let us run to the resurrection in hope. Let us look there, where Christ is.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
I was not born a morning person, but through necessity have become one. One of the stops on that journey was when I worked in a cannery on the cleanup crew for a summer. It meant starting at about 11 p.m. and finishing at about 5 a.m., after all the other workers were already done. Going home on my bicycle, I found that the world is very quiet, very peaceful, at that hour. It has a certain quality as the sun comes up, something full of beauty and potential. I started liking morning more after that. Nowadays, my home office window faces east and sometimes I see the sunrise. This morning it was gorgeous. But the tricky thing with sunrise is that it will not wait for you, if you are going to enjoy it you have to pay attention to is as it occurs. If you miss it, the beauty of that moment is gone forever. That is like the day it begins. It is an opportunity, a unique event, that will never be repeated.
What will you do today with the opportunity you have?
What will you do today with the opportunity you have?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Since October I have renewed my practice of seeking some inspiration in the Bible and prayer each morning. It is a chance to get set for the day and orient my outlook in life. Once in a while something else also captures my attention. The other day, Garrison Keillor’s daily radio program, “The Writer’s Almanac,” had a poem, “Reading Hemingway,” by James Cummins. When you read Hemingway, you become hungry, cold, and dry. When you read Hemingway you take on his style, feel his moods, share his interests. I had the thought: “What do we do when we read the Bible?
Questions for Reflection
Which ways of God do we pick up? Do we become like what we read? What do we do when we read God’s word?
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