Acts 2:14a, 22-32
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
The great high celebration of Easter is for the most part a fading thought as the week has passed and we are now looking forward to the things of summer. But in the heart of the Church we are still deep within Easter. The proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was the shout of the day; the amazing and hard to believe miracle of the power of God’s love that would not let the hatred and cruelty of humanity carry the day. Yet for all the good news of Jesus’ resurrection the haunting thought that lingers… what does this have to do with me, what does this have to do with you or for that matter for the world?
It was most likely a thought upon the minds of Jesus’ disciples as they tried to make sense of the news of the resurrection. Our gospel lesson finds them hidden behind locked doors fearful of the world. Jesus was risen, but what about them? The ones who had crucified Jesus were upset, for the body of the one they had killed was missing and no doubt those in power would in all likelihood come looking for the disciples… fearful the disciples must have wondered… are we next?
Into the midst of their fear Jesus comes among them. “Peace be with you” he says to this fearful lot. His words do not change the circumstances of a world gone mad yet for them something is about to change. John’s gospel does not wait for an ascension, there is no mighty wind or tongues of fire in this encounter, in a most intimate way the Risen Lord breathes upon them and declares, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It is at this moment that Jesus commissions these disciples; “as the Father has sent me so I send you. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The gospel of John brings with it a sense of urgency to go and tell and to be agents of the work of Jesus Christ to all the world. This indeed is the mission of the Church and indeed we take a lot of time here in the life of Grace to bring expression to the great work to which our Lord has called us to do.
Yet in the midst of the Easter message there is a question, that is desirous of an answer. What does Jesus’ resurrection mean for me? This is not a question of mission or ministry in fact some will argue it is a selfish question, but one that haunts us. Very frankly I worry that if we misunderstand the purpose of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection in regard to our personal lives, than all the good we may be called to do will in fact become twisted and distorted.
Our accompanying lessons from Acts 2, Psalm 16 and 1st Peter in fact help us to better understand what the work of Jesus means for us. The lesson from Acts is a portion of the story of the Pentecost, but since we will be focusing on Luke’s version of the coming of the Holy Spirit on June 8, I would like to examine a portion of Peter’s speech in which he reflects on verses of Psalm 16 because here we find a sense of what resurrection can mean for us. Now this gets a bit convoluted for it is Luke writing about Peter who is quoting a Psalm from David, who has written a poem of lament that is concluding with a message of hope. We are hearing ancient words that now bear meaning in light of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection…
I saw The Lord always before me
for he is at my right hand
so that I will not be shaken;
Therefore my heart was glad,
and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will live in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence’
Here is where the message of Easter touches our daily lives… you see the Resurrected Jesus is always with us. This isn’t to mean that then all of life will somehow be honkey/dory or sweetness and light. Rather it is to say that in every journey and moment of life we can expect Jesus to be present with us. Such truth touches the way we see life in each and every moment; in the good and bad, in the wonderful and the painful moments, in the midst of bounty and in the midst of scarcity. It is the gem of great wealth that we take with us into each and every situation allowing us to face each moment knowing that the God who loves us is with us.
One of the things I love in life is being with and around people. The other day I had to travel into Baltimore for a meeting of the Deans of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA. I have come to love the opportunity to ride the subway into the city and have discovered that if you make yourself available to people you can have all sorts of amazing encounters with the people of God. And this particular day was no exception for in the course of my time I met young Markus who is a security guard by profession but is a developing minister within his church. Then there was Nelson, a middle aged man from Venezuela who had recently become an American Citizen together we enjoyed watching an elderly man in a wheelchair feeding pigeons along South Charles Street. Nelson was having a bout of homesickness as he thought of the flocks of pigeons in the plaza of his hometown. I left him as he watched and remembered. And then there was my favorite person whose name I never got. I had stopped at the Inner Harbor thinking it would be fun to get a picture of myself, a selfie as Kids like to say, to to use as my profile picture on Facebook. I thought it would be fun to have the harbor behind me. But trust me it isn’t as easy as it looks to take such a picture. Anyway a man walking by wondered what I was doing and as I explained to him that I was trying to get a SELFIE. A woman walking by overheard me say this, came over and said, “Hey can I join you? And the next thing I knew I was taking a picture of myself with a stranger who once the picture was taken headed off to wherever she was going. Frankly I can’t help wondering if I captured the image of a messenger of God or perhaps Jesus with me in a most wonderful and delightful way.
Perspective, to live with the knowledge of the risen Lord and to be open to all the amazing ways that our Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ can come and touch our lives. Those final words which Peter quoted from David’s Psalm, (speaking of God) “you will make me full of gladness with your presence” What great joy there is to walk each day knowing that The Lord walks with us.
Peter wrote, “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” This salvation is not reserved to what happens after we die, rather it is a salvation that allows us to throw off the blinders of hatred, anger, pride, selfishness and so much other garbage and see the glory of the Kingdom of God come near.
This then becomes the point… when we can see God’s Kingdom and the presence of the risen Lord all around us then we have this amazing good news to tell to all the world. Christ has Risen come and see what I have discovered.
Peace be with you
Clem's Corner 