Tag Archives: resurrection

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He Ascended!

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“He Ascended!”

Acts 1:6-11 (1:8-9) – June 1, 2025

            I love butterflies! I love their different colors, their delicate wings, and how they are such a beautiful part of nature. I respect them so much for their help in pollinating flowers and flowering vegetables. All in all, butterflies are a marvelous part of God’s creation!

            Butterflies can help us think about our Scripture reading for today, too. We just heard the narrative from Acts chapter 1, where the resurrected Lord Jesus meets with His disciples for the very last time, and is taken up into heaven. Jesus rises, or ascends into heaven. Just as we proclaim in our Apostles Creed – “He (meaning Jesus) ascended into heaven.”

            But, wait. Before we get to this reading from Acts, let’s backtrack. We are still celebrating Eastertide. We are still thinking about the Resurrection, and how amazing that was! Like a butterfly bursting out of a cocoon, Jesus was resurrected from the dead.  This whole situation after Easter was totally unprecedented. The Rabbi Jesus, God’s Anointed, the Messiah, come back from the dead? Being resurrected, and brought back to life?  How can such a thing be? It was a blessed miracle of God, that’s how!  

            Many school children see when they watch caterpillars in their classrooms, the caterpillars eat all the time! This can be compared to the typical human concerns for food, shelter and taking care of our basic needs. Yet, what happens with a caterpillar and the metamorphosis? “The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of the resurrection; it disappears into a cocoon and appears dead, but emerges later far more beautiful and powerful than before.” [1]

            We can compare this metamorphosis to what happened with our Lord Jesus. After the crucifixion, our Apostles Creed tells us “He died and was buried.” After His resurrection, the Risen Lord Jesus had now burst on the scene in a marvelous Resurrected body. As the disciple Thomas said to Jesus in the Upper Room, “My Lord, and my God!”

Jesus walked and talked for forty days with His disciples. We do not know for sure, but I suspect He gave them further information about why He had come down from heaven, setting aside His divinity, being born of the Virgin Mary as a human baby. From the Gospel reading from Luke chapter 24: “44 Jesus said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

            Just imagine. What a marvelous gift that was for the disciples! They were given the gift of understanding all the Scriptures from the Hebrew Bible, that predict the coming of the Messiah Jesus. Whereas the Rabbi Jesus before His crucifixion and resurrection was walking and talking among them, as they thought, a very special man. But now?

Wouldn’t that be absolutely fantastic, to have the resurrected Jesus, the Word made flesh, interpreting Scripture so that we could more fully understand it? Talk about an in-depth bible study! Those would be some awesome conversations. I know I would be sitting at our Lord Jesus’s feet, like Mary of Bethany, hanging on His every word.

I also suspect our Lord Jesus significantly affected and touched His followers while He realized His time was becoming shorter and shorter. Don’t you think Jesus must have told them He would be going away—soon? We know how upset the disciples became when Jesus told them such things before His crucifixion. In John 16, at that Last Supper the night Jesus was betrayed, He spoke plainly about His departure. But, that was the last thing His followers wanted to hear about, or think about, either!

            If we reflect more deeply on that thought—the thought of Jesus going away—it’s similar to the idea of our loved ones dying and going away. Many people become deeply distressed at even the thought of it, much less the actuality. Even if we know our loved ones have died and gone to heaven, and we will eventually be reunited with them, it still can be distressing, even traumatizing for us to contemplate their departure from earth.  

            Often, we are in a quandary on how to help children understand the death of a dear loved one. A grandparent, or a parent, or another dear loved relative or close friend. One high school-aged Girl Scout wanted younger Sunday school and preschoolers at her church to see and understand the connection of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, and how it reminds Christians of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. So, she constructed a teaching tool for all ages to visit at her church, First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach.

            Emma Reed “completed the butterfly garden and accompanying instructional materials as part of her Girl Scout Gold Project Award. She said, ‘Allow me to pose this question: How often do you see kids wanting to run around the backyard or go on an outdoor adventure?’

            “In addition to constructing the butterfly garden, Reed’s project includes educational posters, felt board and drawing activities on the butterfly life cycle for Sunday school students as well as preschoolers at the church’s Beach Day School. ‘I sincerely hope that my project will spark interest in these kids to want to learn more about butterflies, gardens and anything about nature,’ Reed said. ‘As important as it is to get young kids involved in the outdoors, it is just as important to bring the whole community together in these endeavors.’”  [2]

            Yes, it is important for the whole community, the whole church to come together and to see the glorious truth of the Resurrection. And, if butterflies can help us in the telling of the Gospel truth, so much the better! Plus, the beauty and wonder of a butterfly garden is a marvelous way to spread God’s message!

We all are familiar with the words of the Apostles Creed. I quote again: Jesus Christ, “born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” These words are the very words I am preaching about here, today. They are not just stuffy old words found in some theological tome or some stilted book of creeds of the church. No! These words are faithful, true, and powerful.

            Jesus had the cosmic, heavenly view in mind. In other words, here in the first chapter of Acts, it is like the glorious, resurrected Jesus is telling His followers, “Forget that other stuff. Look, I am going now. I will send you all a Helper, an Advocate, to help you in the important work of being My witnesses. So, BE my witnesses!”

The followers of Jesus did not know what to expect. But, we know.  This ascension may be the end of Jesus’s time on earth, but no fear! We are going to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit next week, on Pentecost Sunday. Talk about coming attractions! Praise God, today we have the power and help of the Holy Spirit assisting us as we share the Good News of Jesus, reconciling us to God. That is something we can all celebrate! Alleluia, amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.springbranchpres.org/how-is-a-butterfly-a-symbol-for-easter/

[2] https://pcusa.org/news-storytelling/news/2020/12/2/educational-green-space-teaches-about-butterflies-and-resurrection

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That You May Believe!

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“That You May Believe!”

John 20:19-31 (20:31) – April 27, 2025

            Seeing is believing! Or . . . is it? I wonder what things come to mind when I mention the phrase, “Seeing is believing”? Or even, “I won’t believe it until I see it!” Sometimes, people can be really doubtful about things. I can just imagine several people I know folding their arms across their chests and saying, “Unless you show me . . . “

            In the gospel account we read today, from John 20, the disciple Thomas had just that reaction. After the resurrection, the first time Jesus came to the disciples, Thomas was not there. We’re not told why, simply that he wasn’t there. Maybe he was scared, maybe he was away, or out of town. Maybe he was sick. We just aren’t told why he wasn’t there.

            The ‘why’ is not the important part. The fact that Thomas wasn’t present is. Thomas had doubts. Sincere doubts. Truth to tell, the other disciples’ story was a little farfetched. I mean, how many people have you known who came back from the dead, and walked through walls into a locked room?

            I wonder. I wonder if Thomas’ reaction strikes a chord with anyone here today. How many of us today are like Thomas? Doubting that Jesus has risen indeed from the dead? Or, completely missing Jesus, and doubting that Jesus is even here at all, today?

            Let’s think some more about Thomas and his reaction. Thomas not only doubted, he wanted concrete proof. Tangible proof, proof he could touch and feel and handle. Thomas wanted to put his hands in the nail marks on Jesus’ hands. That’s pretty concrete.

            As I thought more about Thomas and his reaction and attitude toward Jesus and His first appearance to the disciples, the Gospel of John is not clear at this point. We as readers don’t know why Thomas had difficulty believing. But the gospel account says he did.

            How many of us today are like Thomas? Not sure? Not believing? Closed up behind the locked doors of feeble faith? Not believing that Jesus can make a difference in our lives today? Could Jesus come and reveal Himself to Thomas? Can He come and reveal Himself to those today who are fearful, doubting, and unbelieving? . . . Can He reveal Himself to me?

            Perhaps Thomas had difficulty finding something to believe in, since he had so recently seen his Master and Teacher arrested and crucified. Grief, fear, anger, dashed hopes, shattered dreams. I strongly suspect several, if not all of these, were operating in Thomas’ life at this time.

            These strong feelings and emotions inside are intense, and raw. From what is known today about the stages of grief, Thomas could have been feeling awful, and angry, and upset. Thomas could have felt his life was falling apart. But Jesus can break through all of that. Jesus could enter Thomas’ life with new hope, standing right in front of him. In the same way, Jesus Christ can enter through the closed doors of our hearts, meet us where we are, with open arms.

Just as Jesus did not leave Thomas high and dry, to figure things out on his own, so Jesus will not leave us. Our Lord came to Thomas in the upper room, despite his doubts and unbelief, and Jesus also comes to us in our doubts, and in our unbelief.  “The resurrection is among us, whether we see it or not. The resurrection is all around us, whether we recognize it or not. The resurrection is in the midst of us whether we are able to point to it or not.” [1]

            Now, Thomas didn’t actually see Jesus, at first. He had just heard from others who had seen Jesus. But then, a second time, the risen Lord appeared to the disciples. Again, in the locked room, and this time, Thomas was there. What were Jesus’ words 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.”

            Thomas responded with that tremendous affirmation, “My Lord and my God!”  Praise God for the sincere, heartfelt response of Thomas.

            Jesus’ words to His doubting disciple serve as words of comfort and reassurance to me. I know I have doubts, sometimes. And just as Jesus did not leave Thomas doubting, so too, Jesus will not leave me doubting, either. He will welcome me with open arms, coming through the locked doors of my fear, anger, doubt and unbelief.

            Thomas saw Jesus. Seeing was believing, in Thomas’ case. And then, the risen Jesus continues with the statement, “Have you believed because you have seen me?” Here’s the best part of all. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

            What was that Jesus just said? Did I read that correctly? “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” So—the Gospel of John says here that all who have not actually seen the risen Lord and yet have come to believe are indeed blessed.

            That means Christians throughout the centuries are blessed, since they have come to believe in Jesus Christ and yet have not actually, physically seen Him as risen from the dead. That means you and I are blessed, since we have come to believe in Jesus Christ, too. How awesome is that? We are blessed because the Lord Jesus says so!

            Just in case we didn’t quite understand where the evangelist was coming from the first time, verses 30 and 31 of John 20 underline this concept. “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 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.”

            Just as Jesus helped Thomas to believe, so the Gospel of John helps us to believe, too. This Gospel was not only written to bear witness so long ago, in the first century, some years after Jesus was raised from the dead. This Gospel was also written for the many generations which have come to believe throughout the centuries. That includes us, too.

Plus, Jesus does not mean for us to hide this Good News and keep it for ourselves. We all are “to be involved and engaged with the communities around us, in which there are the lives of many who do not yet know the Gospel. We respond to them with loving service, walking alongside them and sharing Jesus with every step.” [2]

Even though we may have doubts, and unbelief, and wonder whether, and why, or even why not, Jesus comes to us in our doubts and unbelief. Our Lord comes to all of us with reassurance and open arms and says “Do not doubt, but believe!”

            Praise God that as we come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, we can have life in His name. Jesus can come to us, at any point in our walk with the Lord, no matter what the circumstance happens to be, no matter where we are in our lives. Thank God that Jesus will be there for us and with us, no matter what. May we all be able to affirm, with Thomas, that the risen Jesus is our Lord and our God.

            Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1]  https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/when-seeing-is-believing

[2] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/monthly/2025-april/sunday-27-april-2025-second-sunday-of-easter-year-c

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Who Has Seen the Lord?

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“Who Has Seen the Lord?”

John 20:1-18 (20:18) – April 20, 2025

            Who doesn’t like to hear a good story? Storytellers are wonderful to listen to. Small children love to hear stories. Even grown-ups enjoy stories. Certain stories are told over and over again, in different ways. Cinderella. King Arthur. The Arabian Nights. Aesop’s fables. Even the Wizard of Oz.  What about The Greatest Story Ever Told? That’s another name for the narrative of the Passion Week, following Jesus step by step from Palm Sunday through Good Friday, finishing up with the happily ever after ending on Easter morning! 

            We left Jesus on the cross, on Friday afternoon, when last we saw Jesus on Good Friday. Jesus had walked through the days of Holy Week, debating with the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders in the Temple. He had eaten a Passover dinner with His disciples on Thursday evening. The special thing Jesus did on Thursday was instituting the Lord’s Supper with the bread and cup of the Passover meal. Do this in remembrance of Me, He said.

            After dinner, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He wanted His disciples to keep watch with Him, but they were too exhausted. After the events of a very busy week, just think. The disciples couldn’t keep their eyes open!

            Then the events follow in rapid succession. The arrest, torture, trials, and sentencing. The walk down the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow. Jesus dragging the cross outside the old city of Jerusalem. The disciples fled. (I won’t blame them—since their Rabbi was sentenced as a criminal and enemy of the state, I suspect the disciples were afraid they might be connected with their leader Jesus, too!) We see the women at the foot of the cross. The faithful women. And Jesus’ mother, Mary. Then—Jesus dies on the cross. The earth quakes, the sky darkened. All creation mourns as the Word made flesh, the creator of all the universe, dies on the cross.

            As we continued to follow the Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus is taken down from the cross shortly before sunset. His body is turned over to one of the Pharisees, Joseph of Arimethea. Joseph hurriedly lays the dead body of Jesus in a tomb nearby. And, the faithful women are also there. What faith they must have had! What tenacity, and what love. The women disciples follow their leader, their rabbi, their Lord and master, even though He’s dead. To care for His body, in the absence of the disciples – the men disciples who are in hiding.

            The women are there. Not shunted aside, not put in second place. These faithful women disciples play an important role in caring for their Rabbi and their friend, hurriedly washing and preparing His dead body for the grave, before the Sabbath begins at sunset.

            As Friday night swiftly approaches, with it comes the Jewish holy observance. Especially this special Sabbath—which falls during Passover. No work is to be done at all on this holy day of rest, not even the compassionate work of caring for a dead body.

            After Sabbath day and Saturday night end, it is now Sunday morning. Faithful Mary Magdalene heads out for the tomb even before the sun has fully risen. Can you see her, eager in her haste to get to the tomb? With some oils to anoint the body? As she comes near the tomb, she discovers the stone has been rolled away. The tomb is now empty. What happened? Mary runs to get some assistance, someone to come with her and check things out more fully.

            Sure enough, Mary tells what she discovered. Two of the—men—disciples come back with her. Mary returns with the other two, back to the tomb. They see the tomb, and sure enough. It is empty. And then, these two men disciples turn right around. Go back to the rest. In hiding.

            But—what about Mary? What does she do? Again, I come back to the indisputable fact that the women disciples are faithful and true. What a roller coaster ride Mary has been on. Starting on Palm Sunday, their leader Jesus marches right into the lion’s den, right into Jerusalem itself. All through the Passion Week, Jesus appears in and around Jerusalem, in the Temple, doing anything but keeping a low profile. I am certain the men and the women accompanying them knew very well that the Jewish leaders were planning on doing bad things to Jesus.

The women disciples show compassion, love, and care for their Rabbi, their master and friend. Mary stays put near the tomb. Jesus had been her best friend and her teacher. After she met Jesus, her life was different – and lots better! But now, Jesus had been killed and buried. Not only that, it appeared that someone had stolen his body. [1]

            At this desperate point, early on Sunday morning, Mary weeps. She does not know where her Lord and Master’s body has gone! After many days and nights of worry, anxiety, strong emotion, and intense grief, I can well understand how Mary broke down in tears.

            What about us, today? Have you ever been through days of intense emotion, gut-wrenching anxiety, even intense grief? All of those feelings tumbling and roiling through you? Then you know a little of what Mary was going through.

            What Mary did not suspect at first was that she was in the Greatest Story Ever Told. She sees Someone through her tears. She suspects this Person is the gardener, of all things! She says, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 

            Then, Jesus—for it is He!—Jesus speaks to her. Jesus calls her by name. “Mary!”          Do you hear that? Jesus calls her by name. “Mary!” How sweet to have someone who loves you very much call you by name! Remember, I just said that Mary had been on an emotional roller coaster the whole week previous? Just think what this would do! Wow! Mary’s eyes are opened. Mary finally sees clearly, and responds, “Rabbi!” “Teacher!”

            There’s a word in the next verse that is sometimes misunderstood. In verse 17, Jesus tells Mary, “Do not hold on to me.” In the original language, Greek, the word ‘hold on’ or ‘touch’ is a present imperative verb. The verb in the sentence can be translated “Do not keep touching me!” Mary realizes that it was really and truly Jesus, in the flesh. I suspect she fell on her knees and grabbed onto His legs with every ounce of strength in her body. Clutching, crying, laughing. Can you just see her? Jesus, gently trying to get her to let go. “Mary, can you stop clutching at Me?”

            Can you see Mary now, as she understands in full. Jesus is alive! He is risen! She listens to Jesus, returns to the disciples, and declares the joyful truth to everyone!

            Mary is not only a faithful friend and follower of her Rabbi, she is also someone who carries the Good News! The news that Jesus is no longer dead, but He is risen! He is alive again. I want all of you to understand this all-important point. Jesus has entrusted Mary with the Gospel message. She is a preacher of the Good News!

Mary Magdalene is no longer just a supporting player, just a side note in the Gospel. Instead, she transitions to a lead actor in the Greatest Story Ever Told, here in John 20. And, one of the first and best preachers, sharing her experience, hope and joy.

            What a story! Except—this is not make-believe. This is for real. This is very much the truth. Yes, our risen Lord Jesus is alive. Yes, He is Lord. And, yes, He has conquered death once and for all. Do you hear? Listen again to the words of the disciple Mary. She told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”  

I pray we all can affirm together today: He is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!  

Alleluia! Amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2016/02/year-c-easter-sunday-march-27-2016.html

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Who Does Jesus Love?

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“Who Does Jesus Love?”

John 11:32-44 – Sunday, November 3, 2024

            Today is All Saints Sunday. A lot of people think of “saints” as super-holy people. Like St. Francis of Assisi, or Mother Teresa, or St. Ignatius of Loyola. These people and many other titled saints are super-stars (or, super-saints) of the faith! What kinds of things do you think about when you consider these super-holy people? Do they pray all the time? Do they do good works for God all the time? Or, what exactly do they do all day long? And when they get to heaven, do they play harps all the time?

            When we consider the people of the Bible, many of them are considered saints. Yet, if we read more closely, almost every person recorded in the Bible – either in the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament – displays very human characteristics! They show very human emotions, grieve, cry, get mad, say or do stupid things, and sometimes even worse.  

            Listen to Mary of Bethany as she pours out her agonized heart to her friend the Rabbi Jesus, and the following, very human exchange: “Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”“Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.”

            Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has several definitions for “saint,” including “one of the spirits of the departed in heaven” and “one of God’s chosen and usually Christian people.” [1] This definition is more broad than what people often think of, when they think about saints. If we take this broader definition to heart, we can think of all Christians as being saints, and all of the people in the Hebrew Scripture as being saints, too.  

            Our Scripture reading today from the Gospel of John is often read during Lent, during the period right before Easter. However, this reading is also read on All Saints Sunday, as a witness to the power of our Lord Jesus over death. This reading is also lifted up in the African American tradition in a service of healing, for those suffering emotional distress, grief, divorce, and physical ailments. This healing also “speaks to a range of human issues and concerns. Suffering often drives individuals to petition for God’s healing.” [2]

            Whether we come to the Gospel of John expecting healing, or in preparation for Easter, or to commemorate all the saints, this reading remains one of the most hopeful, one of the most triumphant proclamations in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus has power over the living and the dead.

            Yet, here we are, on All Saints Sunday. Consider our Lord Jesus – or, the Rabbi Jesus, as He was considered then. His reaction to the death of Lazarus brings the reality of death close to us all. Jesus wept! He wept over his friend Lazarus. As our commentator Karoline Lewis says, “death is inevitable, and its pain, its loss, its cause for anger is all true and real.” She is speaking to preachers, like me. We are working professionals, who bear the hard part of death, being in the business of tending its consequences to those we professionally care for, yet so often do not take the time for our own personal sadness and grief. [3]

            How often do we tell ourselves that we will grieve “later on,” after we finish this necessary paperwork, or after we make these phone calls, or after we do these needed errands, putting off the grieving, the pain, the loss of our loved ones.

            The message we receive from the Gospel of John today tells us in detail about the raising of Lazarus. But before that happens, his sisters are devastated! Who wouldn’t be? A loved one’s death is devastating, even if death is a blessed release or a welcome and final end of pain.

I know, in my life, it is difficult for me to get up and get going when I feel devastated. It’s so hard to continue doing the normal, everyday things that need to get done in my life.  Have you ever experienced this kind of an invisible wall? Or, has someone close to you ever come up against something like this? These kinds of deep feelings happen with sad regularity among people who have just lost a loved one, a dear relative.

So many people let us down, here in this world. Either on purpose, or accidentally. Even unconsciously, sometimes. I know, it still happens. We get let down, time and again. It feels like a punch in the gut, sometimes! It hurts!

Here is where this Scripture reading comes in. It works on our hearts, draws each of us closer. We see the grief Jesus clearly felt, being disturbed at death and at the brokenness of this world, as we see Him approach the tomb. The wonder of Lazarus stepping out and the command to unbind him is a certain and sure symbol and promise of the freedom we will all know one day! And surely, this points to God’s Power, God’s Grace and God’s Gifts, for all of us. [4]

            We gather together here, in this place, to remember our friends and relatives each of us has lost, whether in this past year or in years past. Yes, we grieve and mourn. It is fitting and right that we do so. We are reminded that Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus.

There is a tension we hold – holding many complicated emotions, holding grief and mourning, and at the same time joy and gratitude as we sit with the stark fact of missing our friends, our relatives who have died. And yes, we can rejoice as we consider “the promise and hope of the Resurrection and that even as Lazarus and his beloved family are privileged to live into that promise in this life even now, so are we [for the resurrection life to come]. So are we. Thank God, so are we.” [5]

Our Scripture reading today asks us to reflect that Jesus is, indeed, the Resurrection and the Life, not just for the crisis moment of death, but for all moments in life. Jesus announces that the world is definitively under God’s care and power. And, John chapter 11 offers all of us the promise about how each of us can live our lives today, not just about how our days will end. [6]

Is there someone you particularly remember, or especially miss? Someone who has crossed that river Jordan to join our Lord Jesus in the heavenly places? We have candles here. I invite anyone who wishes to come, to light candles for those loved ones. Light them in your hearts as well, as we come together in gentle comfort and encouragement of each other.

As we lean on relationship with each other in this life, even when faced with death itself, we see with eyes of hope that new life can spring up, through faith in Jesus Christ.  Yes, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul, to make the wounded whole, and His name is Jesus. Alleluia, amen!  

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saint

[2] http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org/PopupLectionaryReading.asp?LRID=64

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/for-all-the-saints-2

[4] http://dancingwiththeword.com/these-precious-gifts-of-all-saints-day/

[5] Ibid.

[6] O’Day, Gail R., Gospel of John, New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9 (Abington Press, 1996) 695.

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We All Are Witnesses!

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“We All Are Witnesses!”

Luke 24:48 – April 14, 2024 

Have you ever been confused by the number of hurried, jumbled nature of things happening at once? And the speed at which these things happen? This experience is more common than we might think. Just think of the passing of time, where it’s New Year’s, you and I turn around, and it’s already Easter! Or, before we know it, the school year is over!

However hurried and jumbled these past months have been, it pales in comparison with our Gospel reading today. The end of the Passion Week must have been momentous and confusing for the followers of the Rabbi Jesus. Some confusing and jumbled things were happening very quickly. From the big festival entrance on Palm Sunday to the Passover Dinner of Maundy Thursday evening, to the arrest, trial and Crucifixion on Good Friday.

Events happening in short succession from morning until night. Everything happening one thing after another. This was compounded by the followers of Jesus scattering, running away, frightened by the very real, very legal, very official things happening to Jesus on Thursday night and Friday during the day.

   Let’s fast-forward to that Sunday morning, the first day of the week. The disciples still must have been frightened to death of the Jewish and Roman authorities. I suspect they needed to talk about the happenings of the past few days, too. We can see that from our scripture passage.

We pick up the narrative right after the events of the Road to Emmaus. To fill everyone in, two followers of Jesus got on the road to Emmaus that Sunday. As they walked, they talked. Debriefed. Tried to figure things out, as best as they could. And what circumstances they needed to figure out! A Stranger began to walk with them on the way, and unbeknownst to them, it was the risen Jesus, incognito. He shared with them a summary of all that He had come to earth to do. Of His ministry, His message, and His purpose. And still, they did not know it was Jesus.

Not until dinner that evening in Emmaus, the risen Jesus was revealed when He blessed and broke the bread. And then—Jesus disappeared! The other two at the dinner table did not waste any time! They ran back to Jerusalem, to the Upper Room, to tell what they had seen. Yes, they were witnesses. Eye witnesses, verifying everything that had happened that day.

Our Gospel reading for today picks up the story at this point. All of the followers of Jesus are gathered together in the Upper Room, and are talking about the story of the road to Emmaus. Do they believe? Or, don’t they? Are a few skeptical? Or doubtful? Are some still frightened?

Let’s transition to today. Here and now. I can hear some people today, scoffing at the idea of some guy rising from the dead. And then, miraculously traveling alongside of two other guys? Good as new—in fact, even better? No way! Not a chance. The other two must have been hallucinating. Or dreaming. Or maybe, seeing a ghost. They can’t believe. Or, won’t believe.

As we start the Gospel reading, the risen Jesus suddenly appears to the group in the locked Upper Room. What does He say? “Peace be with you.” A common greeting of the time. He’s also calming their hearts, their spirits, their anxieties, their emotions. “Peace be with you.”

How does the risen Jesus immediately respond to the disciples?  “Don’t be frightened! It is I, myself.” He emphasizes His identification. “I, myself!” It’s not anyone else, but Jesus! He lets them know that He is solid and corporeal, not a ghost. Not a spirit. And, Jesus doesn’t criticize His followers for being afraid! For feeling uncertain, doubful and anxious!

I wonder whether you have ever had a kind and patient teacher, or instructor, or coach. When you were afraid, uncertain, or anxious, did this kind and patient person get angry with you? Or, upset? Or, did this person continue to be open and willing to help you? Generous with time and welcoming to your attempts? Well, that is Jesus, all over. To a T.

Jesus tells the disciples, first. They are to proclaim what they have seen and heard. They are to be witnesses to the power of the resurrection. They are to tell how the risen Jesus has made a difference in their lives! And boy, that was a big difference!

When we read the book of Acts, that is exactly what we see. The disciples being witnesses of what they have seen and heard, witnesses of the power of the resurrection. Time after time, no matter what, the disciples tell others about how Jesus lived, preached, did miracles, and rose from the dead. Then, how all that has made an earth-shaking difference in their lives.

This is the message that Jesus told the disciples to start to carry, when John was a very young man. Some decades later, we see the aged John still carrying the message Jesus told him to, the message of sacrifice, hope, and resurrection. John is still being a witness, all those decades later, at the close of the first century! Dear friends, our Lord Jesus gave specific instructions to His friends, to go and be witnesses. He gives those same instructions to us. We are to be witnesses of the power of the resurrection.

Can you think of someone who was a witness to the power of God, in your life? Someone who immediately comes to mind for me is Miss Rose. I met her more than thirty years ago, when my older two children were very small. She was a witness to the power of God, and to God’s love. She communicated God’s love to everyone she ever met, just about! A little lady, a dynamo for God, she would tell everyone about God and how much God loved them.

I met her again, some years ago when I was a chaplain intern at the Presbyterian Homes. She was a resident there. I was so happy to see her. Miss Rose and her joy in the Lord bubbled over and communicated to everyone she met there, too. Even though she was in severe, chronic pain, Miss Rose witnessed to the power of the resurrection, asking people she met, “Do you know Jesus? Can I tell you about Him, and what He’s done in my life? Can I tell you my story?”

Each of us has an opportunity to be a witness, to communicate the Good News about the risen Jesus and the power of the resurrection. We can communicate by words, by a smile, by being kind, through our actions, through our generosity.

Think about someone who impacted your life, who communicated the Good News to you. There’s a great example for you! Just like Miss Rose is a marvelous example for me, to be a witness despite pain and suffering, even through difficulty in my life. I can still communicate God’s love, just like the aged Apostle John did, too, decades after the Resurrection. He was even in prison when he wrote his letters, on a little island in the Mediterranean Sea. That didn’t make any difference. John still told his story, how the risen Jesus made a difference in his life.

What is important is that we get out there and start being a witness, telling people about the power of God, and about how much the risen Jesus has changed our lives. Can you be a witness? It’s as simple as telling your story. Can you tell the story of Jesus and His love? Jesus loves you. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves all of us.  Be witnesses. Alleluia, Amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

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Are We Doubters, Too?

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“Are We Doubters, Too?”

John 20:19-31 (20:29) – April 7, 2024

            Seeing is believing! Or . . . is it?

            I wonder what things come to mind when I mention the phrase, “Seeing is believing”? Or even, “I won’t believe it until I see it!” Sometimes, people can be really doubtful, even really skeptical about things. I can just imagine several people I know folding their arms across their chests and saying, “Unless you show me . . . “

            In the gospel account we read today, from John 20, the disciple Thomas had just that reaction. After the Resurrection, the first time Jesus came to the disciples, Thomas was not there. We’re not told why, simply that he wasn’t there. Maybe he was scared, maybe he was away for the day, or out of town. Maybe he was sick. We just aren’t told why he wasn’t there.

            The ‘why’ is not the important part. The fact that Thomas wasn’t present the first time is. Thomas had doubts. Sincere doubts. Truth to tell, the other disciples’ story was a little farfetched. I mean, how many people have you known who came back from the dead, and walked through walls into a locked room?

            I wonder. I wonder if Thomas’ reaction strikes a chord with anyone here today. How many of us today are like Thomas? Doubting that Jesus has risen indeed from the dead? Or, completely missing Jesus, and doubting that Jesus is even here at all, today?

            Let’s think some more about Thomas and his reaction. Thomas not only doubted, he wanted concrete proof. Tangible proof, proof he could touch and feel and handle. Thomas wanted to put his hands in the nail marks on Jesus’ hands. That’s pretty concrete. But – what about you and me? Do we want concrete proof that God is working in our lives right now? Do we want concrete proof that Jesus rose from the dead and is present with us, today?

            The second time the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples, it was also in a locked room. And, this time, Thomas was present. Let’s paint the picture. The disciples are huddled together in the Upper Room, still frightened of the Jewish leaders. It’s only been a little over a week since their Rabbi Jesus had died on the cross, after all! I’d imagine they would be shaking in their shoes! Then, the risen Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of them all, Thomas included. What do you think would be going through Thomas’s mind right about now? His Rabbi, his Lord, back from the dead, right in front of him!

            Let’s go further as we imagine Thomas’s face, and imagine what he is thinking and feeling as the risen Lord Jesus invites Thomas to touch Him. Then, we look around at the faces of the other disciples and try to figure out what they are thinking and feeling, too! The commentator Carolyn Brown says that she suspects the disciples “are glad Thomas asked his question because they really wanted to know the same thing but were afraid to ask.  It does take courage to ask some questions and Thomas had it.” [1]

            I think that “doubting Thomas” is not the most accurate nickname for this earnest disciple. Perhaps, maybe, just maybe, we ought to think of Thomas as courageous Thomas. Because, it takes real courage to ask out loud some of those questions Thomas wanted the answers to. After all, he was a real “show-me!” kind of guy, and not in a mean way, either. A healthy skepticism is just that – healthy and curious.

            I wonder whether our doubts and fears about Jesus and the Resurrection can be as easily taken care of, as Thomas’s? What if our problem is less doubt, and more fear? Fear of being misunderstood by others, fear of looking foolish, fear of falling flat on our face? Perhaps, some kind of nebulous fear that you and I do not even understand, but we know is deep down inside of us?

            Let us return to Thomas. When he sees our risen Lord Jesus in the flesh – the resurrected body – he suddenly believes that everything the disciples were telling him about the resurrected Jesus is true! And, “he makes the climactic confession of John’s Gospel, addressing Jesus as, ‘My Lord and my God!’” When Thomas saw Jesus with his own eyes, that was enough for him. Enough to make the declaration of divinity directly to our risen Lord! Remember the confession made in the first verse of John chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [2]

            Sure, some healthy curiosity is just that – curiosity. And, some people are naturally skeptical. We know God can handle that! After all, that is the way God constructed many people. Our Lord Jesus is not surprised by any of this. He won’t get mad, or storm out, all upset. No! He was warm and accepting of Thomas and his “show-me” attitude, and even answered him right back! And, what did Thomas do? What did Thomas say to Jesus? “My Lord and my God!”

            As commentator David Lose tells us, Thomas offers those same readers a model for faithful response to an encounter with Jesus – belief, belief that leads to confession. All through the Gospel of John we see a variety of responses to Jesus. The confusion of Nicodemus the religious teacher, the trust of the Samaritan women, the stubborn fidelity of the man born blind, the disdain of Pilate, the denial of Peter. [3] John saves the best for last: he shows us the radical, bold confession of Thomas, sure and certain at last.

            Have there been long moments in your life where you have doubted God’s presence? Have you ever felt lost and alone, almost like the way the disciples felt right after the Crucifixion? We do not need to fear or be alone, because Jesus has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We can embrace our flickering faith with the same words of Thomas: “My Lord and my God!”          

So, the Gospel of John helps us to believe, too. This Gospel was not only written to bear witness so long ago, in the first century, months and years after Jesus was raised from the dead. This Gospel was also written for the many generations which have come to believe in Jesus Christ throughout the centuries. That includes us, too.

Even though today we may have doubts, and fears, and unbelief, and wonder whether, and why, or even why not, Jesus comes to us in our doubts and fears and unbelief. Our Lord comes to us with reassurance and open arms and says “Do not doubt, but believe!” And our faithful, bold response to Jesus? “My Lord and my God!” Alleluia, amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2015/02/year-b-second-sunday-of-easter-april-12.html

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/its-not-about-thomas  

[3] Ibid.

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Only the Beginning!

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“Only the Beginning!”

Mark 16:1-8 (16:7) – March 31, 2024

            Who here is on social media? Surfing the web, looking through my several accounts is a pleasant way to pass the time, but it is also a way to see some really humorous things. For example, just yesterday I saw a meme that said “In order to be truly Biblical, the only people invited to the sunrise Easter service will be women.” Because, at sunrise on that first Easter, that is all who were there – the women were the first witnesses to the Resurrection!

            We know more about what happened on that Easter Sunday from the other Gospel accounts. But, Mark? Not so much. Mark writes in his usual concise, blunt manner. Short on details and description, heavy on action. Let’s take a closer look at our Gospel reading.

            “After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.” 

I want to remind everyone that Jesus did not have only men disciples. There were many more than just the twelve men named in the Gospels. “In their accounts of Jesus’ last days, all four gospel writers mention “the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee”.  Taken together we find that eight women are named, with the most familiar being Mary Magdalene.” [1]

Some of these faithful women go to their Rabbi’s tomb early on Sunday. What did they encounter? What was it that really happened early that Sunday?

The big stone rolled over the entrance to the tomb must have been worrying the women. Mark even mentions it. I suspect they already were discussing how their combined strength was probably not enough to even budge the stone. But—what is this? The stone is already rolled away! It’s the first inkling that things at the tomb are not as these women first thought.          

“So they entered the tomb, where they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe—and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here—he has been raised!”

            Their Rabbi, whom they had just seen die three days ago in the most horrific way, is suddenly said to be miraculously alive – awake, aware, and raised from the dead!  

            Let’s continue with the angel’s words from Mark 16: “Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Frankly, the reaction of the women makes a great deal of sense. “Terror would be a natural response to the unexpected, especially where a dead loved one is concerned. Amazement would certainly be realistic when the terror of the moment gives way to a hint of hope. Could it really be true? Could the prophecies have been fulfilled?” [2]

            Of course, looking back with our historical perspective and the perspective of faith in our risen Lord Jesus Christ, it is next to impossible for us to imagine what it was like for the women disciples, encountering an empty tomb!

These words are the first ending of the gospel of Mark, right here. Yes, our Bibles have some additional verses that come after verse 8, that were added later on. But, right here is where we are left for now. The women frightened half to death, and no trace of the men disciples up to this point. What happens now? This is surely infinitely more agonizing a cliff-hanger than any radio serial or any two-part television episode!

The immediate response of the disciples isn’t really that far-fetched when you stop to think about it. We have already seen the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the desertion of his disciples, and “finally even the failure of these women, who up to this point had proved the most faithful of his disciples. They are afraid, too afraid to speak of the wonders they have heard. And so Mark ends here, right here, inviting us the reader to pick up where these women left off and share the good news announced by the messenger at the empty tomb.” [3]

We know the men disciples scoffed at the women’s testimony, at first. I don’t know if I could have believed this right away, either. What would your response have been?

But wait, the blessed reality is that our God conquered death. We don’t just hope so, we don’t think it would just be a nice idea, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and the angel told the women the blessed truth. It took some time for all the disciples to believe it and fully comprehend it, but that is a reality we can trust today, too.

We know now, from the other Gospel accounts, that this was just the beginning of the story, the beginning of that Good News, that Jesus has risen, indeed! Despite worry, anxiety, despair, loss, and cynicism today, we know the tomb is empty.

As commentator David Lose says, “The story of what God is doing in and through Jesus isn’t over at the empty tomb, you see. It’s only just getting started. Resurrection isn’t a conclusion, it’s an invitation. And Jesus’ triumph over death, sin, and hate isn’t what Mark’s Gospel is all about. Rather, Mark’s Gospel is all about setting us up to live resurrection lives and continue the story of God’s redemption of the world.”

            Our opening hymn “He Lives!” has the words “I serve a living Savior, He’s in the world today.” Our Lord Jesus wants each of us to go out and tell others that He lives! Easter Sunday is not a nice nursery story or a pretty fairy tale. It is saving truth. I know – we all know that our Redeemer lives!  Jesus came to redeem His people from their sins. The Resurrection is not the end of the story. It’s only the beginning!

And yes, we are invited to witness to Him, to go and tell everyone that Jesus Christ is risen today! Share this Good News, today! Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://juniaproject.com/did-jesus-spend-most-time-12-men/  (Matthew 27:55, Mark 15:40, Luke 23:49, John 19:25)

[2] https://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2012/04/a-story-for-uncertain-times/

[3] https://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/easter-b-only-the-beginning/

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Redeemed – Imperishable!

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“Redeemed – Imperishable!”

1 Peter 1:17-23 – April 23, 2023

            Have you ever heard children or young people bicker? Argue back and forth? I can remember listening to my own children argue, getting mad at each other, and slamming the door or stomping out of the room. And, even sometimes being really mean to each other in front of their friends or other family members!

            In our Bible reading from 1 Peter today, the apostle tells us to “love each other from the heart.” This loving attitude from Peter is not what siblings or friends often show to each other. What a shocking or sad difference it makes when siblings, or friends – or when you or I – say mean things or act badly towards each other. I thought 1 Peter chapter 1 tells us to “love each other from the heart!” ALL the time! Except, it just doesn’t happen in the real world.

            I would like to remind us all about this epistle written to scattered believers throughout modern-day Turkey. This little letter at the end of the New Testament came several decades after the events of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Many of the people who were actual witnesses of the resurrected Lord Jesus had themselves died. These were actual eye-witnesses. They knew beyond a reasonable doubt, they understood with all of their hearts that they were indeed redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, as the apostle affirms here in our reading today.

As I said last week, the local governments and authorities were cracking down on anything that looked like rebellion or conflict against the accepted status quo. The situation throughout the whole region was, frankly, dangerous for these new believers! Yet, they kept on spreading the witness of the Resurrection, telling others that the Lord Jesus had redeemed them! And that you can be redeemed, too!

 But, what do you and I need to be redeemed from?

You, and I, and the rest of the world, all have a big problem – the sin problem.

We are not perfect, and we all make mistakes. We fall flat on our faces, sometimes, and we can say mean things to each other, act badly towards each other, and even hurt each other. Lots of people try really hard to make themselves pure, to strive as hard as they can to live right, to keep to the straight and narrow, to run as hard as they can or as fast as possible to get right with God. But, they trip up or fall behind, or miss the mark – again and again.

Can you relate? Do you know what I am talking about? Do you see people running on these endless, hopeless hamster wheels, spinning their wheels of striving? Trying to build a ladder to heaven to get to God? It just doesn’t work. We – on our own – cannot do it.        

What does 1 Peter 1 say about this huge problem? How can we solve it?  

Quick answer? We fallible, faulty humans never can make it to heaven on our own.

The apostle tells his readers they must be born again, just like the conversation with Jesus in John chapter 3. Like Nicodemus thought in John 3, we could talk about being born again, or think about being born from above. Except, I want to focus on verses 18 and 19 where the apostle says we “were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors” “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

The apostle Peter was brought up in a Jewish home, and he – like the other disciples understood the system of sacrifice in the Temple. Everyone sinned, and everyone needed to make sacrifices in the Temple so that God would forgive their sins. Especially at Passover time, a lamb without blemish was slain as a sacrifice for the sins of each person or family. I don’t know if we all understand all this today, but the apostle tells us right here that our sins – yours and mine – are taken care of, once for all. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, the one without sin, died on the cross for our sins. All of our sins.

And, it is finished. Our debt of imperfection and sinfulness before God is cleared away.

 Some people understand redemption and salvation in different ways. Yes, Jesus Christ is the perfect Lamb of God who died on the cross for you and me. Yes, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, so that we believers in Him can rise, too! Yes, the blood of Jesus Christ redeems us, and “has redemptive power to liberate Christians from their pasts, making it possible for them to live a radically transformed existence. This transformation had already been inaugurated when they were born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” [1]

We do not need to sacrifice endless animals over and over simply to be good enough, clean enough, able to approach God. No! Easter is so much more than just a single day at the end of Passion Week. Because of what Jesus Christ has done, “weeks [and months] after Easter Sunday, we are still talking about Jesus. We should still be talking about those events. It’s that important to our faith. This passage tells us that our faith and hope are in God.” [2]

             Which brings us back full circle to the command we started with: the apostle tells us to “love each other from the heart.”When we come to believe in Jesus, believe in salvation and redemption, we don’t believe with just our heads, or with just our intellect. We also believe in our hearts. 1 Peter chapter 1 says to “love each other from the heart.” Can you see how our minds, feelings and actions are all rolled into one? That’s all of what Jesus redeemed!

            So – we are to love one another with our hearts, minds and actions. That is what we are commanded to do here, by the apostle. This is truly a way to make the Resurrection part of your life and mine, today.

We can ask God to bring us opportunities this week to show God’s love – in all ways – to others we encounter. This is how we can have a true, Godly love for one another, loving each other with all our hearts, minds and actions. Are we ready?

Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/third-sunday-of-easter/commentary-on-1-peter-117-23-5

[2] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/a-living-hope/third-sunday-of-easter-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes/third-sunday-of-easter-year-a-childrens-message

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Not Seen, But Loved

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“Not Seen, But Loved”

1 Peter 1:3-9 – April 16, 2023

            Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! This is the ancient Easter affirmation and declaration that has come down to us today, in the 21st century. I am using this greeting because Easter is so much more than just a day at the end of the Passion Week. In fact, Easter is so much more than bunnies and brightly dyed eggs, so much more than Easter bonnets and fancy clothing, so much more than candy and Easter baskets. So, what is Easter all about?

            As we look at our Scripture reading this morning from 1 Peter chapter 1, we see right up front: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Right off the bat, the apostle states where we get our hope from, our living hope: through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

            But, how can we have faith in Someone we have never seen? Someone who was raised from the dead, by verbal report? A long, long time ago, at that?

            This little letter at the end of the New Testament came several decades after the events of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, and after a number of the people who were actual witnesses of the resurrected Lord Jesus had themselves died. The local governments and authorities were cracking down on anything that looked like rebellion or conflict against the accepted status quo. The situation throughout the whole region was, frankly, dangerous for these new believers! Yet, they kept on spreading the witness of the Resurrection, telling what Jesus had done in their lives.

But, that isn’t the case today! Is it? No one would be afraid to speak up for Jesus, to witness to the Resurrection today, would they? Well, actually, yes. In the region I just visited some days ago, the region of North Africa and the Middle East, wide areas have official papers that everyone must have filed with the regional or local governments. When a baby is born, each one has a religious designation given to them: often, it’s Muslim, Christian, or Jew. In Muslim-majority areas, it is often frowned upon for a Muslim to change their religious designation. Period. Even if an adult wishes to change their religious designation on their identity papers, it is forbidden, by the government as well as the religious leaders. And sometimes by families, too.

This modern-day attitude that is continuing through large areas around the world today gives me a whole new insight to the great difficulty the apostle was dealing with, right here in this letter to scattered new believers throughout the region surrounding Palestine! The year is probably the early 60’s, and this letter was either written by the apostle Peter, or perhaps dictated by Peter to a fellow church leader who wrote it out for him.

I wonder again: how can we – today – have faith in Someone we have never seen? Someone who was raised from the dead, by report?

Just like many believers today in North Africa and the Middle East, “This letter was written [during the first century] when the church was under constant threat; when the benediction was spoken in a whisper because everyone knew when they gathered again someone likely would be missing, caught up in the cleansing, deportations, and imprisonment. They were afraid of their neighbors. They were afraid people might discover that they practiced a minority religion, a suspect faith. They worried that neighbors might turn them in to the increasingly vigilant authorities who were out to make the nation safe.” [1]

I suspect that the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, and the other disciples had absolutely no idea that centuries later Easter would turn into a fancy dress occasion, with Easter bonnets, best clothes, and lots of candy, chicks, bunnies and Easter baskets. No, Easter in the first century was a whole different occasion. A joyous one, certainly! Yet, not one that was safe, at all. Too many perilous situations, too many unexpected and dangerous people who might be listening!

“If the question ‘should we hide’ is the one being addressed, who better than Peter to answer it? Peter, who professed his loyalty to his Lord with moral conviction and then ran like a scared bunny when things got heated. Peter, who claimed his steadfastness with loud protests and then claimed to not know who they were talking about when someone asked him about this Jesus. Of course, Peter would answer this question. He’s been there.”  He knows. [2]

Thirty years after the Resurrection and Ascension in the first century, thousands had responded to the Good News, the witness of these who had actually seen the resurrected Christ. Countless thousands more had come to believe on the strength of the witness of those who had not seen and yet were committed to this Good News, blessed promise of Resurrection.

 “Can you have faith in someone you’ve never seen?” The 1 Peter passage calls us to thankfulness for what God does in our lives! This reading also encourages us to have continued faith even though we haven’t physically seen Jesus. The might and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and this same Good News of the Resurrection are preached from countless pulpits today, and shared by countless people throughout the centuries.

Some questions that face each of us today, highlighted by this reading from 1 Peter? Is Jesus your Companion, your Friend? Has Jesus worked in your life? How has Jesus come alongside of you? And, most central, is the Resurrection part of your life today?

As the apostle said in verse 8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Do you and I truly know this inexpressible and glorious joy?

            We can have this living hope, no matter what! Peter says so, right here! Peter and the early, scattered church had it! Persecuted believers around the world, throughout the centuries have had it! And, we can have this hope, too. Living hope, and inexpressible and glorious joy.

Is this call-and-response just an ancient saying, repeated by rote? Or is it a true and heartfelt witness to the Resurrection? We can truly, joyfully say Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia, amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/a-living-hope/second-sunday-of-easter-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes/second-sunday-of-easter-year-a-preaching-notes

[2] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/a-living-hope/second-sunday-of-easter-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes/second-sunday-of-easter-year-a-preaching-notes

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Ascended into Heaven

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“Ascended into Heaven”

Acts 1:1-11 (1:11) – May 29, 2022

            When I was young, I attended a Lutheran church on the northwest side of Chicago. That church had many traditions, including everyone in the church reciting the Apostles Creed after the sermon each Sunday. This church does not have this tradition, at least, it hasn’t for a long time. Many words from the Apostles Creed are familiar, of course, but it is not quite like the Lord’s Prayer. We do not recite it here as often as every single Sunday.  

            What about the section of the Apostles Creed that highlights our Lord Jesus Christ? I invite you to say it along with me: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

            Today we are celebrating “On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,” How amazing this must have been for Jesus’ followers! I know we have been over the same ground during this Easter season, as we consider Jesus and the time line after His resurrection. This whole string of events must have been absolutely out of the disciples’ experience.

            Imagine, your Rabbi and leader gets arrested, tried, and killed in a most horrible way. You are devastated. Then, on the third day, some of your women companions come back with a wild story – absolutely amazing! And, it’s true. You see the risen Jesus, too!

            Fast forward several weeks, The risen Lord Jesus appears to you and your companions a number of times, and continues to teach and prepare you – for what? If we go back to the Apostles Creed, this creed is a quick synopsis and theological summary of Jesus, His life, death, resurrection and ascension. Except, we are going to stay on the ascension part. The resurrected Jesus was around for some weeks, long enough for the disciples to kind of accustom themselves to His presence.

What do you know? The disciples (at least most of them!) were more interested in what was going to happen politically! Look at what Dr. Luke highlights for us here in Acts 1: “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

“The disciples were still interested in the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. [Except,] the days and seasons of coming events were not something the disciples needed to worry about. Matters of churchmanship, denominational doctrines, church growth, church/state relations…… and the like, all pale before a far greater purpose” [1] that the risen Lord Jesus tried to communicate just before He ascended into heaven.

We can see this clearly from our Lord’s response: “Jesus said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus used stories to communicate great truths all during the three years He was an itinerant Rabbi, journeying all around Palestine. Is it any wonder that one of the most effective ways of “witnessing” to our Lord Jesus is by telling our personal stories?

            The Apostles Creed states that Jesus “ascended to heaven” and “he sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” We can see God sitting on a heavenly throne (perhaps in the temple from Isaiah 6!), and Jesus sits right beside God on God’s right hand. This was a very important place in historic accounts about kings. “The most important person other than the king always sat on the kings’ right hand.  What we are saying about Jesus is that he is right with God and that he is more important than any angel or any person who has ever lived.” [2]

            Yes, this account from Acts 1 is one of our most treasured stories about Jesus, along with the story of the Passion, the trials, and the Crucifixion. And then, we have the greatest story ever told in the account of the Resurrection and its aftermath! Can’t these stories about Jesus be paired with our own personal stories?

            In track and field, when the runners run a relay race, they pass a baton from one to another as each begins to run their leg of the race. Another way to think about the risen Lord Jesus ascending into heaven is Jesus passing the baton to His disciples. They have been in training for these past three years, and now our Lord Jesus is about to leave. “Jesus did tell them very clearly that they were to take up his ministry on earth.  His earthly part of the race was complete, but theirs was just starting.” [3] 

            We are witnesses to Jesus and His power and transformation in our lives today. Jesus “comes to you and me, he comes to his Church, lifts us up, loves us without limit, and invites us to tell the story of love over and over again. Remember His words: ”You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world.” [4]  How has Jesus been active in our lives, today? How is He telling the story of love to each of us? Jesus invites us to go and tell – tell others, today! Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyot/ascensionot.html

[2] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2016/04/year-c-ascension-of-lord-thursday-may-5.html

[3] Ibid.

[4] “‘Why do you stand looking up into heaven?’ (Acts 1:11),” William Loader, Being the Church Then and Now: Issues from the Acts of the Apostles.