Show and Tell As God's Children
3rd Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2009
Luke 24:36b-48 with Acts 3:12-19 and I John 3:1-7
You are witnesses of these things!
We observe many realities. At 5 AM I heard birds serenading a brand new dawn. I watched a few of you drive into the church parking lot, make your way up the sidewalk, and enter the nave. I have overheard you Sunday after Sunday conversing with each other. At times there is small talk. At others times there are also questions of concern: "How are you doing?" How is your child, your mother or father, your son or daughter, your friend? Often there is also a mutual caring. This past week I have also noticed mothers nursing their babies, older and younger couples holding hands. I have been privileged to be with an older woman whose mind though at times seemingly confused still rejoices as she hears her adult grandchildren sing the promises of faith that have upheld her through her 91 years. I have felt her hold my hands in hers and with joy say, wunderbar as she listens to me read Scripture. Yes, we observe so much. But I wonder: what are we willing to witness to? What would we deeply desire to share with others whatever the cost?
Those early disciples had seen a lot. They heard Jesus speak in a synagogue. He had told them stories that moved their hearts. He had touched people that few if any would even approach. He had taken children up in his arms, that that the disciples had wanted to shush. Those disciples could likely read Jesus' eyes. They knew many of the inflections of his voice. But NOW, he has been taken away from them. Worse than that, not just taken but literally ripped from their presence. And then, Jesus had been executed. Though many of them hadn't seen that with their own eyes, others had told them. It was common knowledge. Jesus was dead!
To make things worse, they had abandoned him. Now the truth was obvious. Once they had an image of who they were. But Jesus' suffering and death brought to light a much deeper reality about their lives than they had ever wanted to see. They are cowards. When push came to shove they had thought of themselves first. They had abandoned him. Now they are ashamed, broken, paralyzed by fear.
Yes, they had hoped in him. Maybe they even had hoped a bit in themselves. But in his death, the shadows of darkness not only lengthened – those shadows of their failure, and fear, of the horrific powers of empire and death. Now those shadows engulfed and swallowed them whole. There they are, DESPAIRING.
Can you identify?
I have often set numerous goals. I make promises to myself, to others, sometimes even to God. I will maintain closer contact. I will call them or email them regularly. I will spend more time in prayer. I will be a better caretaker of the earth. I will drive less, spend less, walk more. I will be more appreciative of my wife. I will even cook occasionally. I will out of the blue phone, email our children. I will visit those people who are somewhat disconnected from this community. But then other realities encroach, my realities. I get busy. I am tired. I am preoccupied with others, with things I am convinced that I need to do. Then my promises are forgotten or delayed. They are to be sure shattered. Life and death wade in. The hours, the days, the months, the years pass. My good promises, my honorable intentions are swallowed up disappearing like a shimmering mirage of water hanging over pavement on a hot summer's day as one approaches.
Sometimes those affected by my broken promises, by my failures to love and care for them mumble – that it's OK, that my failure doesn't matter. At other times those affected, those hurt show that not keeping my promises does matter. They cry. They had counted on me. Species of birds, fish and other creatures even disappear. In those moments I am confronted by who I am. Sometimes my negligence, my consumption, my preoccupation and fear result in loss, pain for others and to be sure, for myself.
To be sure those early disciples of Jesus are in great pain. But to this pain of Jesus' suffering and death and their abandonment of him comes another word – the Word. First, some of their number come and tell them that they have seen Jesus. He is no longer dead, held by the deep shadows of hatred and violence – of might is right. Instead he has been raised! He is alive. Now he appears to them. They are terrified. He is not a ghost. He somehow has flesh and bones. To remind them of who he is – he eats with them as he so often has. They are still not convinced. They may be overjoyed – but it's too good to be true. They are still skeptical.
Luke tells us that Jesus is aware of their skepticism. So now Jesus teaches them, opening their minds. Truly Jesus was to suffer, to rise from the dead. In that reality he enables those disciples to turn to God. And in turning to God they experience new beginnings – firstly with God, and then with others and all creation.
It is only then that Jesus tells those early disciples that they are witnesses of these things. They don't just observe these realities. They are also to share these amazing realities with others – in fact with all peoples, dare I say it, therefore also with all creation.
The fact that we are present in this place, that there are people who continue to experience in some ways the reality of the risen Jesus tells us unmistakably that those disciples did become witnesses, not mere observers, but also people who told, who embodied the truth that Jesus is alive and brings with Him new life.
It is Jesus who suffered and suffers as others suffer who is alive. It is Jesus who cared about people in their totality, mind, body and spirit, who then fed them, healed them, listened to them, touched them, restored them to community who is alive. It is Jesus, who loves the world – who suffers and dies but is also raised that calls those early disciples and all people into a community that eats together, prays together, and is sent out to love the world. The disciples are witnesses to these things.
The focus, the foundation of their lives is the reality of this Jesus, the One whom they eventually begin to call Lord.
We observe and experience many realities. Some are wonderful, amazing, heart warming, inspiring. Others are horrific, tragic, depressing, seeking to drag us down into the very depths of the pit. And all are real, part of this experience we call "life". Jesus, the Messiah is not absent from any of this, but comes into it all, FOR US and for all CREATION. He comes not as a stranger but as One who knows, who himself suffers and dies at the hands of the powers of violence, hatred, jealousy, fear, apathy, – in a very real sense at our hands. We need to experience this reality. If we don't we are missing on important parts of our truth.
But, this Jesus doesn't turn His back on us. He finds us, even as we are held by the strongest forces of failure, of rejection, both within and beyond ourselves. He comes as this suffering, dying, wounded one – with wounded hands, hearts and sometimes mind – and brings us towards new life. For you see He is also risen, alive. He wants to show us that with God even though the forces of death and evil are horribly powerful both individually and collectively – they are not the lasting, nor the final word. The risen noticeably wounded Jesus comes to bring us and the world new life, forgiveness, new beginnings. God can do this – even to and with and among us. Are we watching, observing, experiencing?
As we are he calls us to be his witnesses. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are! (I John 3:1) Amen.