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A short poem/prayer to remind ourselves that Easter is not over. This is the second of seven Sundays of Eastertide, and beyond that, the message of Easter extends to each day as it comes.
Into the darkness and gloom
of poverty and sickness,
of hostility and racism,
of sadness and fear and confusion,
Dear Lord, the light of your Easter morning
shines still in our lives and in our world,
and brings comfort and hope and courage.
Thank you for this kind and wonderful gift.
Now some thoughts on some of the lessons for Sunday -
Acts 4.32-35
+ we read from Acts during the Sundays of Easter. This passage is one of a series of summaries showing how things are going as time goes by and the Word spreads and the community grows. The first summary came right after the events of Pentecost and Peter’s sermon, this one comes right after Peter and John heal a man, are arrested, and released. Luke shows us how the power embodied in these events also forms and strengthens the community.
+ the community was all of one heart and soul, and they shared possessions. It embodied unity and charity.
+ complete sharing of possessions is one form of responsible use of possessions, but there are others – renouncing all, giving alms. What works for you with respect to possessions? And note this was sharing to alleviate the poverty within the group. Addressing the poverty of the whole world will come later. Which is easier for us – to deal with poverty among church members, friends, neighbors, or poverty in third world countries?
+ “The community is an odd and crucial presence in a culture of competition, conflict, isolation, brutality.” Easter makes a different way of life possible.
+ Luke describes a relationship with God, and with each other, in this world. In fact, Luke envisions the church becoming a new family – how does that work? Do you see points of possible conflict?
Psalm 133
+ “a psalm of ascent” – a pilgrimage psalm. Maybe they sang it on the way to Jerusalem? Maybe day by day as the trials and tensions of pilgrimage began to weigh heavy? When might you find yourself singing this psalm?
+ the oil running down – well, sounds kind of icky. On the one hand, if the oil represents blessing, then we can picture blessing running down. On the other hand, one writer notes that “life is so good it must be marked by luxury and extravagance at times.” What do you do for extravagance?
+ the dew of Mt Hermon – refreshes the land, settles the dust.
1 John 1.1-2.2
+ we read through most of 1 John during Eastertide, so a few introductory thoughts. The letter is really an address to a congregation from which some have separated off and are now beginning to pose a threat. (Apparently saying that Jesus was not the Christ – see 2.22) One thought is that the address itself is structured like this -
-a prologue (vs 1-4),
-one main section (1.5-3.10 which begins “This is the message…”) about experiencing the Divine, walking in the light, and awareness of and opposition to sin,
-a second main section (3.11-5.12, again beginning with “This is the message…”) about loving each other,
-an epilogue (5:13-21)
+ John stresses the reality of the Easter (and beyond) experience. What we have heard, felt, seen, and we are telling you because this makes for happiness. What parts of the Easter experience lingers with us – what did we see, hear, taste, touch, smell?
+ vs 1 – “from the beginning” – the prologue obviously is meant to harmonize with the beginning of the gospel. Here an added subtlety is that “beginning” can refer to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the beginning of the Christian witness.
+ “sharing” (several times in the passage) – sharing with God in a vertical dimension, and sharing with others in a horizontal dimension. Both are significant; is one more important for you?
+ God, and the experience of God, is light shining in the darkness showing us how to live and helping us. And living in the light allows us to live together as Ps 133 envisions.
+ “If we say we have no sin….” Sin is a part of life, and so it is not so much a “yes” or “no”, but rather a matter of degree? Ultimately we belong to light and not to sin.
When we are living, it is in Christ Jesus;
And when we’re dying, it is in the Lord.
Both in our living, and in our dying,
We belong to God, we belong to God.
John 20.19-31
+ as we noted last week, John has essentially 2 resurrection appearances – last week to Mary Magdalene and 2 disciples; and this week to Thomas and the other ten. Recall that Thomas often asked a question that allowed Jesus to explain or expand. Here he is the reason Jesus goes on to say “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
+ and it extends the thought from last week that there are different ways people come to faith. Some by hearing, some by seeing, some by touch. If you add in the Emmaus story from Luke, some by taste!
+ coming to faith is not a once for all time kind of thing, it is a decision that must be made anew in each new situation. The last “convert” in the gospel is Thomas, a disciple, even one of the twelve.
+ Jesus shows them his hands and side, where he was wounded. Is that to emphasize that the crucified Jesus and the risen Lord are one? Aren’t we tempted to sometimes just focus on the resurrection and bypass the suffering – in our own lives, I mean?
+ the appearances do not simply attest to his resurrection, they change life for the disciples, empowering them for the future.
+ He breathed on them. I guess I’m glad that it was the bread and the wine that became the sacrament, not the “breathing on.” But this is “pentecost” for John – the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
+ and the power to forgive or retain sins. How does that work out – if God forgives but we don’t? Where in our lives today do we do this well, where not so well? Is it easy for you to forgive, not hard? Are there people you know who seem to do it easily, or with difficulty? Why do you think that is?
+ and “As I was sent, so I send you.” Again, it is not just proving the past, it is pointing to a future.
+ the passage really is about Jesus more than about Thomas. Jesus comes to people in hiding, held captive by confusion and fear, and brings them peace and power.
+ and finally Thomas – does he “doubt”? Or is he somehow just “unable to believe”. Does he “refuse to believe”? One writer notes that while we do not have the advantage Thomas has (being able to see and touch), we also do not have his handicap – we have never known Jesus crucified, dead, and buried. Just like I have never really known life without electricity – well, going to camp, but even there we had flashlights, and now a small solar panel. But from the very beginning, I have always known Jesus Risen.
+ vs 30 this sounds like an ending. (Many scholars think ch 21 with the fishing and the breakfast was added later.) If so, note that here it ends with grace – “through believing you will have life.”
That’s what I got for now….
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