Message Based on Acts 16:16-34

Reading from the Acts of the Apostles: Acts 16:16-34 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

Will others looking at you notice that you are with Jesus?

"What must I do to be saved?…" asked the Jailer. At one time or another, all of us have asked a variation of this question.

 

 

What must I do to overcome what hinders me? … What must I do to accomplish my goal?… What must I do to learn what I have to learn, to adapt where I have to adapt, and adjust where I have to adjust in order to deal with the situation at hand? … What must I do to be saved from what destroys me? What must I do to be saved from my particular burden, my addiction, my emptiness, or my pain?

 

The way we answer such questions affects our lives and the lives of those around us. The answers to these questions influence our interactions with our neighbors and our mission. The way we live out our answers to these questions tells a story of our relationship with God. We spend a lot of time telling and listening to stories.

 

When families gather for a special occasion (birthday, funeral, wedding, graduation, holiday) everybody shares stories. When the meal is over and dessert plates are stacked in the middle of the table, everybody gathers in a central place and memories begin to flow.

 

Each memory is a story and each story has a meaning that goes beyond words. Each story is intended to convey or to teach something important (at least in the mind of the person who is telling the story). Each story has a cultural connotation; the same story will be interpreted differently in different regions of the world or by people with different socio-economic, political or ethnic backgrounds. Meaning is found at the intersection of our stories.

 

The value of these stories goes far beyond entertainment. These stories define what we believe to be right, true and beautiful. These stories have meaning and power beyond anything that we can easily recognize or define. These stories reveal our understanding of who God is and the way the world works. These stories reflect what is important in our lives and what is not. Stories our grandparents share affect us today. The stories that we share today will affect our mission in the world today and influence countless future generations through our actions.

 

The reading from Acts 16:16-34  tells one such story. It is a story of exorcism, healing, and outrage. There are mob scenes and courtroom drama. It is a story of liberation and celebration. In this story Paul is at the center of the action, and God very busy at work in the town of Philippi. The story that today’s reading from Acts brings us is nuanced with meaning; the way we understand and interpret today’s reading from Acts depends on what we hold to be important, right, true and beautiful in our lives.

 

Today’s reading from Acts is about our need to give ourselves permission to ask the question, "What I must do …" and also gives us permission to take corrective action in our lives.

 

The young woman was possessed by an evil spirit. The men who used her were possessed by their greed. Paul was annoyed and angered by the young woman who heckled him and he – Paul – was possessed by narrow thinking (he healed the woman but not because he had her best interests in mind, but because he was annoyed and tired of listening to her). The men who judged, flogged and locked up Paul were possessed by fear and a hunger for power. The Jailer was possessed by the jail to the extent that when he thought that the prisoners had escaped, he wanted to kill himself.

 

Paul healed the possessed young woman of her demons, but he did nothing to free her from being a possession, she remained a slave. Did he have the courage to ask the question, "what must I do…?" in relation to the slave girl. We don’t know. The Bible tells us nothing about Paul’s connection to that young woman. However, he did ask this question and do the right thing when the prison doors opened, which resulted in helping the Jailer to recognize the living God.

 

In response to Paul’s actions, the Jailer had the courage to ask the question, "what must I do…". I can almost hear the Jailer saying, "Paul, I like your courage and your confidence; what must I do to be more like you?"

 

What can we take from this reading from Acts and how can we apply it to our lives?

 

The reading from Acts teaches us that when we ask &q
uot;what must I do…", sometimes we get so focused on the obvious answers that we miss the right answers.

 

 

When Paul healed the young slave woman, her owners were upset about their loss of income. Loss of income is NOT what they charged Paul and Silas with when they dragged them to court. Their charge was, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice" (Acts 16:20-21 NIV). There is nothing about loss of income in the charge. When they asked themselves, "what must we do about the loss of our income?" their response was focused on suing Paul and Silas. Wouldn’t it have been much more productive for them to use their energy to find new ways of earning income?

 

 

{ILLUSTRATION} The oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that started the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on March 21. Eleven lives were lost and our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones. A terrible ecological disaster ensued in the Gulf of Mexico. That disaster will affect ALL life on Earth for decades, if not centuries, because the Gulf of Mexico is a hatchery for many marine species that serve as a part of the food chain for other marine species, as well as for humans. Humanity is in a vulnerable spot and humanity is struggling with the question "what must we do in response to this disaster?" How we answer this question depends on our understanding of God’s presence in the world.

 

These days, much of the news coverage is centered on "who is responsible and who is going to pay for this ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico?" This question has nothing to do with understanding what really happened or what we need to do differently to prevent it from happening again. A much better question to ask would be "how do we develop energy that is more eco-friendly and less disaster prone?"

 

Although our challenges are much less drastic than the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, all of us face challenges. Socks are lost and toast is burned every day. We face challenges in our personal lives and we face challenges as a community. Today’s reading from Acts challenges us to ask what must we do, how must we adjust, adapt and change as a response to the changes and challenges that we are facing.

 

The way we respond to the challenges in our lives can bring us closer to God and demonstrate our connection to God. The way we respond to the challenges in our lives defines our mission, our actions and how we live as Christians.

 

When the young slave woman saw Paul and Silas, the spirit inside her recognized them to be "servants of the Most High God."

 

Will others looking at you notice that you are with Jesus?

My hope and prayer is that when our neighbors see how we live our lives, how we respond to our challenges, how we live out our Christian mission they will recognize us to be servants "of the Most High God"?

 

My hope and prayer is that when our neighbors recognize us to be servants "of the Most High God" they would want to ask one of us "I like what I see. What must I do…?"

 

New post about history of our church

Posted a new narrative (with pictures) about the history of our church.

Here is the link: http://wp.me/PfAG9-38

Reflection on Acts 16:16-34

 

"What must I do to be saved?…" ask the Jailer. At some time or another, all of us asked a variation of this question.

 

What must I do to overcome what hinders me? … What must I do to accomplish my goal?… What must I do to learn what I have to learn, to adapt where I have to adapt, and adjust where I have to adjust in order to deal with the situation at hand? … What must I do to be saved from what destroys me? What must I do to be saved from my particular burden, my addiction, my emptiness, or my pain?

 

Parables are stories whose intent is to bring hope and to make abstract concepts easy to understand. Parables are stories with intent that help us to answer a question, "What must I do…?" Parables are stories…

 

Do you realize how much time we spend telling and listening to stories?

 

When families gather for a special occasion (birthday, funeral, wedding, graduation, holiday) everybody shares stories. When the meal is over and dessert plates are stacked in the middle of the table, everybody gathers in a central place and memories begin to flow.

 

Each memory is a story and each story has meaning that goes beyond words. Each story has intent to convey or to teach something important (at least in the mind of a person who is telling the story). Each story has cultural meaning; the same story will be interpreted differently in different regions of the world or by people with different socio-economic, political or ethnical backgrounds. Meaning is found at the intersection of our stories.

 

The value of these stories goes far beyond entertainment. These stories define what we believe to be right, true and beautiful. These stories have meaning and power beyond anything that we easily recognize. These stories reveal our understanding of the way the world works. These stories define for us what is important in our lives and what is not. Stories our grandparents shared affect us today, just like the stories that we share today will affect countless future generations.

An awesome story from CNN

You can read it AT THIS LINK

"People with the least, tend to give the most"
From CNN’s video interview with Shay Kelley

Thinking Towards Sunday –25 April, 2010; “C” – Easter 4

This week’s lectionary readings:
Acts 9:36-43 //  Psalm 23 // Revelation 7:9-17  //  John 10:22-30

 

Here is a link to the readings: NIV  //  NRSV  //  The Message

 

Have you ever been disappointed? Angry? Frustrated? Scared? Hurt? All these are human emotions and all of us experienced them at one time or another.

 

It is in those time, when we are disappointed, angry, frustrated, scared or hurt that we pray, “When Lord…? Jesus, when will all that end…?,” whatever “all that” may be at the time?

 

In contemporary Judaism, the biblical Feast of the Dedication is known as Hanukkah. Festival of Hanukkah commemorates a military and religious victory. Under the leadership of Judas Maccabee the Jewish nation revolted, defeated their Greek conquerors, and rededicated the temple in 164 BCE. Feast of the Dedication commemorated the suffering of the Jews under the Greek Empire, and celebrated their victory over invaders as well as independence from foreign rule.

 

Can you imagine frustration and anger that the sight of occupying garrison, stories of unjust and cruel suffering at the hands of Romans and constant crucifixions stirred up among the people of Jerusalem as they celebrated the Feast of Dedication and contemplated the story of their independence and victory?

 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught that God is doing something new and different from what people became accustomed to. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus worked diligently and purposely to "build"/“make” disciples and followers of God who were able to think for themselves and to recognize God’s presence around them. Jesus consistently challenged his followers to observe, to listen and to think about what God was doing in the world around them.

 

Illustration: In the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7) we heard Jesus saying several times, “you have heard (or ‘it’s been said’) … but I tell you…”

 

Illustration: When John the Baptist was imprisoned, he sent a messenger to Jesus asking, “are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:2-3, Luke 7:19). Jesus did not respond by performing a miracle; instead Jesus enumerated all the wonderful things that John witnessed God do.

 

In today’s Gospel reading, we heard people of Jerusalem asking Jesus, "When will our humiliation end? When will the healing come? Jesus, can you help us or not? Are you the new hero who would drive out the hated Romans? Did you come to bring freedom and independence? Jesus, are you the Messiah or not?" Knowing and understanding what was happening in Jerusalem at the time, knowing that it was happening during the time of the Feast of Dedication helps us to recognize the frustration, the anger, the fear, and the anxiety of people who were asking these questions of Jesus.

 

When we are frustrated, when we are hurting, we want clear and definitive answers. People around Jesus wanted him to speak about military strategy and weapons. People around Jesus wanted him to speak about freedom from oppression. People around Jesus wanted him to assume military and political leadership. People around Jesus wanted him to do what they were expecting him to do: bring military triumph to the land of Israel and reestablish independent Jewish state.

 

From what the people of Jerusalem could observe, Jesus did NOT look or spoke like a military leader. Jesus spoke about being a "Good Shepherd" … Jesus spoke about sheep… Jesus spoke of self-sacrifice… All that talk about sheep and eternal life must have seemed so irrelevant, so cryptic, vague, offensive and evasive to those who hoped for tangible actions and results.

 

Last Thursday (21 April 2010), Bishop Johnson hosted a Town Hall Meeting for the Wilmington District. We saw presentations on the state of our beloved church (If you are interested, here is a link to a page on pen-del.org website with the presentation).

 

Realities of the current state of our conference are frustrating. Bishop Johnson presented following statistics on Thursday. Out of 448 churches in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference:

} 101 have less than 50 members

} 360 use less than 5% of their budget for missions (That indicates that we are not in tune with what God is doing in the world today)

} 64 use 85% of their budget for clergy support and building costs (that leaves very little for evangelism, outreach and mission. No wonder our church memberships are shrinking)

} 278 (62%) had no net growth in membership

} 153 (34%) had no professions of faith

 

Temptation is strong to cry, "Jesus! You have promised, ‘I will build my church’ (Matt 16:18 NIV). When will you send people into our magnificent buildings? We are your church, when will you send your revival in our midst?"

 

The truth is that Spirit of our Living Lord is active in the world around us. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that when we come to God with preconceived notions, our expectations are not in tandem with what God is doing, and our expectations are not met. We cannot force God to do our bidding.

 

There are generations of men and women who are excited about Jesus, who value their spirituality and connection to God while being, disenchanted with the Church. Not surprisingly these persons do not attend church. They are disenchanted with the Church because we (the church) became fixated on our expectations and find it difficult to be flexible and adaptable with the changing times. We spend inordinate amounts of time maintaining what we already have (buildings, programs and habits) instead of being the instruments of God’s grace and love to the world around us, instead of discerning what God is doing in the world and becoming excited and ignited by the Holy Spirit.

 

Our hope lies in the fact that we serve the Living God who IS present in the world around us, who IS doing something in the world that we live in. Healing and restoration comes when we take the time to discern what God is doing and when we make a conscious choice to join God in God’s mission, when we make a conscious choice to be instruments of God’s love and grace to the world around us.

Thinking Towards Sunday; “C” – Easter 3; Acts 9:1-6

NIV Acts 9:⁴ "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

 

Saul of Tarsus (whom we know as Paul) fascinates me. We are talking about a man who heard the call of God and committed his whole life to serving God long before encountering our Risen Lord on a road to Damascus (the story of that encounter is found in Acts 9:1-6).

 

How could an intelligent, rational, well educated and deeply religious person with rich spiritual life like Saul of Tarsus misinterpret what God was doing in the world around him and commit his life to persecuting Jesus (Acts 9:4) and Jesus’ followers?

 

 

Describing himself prior to this mysterious encounter with Jesus, Paul wrote in Acts 22:3-5,

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem, aft]. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way [the way of Jesus, aft] to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished" (NIV, clarification added).

 

Saul’s commitment to his call was evident in his lifestyle; he studied under Rabbi Gamaliel (the Rabbi from acts 5:34 who made a choice to defend Peter and other apostles in Sanhedrin). Yet, Saul commitment to his faith and ancestral traditions manifested itself in zealous (bordering of fanatical) persecution of the followers of Jesus.

 

 

Although God was already working in Paul’s life, calling him to a life of service, Paul’s interpretation of this call was strong commitment to eradicating ALL the followers of Jesus and preserving the purity of his faith and ancestral traditions because they did not fit his mold/understanding of who followers of God are or who God is. With the work ethic that would rival the famous Protestant work ethic, Paul was pressing on towards the goal of persecuting Christians. In his own eyes however, Saul was making personal sacrifices to ensure the survival of his people and his family.

 

 

The truth is that when Saul made a decision to persecute Christians, he made a conscious decision to do what he (Saul) thought was right, instead of discerning what God was doing in the world. By persecuting Christians, Saul of Tarsus made an assumption that the survival of God’s people depended on making sure that God’s love and grace was extended only to those who shared his (Saul’s) worldview. As a result of following his own agenda as opposed to God’s agenda, Paul ended up persecuting God in the person of Jesus (Acts 9:4) and in persons of Jesus’ followers!

 

 

I wonder how many devout, sincere Christians make a similar choice to do what we have always done, and to protect what we already have instead of listening to God, working to discern what God is doing in the world around us, and then working with God to make "all things new" (Isa 43:19, Rev 21:5).

Thinking Towards Sunday; “C” – Easter 3; John 21:1-19

Here is the link to the Gospel lesson: John 21:1-19

 

Dreams are good! History of humanity is built on BIG dreams.

 

George Washington Carver’s dream began with the question and a prayer, "Lord, why did you create peanuts?"

 

In his political career, Abraham Lincoln lost several elections before saying, "I think I will run for president!"

 

A nun named Sister Theresa said, "I want to touch a poor child in Calcutta."

 

Mahatma Gandhi, once thought, "There must be better way to take control of our country from the British rule."

 

In 1971 Frederick W. Smith thought, "there must be a better way to ship letters from Los Angeles to San Francisco." FedEx corporation was born.

 

Dreams help us to make a difference in the world that we live in. Every accomplishment begins with a dream. Dreams bring us hopes. Dreams inspire us to pray and to work towards making them a reality. In the process of accomplishing our dreams we manage making a difference in our world.

 

Unfortunately sometimes our dreams crash and burn. It is incredibly painful to watch our dreams die, to witness our lives fall apart, wondering what’s left and how we are going to pick up pieces of our lives and find the courage to dream new dreams.

 

That is exactly where Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John (sons of Zebedee) and two other disciples (John 21:2) found themselves.

Peter’s journey with Jesus was a journey of building a dream that crashed and burned in the three days before the First Easter.

 

When Peter was confronted with awesome divinity incarnate in a carpenter from Nazareth, his response was, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). And yet Jesus did not go away.

 

When Peter saw Jesus walking on water towards the boat, instead of being terrified like the other disciples, he had the courage to step out on faith, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (Matt 14:28). To this day, Peter is the only human being (other than Jesus) that walked on water to my knowledge.

 

 

Jesus personally changed Simon’s name to "The Rock" promising to build the Church on the foundation of Peter, after he confessed Jesus to be the Messiah; "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16)

 

 

During the Last Supper, mere hours before Jesus’ death, Peter affirmed his loyalty to Jesus by saying "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33).

 

 

Peter denied Jesus three times in the early hours of that Friday morning (Luke 22:57, 58, 60). That denial must have haunted Peter for the rest of his life because it is in those moments that Peter’s dreams must have died. I can almost hear Peter sinking into the depth of hopeless and dreamless despair void of any possibilities with that triple denial of Jesus. I can almost feel Peter’s world collapsing.

 

If you ever had a time when your hopes and dreams were smashed and destroyed leaving you feeling desperate and hopeless, then you can relate to Peter at that stage of his life.

 

Fortunately our story does not end there.

 

When we don’t know what to do next, we do what we know. With Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter did not know what to do next and that is why Peter went back to what he knew; Peter went back to fishing.

 

 

Peter was a naturally born leader. I believe that is why six others left Jerusalem and went with him: Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John (sons of Zebedee) and two other disciples (John 21:2).

 

 

When Jesus showed up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee that morning, Peter and his crew were embarrassed (verse 12 says that they “did not dare to ask Him “Who are you?”” because they knew it was Jesus.)

 

 

Jesus did not give these seven men an inspirational speech. Jesus did not promise these seven men that everything will be OK. Instead Jesus challenged them, "if you love me, feed my sheep." Jesus gave them a challenge, a task to do.

 

 

Just like Jesus challenged Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John and "two others" to be tools in God’s hands, Jesus is also challenging us.

 

Are you a tool in God’s hands? Is our church "feeding" Jesus’ sheep?

“Peace Be With You!” – Jesus

Psalm 150 begins and ends with "Allelu Yah!" — "Praise The Lord!" Easter season is about celebrating the presence of the Risen Lord among us!

 

As I am reading (and re-reading) this week’s Gospel lesson (John 20:19-31), I am trying to understand Disciples’ state of mind.

• We know that they were overwhelmed by the events of the last week of Jesus’ life. We know that because Disciples were huddled together behind closed doors, in fear of their own people, confused by what happened on Thursday and Friday and perplexed by the fact that Jesus’ tomb was found empty earlier that day.
• We know that they were anxious. We know that because Disciples had no idea what they were going to do next, their lives were at a crossroads and future did not look certain to any of them.
• We know that disciples were disappointed. We know that because with Jesus’ lifeless body were buried all their hopes, their visions, their sense of direction and purpose in life.

 

I also wonder whether disciples were struggling with the sense of personal moral failure and embarrassment because they deserted Jesus in his hour of need. From Gospel accounts we know that Peter denied Jesus three times, and that the rest of the Disciples were running for their lives as Jesus was tried and crucified. There had to be a sense of disappointment and disillusionment with themselves and with Jesus. There had to be feeling of discombobulation in their midst because they had to feel weak, small, inadequate and unworthy.

 

That is why when Mary was saying that she talked with the Risen Savior that morning and that Jesus was alive, I wonder whether initially the Disciples took it as The Good News. After all, Jesus could have been really upset and angry with them for abandoning him in his hour of need. No wonder that Disciples as a group were crushed and defeated in spirit. No wonder Disciples were overwhelmed with contradiction emotions, feelings of remorse, shame and guilt. No wonder they were hiding behind the closed doors!

 

That is when Jesus showed up among them saying, "Peace be with you." Isn’t it just like Jesus to show up in the midst of our fears, frustrations, guilt, shame, and anxieties and say, "Peace be with you." Reality [or realness] of Jesus was stronger than the closed doors, and all the feelings of inadequacy, remorse, shame and guilt that the Disciples felt at the time.

 

Truth is that most every one of us have something that overwhelms us, something that scares us, something that eats at us, something that troubles our conscience, something that makes us want to lock our doors and separate ourselves from that proverbial "IT." Among all that, God comes to us and says, "Peace be with you."

 

Is the reality of the Risen Savior stronger in your soul that the reality of things that may keep you up in the middle of the night? Because when the reality of the Risen Savior is stronger in our souls that the reality of everything else, that is when we find the courage to say "Allelu Yah!" – "Praise the Lord!" in the face of our difficulties and fears.

Easter Reflection Based on Luke 24:1-12

 

On that first Easter, the women found themselves in a bleak and hopeless place. Their hearts were heavy as they were making their way to the tomb where the lifeless body of Jesus was left on Friday. Before that Friday, there was real Hope, a Hope of a different and better tomorrow, a Hope of making a REAL difference in the world, a Hope that with Jesus’ guidance they could change the whole world and ease the suffering of all people. Others also saw something in Jesus they had not seen before. But on that Friday, things took a seemingly wrong turn and everything fell apart. It happened so quickly, so dramatically, and with such finality; all their hopes were nailed to the Cross and left to die.

 

    

That early Sunday morning, in the darkness of the night and in the darkness of their souls Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and some other women went to the tomb and discovered that Jesus’ body was not there.

 

    

This was the final blow. What were they to think…. What would you think? How would you feel?

 

    

And all that business with the angel. It is scary enough to face an angel. The story that the angel told the women seemed so "SUPERNATURAL" that nobody in their right mind could believe them…

 

    

Today, almost 2000 years later we know the rest of the story and we CELEBRATE Easter. These women and the Disciples grieved the loss of their friend, their leader, their mentor.

 

    

It took some real courage to be able to face the next day. It took FAITH to keep going with their lives. Yet because of their faith and courage, they were able to recognize the Risen Savior.

 

    

We are called to be a "Resurrection People." We know that Jesus is risen. It is important for us to remember that there is no Easter without Good Friday, there is no resurrection until after crucifixion, and that there is no new life until after there is a death. These realities from the life of Jesus of Nazareth are symbolic for what must happen in our own spiritual lives.

 

    

If we are to experience newness in some aspects of our lives, if we are to be “resurrected into new life,” then something has to be crucified, something has to die in order for something new to spring forth. New habits require the death of some old habits. New commitments often require the death of some old commitments. New priorities often require the death of some old priorities.

 

    

Resurrection involves change. Change involves uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. To face those we need faith, trust and commitment.

 

    

As we celebrate Easter, as we prepare for the next season of our church calendar – fifty days between Easter and Pentecost – let us ask God what needs to be changed in order for God to resurrect us into new life. We are to be a Resurrection People and that is our promise.

 

They cut me down and I leapt up high

I am the Life that’ll never, never die!

I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me –

I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

 

       Dance then, wherever you may be

       I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

       And I’ll lead you all,
                                 wherever you may be

      And I’ll lead you all in the Dance,
                                                        said He!

Thinking Towards Easter – Lectionary Year C

Easter Sunday Readings are:

Acts 10:34-43  /  Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 or UMH 839 /  1 Cor 15:19-26  /  Luke 24:1-12

 

Today’s Gospel reading begins by stating something that was obvious to the disciples and followers of Jesus: their leader was dead and the people who followed him assumed that he will remain dead. That is why "the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb" (Luke 24:1 NIV). The women came to the tomb where Lord’s body was placed on Friday, because they saw [observed, witnessed, experienced] Jesus’ body being left there. They brought the spices in order to anoint Lord’s body and to express what he meant to them while he was alive.

 

 

In our mind’s eye, we think that when the empty tomb was discovered, the mourning turned to joy instantly. The truth is that the Gospels simply do not support that view. The discovery of the empty tomb brought with it confusion, because conventional wisdom teaches us that dead persons remain dead. The conventional wisdom teaches us that the only thing we can do with the body of the deceased is to treat it with respect and to bury it according to the customs of the time and place where we live.

 

That is when angels wearing bright clothes appeared. As enticing as it may be to concentrate on angels, the story is not about them. Frightened women were asked, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:5). That question runs counter to the conventional wisdom; that question challenged the reality of everything that they knew.

 

Words of these angels bring OUR Easter experience uncomfortably close, because this is precisely what we have — the word of resurrection that challenges our conventional wisdom, it flies in the face of what we know to be right and true.

 

When we don’t know how to process information that is presented to us, when we don’t know what or how we should change, we continue doing what we have always done (application of the First Newton’s Law of Motion to our daily lives). When the women brought the message of resurrection to the other followers of Jesus, their response was disbelief.

 

^NIV Luke 24:11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (NIV, emphasis added)

 

Easter challenges our certainties; Easter challenges what we believe. Easter teaches us that although some things may seem like nonsense to us at the time, when we follow God’s lead they will result in something wonderful. Easter teaches us that although the death is real, it is not final. Jesus brings us the new life amidst death.

As we gather for worship on Easter Morning we follow in the footsteps of Peter (Luke 24:11) who dropped everything and took off to see the empty tomb for himself. We come because we have heard that Jesus is alive and that the tomb is empty and we long to hear the Good News again.

Today’s reading stops with Peter’s amazement, but the story of Easter continued in the last 2000 years, continues in our lives today and will continue in the future to the end of times.

The story of Easter continues because God continues to challenge the certainty of death with the promise of life; certainty of our earthly death with the promise of our eternal life. In Jesus, God gave us the gift of abundant life in the present and eternal life in the future.

 

^NIV Luke 24:5 … "Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! …"

Just like Jesus called Lazarus to come out of his tomb, the Risen Christ calls each of us to come to shed our restraints and to live abundant lives in Him. When we shed these restraints, when we leave behind things that enslave us, when we discover the freedom that Jesus’ Resurrection brings, our frustrations turn to joy and service to God and our neighbors. As we grow in our love of God and in our service to God, our identity becomes that of a child of God, known by Jesus who died and rose from the dead because God so loved the world.

Have you seen the Resurrection and the Risen Lord this Easter?