2nd Sunday in Easter, April 12, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: Is it not always our prayer to give living expression to the most sacred inspirations of our hearts? In the Paschal mystery we see the reconciliation of the most disparate aspects of our lives: sin and righteousness, violation and forgiveness, self and others, death and life. Our faith calls us to realize, to bring into concrete reality, what is simply beyond our capabilities: a way of being that belongs to God. This mind-blowing “way” is nevertheless extended to us in Christ. 

First Lesson: Acts 4:32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Reflections: In light of the collect, we note here the remarkable reconciliation between self and other, a unity in the heart and mind, as well as in material. It is not so difficult to find oneself in emotional agreement, or unity of faith. The easiest sort of unity of heart and mind is against; we see it in Congress in the unwillingness to discuss or compromise (“my way or the highway”). But the worst manifestation is in the rapid multiplication of terrorist groups all over the world today.

The best examples of this sort of unity, of course, are found in those who seek justice, visit the sick or imprisoned, give to the poor, comfort the suffering. Given the natural human tendency to place oneself and one’s family above all others, instances such as these testify to the radical nature—and practical implications—of grace.

 

Psalm 133  Ecce, quam bonum! 

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, * when brethren live together in unity!
It is like fine oil upon the head * that runs down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron, * and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon * that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: * life for evermore.  

Epistle: 1 John 1:1-2:2

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Reflections: I notice here how John associates fellowship with one another and fellowship with Christ. To have true fellowship with one another, we must walk in the light of truth, the light of Christ; we must be cleansed from sin.

In contrast, we tend to close down on ourselves in any number of ways: imagining that we are self-sufficient, denying that we sin, identifying with the face we present to the world.  All of these normal ways of being in the world are modes of self deception that cut us off from one another, and cut us off from our deepest truth, which is Christ. That is, they are sin.

But what may be the most astonishing message of this passage is that “our joy” is not complete until it is also extended to others. Joy is not private; it is expansive. 

Gospel: John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said 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 answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now 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. 

Reflections: Probably Thomas’ response to the testimony of the disciples doesn’t surprise you. If you’re like me, you’re delighted that Christ makes allowances for our mistrust, for our yearning for direct, personal experience.

          Nevertheless, we always find ourselves in a position where we don’t have that experience—and we have to trust what people tell us. But whose version of events? How do we know that their enthusiasm or their prior commitments and attitudes don’t color their witness? Throughout our lives, we find ourselves in situations where we have to make decisions based on what other people tell us. But I suspect that we can really be sure about what is true in very few of those situations. So to some extent, faith plays a large role in how we negotiate everyday life.

          But faith in Christ is of a different sort. The Greek verb “to faith” (which English tradition translates “believe”) means something closer to “trust,” or perhaps further, to “entrust” oneself.

We see both of these sorts of “faith” in Thomas’ story here. First, he is faced by the challenge of simply believing what the other disciples tell him. He knows the grief they all experienced at the crucifixion and death of Jesus; he also knows how desperately they want to erase the past, how much they want him to come back to them. Can he believe what they say? Could they be suffering from a mass hallucination? His caution is understandable.

          But then he sees Jesus; Jesus invites him to touch and verify his presence. But Thomas doesn’t need that. The truth of the testimony is immediately clear. And Thomas takes one step further: he entrusts himself to his risen Lord, to God.

          Easter isn’t really about belief in the Resurrection. We can argue about that forever. Easter is about the new life that is born of giving ourselves in trust to the one who called us into being, and who calls us into being each day, every minute of every hour.