Easter 3 Yr B April 19, 2015:An adaptation of David Sellery’s piece in “Speaking to the Soul: I Told You So”on April 14, 2015 (www.episcopalcafe)

+Jesus cracks me up. Even in his resurrection glory his humanity still emerges. Today, in utter exasperation with the dullards known as the disciples, Jesus says, in no uncertain terms: “I told you so!” I told you I’d defeat death. I told you the forces of darkness and evil wouldn’t win.

Five times, in various Gospel accounts, including last week’s story of Thomas and this week’s conclusion to the Road to Emmaus story, the risen Christ shows his friends that the prophesies concerning his Resurrection were all true. That what he had predicted had come to be:

He had been taken away from them… tortured… crucified… died and was buried. And now, risen in glory. He’s not a ghost. He’s living flesh and blood… he’s eating fish with them! Yet, all instinct, reason and experience tells the disciples: The cross had done its wicked work. What’s dead is dead… end of story. Yet here is Jesus … to see, to hear, to touch.

It doesn’t make any sense.

 Even though we have the benefit of more than a few Easters under our belts, this idea of life after death remains a profound mystery that both challenges our reason and defines our faith.

Right there this “challenging our reason and defining our faith…” is what makes Christianity so confounding and yet so glorious.

Theologians have dedicated lifetimes to studying [the historical Jesus and searching for evidence of his Resurrection]. Yet [they’ve] never established an absolute empirical basis for the Resurrection that’s unsupported by faith. And that, of course, is the whole point.

[We’re] called to believe, not to litigate the evidence. “The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith, it is the Christian faith.[1]” Our faith as outlined in the Gospels hinge on this fundamental truth: we are an Easter people, we are people of resurrection, we are people who believe that death is dead and life is everlasting

Before, not after, he went to the cross, Jesus said: I am the Resurrection and the life. [Those] who believes in me, though [they] may die… shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25-26)

In a classic “I-told-you-so” moment from this morning’s gospel, the risen Jesus reminds his disciples: “You are witnesses of this truth---I died and rose again and from now on, you---all of you---are to spread this Good News , to live this Good News, to be this Good News to all whom you encounter.”  These are our marching orders, to wrestle less with the “how” of the resurrection, and focus more on the truth of the resurrection: that we all, each and every one of us, have our own personal Calvarys, our own despair, our own darkness, our own doubt, our own fear, our own hurt but, through our faith in Jesus Christ, through the outrageous love of our Creator God, we are never alone in our difficulties, we are never abandoned into darkness, we are lifted high above the muck and through the glory of our faith are risen anew into the light and life of resurrection…time and time again.

You see, even though the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection may be difficult to wrap our brains around, the truth of Resurrection is alive and well.

[2]In eight years of ordained ministry, and 20 years as a practicing psychotherapist before then, in scores of treatment rooms, hospital rooms, hospice rooms and living rooms  I have witnessed the glory of resurrection. Over and over, I have been privileged to see people face the reality of their lives---the good, the not so good, the glorious and the horrifying and I’ve seen them, strengthened through their faith, emboldened by the love of God as given to us through Jesus Christ, make amends and live into repentance. I’ve seen them accept the love of God which surpasses all understanding. I’ve seen them move from the cross to the empty tomb of their own lives. I’ve seen them live their own Easter story. Again and again and again.

My friends, there is a personal Calvary that awaits us all. The flesh succumbs. But as Jesus shows us today, death is highly over-rated. The body eventually fails… but the spirit? The spirit never ever ends. What Jesus tells the disciples in these Easter gospels, what our faith tells us week in and week out is that while the forces of darkness will never stop trying to trip us up, the power of the Resurrection, as expressed by us and through us will always prevail.

If you’re looking for proof of the Resurrection, look nor further than right around you. We are the Body of Christ. We are the living witnesses to Christ’s love in the world. We are the empty tomb, we are the failed cross, we are the victors over evil and despair. It’s no coincidence that Jesus came to the disciples as they gathered around the table for a meal. He was in communion with them. They came together for sustenance and strength and he was there to provide it.

And so as we come each week to this altar for sustenance and strength… he’s here to provide it. He’s in the broken bread and the cup that we share. He’s in the love that we celebrate and He’s in the good works we do outside these doors.

The truth is, regardless of our episodic doubt, regardless of those who think we’re fools, Jesus Christ IS Risen. Death IS dead, Love IS Alive and by God’s grace, when we stand before him at the heavenly banquet Jesus will enfold us in his arms and remind us, once again, “I told you so!” Amen.

---

[1] John Whale, Oxford

[2] In this paragraph I have replaced David’s first person account with my own to aid in the act of preaching of this sermon

Doubt Gives us Time to Catch Up to the Reality of our Lives Easter 2 April 12, 2015

+Thomas gets a bum rap. Not that he didn’t doubt, but his doubting wasn’t unique—the other disciples doubted too. And doubting must be an important part of our Christian story because why else would we read this story EVERY SINGLE YEAR on the Second Sunday of the Easter season? Clearly our forebears realized that doubting isn’t as much the exception as the rule. And that doubting, while normal, is something to pay attention to, something to consider.
So yeah, Thomas gets a bad rap with the whole doubting thing because, in truth, doubt isn’t a uniquely bad thing, it’s just a commonly human thing.
Doubt is a moment in time, it’s a step in a process.  It’s a time of bewilderment, a time of question---doubt comes when things aren’t clear---when all the evidence isn’t yet in or all the evidence hasn’t crystallized in our brains yet. Doubt happens when all that we know to be—the order of our world---is shattered.
When I worked as a psychotherapist, I served on a disaster response team. Our job was to mobilize in natural and human made disasters, being among the first responders to the scene. One Labor Day evening we were called out to a railroad crossing in a nearby village. A last blast of summer festival had been going on and a group of kids were hanging out by the crossing when an express train came down the track, striking and killing a local high school sophomore.
I had the difficult task of informing the girl’s mother of her death. When given the terrible news, the mother calmly looked at me and said, “No that’s impossible, she was at the movies.” In that moment she was denying reality---then it hit her and she fell to the ground, sobbing. For those first few moments, she doubted the message I had delivered. She doubted that anything this horrible could possibly happen, but soon her brain began to assimilate it and the tragic truth became clear.
But it’s not only bad news that can be met with doubt, good news can be equally difficult to fathom.
Whether it’s the people on tv who’ve won the publishers’ clearinghouse, or finding out you’ve gotten the job of your dreams or hearing that the cancer is gone----good news can take some time to sink in.
Doubt buys us time for the joy to fully engage; it buys us time to gird ourselves against the bad.
Doubt gives us time to catch up to the reality of our lives.
In these early days of the Easter season, we have some catching up to do. We have an altogether new reality to face.
 And, in those first few hours, those first few days following the crucifixion, the reality of the disciples’ life wasn’t pretty. The king they loved; they denied, the rulers they feared; they defied. It wasn’t a good time to be one of Jesus’ followers…so when they hear from Mary Magdalene that Jesus is alive do they run out looking for him carried by this thrilling and joyous news?
No, they remain paralyzed by their doubt, immobilized by their fear, stuck in their shame.  After all, they’d abandoned and denied Jesus. Letting him down in his greatest hour of need. And now he was alive?
Human nature would dictate that the disciples feared Jesus. While thrilled that Jesus was alive, they must have had some trepidation about seeing him again. But, no matter how hard they may have tried, this time the disciples could not run and hide. Because, even while behind lock and key, who should appear but Jesus—
Uh oh.
But Jesus, instead of “How could you,” says, “Peace Be With You.” He doesn’t re-hash their failings but commissions them to go out and spread the Good News of Peace to the world.
He accepts their failings and loves them. He rejects their fear and loves them. He loves them. In spite of themselves.
This is radical. This is shocking.
And this can take some getting used to!
Even though they’d heard it hundreds of times before, even though we hear it, week in and week out, this simple message of love peace and forgiveness is really difficult to understand and  it can be difficult to accept.
Thomas, along with the other disciples, needed to see the reality of Jesus’ resurrection before they could "get it." Their doubt wasn’t a lack of faith, it wasn’t that they didn’t believe, they just didn’t comprehend.
Thomas’ doubt bought him time to accept, to understand, to wrap his brain around all that had happened, so that, when he saw Jesus for himself he would, at least on some level, “get it.” Thomas’ doubt gave him the time to move into a greater understanding, leading him to proclaim, “My Lord and My God.” Thomas’ doubt led his faith to a place of understanding. Thomas, given time, Got It.
Today, the emotional roller coaster of Holy Week is over, we’ve proclaimed Christ risen, we’ve shouted Alleluia, we’ve rejoiced in the new light of Christ.
Today we sit back, along with Thomas and the other disciples, fully aware of what we are capable of---killing God in the flesh—and aware of what God is capable of: peace and forgiveness.
This astonishing realization of what we can and sometimes do and what God always does, is shocking and takes some getting used too.
So this morning we begin clearing doubt from our hearts and minds and embracing the Truth as given to us through Jesus Christ. That we must go out into the world seeking and serving Christ in everyone we meet.
To not rest until everyone, everywhere knows the Love that is God.
To not rest until children can go to school without fear.
To not rest until peace isn’t just a goal for all, but a reality.
To not run from fear, but to enter it courageously.
To not deny doubt, but embrace it for what it is and see what’s on the other side.
To forgive ourselves for what we’ve left undone while redoubling our efforts to do more.
To see the Risen One
 to touch him, to know him and to call out to him My Lord! My love! My teacher! My hope! My Savior.

Easter Vigil/Day 2015: Mary and the Summer my Dad Cried

+I can’t think of Easter without considering how Mary Magdalene must have felt as she hiked up to Jesus’ tomb. Hopeless? Exhausted? Grieved? Duped? Angry? Disappointed?
Perhaps all of the above?
After all, Mary had been with Jesus from early on. Most scholars agree that she was probably a wealthy widow from a family of silk merchants. Her wealth allowed her to fund a good portion of Jesus’ ministry, but, even with all that wealth in ancient times, a woman who struck out on her own, without the benefit of father, husband, brother or brother in law, was, at best, scoffed at, and at worst, a scandal.
In other words, Mary was just Jesus’ type!
So after spending the better part of three years with Jesus, trusting in his teachings, loving his spirit, hoping that he was indeed the promised messiah, how must she have felt after watching him arrested, beaten, killed and laid in a borrowed tomb?
She must have been struck to the very core, questioning all she had come to believe.
We’ve all been there, right? September 11th, Watergate and 1968…nothing colored my growing up like the 1960’s, especially 1968, the year my father cried.
I was 2 when JFK was killed and 7 when Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were killed. I’ll never forget that June night when Bobby was gunned down. For the first time in my life I saw my father full of utter despair as one more of his civic prophets were taken from him. It was the end of innocence and, for some, the end of hope.
...I bring this up because I want to consider----really consider----the weight on Mary’s shoulders that morning.
Remember where all the male disciples were—huddled in that upper room, behind locked doors. Mary and perhaps a few other women, were the brave ones, they were the ones determined, regardless of the risk, to give Jesus a proper burial. Maybe he wasn’t who they thought he was, maybe it was all a lie, maybe they had been fooled but still, they had loved him and he deserved a proper burial. So off Mary went, carrying the pack of spices, as well as the weight of the world, on her shoulders.
Mary risked-- she went, she believed, she didn’t give up, even when so very full of despair.
I have to say, I would have given up. I’m not proud of that, but the fact is, when faced with the “love everyone always no exception” theology of Jesus Christ,  I would have, in the shadow of his utter and complete defeat, gone back to life as usual, to life of Empire and temple authorities holding on for dear life to the status quo, to business as usual; I would have been with the rest of the disciples, hiding in that upper room—not really expecting that Jesus would re-appear, but waiting, waiting until the hub bub had died down.
But not Mary. Mary swallowed her doubt, she pushed through her fear, she set aside her despair and forged ahead. …not because she thought she’d take center stage in the most amazing story of all time, but because she wanted her Lord, her teacher, her friend to be given a respectful burial.
Of course when she arrives it appears she is too late, the body is gone, the tomb is empty.
It’s at this part of the story when Mary’s stoicism, her hope, her strength, maybe even her faith…. Is shaken.
It’s this part of the story that takes me back to my childhood, to 1968, when Bobby Kennedy was killed. On that night, my father, a staunch democrat, a party loyalist, a faithful believer that MLK and RFK, just like JFK before them would bring our country more in line with the fundamental truth upon which it was founded, the fundamental truth of the great Abrahamic religions of this world---that all people, all people, are created equal—on that night my in the early morning hours of June 6, 1968, my dad, like Mary Magdalene two thousand years before him, sat down and wept.
We’ve all been there, right?
We’ve believed so strongly in something or someone, only to be disappointed, heart broken.
Could you blame Mary and the other disciples if they had simply washed their hands of this man, of this misguided prophet who promised all sorts of crazy things only to be felled by the status quo? Would you blame them if they just returned to their lives as fishermen, silk merchants, tent makers? Would you blame them if they looked back on those three years as some type of youthful whimsy?
No, I don’t think any of us would blame them for that.
But thank God, thank God, they didn’t just “move on.”
Thank God Mary engaged those two angels in a conversation, thank God Mary wouldn’t rest until she laid eyes on her Lord’s body. Thank God, Mary didn’t dismiss “the gardener,” thank God Mary asked and listened and then in that glorious moment of recognition, saw the truth of our Easter message--no matter how dismal the circumstance, no matter how heart breaking the life, no matter how bitter the memory, our Lord, the same man who was arrested, beaten and died, will always bring us to that utterly happy morning where there are no longer tears, no longer bitterness, no longer loss, no longer anger, no longer despair, but life. Beautiful joyous, love and light filled life. The message of Easter morning isn’t that one must suffer before one can reach glory, the message is that no matter how hard the forces of darkness work, no matter how horrific their attempts to derail us are, Good Friday is always followed by Easter morn.
So join my father whose hopes and dreams were seemingly dashed by an assassin’s bullet not once, not twice, but three times in the course of five years, join Mary whose hopes and dreams were seemingly dashed by an Empire and a status quo unwilling to dream, or hope, or believe and enter into resurrection life, where we shout, Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia, the Lord, Our Lord, Is Risen Indeed. Amen.