Sunday, April 18, 2021

Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 3:11-21
Psalm 4
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48

Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

There is a play called “Melancholy Play” which was written by Sarah Ruhl. The main character, Tilly, is melancholy. Melancholy is a state of being that is beyond sadness: it is deep and lasting, a lingering state of depression. Most of us would consider a lasting state of sadness unattractive. We would rather be near people who are happy because we join in their joy. We don’t like to share their depression because it makes us depressed, too. However, there was something beautiful and attractive about Tilly’s melancholy. The other characters in the play are phenomenally drawn to Tilly; each and every one of them falls madly in love with her. They are happy in her presence.

Their happiness must have found a way through her melancholy because in the middle of the play she suddenly becomes deliriously happy. In this state of joy, Tilly is no longer attractive or beautiful to her friends. They do not share in her joy: instead the fall into her melancholy. One of her friends becomes so blue over the transformation of Tilly that she becomes an almond. During the rest of the play the group of friends tries to find a way to bring Francis back and in the end the audience, and the cast, are never quite sure whether Francis has become human again or if everyone has become an almond. The play is a humorous look at melancholy and is very funny.

One of the things that makes this play so funny is how Tilly’s melancholy makes her friends respond in quite the opposite emotion. We usually share in emotions. We are happy when those around us are happy and sad when those around us are sad. We certainly do not become joyously happy when our friends are depressed. Even if we don’t become melancholy, we don’t act deliriously happy in their presence. We try to help them through their emotions, meeting them with compassion.

There’s a funny sign that women like to post in their homes that says, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” This is true because when Momma is frazzled by the work she has to do, she takes it out on the others in the house. If there are too many dishes in the sink, the kids hear long lectures about wasting valuable resources when they take a clean cup every time they want a drink of water. Toys on the living room floor bring out the wrath of Momma. You don’t even want to see Momma when there are dirty footprints in the kitchen. On the other hand, how happy is the household after Momma has had a quiet and relaxing bubble bath without children interrupting. The point of the funny sign is so that everyone will remember that happiness comes when Momma is kept happy.

Unfortunately, many mothers deal with too much stress, perhaps more now than ever. It isn’t just mothers right now, though. Everyone has had a very stressful year. I did an internet search of everything that went wrong in 2020, and one article listed fifty-eight things. Some of those were not really stressful for the average person, like Meghan and Harry’s departure from the royal family. But didn’t it seem like every month there was something new to worry about? There was fire in Australia, locusts in Africa, killer hornets in America. There was rioting in the streets and political battles. There was a period in time when it was nearly impossible to find toilet paper and other cleaning products in the stores. The food supply was disrupted. Store shelves were empty. On top of all this we were dealing with a world-wide pandemic that disrupted everyone’s lives in one way or another. For some, the events leading to the stress were all consuming and life changing.

This is a saying, “I don’t suffer from stress. I’m a carrier.” Stress is definitely a part of our lives. Problem after problem pile up on our shoulders, giving us plenty to worry about. Financial crisis affects other aspects of our lives. Higher prices mean that we have to stretch our resources. We have less to pay for more We have little left to save, so we are not prepared for emergencies that arise. Even driving our cars can be a source for stress because every bump and knock we hear makes us worry that we will be facing a large mechanics bill or the need to replace the vehicle.

It is hard on everyone, but parents deal with a unique stress because children do not understand why their mothers and fathers are so stressed. They don’t understand why they can’t do the things they want to do or have everything they want to have. Parents are asking some very hard questions this year: Can we afford summer camp? Can we take that trip to Disney we promised? Though these things are not necessities, a child does not understand why we can’t always do the things we want to do. What is different now? Parents know how beneficial those experiences are for a child, but they are stressed about how to make them happen. They end up worrying about broken promises.

The stress has caused some people to respond in extreme ways. The news seems full of more stories about people who have taken it out on others. There seem to be more shootings, robberies, arson and abuse. Domestic violence is on the rise and even animals are suffering. One of the first expenses cut is often care for our furry friends. They end up in a shelter or on the street.

We could name a million other ways the stress is affecting people in our world today. It is a wonder that anyone can say, “I don’t suffer from stress.” The punch line of the joke is that the person is a carrier, but is it funny that so many are responding so negatively that it is affecting their homes, work, and communities? We must consciously decide where we will be defeatist or optimistic when we experience such difficult circumstances. Will we continue to suffer or are better times around the corner? The answer to that question is what drives our response. If we believe that tomorrow will be a good day, we’ll do positive things. If we expect that suffering is our fate, then nothing we do, good or bad, will make any difference.

David was always facing some enemy. We see in the psalms his songs of lament and worry. But we also see that he faced those times of difficulty with faith. His God was trustworthy so he had nothing to fear. In today’s psalm, he cried out to God, asking God to answer him, to have mercy and to hear his prayer. Yet, even in that cry he spoke to God with confidence in God’s saving hand. “You gave me relief in my distress,” he said. He then turned his words to his enemies. “Let go of the battle because my God will not let me lose.” He faced his difficulty with faith, knowing that God is trustworthy.

We shouldn’t be a carrier of stress, since so many people are already dealing with problems that seem beyond their ability to handle. We need not suffer from it either. We can, in our faith, have the same attitude as David. Hope in the Lord gives us a greater joy and the peace to sleep well at night, despite the difficulties we face.

Imagine the stress of those first days after Easter. They found an empty tomb. Jesus appeared out of nowhere. They couldn’t explain it. Rumors were flying all over Jerusalem. Some were whispering about the resurrection, others were loudly proclaiming that the disciples had stolen the body. They showed fear when they saw Jesus because they thought he was a spirit, but they were also afraid of what would happen to them. Would they be arrested and crucified? Would they be rejected by family and friends?

Even with the appearances of Jesus, I’m sure that they were still struggling to understand. Luke tells us that the disciples “still disbelieved for joy.”The New Revised Standard Version words this phrase, “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering...” This is such an odd statement. How can they be happy about something they can’t believe is happening?

Yet, haven’t we all experienced that at some point in our lives? Have you ever been so joyously in love and yet at the same time questioning how that glorious creature could possibly love you too? Have you ever received an award or a gift that seems way beyond what you deserve, and even while accepting the gift with joy can’t believe that you are actually the recipient? Have you ever gotten a test back, thinking that you must have failed only to find that you did very well? Your examples might be different, but I’m sure each of us can remember a time when we’ve received something with the same joy and disbelief that the disciples experienced when Jesus came again.

Today’s Gospel lesson is another version of the story we heard from John’s Gospel last week. In this story, the two disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus had just returned from that extraordinary experience. They had met a man along the road and there was something different about him that they noticed as they walked and talked. He explained the scriptures in a way they’d never heard before, not even from Jesus. They did not know that this was their Master and friend. He was different. His words were somehow new. They were beginning to understand the things Jesus had said before He died. Then, when He broke the bread, their eyes were opened and they saw Him clearly. Only then did they know it was Jesus.

They ran back to Jerusalem, to the upper room, to the place where the disciples were hiding and told them what they had seen. Imagine the scene: two disciples run in breathless with the biggest news the disciples have ever heard. They, of course, had heard the same news from Mary, but no one really believed the women. Now they heard it again from the two men, but it is still unbelievable. They were discussing it as Jesus appeared. What do you think they were saying? “You saw Jesus? But He’s dead!” “Was it a ghost?” They were probably arguing about what the disciples had seen and experienced. They were probably even arguing about what they had heard. “What do you mean that he said that he was the one that Moses and the prophets were talking about?” Religious debate can be heated even when those arguing have had similar experiences. Imagine how hard it must have been on those two disciples to explain the unexplainable to those who had not yet experienced it.

In the middle of this discussion, Jesus appears. I can hear those two disciples saying, “See, we told you so!” And yet, they were probably as startled and frightened as the rest of the group. After all, they had seen Jesus and knew that it was Him, but then He just disappeared from their sight. They didn’t know where He went. I wonder if those two disciples were trying to get the other disciples to run to Emmaus. “Come with us and see!” But there He was, in the midst of the disciples, appearing as quickly as He’d disappeared after breaking bread at their table.

It is no surprise, then, that the disciples were both joyous and disbelieving. After all, this was beyond their understanding. No one had ever been resurrected. They’d never met a physical being that was man and yet not man. Despite the times and ways Jesus told them that He would be raised, they didn’t expect this turn of events. They were probably in the upper room trying to figure out what they would do. Who would be their new leader? Or, the more likely possibility, they were probably deciding to drop it all and return to their lives. Joy and disbelief is the natural response to this circumstance. “Yes, He’s back! But how?”

The circumstances the disciples experienced on that first Easter were extraordinary. Emotions must have been running high. They were grieving because the Master whom they followed for three years died just a few days before. They were angry because the people who should have stood up for justice and Jesus were among those who cause His death. They were afraid because they did not know whether or not those same leaders might go after them. They were probably tired for lack of sleep and hungry for lack of appetite. Then, when the women and the disciples from Emmaus came into their presence with the strange news that Jesus had been raised, they were probably confused, doubtful, curious and perhaps even anxious for it to be true. Talk about stress; I am sure the emotions they were feeling with highly charged and shared by all.

When Jesus did appear in the upper room with the disciples, it is no surprise that they misunderstood what they were seeing. They knew about spirits, ghosts and other superstitious possibilities. They did not believe that anyone could be resurrected. According to N. T. Wright, in his book “Surprised by Hope,” there were very few people in Jesus’ day that believed that a body could be made alive again. Those who did believe in resurrection believed that it would happen only at the end of time. No human was ever expected to be raised in the middle of history. So, these disciples were expected to believe something that was completely outside their understanding. The fact that Jesus’ body was different didn’t help matters. He could walk through walls and appear out of nowhere. What was this being that was standing in their midst?

In John’s story, Jesus simply tells them to touch His wounds. By feeling His body they would know that it was true. Luke makes it even clearer that Jesus was not a spirit: He had a human body and asked the disciples for something to eat. Though they touched His body, there was still left room for doubt. People who have had paranormal experiences tell stories about solid looking apparitions and the feeling of a physical presence. People even talk about feeling the touch of a hand or even physical force. But ghosts do not need to eat.

Though we see something unique in Jesus, Luke is very careful to show us that the Jesus the disciples met after the resurrection was very real and very human. There were already some who were trying to diminish the events of Easter to nothing more than a spiritual rebirth. Others were claiming that the body had been stolen. Luke, by noting the meal Jesus ate, firmly establishes that Jesus was bodily resurrected from the dead. We still do not understand exactly the type of body He had, but despite those odd differences, it was still like ours. Since Jesus is the first born of the dead, we see that our resurrected bodies will also be very real and very human. From this, N. T. Wright suggests that we should rethink our understanding of Heaven. It won’t be a place, he says, where disembodied spirits hang out on fluffy clouds and we never become angels. Our eternal life will be spent on a new earth with a new flesh that is very real that does not perish but has everlasting life. This is the true hope of our faith that we received on that first Easter.

I suppose even today we can meet this Good News with the same emotions as the disciples, “While they still didn’t believe for joy...” It really is ridiculous and impossible. We still struggle with wanting proof. Why isn’t God showing us His power today? Why don’t we see God’s miraculous works happening among our congregations?

We often talk about the miracle of a magnificent sunset or a baby’s giggle. We see miracles in nature all the time with the blooming fields of wildflowers in springtime and the way the land is restored after a disaster. It doesn’t take very long for a forest to begin sprouting after a fire or a valley to recover after a flood. Even drought stricken regions of the world turn green with new growth when it begins to rain.

There are those who scoff at the idea that those are miracles. They can easily be explained. There is always a sunset, and those brilliant days come because of the right conditions. A baby’s giggle isn’t extraordinary; babies laugh and cry all the time. The wildflowers will bloom year after year; they will be magnificent when the conditions are perfect. Fire is good for the forest, and that’s why it recovers so quickly. Floods leave behind nutrients that get washed out of the earth and even droughts can provide positive effects. Where is the miracle?

We see miracles through the eyes of faith, simply knowing that God’s hand is in the midst of everything in our world. We see Him as He touches our lives in subtle but very real ways. We see Him painting that sunset and that field of wildflowers. We see Him make good things happen out of the bad. They might not be miraculous events, but to us they are miracles. We are happy to settle for the little miracles because we believe that God can and does make incredible things happen every day.

We read the stories of Jesus and we are amazed. He healed the sick, cast out demons, made wine out of water and fed thousands on multiple occasions. He walked on water and stopped the storm. He made the blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk. He cured leprosy and raised the dead. The disciples did the same thing. We don’t seem to see that kind of miracle anymore. Oh, we occasionally hear of some medical miracle, but even then we can usually explain it away.

When we do hear about an actual miracle, we think like Thomas: we will believe when we see it for ourselves. We don’t doubt that God can make these things happen, but we want proof. We believe in Him, but there’s no reason for us to believe in miracles because our faith is based on what Christ has done rather than on what He might do. We know that the stories in the scriptures, both of Jesus and His disciples, helped to establish their authority to speak the Gospel to the world. We don’t need these miracles to establish our credibility. We have the power of the Holy Spirit and as we speak, the Word does the work. Those who believe do so because the Spirit gives them faith. While it would be nice if we had the backing of miraculous works to put credibility to our words, we don’t need them anymore. The true miracle has nothing to do with supernatural occurrences. The true miracle is faith.

Jesus said, “You will do greater things that these.” The disciples were amazed at His miraculous works, but Jesus assured them that they would do more. They did do miraculous works as we see in Acts 3. Peter saw a crippled man who was left at the gate to beg. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about his “work”; he didn’t even look at those who were passing him by when he asked for money. When Peter said, “Look at us,” he looked because he thought they were going to give him some coin. Peter gave him something better. “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Peter helped him up and he was so excited to be healed that he danced around the Temple praising God. The people were amazed.

The miracle made the people pay attention. Isn’t that what we want? Isn’t that why we want the miracle? We want people to pay attention to us. However, it is very easy to get caught up in the fame and amazement of the crowds while losing touch with our true ministry. After all, Jesus didn’t heal to make the crowd follow Him; He healed so that they would listen. As a matter of fact, how many times did Jesus tell those He healed to be silent?

The healing definitely got the attention of the people in the Temple. They ran and surrounded Peter, John and the man. Peter asked, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?” It wasn’t about Peter or John, or even about the man. It was all about the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the God of their fathers. It was all about glorifying Jesus. Peter didn’t heal with fancy words but with the name of Jesus Christ. Peter went on to tell the people what really mattered: “Believe in Jesus.”

Miraculous healing, raising the dead, overcoming nature and the physical world is nothing compared to the real miracle: faith. Sharing the Gospel is the greater work that we are called to do, because in speaking God’s Word of forgiveness and hope we give the people what they truly need: life. Amazing, isn’t it: the one thing that was denied Jesus is the very thing He won for us on the cross. Peter used this opportunity to tell the people that even though they missed the truth of Jesus when He was alive, God was doing exactly what He intended so that they could see the truth. Jesus died at the hands of all those who rejected Him, but He has promised forgiveness for all who turn back to the God who loved them so much that He sent His Son to make all who believe heirs to the eternal kingdom.

We live in between the now and what is to come. We are saved and yet we are not fully saved. We live in the already but not yet. We are children of God, and yet what that means for us in the future has not yet been revealed. We are transformed by the grace of God, but we’ll be transformed in that day when we are in His presence again. What He is has already changed us. We are forgiven. We have the Holy Spirit. We are living new in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though we are not quite there and we do not see Him clearly, He is still with us and in us. We live in a hope that is without disappointment, knowing that what is now will be even more so some day. And in that hope we live as Jesus lived, and doing as He did. We share in His righteousness and are righteous as He was righteous.