[Propertalk] 2 Easter b rcl ?

[robertpmorrison at charter.net]

I don't know how deeply I was embedded in post-Easter brain freeze when 
I put this draft together, but here are my thoughts for 2 Easter as of 
Wednesday in Easter Week.

Bob

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY  	         	        THE SECOND 
SUNDAY OF EASTER - B
ACTS 4:32-35                            		    	                	                     	 
15th APRIL, 2012
1 JOHN 1:1 – 2:2		                                                	 
PSALM 133
JOHN 20:19-31

Last week was so much fun, wasn’t it? Maybe Maundy Thursday and Good 
Friday weren’t so enjoyable, in the sense of having a party atmosphere. 
No matter how many years we live through these days there’s such an edge 
to them that can’t be shaken. But Saturday night and Sunday morning, 
they’re different! That’s when we can let things loose – gradually on 
Saturday night as we listened to all those readings about God’s 
interaction with us in the past. On Sunday morning, especially with 
Eli’s baptism – that was different, though. And the whole day seemed to 
snowball from there. Pictures and memories kept popping into my mind – 
images of Eli looking around inquisitively at everything that was 
happening to him. The look on the congregation’s faces too. Then there 
was the brunch. And in my mind – actually on the radio – there was all 
the Easter music; wonderfully harmonised music with a sense of 
celebration.

	It was a time of fantastic joy.

	Not to be negative – well, maybe I AM, a little, but by the end of the 
day there was still a little something left that was nagging at me. The 
music, the words, the faces, the food – all of that was great. But by 
the end of the day I still began to feel mid to late Sunday evening that 
things hadn’t been resolved completely. News headlines hadn’t changed a 
whole lot since the Thursday before. Work to be done was still there. 
Issues to be resolved were still hanging.

	What does Easter mean, then?

	I think what I was dealing with was the tension between my mind and 
spirit acknowledging the supremacy of God and the fact that love WILL 
win out, without question. But there are still so many different areas 
and issues in the world which may not have heard of the message of 
Easter or, if they have heard of it, either haven’t comprehended how it 
should impact lives, or else some people, I know, simply reject Easter 
as having any relevance for their lives. It’s a good commercial gig. Not 
quite as profitable as Christmas, but something to be exploited 
nevertheless. But there aren’t any spiritual implications in the minds 
of some people, nothing to speak to the tiredness, the hunger, the 
homelessness and unrootedness of society.

	And that’s precisely where Thomas and this morning’s Gospel episode fit 
in. Thomas gets such a bad rap – as if the other disciples were fully on 
board with the resurrection by the time he showed up an hour or so 
later.

	Nothing could be farther from the truth. Thomas and his thoughts and 
questions were simply another part of the puzzle which was being put 
together.

	If you like jig-saw puzzles, you probably have your own way of working 
on them. I like to try to find the outside edges, the straight-edged 
pieces that, once fitted together, can give a framework to everything 
else. But to have Thomas walk in the midst of the disciples’ discussion 
and to be so practical – that simple wasn’t helping the disciples’ 
understanding any.

	And I’m so glad he DID walk in late. He represents me. He probably 
represents a lot of you. And he certainly represents so many people in 
the world outside of congregational walls, who have so many questions 
they may not even know where to start, far less knowing of whom they 
should be asking their questions. And that’s where the congregations of 
the world come in.

	In a sense, each of the congregations of all the denominations across 
the world have to act like the ten disciples gathered together. Not that 
they have all the answers, but they have to be there, to have doors 
open, phone lines working, hands outstretched, ready to respond to any 
Thomas who wanders in and asks, “What’s going on? How do I resolve the 
difficulty of decision-making? How do I find the confidence to dress, 
and to apply for a job? How do I relate to the people at work, or in the 
accommodations where I leave, or with whom I have to travel?”

	The wonderful news of Easter is that we can come to an end of a 
marvellous day, and find questions still nagging us, yet accept that 
this is perfectly normal. Easter joy does NOT, I repeat, does NOT make 
problems and differences and difficulties disappear. But it DOES give us 
the tools with which we can and must address every single aspect of our 
lives.

	Frankly, without Easter, I certainly wouldn’t be here in this room. I 
have grave doubts that I’d be here in this State, this country, with 
this frame of mind.

	Has my life been easy? I was born, actually, physically, in a Church of 
Scotland manse, to a Church of Scotland pastor and his wife. Probably I 
wasn’t given much choice. I was baptised on April 9th – last Monday was 
my baptismal anniversary. That was Easter day the year I was born. If 
you’re curious, you’ll find a table at the back of the Prayer Book if 
you’re obsessed about the year!

I can’t recall how many Sunday worshipping opportunities I’ve ever 
missed in my life. I told the BAC at the retreat a while back that it 
must be no more than the number of fingers and thumbs I have on both 
hands. Something drew me to worship – probably initially training by my 
parents, but then by the other folk at church and in the Sunday School.; 
then the University College Chaplain, and the various teachers I had. 
I’m especially fond of a small group of friends all the way through 
grammar school and university for whom the same joy of attending church 
was so important. It gave me encouragement.

Of course, we argued. We didn’t agree about small things and big things. 
But we stuck together. We talked. We asked questions. We were fed up. We 
were disappointed. We asked more questions. We laughed. We, or some of 
us, switched denominational affiliation because a different manner of 
doing things appealed to us at different stages in our lives.

The important thing, though, is that we stuck together. We met, or when 
we scattered across the world, we wrote, or phoned, or, in these latter 
days, we e-mailed one another. And we kept asking questions – bouncing 
ideas off one another; asking what worked for another person, and what 
didn’t work. But at the heart of it all was our commitment to believe in 
Jesus as God’s Son, and in God’s raising of Jesus to life after His 
physical death.

We may have defined all of these doctrinal issues in different ways. I’m 
sure we might even get quite heated if we were to ask what we mean by 
resurrection life, or how Jesus looked before and after the empty tomb. 
We might even – I can think of at least a couple of examples of friends 
– we might even dispute what words, or titles we might apply to God and 
Jesus. But, at least for the people of whom I’m thinking, we ALL agree 
in God as creator who reached into history repeatedly and offered us an 
invitation to become reconciled through Jesus of Nazareth, who was 
executed on the outskirts of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. We 
believe that God STILL reaches into history in our own day, drawing us 
to find both reconciliation and renewal, preparing us for eternal life 
in love and joy. I doubt if any two of my friends and I might agree 
exactly what this life will be like. Certainly, none of us can put a 
place name to it. Down through time, people have talked about “heaven”, 
about “paradise”, about an existence where God’s reign is completely 
revealed and accomplished, and no one chafes at this.
	
	But still, we ALL agree that there will be, that there IS, an existence 
beyond this physical realm in which we will be reunited, not just with 
God, but with those whom we love but can see no more. An absolutely 
wonderful collect written for and prayed in the Chapel of King’s 
College, Cambridge, for Christmas Eve, talks about those who are “on 
another shore”.

	How we reach that other shore, in what vessel, at what time, in what 
manner, is completely unknown to us. Our faith, though, invites us to 
accept that that journey WILL happen, and that we’ll find enjoyment 
beyond belief in God’s company.

	So my friends and I STILL wrestle. We talk about where, and why, and 
how, God’s will WILL play out and God’s love be revealed to us. More 
importantly, we talk about what God’s love for us can possibly mean for 
our daily lives. I mean, what should I be doing this afternoon? What 
should I be planning for tomorrow, and the next weekend coming up, maybe 
even for the summer?

	These are fair questions. If I plan to fly anywhere, I should book a 
ticket as early as I can to get the best fare. If I want to reserve a 
hotel room before they’re all booked; if I want to coordinate my trip or 
leisure activity with someone else, I need to plan, as does the other 
person.

	We HAVE to reach out in faith, to trust that we won’t have to change 
our plans. So we have to ask questions RIGHT NOW.

	This is only practical, and if I’m not sure what another of my friends 
will be doing, then I must formulate the questions in order to make sure 
that we all understand each other.

	THIS is what Thomas was doing. He was engaged in practical activities 
when Jesus first appeared and the disciple showed up after Jesus was no 
longer visible. Thomas was, indeed, a thoughtful, no-nonsense sort of a 
person. And Jesus accepted him at face value. Jesus addressed whatever 
issues Thomas had. He made sure that Thomas’ mind processes and needs 
were satisfied to the greatest extent He could, a promise which Jesus 
extends to us this morning. For every event in our lives, for every 
problem, physical, mental, social, economic, spiritual – whatever issue 
affects how we live our lives. Jesus promises that we WILL have the 
resources we need.

	But there IS a disclaimer. Jesus didn’t show up on that second Sunday 
and hand Thomas a shiny three-ring binder with a set of every imaginable 
scenario for the rest of his life. Jesus didn’t tell Thomas he wouldn’t 
need to look twice before crossing the street in front of a speeding 
camel. Jesus didn’t say that Thomas would have first class 
accommodations or a really lavish evangelism office from which to work 
to spread the Gospel.

	Jesus simply reached out His hands and told Thomas to do whatever it 
took to satisfy him that the power which God invested in Jesus would be 
invested in him.

	For the time being, that was enough for Thomas. That, and the fact that 
the rest of the congregation were willing to do whatever it took to make 
sure that Thomas would be made to feel whole, and useful, and loved, and 
important. Whether we’re Thomas or not – and I think each of us may be, 
at different stages in our lives – whether we’re Thomas or not, we MUST 
keep this in mind, and make sure that everyone can live as practical a 
Christian life as possible. Where this will lead us is up to how 
receptive we are to the prompting of the Spirit, and the nudging of 
Jesus. For instance, did you know that “Harry Potter is feeding children 
in Scotland; and helping with research into childhood diseases; and so 
much more.

	“The woman who weaved together the magical world of Harry Potter 
(netting her an estimated $1.6 million every day), is no longer a part 
of the billionaires' club. …

	“It's not that the world is no longer is love with all-things Harry 
Potter (the brand itself is estimated to be worth more than $15 
billion), but rather Rowling's charitable giving and taxes that have 
knocked her back into the millionaires' club.

	“New information about Rowling’s estimated $160 million in charitable 
giving combined with Britain's high tax rates bumped the 'Harry Potter' 
scribe from our list this year, …’.

	“Naturally, none of this likely bothers Rowling, who from the beginning 
has made giving back a priority for her wealth.

	“You have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than 
you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently,” she said. … 
1

	Listen to that again!

  	“You have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than 
you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently,” she said.

	“That giving includes supporting organizations linked to poverty, 
multiple sclerosis, children's welfare and illiteracy. Three books that 
she has written for charity — ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, 
‘Quidditch Through the Ages’ and ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ — have 
raised almost $30 million for various initiatives.” 2

	And she’s only ONE Thomas, through whom God is working. Jesus keeps 
showing up, even today, perhaps in a multitude of disguises, praise God. 
And Jesus can help us find answers to the most difficult questions.


NOTES:
1 	 
http://www.philanthropyuk.org/quarterly/articles/jk-rowling-moral-responsibility-give

2	“J.K. Rowling's charity giving knocks her off Forbes' billionaires 
list” Author of the 'Harry Potter' series is no longer in the 
billionaires' club — thanks to simply being an incredible person. Tue, 
Mar 13 2012 at 2:44 PM EST
 
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/jk-rowlings-charity-giving-knocks-her-off-forbes-billionaires-list
See also: 
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/16/10718369-charitable-giving-pushes-harry-potter-author-jk-rowling-off-billionaires-list




Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)