Easter 3: Eyes Open to Hope

Easter 3
Acts 2:14a,36-41
Luke 24:13-35

As I continue to grow in my faith and ministry, I find myself coming to love the season of Easter more each year. Every new season brings greater appreciation of the early church and the struggles it faced, the decisions that had to be made, and the stories of Peter, Paul and the disciples (now apostles) as they grew and spread the Good News of the Risen Jesus.

This new church faced great conflict. It had to wrestle with issues of doctrine that we take for granted and the church had to contend with deadly persecution. Christianity could well have died in infancy if not for the bold and brave convictions of the early apostles.

Fortunately there is not too much conflict in Charlwood and Sidlow Bridge. We do have our challenges: lack of finances, lack of people and ageing congregations. We will need to make decisions about how we spend our limited resources and how we can attract more people to come to church. It will take the prayers and efforts of every single one of us.

Over the next few weeks the Wednesday Study Group will be looking in depth at the Sunday readings from Acts and the Gospels. I would strongly ask you to consider joining us in person (if you can) or set aside some extra time to read them in the MailChimp or your own bibles.

These readings speak to new beginnings, fresh starts for Peter and Paul and the gatherings of the first church; all underpinned with a sense of hope and purpose. My hope is that we can see links between then and now.

Where is our Hope?

The Road to Emmaus should be a familiar story; Luke includes it in his account of that first Easter Day. Cleopas and the other unnamed disciple are walking away from Jerusalem. Walking away from the disciples, away from their faith, their beliefs, potentially their families and jobs. They are without hope and they are sad.

To be a fly on the shoulder of Cleopas for that conversation! There was such overwhelming grief that when Jesus came near to them their eyes were kept from recognising him.

As I read this passage, the same five words from verse 21 kept leaping off the page at me: ‘But we had hoped that…´ Notice the past tense of hope – they had hoped. Their hope, whatever it was in, was gone. When Jesus died, so did their hope.

Many people right now are without hope, ‘but we had hoped that…’ What about you? Have you hoped for something, someone that will not now come through? Where is your hope today? As Easter people, we are to be beacons of hope even in the most trying of times. As impossible as that might seem. If you find that you have lost or are losing hope; we can take comfort and take heart. Jesus understands. He wants nothing more than to restore our hope.

Before he died, Jesus had expressly told the disciples that He would send the counsellor, the Holy Spirit to be with them forever. All they had to do was wait. It could be assumed that the disciples were meant to wait together. These two have seemingly forgotten about this promise; so instead of waiting are walking away.

Jesus could have washed his hands of them, let them go. But he doesn’t. He meets them where they are at; going the wrong way, down the wrong road. As the disciples talk to Jesus, listen to him, they begin to see beyond themselves, they re-centre from their own issues and problems. In that meeting with Jesus, Cleopas and the other disciple turn around and head back the right way, back on the right road, back to life.

Hope is restored, hearts are burning in the breaking of the bread. Many people need to have their hope restored. Some of us might need to be turned around in our thinking, some might need to ask for strength in the waiting, and many likely need to find their hope again.

How can we find our Hope again?

One of the things I love about Eastertide is the renewal of baptismal vows. There is something in the renewal of promises and the sprinkling of water that makes all things new again and restores hope. For those of us baptised as babies, we didn’t have the opportunity to make those promises for ourselves, although maybe in confirmation we did. Either way it is a restorative thing to do.

Peter, in Acts 2, is calling for people to repent and be baptised. Our sins have been forgiven and the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given. This is the great Christian hope. Wonderful news and a wonderful starting point for reclaiming any lost hope. The first step, according to Peter, is to repent and be baptised.


Remember the promises made:

Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God? I reject them.
Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil? I renounce them.
Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour? I repent of them.

Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? I turn to Christ.
Do you submit to Christ as Lord? I submit to Christ.
Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life? I come to Christ.

Peter is imploring these Christians to love each other deeply from the heart. They have been born anew and nothing can take away the hope of the final redemption and resurrection.

Peter knew this first-hand. Peter the one who denied Jesus three times and was restored three times. If anyone thought they were beyond hope, Peter is a prime example. Yet Jesus meets Peter on that first Easter, on the shores of Galilee as Peter too is attempting to go back to his previous life as a fisher of fish. In a conversation with Jesus, Peter is restored.

Remembering our baptismal vows, the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the great love and long reach of God for each of us seems to me a place where we can recover our hope.

It was in the breaking of the bread that Cleopas and the other disciple had their eyes opened and recognised Jesus. As we shortly break bread together this morning, my prayer is that hope will be restored and the promises of God will be renewed for each one of us.

Easter 2: Figuring it out and doubt

Caravaggio’s Doubting Thomas

Acts 2:14a, 22-32
John 20:19-31

The tomb is empty, Christ is risen, death has been defeated, love wins, we are a resurrection people, nothing on earth will ever be the same again. Right?

That was last week! Right?

But this week…the Easter lilies are wilting, the chocolate has been eaten, the eggs have been found, it feels wrong to eat hot cross buns and the rest of the world has moved on. Welcome to the Week After.

Now what? Where do we go from here?

Fortunately, in the church we have a few weeks to contemplate the events of Easter, meet the people who were there and see the effects that Jesus’ resurrection had on them and the rest of the world for the last 2000 years.

The Gospel for the first Sunday after Easter traditionally features the story of Thomas. He is a rather interesting character. There is very little mention of him in the gospels; he first appears as a name on the list of the chosen disciples. There is no information about what he did for a job, where he came from or his family, only that he was a twin.

Thomas is usually portrayed as the dogged disciple, often accused of being slow on the uptake, the doubter. Poor Thomas. Many a sermon has been preached as a warning to not be like Thomas. Thomas the 50% believer; the one who needed everything proved and crystal clear before he could believe.

Don’t doubt just believe! So easy! Sure if you don’t want to think too hard about anything. We live in an age where doubt has become the predominant form of belief. Fake news, fake images, filters to make photos look better, everything needing to be verified due to a lack of trust. There is so much more government legislation now than at any other time in history due to a breakdown in trust.

Daily we put ourselves in a high number of situations that we should doubt more than do. We doubt both what we see and what we don’t see.

Thomas needs another look in. Maybe Thomas was the disciple who was asking the questions that everybody had but did not or would not ask out loud. Before his comments that made him the poster-boy of doubt for all eternity, Thomas is quoted on two other occasions.

The first is found in John 11 as the news of Lazarus’ illness reached Jesus and the disciples. The authorities are looking for Jesus and it was dangerous for him to be travelling around. The disciples are trying to dissuade Jesus from going to be with Lazarus, Mary & Martha; Jesus is not concerned with the threats to his life.

In the middle of this Thomas declares, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’. The other disciples were ready to run the other way – but not Thomas. He was prepared to go to the wire with Jesus. This does not sound like a man who doubts.

Maybe Thomas was the disciple who didn’t say much but when he did everyone else listened? Do you know anyone like that?

The second account is in John 14. Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he is going to leave them. The chapter starts with the reassuring words ‘do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house…’ Jesus is explaining where is going and what he is going to do there; he also tells the disciples that they know the way.

It is Thomas who says, ‘we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?!’

Jesus responds to Thomas with some of the most beautiful words ever to fall from his mouth. Jesus tells Thomas ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Thomas has been told; he has seen the Father in the Son.

So where was he on the evening of that first day of that week when Jesus appeared? The news of the resurrection was fresh and raw, the disciples were living in fear of the Jews and had locked themselves away. As we know the end of the story, their confusion and grief can often escape us. Maybe it was all a bit too much for Thomas? Some people stay away and hide when life gets tough. The disciples were together but Thomas was not with them.

That following week must have been torture for Thomas. The disciples had received the Holy Spirit (a whole sermon on its own for another day!) and were in much better moods! I am sure we have all had to miss events due to circumstances. Then those who did attend the event talk incessantly about it, down to every last detail, the play by play of every moment. And no matter the minutia of detail – you still weren’t there!

It would be reasonable to believe that Thomas became more entrenched in his declaration to see the nail marks and the side wound. Jesus returns again. This time just for Thomas. Thomas, the one who doesn’t get much mention, says a couple of brilliant things that we know about, was there through it all and then disappeared in grief and confusion. In a moment in the presence of Jesus, Thomas’ excuses and defences are dropped. Jesus invites Thomas to put his fingers in his hands and on his side.

The text doesn’t say if he did or not. All it gives us is Thomas’ verbal reply of ‘My Lord and my God.’ In this moment, Jesus firmly but gently reminds Thomas that he believes because he has seen (at least twice). Thomas is responsible for the blessing that the whole rest of the world gets for not seeing and yet believing.

I want to finish off with a final observation:

Thomas was part of a community where he openly voices his doubt. Like I said, Thomas has been portrayed negatively as the doubter, one of weak faith, the cynic, the holdout. These are often seen as spiritual flaws. I don’t see Thomas as weak, I see him as a man who wanted a living encounter with Jesus.

Thomas wasn’t going to settle for someone else’s experience of the resurrection but wanted his own. Thomas was willing to admit his uncertainty in the midst of those who were certain. This is bravery.

How does this community respond to doubt? Is this a place where they can be shared openly without fear of judgement or silencing?

When Jesus’ wounds met Thomas’ doubts, new life erupted. In Acts 5 the apostles are performing miraculous signs and wonders among the people of Jerusalem, people were believing in Jesus and being healed. I wonder how many times Thomas told people ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed?’

What happened to Thomas? Tradition holds that when the apostles were dispersed after Pentecost, Thomas was sent to evangelise the Parthians, Medes and Persians before he ultimately reached the Malabar coast of southwest India. There is a large native population there calling themselves ‘Christians of St Thomas.’ Unlike most of the other disciples/apostles who were killed for their faith in quite gory ways, it is thought that Thomas was killed in a tragic peacock hunting accident when the hunter missed the bird and hit Thomas instead.

This is not a man of weakness but rather one we can learn from, even if uncomfortably. The things that make Thomas seem weak or doubtful are what makes him strong, his willingness to press on and ask the questions that others won’t. Thomas shares his doubts willingly and Jesus responds and meets him where he is at.

The good news for us the week after Easter is that Jesus still meets us where we are at too. He is not afraid of our doubts, our wavering or our slowness. We, like Thomas, can hope for more.

Easter Sunday: He is not always in the same place!

Acts 10:34-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-18

Risen Lord, fill our hearts with Easter joy.
May the light of your new life shine forth from us,
So that we may fill the world
with good news of your resurrection .
Dying you destroyed our death,
Rising you restored our life.

Happy Easter! Christ in Risen!

There are no better stories than ones that start off badly and sadly and end gladly in glory. However, we must avoid the temptation to assume that the pain and terror, the confusion and sorrow of Good Friday is all washed away by Easter Sunday. This is not a story that can have a bow tied around to tidy up for another year. Nor is it one that we can discount like the chocolate eggs still in the grocery stores.

The Easter story is one that moves and transforms us. It should deepen our Christian lives and witness each time we hear it.

Thomas Merton, an American Trappist monk and poet, who lived from 1915-1968, wrote a little book called ‘He is Risen’. It begins with:

‘He has risen, he is not here… he is going before you to Galilee. (Mark 16:6-7)

Christ is risen. Christ lives.
Christ is the Lord of the living and the dead.
He is the Lord of history.

Christ is the Lord of a history that moves.
He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands,
But he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going.
He is not always in the same place.

Let this be a helpful guide to us this Easter Day. He walks ahead of us to where we are going. He is not always in the same place.

The resurrection of Jesus is a story of love and transformation. The Church is to be a place of love and transformation. The Church needs to apologise for when it fails to be loving; when it meets the stereotypes of being a place of judgment, unkindness, rigidity; when it would rather maintain rules than build relationships. We need to walk ahead; our leader certainly has.

The first Easter day began in darkness, Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb early. She was likely one of the last to leave on Friday; Mary knew the tomb had been sealed with a giant stone. Jesus was not in the place where Mary had left him.

So she ran to find Peter and John. Imagine that conversation, out of breath, trying to get the words out. Exhausted, confused – ‘they have taken the Lord out of the tomb!’ Mary was convincing enough for Peter and John to set out running. John gets there first; younger and faster but he is not able to bring himself to enter. Peter goes straight in. He finds the linen wrappings empty. Jesus was definitely not in the place where He was last seen.

Maybe some here this morning feel dislocated from the Church or faith. Maybe you have been looking for something and not found it. Looking to the world, to society is not providing the answers we need and lacks certainty and truth. Or maybe you have been looking within and found that your own resources are depleted. The Church can sometimes appear to be empty and lacking too.

Maybe God is not in the same place you thought He might be.

Maybe it is time to stand still. Mary got back to the tomb after Peter and John and stood weeping. She stopped for a while. Then probably got the second biggest shock of her life although her reaction seems subdued. Two angels sitting where Jesus had been. A brief conversation ensues and then Mary turns around.

At first she does not recognise Jesus. Mary Magdalene who had been an early follower of Jesus since her healing/exorcism of the seven demons, does not recognise Him. This is almost unbelievable that someone so close to Jesus cannot recognise Him – even after two days apart. Jesus was not in the same place and neither was Mary.

It is not until Jesus calls her by name and she gets the greatest shock of her life. Mary needed to be called back. Back to The One who had healed and redeemed, who loved her more than any other. Mary is called back to move forward. We too need to be called back to move forward. Jesus walks ahead of Mary and He walks ahead of us.

Peter had a similar experience of being called back to move ahead. Peter the fisherman turned zealous follower turned Good Friday denier turned Easter Sunday runner to being restored by Jesus on the shores of Lake Galilee is now preaching and teaching in Caesarea. Peter is preaching about belief in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. Peter knows what he is saying is true because he witnessed it, he received it and committed himself to living it out until his own crucifixion. Peter has taken the commandments of Jesus to share the Good News seriously.

Paul, who wrote the letter to the Colossians, is telling us to seek Christ and to seek things that are above. Paul gets it too, although he never met Jesus while He was alive. Paul was on the opposing side, the enemy of Jesus and his followers. In a flash of light, Paul’s direction changed. Jesus was not going to leave Paul where He was. He did not leave Mary or Peter the same either.

On this Easter Sunday, my prayer is that we will watch for Jesus in new ways. Not in the traditions, assumptions or habits of the old but in the newness of the Easter season. If you cannot seem to find God in the same place, maybe it is time to scan the horizon and look again. He is walking ahead of us.

Thomas Merton again…

Christ is risen. Christ lives.
Christ is the Lord of the living and the dead.
He is the Lord of history.

Christ is the Lord of a history that moves.
He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands,
But he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going.
He is not always in the same place.


Maundy Thursday: Hands, Feet and Knees

Crucifix in Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon

2/4/26
Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14 Psalm 116;1, 10-end
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31-35

I hope that everyone is having a holy Holy Week. It is not always easy! We get busy and tired and distracted. I hope that this evening we can reclaim some of what this week and especially this day is meant to be about. For many it is a time to get away on holiday, make preparations for big meals and egg hunts. There are our church activities and services too. All good things. And there is more.

Tonight we begin the journey to the cross. The disciples began that journey too. It is a journey that requires preparation. Jesus had been preparing them through his teaching and example. On this night Jesus took off his outer robe, tied a towel around himself and began to wash the disciples’ feet. This was an act of humility, the job of a slave in any household.

When I was in Lisbon the other week, I visited a number of Catholic churches. As one does! I found them to be rather austere compared to others in Spain, France, Poland & Italy. More stone than gold; but something profound in the simplicity. I also noticed Jesus on most crucifixes around the churches had very bloody knees. I don’t think I had ever noticed Jesus’ knees before. We focus on his hands and feet pierced by the nails of the Romans.

Jesus would have had to bend his knees to get down to wash those feet. We are told in the Passion narrative that He fell at least three times while carrying the cross. Jesus would have needed his knees to get himself up and bear the weight of the cross. The knees came before the hammered hands and feet.

How are your knees this evening? Are they bearing the weight of all that you are carrying?
How about the knee of your heart? I bet you did not know that your heart has a knee! It is metaphorical of course.

In the book of Manasseh (which is in the apocrypha), it is written,

And now I bend the knee of my heart,
imploring you for your kindness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I acknowledge my transgressions.
I earnestly implore you,
forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!

It is a profound action, to bend the knee of the heart. This means putting aside our pride, vanity and hypocrisy. It is an act of deep humility.

Maundy Thursday is a day of preparation as well as humility. There are physical as well as spiritual preparations to be made as we move into Good Friday.
In a few minutes I will invite you to come forward to have your hands washed. Following on from this we will celebrate our last communion before Easter Sunday. At the end of the service we will strip the altar and then sit in silence to keep watch.

All of these actions, however ceremonial we make them, should help us to bend the knees of our hearts towards Jesus as he goes to Gethsemane and then onto the cross.

In Exodus, God gives specific instructions to Moses and Aaron about how the Passover meal is to be prepared. Hands were needed to prepare the lambs and make the arrangements. Sandals were to be on feet, staff in hand and the food eaten quickly. The lamb’s blood needed to be painted over the doorposts.

Paul is reminding the Corinthians about how they are to celebrate the Eucharist. Seriously, simply and holding to the words of Jesus. Paul says he received this from the Lord and is handing it on. What we have received from the Lord needs to be handed on too. This is not a passive passing of words but of action. The actions of Jesus and his hands: taking the bread, lifting it to give thanks and then breaking it to be shared. This is the new Passover meal.

This is the drama that is played out on the altar each time we take communion together. Do this in remembrance of me, he says. Remember my broken body and my blood spilled for you. You. Remember me.

As we read again the accounts of the Last Supper and Good Friday, Jesus has been given all things. Not only that, Jesus remembers and knows. Whatever it is, is in His hands! His knees can bear our pain and our doubts. His feet are never too tired. The relief this has brought me time and again has been amazing and transformational. Even in the darker and difficult times and I forget; Jesus has not.

Jesus’ foot washing is an act of service and of love. The ultimate victory is knowing that Jesus was going to God. He can then do the menial job; the job of a slave. This foot washing shows us what humble service and true greatness are.
Jesus has set us an example as he has washed our feet, we are to wash the feet of others. We can do this in our acts of love and service to each other however unglamorous or menial they might be.

Tonight, though, is about the literal washing of hands as an outward sign that we believe we are in His hands.

The hands that healed the blind and raised the dead.
The hands that broke the bread and poured the wine.
The hands that have our names written on them.
The hands that were nailed to the cross for the dirt on ours.
The knees that bent down to write in the dust and set a woman free.
The knees that bent to wash the dirty feet of the disciples
The knees the were bloodied when He fell under the weight
The knees that bore the weight of your sin and mine
The feet that walked thousands of miles to heal and teach the least, the lost and the last.
The feet that brought the Good News.
The feet that walked up the hill under the weight of the cross.

Will you let the things that have been picked up in your heart, hands and feet be washed away tonight? Will you let him strengthen your feeble knees?

Loving Lord, you served your disciples in washing their feet: serve us often, serve us daily, in washing our motives, our ambitions, our actions; that we may share with you in your mission to the world and serve others gladly for your sake. (based on a prayer by Michael Ramsey)
AMEN.

Lent 5: I am the Resurrection and the Life

Van Gogh’s ‘Rising of Lazarus’

Lent 5
22/3/26

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

This is a rather long and well-known passage of John’s Gospel; it is good that we should hear the entirety of it. There are many threads to pull especially in Lent as we get closer to Easter. We will soon be confronted with the death and resurrection of Jesus through Holy Week and on Good Friday. What does it mean to be resurrected?

It is more than simply popping back to life again. Often the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus gets reduced down to a miracle story of Jesus. An impressive miracle story of course. However some of the more important parts get left out. The rising, resurrection of Lazarus shows us something of Jesus’ character.

Jesus is our friend. I baptised two brothers a couple of years ago and I asked the older one what does it mean to get baptised? He paused for a moment. Then with the biggest smile on his face, he said, ‘it means that I am Jesus’ friend forever and Jesus is my friend forever.’

Jesus is the friend that will never leave us. Jesus loved his disciples and Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He spent his life travelling around and teaching them so they could pass on the message to others. Mary, Martha & Lazarus appear to have been particularly close friends as Jesus is known to have stayed with them and they are mentioned by name.

Jesus does not always do what we want him to, when we want. The fact that Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick and did not immediately rush to his bedside, but waited for two more days is awkward. We have this idea that God should act and react whenever we summon him to meet our needs and wants.
When this does not happen people get angry and God takes the blame for all failures and misfortune.

There were reasons why Jesus did not rush off: the disciples were afraid that the Jews were going to stone Jesus and they were far away from Bethany at the time. Jesus tells the disciples that, ‘this illness does not lead to death, but rather it is for God’s glory, so the Son of God may be glorified through it.’

There are things that we will never understand about how God and Jesus work on this side of death. We do not know how God’s glory fully works. It is good to be curious so that we can begin to understand and that comes through learning about Jesus by looking at this life.

Everyone who trusts in Jesus will live forever. The pinnacle of John 11 is in the words of Martha as she knows that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Despite her distress, sadness and that request that seemed to go unanswered; Martha understands, at least on some level, that death is not the end of the story. Pitiful is that word that comes to mind for those who think that there is nothing beyond this life.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus says to Martha, ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ Martha believes this. I happen to believe this. I am confident that other people in church today believe this. Do you?

The resurrection is the central event that everything about Christianity hangs on. We will all experience physical death in this life; the death of those that we love and our own. How do we make sense of it? Unfortunately most of the popular narrative around death today is painfully lacking and brushed over. That it is nothing, no big deal. Death is something to be embarrassed about, not to be burdened by or be too expensive.

One of my cousins died last week after a short bout of cancer. It is really awful for his wife, children and grandchildren. I had not seen him for a long time but he was part of the family ever since I can remember. Those ties go back a long way; we also shared our Christian faith. A belief in the resurrection is the only thing that has brought any comfort at all. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. I have no questions or qualms over the fact that as bad as it is right now, my cousin Greg is now living in the light of the resurrection.

Jesus wept. People sometimes get the impression that God is somehow removed, distant from us or worse, not particularly interested in what is going on down here. If we want to know what God is like, then we need to look at the person of Jesus. In Jesus we see love and compassion, forgiveness for those who want it and boundless patience. Jesus was so moved by the broken hearts of those around him, he cried. The Greek translates it as he ‘burst into tears’. That is much stronger than a few tears sliding down his face.

Jesus is not afraid of bad smells. Nothing is beyond God’s reach. Nothing we can ever do or not do, say, think, act is too much or too bad. We are loved by God unconditionally forever.

Jesus can raise people from the dead. Jesus can and did raise people from the dead on a few occasions. Miraculous! However, they went on to die again another day. Jesus also raises people from spiritual death who do go on to live forever. This is out of love, the most extraordinary love we will ever know.

The resurrection of Lazarus is about love, God’s glory and his willingness to send Jesus into the mess and sorrow of our lives and deaths. We too will be resurrected one day if we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. God gives us this life in the resurrection of Jesus. Dry bones can live again with the breath of God and so can we.