Easter 3B

Easter 3B April 15, 2018 I have to confess that I am feeling a certain amount of lectionary whiplash today. On this third Sunday of Easter, we are seeing the third different gospel depicting the events and the after-events of Jesus’ resurrection. (We started with Mark on Easter Sunday; then we saw John last week. And this week, they’ve given us a passage from Luke.) And they are all just different enough to make it confusing as to what’s going on. So, let me bring you up to speed on how Luke tells the story of Jesus’ resurrection and after. On Easter morning, a group of women go to Jesus’s tomb in order to anoint his body. When they get there, they find the tomb wide open with stone rolled back from the entrance. They go in, and there they discover two mysterious men in dazzling white who tell them that Jesus is not dead but has risen. And then the mystery men say to the women—“Remember what he told you” and they do. So they race back and tell all this to the 11 remaining disciples, “But [Luke says] these words seemed to [the disciples] an idle tale (which is a polite translation of a much more crass term that would be like rubbish). “These words seemed to the disciples an idle tale and they did not believe [the women].” But Peter goes to check it out himself, discovers the empty tomb, and goes home “amazed at what had happened.” In the meantime, two men start out traveling on the road to Emmaus, and one their journey they encounter the Risen Christ. They turn around and race back to Jerusalem, where they find the 11 already gathered together saying, it’s true! “The Lord has risen indeed and he has appeared to Simon (which we don’t ever get to read about in any of the 4 gospel accounts). And then the two travelers share with the 11 what they have experienced on the road to Emmaus. And then our gospel reading for today picks up. While the two men are still talking about all of this, Jesus shows up. And he says to them, “Peace be with you.” Which isn’t quite as formal as the translation makes it sound. He says, “Shalom” which is somewhere between “Peace be with you” and “Hey, y’all.” And Jesus is like, ‘What’s the big deal?’ when they all start freaking out. So he shows them his wounds; he asks for something to eat; he explains to them what has happened in light of the scriptures; and then he commissions them: “You are my witnesses.” In that moment, those who are gathered become transformed from disciples or followers into witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. And we see the fruits of this transformation all though out the book of Acts, even though they initially don’t believe or are at least filled with a confusing mixture of joy and fear and doubt. The same holds true for us as well. It is heartening to see how difficult the resurrection is for Jesus’s first followers to believe; I’m not sure it has gotten any easier with the passage of time. However, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we too become transformed into witnesses of Jesus’s resurrection, and that becomes our new call and identity as well. Now, I know that we, Episcopalians are somewhat uncomfortable with the notion of witnessing. But hear me out for a minute. We bear witness to things that are important to us all the time. Just this past week, I posted on Facebook looking for recommendations from local folks for a new doctor, and I got all kinds of responses from people who really liked their doctor and were happy to recommend them. That was witnessing, and through it, I garnered lots of useful information. (My post also earned me a text from my mom asking me if I was sick!) Listen to this about witnessing from Lutheran pastor David Lose. “We bear witness to the great movies or television programs we've seen and want others to enjoy. We bear witness to the accomplishments (or failures) of our sports teams. We bear witness to the important events in our family or work lives. We bear witness -- that is, tell someone about -- the things that matter to us all the time.” He continues, “It's not really all that different when it comes to the faith. Witnessing does not mean shoving our faith down someone's throat or threatening them with eternal hellfire if they don't believe like we do. It's simply telling others where we sensed God at work -- at home or work, at church or school, through a stranger or a friend, a doctor or teacher or neighbor, even through ourselves. Bearing witness is nothing more than saying where you think God is at work in your life and the world. We bear witness all the time; we're just not used to thinking about doing it in terms of our faith.”i Instead of having homework this week, you’re going to get the chance to witness here and now. First, I want you to take about a minute and talk to your neighbor about something that you liked this past week. It can be the victory of your sport team, a good movie, book or show that you encountered. Maybe something cute your kid or grandkid did that made you proud. You’re going to take turns, so be prepared to both speak and listen. Go! Now, think about what made the sharing of story or information good for you. Good witnesses share candidly, simply, conversationally about something good that happened to them. Does it have to be perfect? No, your love and your passion and your joy comes through with or without perfection, and that is what is most compelling. Maybe, just maybe, witnessing is easier than you first thought? Now, let’s take another minute and talk about your faith. Turn to your neighbor and share where you have seen God at work in the world this week. It can be in your personal lives, through the work of the government or school or the church or through someone else's life, even. If that seems overwhelming to you and you get stuck, then do what my kids and I do at the end of the day everyday and name three things for which you have been grateful this week. It is an easy place to start talking about how God is at work in your life. Go! You are my witnesses, Jesus says to his disciples and to us. May God give you the grace to live into that call this week, despite our imperfections, our doubts, and our fears. i. David Lose. Blog post titled Witnesses from April 15, 2012 http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1530