Wasn’t Easter grand?!! At the church where we worship, Central United Methodist of Endicott NY, we had a superb brass quartet plus bell choir added to organ and piano…. Glorious!! I hated to come home…. The trite hymn whines that “I’d stay in the garden with Him tho’ the night around me be falling.” Truly, it’s more comforting to remain in Easter’s amazement than to accept Easter’s challenge.
Readings for this Low Sunday–the lesser of the Sundays within the eight days of the Easter cycle–call disciples into the next phase of the spirit-journey. During these several Sundays, we’ll read from Volume II of “The Christians’ Handbook”, aka “The Acts of the Apostles”. In Chapter 4:32-35, we hear about the apostles pooling their resources and holding their belongings in common. They were attempting to live alternatively, having seen the Risen Christ. Things just weren’t The Same….
The First Letter of John deals with the expectation that the Believer will stand in the Light. “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” (1:5) A closer reading of the word “sin(s)”–1:9-2:2– might be “brokenness”: a relational gap between Creator and Creation, between parts of the Church, between our home castles and the free air of community life. Now that the Lord is risen, things just aren’t The Same…
The Gospel is traditionally the confession of Doubting Thomas, John 20:19-31. The preacher/study leader could analyze Thomas’ inner fears (“why wasn’t he there the first time?”) and assign Thomas to the role of EveryMan (“someone has to ask the silly questions”). Be kind to Thomas: he’s my alter ego! Were I preaching, this Sunday, I think I’d lift up the verses (19,26) about Jesus appearing even though the doors were locked–what doors have we closed against God, what closets are off-limits to the Holy Spirit?
One Easter, while serving the Montrose PA United Methodist congregation, I had our resident computer guru print out a banner which said, “NOW WHAT??”; and it was hung above the main exit from the sanctuary. After Easter, things just aren’t The Same…
God has blessed us, every one! Horace Brown King
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