Rueben P. Jones reminds those who’ve survived Holy Week and Easter, “At this very moment, —you and I are in the presence of the living Christ. To remember this truth is to be shaped constantly by the presence of God in Christ in our lives. We often forget this central truth of the Christian faith, and when we do, we are easily overcome by the troubles of the world.” (A GUIDE TO PRAYER FOR ALL WHO SEEK GOD, p.171. ) Thanks, bishop, I needed that. I suspect that many of us are a bit drained.
During Eastertide, you remember, we substitute readings from the Acts of the Apostles for the usual Old Covenant lessons. (“The Old is gone, the New is at hand.”) Early occasions for ministry led to Peter & Friends being flogged and ordered not to preach Jesus any more (5:27-32). The nascent community of Christ didn’t set about just to be ornery towards local authorities; but they did prioritize their obedience of God over human law. They were community organizers of the new world order that sprung from the resurrection of Jesus.
A later affirmation comes from John the Divine, writing to churches of Western Asia Minor from his exile on the Isle of Patmos in the Aegean. In his Revelation 1:4-8, he calls these congregations to see themselves as “a kingdom [of Christ], priests serving his God and Father.” “Revelation was written to encourage these persecuted Christians to live in the power of the resurrection when evil seemed to be the only power at work in their world….reminding the reader that God is in charge of the world and God will have the last word….From beginning to end, this text is saturated with words and images of God’s complete dominion.” (Charles D. Reeb, in FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:393) “The job of the church is to crash the pity party of evil by announcing that the Lord God is Alpha & Omega.” (ibid.)
The Gospel story is that of “Doubting” Thomas (John 20:19-31), who spoke for all of us in needing more evidence of Easter. We’ve dissected Thomas much-too-much: his purpose here is to announce that the Rest of the Gang welcomed him back, even though he was AWOL. And so, dear readers, does the Christ-bunch welcome each of us after our own certain trips “away”! Don’t neglect the ruach, the heavenly breath, which empowers The Twelve and those who succeed them to speak of holy things. Can our words then be enlightened with divine hope?
Bishop Job ties it all together: “The risen Christ is with us and therefore we need not fear the events of this day or any day that lies in our future. We know that each day will be lived in companionship with the only One who is able to rescue, redeem, save, keep, and companion us through every experience of this life and the next.” (op.cit., P.172)
God Bless Us, Every One. Horace Brown King
My encounter with scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com
My Blog 
Leave a comment