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On these days just beyond Easter, gentle reader, we may well ask, “What’s it to me?” How do we resume our vocations/occupations having known the Risen Christ? Some will want to bury Jesus away again until, say, just before Christmas; others will shrug their shoulders and plan a nice cruise. Many of us will hopefully continue to acknowledge the presence of Christ in our regular pursuits and devises. Readings for the upcoming weekend express our quest for active discipleship: hear their depth.

The story often told in ACTS 9:1-6 is that of Saul/Paul being divinely apprehended on his way to Damascus–the local Big City–to identify and arrest the followers of Jesus. But a blinding light struck him, and he cried out, “Who are you, Lord?” And his life was forever changed. We’ll never know exactly what Saul/Paul saw with his Inner Eye, yet he recognized that Jesus was the antidote for chaotic thinking and mischief-making. Where, we might ask, have you recognized the scheme of life? Has there been an AHA-moment when our cultural blindness has yielded to the risk of Holy Illumination?

At first blush, the passage from REVELATION 5:11-14 seems pretty bland…but it’s not. All Creation, from sea-urchin to Elder, recognizes the worthiness of God and sings praises to Jesus (“the Lamb”)! The complete title of the book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”; and the content goes on to lift up the alternative between our daily scrabblings in the ephemeral dust and an eternal presence that makes sense of all things. The recognition of the resurrected Jesus as Lord turns upside-down the hollow power of subjection and hoarding.

I love the story in the postscript of JOHN, vv.1-14, for its laid-back humor and also the slowness of other disciples to recognize their Best Friend. Peter tells the others that he’s going back to what he knows best, that is, fishing. The rest of the gang goes with him, mostly because they have nothing else to do (yet). And there’s Jesus on the beach! “Catch anything? Try the other side! The OTHER side! Oy vey…”) After the Resurrection, it’s ALWAYS the Other Side. “There is no longer any escape. Wherever they go, the Lord will be with them. The ordinary and routine will no longer be either ordinary or routine.” (Gary D. Jones, FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:422) The Gospel begins and ends knee-deep in fish for those who recognize Jesus…

This message “engages our theological imaginations in ways that are distinct and troubling, uniquely confronting our worlds of common sense in its attempt to reveal hidden realities…” (Erik M. Heen, ibid., p.414) Maybe we shoulda told you this at the beginning–but when you recognize Jesus, your lives will have different values.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday that the electric lines are intact to explore and be confronted by scripture which will be read on the upcoming weekend.

Since many of us will not have a formal service of the Easter Vigil on Saturday, I’ve chosen to explore these stated lectionary readings for the day. In Olden Days, churches would have the sanctuary open all night, on Easter eve, remembering Christ in the tomb. These would often conclude with bonfires before dawn, presaging the warmth of the holiness of Easter. It’s fitting for contemporary Christians to do something “different” between Crucifixion and Resurrection which might honor both the prevalent sadness/despair and the coming glory. Just when we felt abandoned, God tells us that it’s not over yet!

The long Old Testament reading, EXODUS 14:10-31, recalls the desperation of the recently escaped Israelites from slavery in Egypt: they had marched into the wilderness with Moses, and were now caught between the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds and the chariots of angry Egyptians. So what’s your plan, Moses? God, where ARE you?? So Moses raised his staff and the waters parted for the Israelites, but came back on the pursuing Egyptian army….drowning them all (or was it baptism?). Beyond approaching death was new life, at least for the Good Guys. God evidently wasn’t done yet.

Paul tells the ROMANS (6:3-11) that the only way to Life is through the portals of Death. This is an unpleasant passage, and we tend to soft-pedal it; yet beyond dying is the reality of Easter! “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” And so we keep vigil, with the expectation that the dawn will bring Good News: the opposite of Death. People begin to taste real life when they can sacrifice their selfish control–even their breathing–to wholly embrace God as seen in Jesus. As we recognize Christ’s life in us, we also become aware of a deeper integrity within us: compassion for the down ‘n ‘out, and an empathy with those struggling for righteousness.

The Gospel is LUKE’s account of the first Easter morning, 24:1-12. Although Jesus had announced his resurrection to them, his friends weren’t really expecting much. These women came looking for his dead body, bringing with them spices to anoint the dead. But the question for us all is, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” They all thought that their meaningful living was through–but again God said, “Not Yet Done!”

J. Michael Krech notes, “As the crossing of the [Red?] Sea marked Israel’s passage from slavery in Egypt to service of the true and living God, so does Christ’s resurrection open the way for the Christians’ journey from death to life.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:333) Autobiographical note: I’m scared beyond words of the Egyptian chariots and the looming cross. Maybe you are too. As pilgrims through this barren land, it’s good to hear a cheerful Voice saying, “Not Done Yet!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to join me every Tuesday as we explore upcoming scriptures: at horacebrownking.com

Spoiler alert: this morning’s blog will not be about rock music, nor will it have to do with Mick Jagger & Co. It WILL be about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, about the expectant crowd who cheered the new Messiah, and about Jesus’ oneness with the Center of the Universe, even the stones which lined the road and defined the Temple. Since it’s Palm Sunday, many congregations will also add the entire Passion Story. This week is a fulfillment of the conflict that goes on even today: that of divinity and trueness running into the brick wall of Business as Usual.

The prologue is PSALM 118:19-29: a Song of Ascents, to be sung while climbing Mt. Zion and approaching the Temple. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone…. blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” The “builders”–profit, temporary power, not rocking the boat–continue to reject the ways of peace, justice and righteousness. Who would base a society on that?? And yet, the “blocks of the Temple” are scattered in each generation, shouting out for God’s reconstruction, making perfection out of the imperfect… “God indeed works through materials that many prudent architects of society would reject.” (Mark W.Stamm, FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:151)

The Gospel is the familiar story as remembered by LUKE 19:28-40. This story contains many significant parts which inform our approach to Holy Week; today I’d like to focus on the very end, where Jesus remarked, “I tell you, if these [disciples] were silent, the stones would shout out.” (see Habakkuk 2:11) The Powers and Principalities were trying to shush those who recognized the Prince of Peace, the harbinger of justice and righteousness. Governments and businesses still try to “win” at all costs–Jesus rides through them all. Some will try to silence this Good News–and may, for a while–but God’s Messenger(s) will triumph and claim the foundations of the Kingdom.

One day it’s warm & sunny, the next it’s cold & rainy. Spiritually, too. But have patience. Raise a loud cry, for God is yet in charge! With Zephaniah (3:14) we “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!…. the Lord your God is in your midst!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we meet with Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend; please join us at horacebrownking.com