John 20:
It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”
Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”
After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”
Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.
If you are at all like me, you are probably starting to get a little stir crazy. Other than going to the church on my days of responsibility this week, and taking Zeke to the vet, I have not gone anywhere in almost two weeks.
I saw on the news the people who are protesting at the Governor's mansion --- down the street from the Church and supposedly later at the statehouse. They are protesting the continuation of the governor's stay at home order.
They are saying that staying at home should be their choice
Unfortunately, this is a moral question and as followers of Jesus, our freedom must always be balanced with the requirement that we love our neighbor. We are Christians first!
If my desire to go out and get back to "normal" threatens my neighbor, especially my more vulnerable neighbor --- or by increasing the risk I am threatening the health care workers --- then the moral calculus is pretty simple
And that is why creating a safety net is so important.
We had to close our Children’s Day In ministry for the remainder of the school year --- but we have committed to continue to pay those teachers their salary.
We made that decision before the government announced the Paycheck Protection Plan which allow small businesses and non-profits to apply for a loan/grant to cover these costs --- rather than turning them over to the unemployment rolls.
We did apply for the PPP when it opened up through our bank
But on Friday morning, we received notification that the funds have run out --- and we did not receive a grant
The church council meets tomorrow night --- I do not expect them to change course --- it is the morally right thing to do.
That is what must guide our decisions during this time.
our moral compass that we receive through Jesus
And I (and I imagine you) need to stop and applaud all those who must risk themselves for me (us)
• Grocery store workers
• Custodians
• Fire and police
• EMT's and other first responders
• Orderlies
• Nurses
• Doctors
• I know I am missing many --- many important people
Stop what you are doing and say THANKS!
And let us show our gratitude by doing our part to stem this pandemic so that it may be safe for us to go back out again. --- and that is STAY HOME!
We need to find that spring of hope inside each of us, that will enable us to keep on doing what we are supposed to be doing --- no matter how long this takes.
Which leads me to my question this morning.
What have we learned from this experience?
I have been thinking about this a great deal the last couple of weeks and want to share with you what I perceive I am learning
First, there is no going back to normal --- which maybe isn't a bad thing because normal wasn't working anyway --- not for many people in our society
As a society we have become fractured
Fractured along racial lines
Fractured along ethnic lines
Fractured along economic lines
Virtually anyplace that we can divide ourselves, we have managed to do it
The so called "United" Methodist Church is a perfect case in point
On a blog post, Rabbi Michael Rothbaum said:
Yes, the old ways of doing things are on hold, perhaps for longer than we realize. But this moment of rupture may be an opening to new paths. New connections. New ways of being. And, if we are diligent and blessed, maybe even liberation.
Abby Norman wrote:
What happens when this is all over? Will we be changed? Will we heed the lessons of a global pandemic, realize we are all connected to each other, fight for systems that keep our own selves safe by protecting the most vulnerable among us? Will we fight for a world where we could actually touch the miracle of a savior who died for the world and then rose again? Or will we only ever be able to glimpse it, but not hold on?
Tough questions, but important ones.
As I have been reading through the Gospel this week a couple of things have really stuck out at me.
Do you remember how John 20 starts?
I found it fascinating and it really just hit me this week, John writes:
Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
For many of us, it is still dark, and we are groping around trying to find our way.
Or maybe worse, are we like the disciples later that evening. Do you remember where we find them? John goes on:
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. (The Message)
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors,” (The Message)
After a week, they were still locked in their room --- AFRAID
What powerful images John is giving us ---
Mary comes looking for Jesus --- in the Dark --- unable to fully see
The disciples are hiding behind locked doors
Fear is a powerful force
Fear can help protect us by bringing our guard up
Fear can also paralyze us and keep us from moving forward
Fear can cause a mock bravado
I saw a picture on the news of a man marching in Michigan protesting the stay at home order --- he was carrying a sign that said "The CoronaVirus is Fake News" while covered head to toe in personal protective gear.
What struck me about most of those out protesting was their lack of following any personal protection guidelines --- it is as if they thing they are too tough to get this virus
Fear can also cause us to turn inward and start looking for people to blame --- just like we did as a country early on in blaming all people of Asian heritage for the virus.
Or as we have done countless times in our history.
Maybe this was most clearly demonstrated when crowds of far-right and white supremacist protesters descended on Charlottesville, Virginia in the "Unite The Right" march that took place in August of 2017.
"They marched toward a statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee carrying tiki torches, swastikas and semi-automatic rifles and chanting slogans like “White lives matter” and “Jews will not replace us!”"
Fear can mobilize some to lash out --- but it can also do what it did to the disciple and force us behind locked doors.
Right now, most of us are still behind locked doors --- afraid ---- waiting to know that it is safe before we truly venture out again.
How soon will you join tens of thousands of people at a Colts game, or Pacers game?
or even go out and eat in a crowded restaurant?
or get on a crowded airplane?
While fear is powerful and pervasive, what I have really come to understand is most of us are grieving.
We are grieving, like the disciples --- that the world as we have know it is gone.
Things will never be the same --- even if we are not willing to admit that yet
Those of us who lived through 9/11 know that --- think of how much air travel has changed since then
One of the things that will change is how we do church
For years I have been encouraging us to move toward live streaming our worship
But to be honest --- I have not been willing to drive the bus
But, when this is over
WE MUST CONTINUE TO LIVE STREAM --- it must be a priority
One of the greatest realizations is how we can connect to people in a new way by doing our worship service on Zoom
Friends and family can join, who couldn't before
Persons who could not get out can worship with us now can
Seekers can safely dip their toes in the waters of Christianity
Many of our small group studies will need to be available this way too
My biggest prayer, and the most important lesson I hope we learn, is that we become more cognizant of the vulnerable in our midst
But not just those in our midst (in a church service) --- also those in our neighborhood, city and world
My prayer is that we will support our neighbors in a whole new way
We will recognize how interconnected we all are
how vulnerable we all are
I have not received my "check" from the government yet
I always owe money and never get a refund, so I will have to wait until the check arrives via snail mail
But I will be honest with you --- my income hasn't gone down during this crisis, if anything I have spent less because we are not eating out as much and a vacation we had planned was cancelled
Whatever funds I receive from the government --- I pledge to give them to charity
To the church and our partner organizations
I invite you to consider joining me in this
I know we all are afraid
--- afraid of what we cannot see
--- afraid of what we do not understand
But let's not let fear --- or grieving over what might have been --- keep us from making a difference for Jesus.
I love this poem by Khalil Gibran called FEAR
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
The challenge for us is to remember that we are not disappearing; we are becoming.
Our reality is not worse because of this crisis; our reality is being revealed.
It's showing us what has been true and broken all along.
We have been given the chance to ponder together, "what kind of world do we wish to see on the other side of resurrection?"
I hope our newly resurrected world holds one deep truth at its core:
We are all in this together.
And together, we can make this world better for all of God’s children!
Let us not just glimpse it --- let us embrace it, become it and transform ourselves and the world.
Let us pray:
O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us.
May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all of creation.
Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory.
Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world.
I know that you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer our prayers in the name of our resurrected Lord, Jesus. Amen.
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