On the Way to Wonder

Divine versus delusion, that is a dilemma that befuddles many of us.  We are not alone in our pondering of experiences.  The followers of Jesus are gathered Easter evening behind closed doors, sharing stories of encounters with the risen Christ, when suddenly “Jesus himself stood among them. (Luke 24:36)” Were they seeing a ghost? Were they hallucinating? What was going on?  The followers were startled and terrified.  Jesus asks, “Why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see.”  It appears the mind is confused by what the body is experiencing and Jesus immediately links mind and body senses together inviting sight to unite with touch.  Ghosts have no bones so the test at the time on whether something is natural or supernatural was touch.

         Of course today we usually cannot “touch” Jesus with our hands and yet we have spiritual experiences that we need to test and make sure are real.  Several guidelines can be offered. 

         Supernatural encounters will not lead us to contradict the written Word of God that can be touched.  Voices encouraging hate, harm or evil do not originate from God.  James 3:17 further encourages, “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  Human wisdom that comes from bitter envy or selfish ambition is often accompanied by disorder and “every evil practice.”  A rule of thumb I use is that if something is true, it will be consistent advice throughout scripture and from several friends.  Learning to be led by the Spirit requires spiritual growth.  Speaking to an older, wiser person sometimes helps clarify our thinking.  Seldom is the urgent necessary but if the thought is persistent, reinforced by advisors and consistent with scripture, and you are at peace, then a spiritual adventure may be unfolding. 

         Jesus does stand among us and does speak to our human senses today.  I joke that I wish God would send me a fax but I know that he has given me his Word, my friends and a multitude of other avenues through which I experience his love and wishes today.  Often I want my answers right now, now, now and like making a beautiful cake, God is organizing ingredients, mixing, baking and creating an experience I may not even be able to imagine.  The followers could not believe their eyes and with them, we often pray, “Open my eyes Lord that I might see”.  Please enjoy this song for a moment.  ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Kxsr6Xcrc    

One of my early memories was my mother taking me to task for greeting someone with, “Hey!”  She would invariably say, “Hay is for horses, not for people.”  A greeting like, “What’s up?” is friendly and invites the other into conversation.  When we lived in Kenya we learned that the proper greeting in Swahili is “Habari!” which means literally “news?”  The mandatory response was “Mzuri,”  which means literally “good.”  For news was always good because God is always good.  Opening greetings are important and carry hints of friendship, formality, and openness.  Luke shares how Jesus appears Easter evening among the followers who have gathered behind locked door for fear of the Jews and who are comparing stories, not quite believing that Jesus is risen.  Jesus’ greeting is “Peace be with you.”  An atmosphere of calm and safety is invoked as he shows them his arms and bones to prove he is not a ghost and he is alive. Luke 24:36-49.

            Jesus does not enter with large fanfare and noise and trumpets like some important dignitary but as his presence is recognized, a peace permeates the atmosphere so that worry, fear, and anxiety leave and joy is present.  I would guess all the clamor and discussion stopped.  All eyes were glued to Jesus.  Ears were open to listen.  Some scurried to bring a piece of boiled fish for him to eat.  The heavy darkness of disbelief and fear evaporated.

            What word would you like to hear from Jesus today?  Love be with you.  Power be with you.  A friend is with you.  You are not alone.  You are valued.  Thanks for trying.  The dominate feelings of encounters after the resurrection seems to me to be affirmation.  Peace implies that loneliness dissolves, hate dissolves, fear dissolves, and relationship is restored.  We need not worry even though problems exist on the other side of the door.  Jesus can go through doors and any barrier to be with us and to bring us peace.  The God of the universe is at peace with us.  WOW.

Mark is building his case for the resurrected Jesus.  His first witness is Mary Magdalene but the jury of disciples do not believe her.  The second witness is a Cleopas and friend who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus.  But they were not believed also.  The third testimony appears in Mark 16:14, “Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”  For more details about this evening gathering, we turn to Luke 24.  Witnesses are comparing notes.  Evidently Peter has also seen Jesus but we do not know those details.  John also records this encounter.  We know it is Easter evening and disciples, followers, are gathered behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.  Remember, the guards have been paid off to say that the disciples had come and stolen the body of Jesus.  Not only are the followers grieving the death of their leader, rumors are circulating that they are thieves.

         Rumors, news and truth – how do we tell the difference?  Webster defines rumor as, “ talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source” or “a statement or report current without known authority for its truth.”  The story of the guards does not agree with the story of some disciples.  True the body is missing but “who dun it?” 

         When stories conflict and accusations fly, fear and suspicion grip our hearts.  Remember the childhood song-game, “Who Took the Cookie in the Cookie Jar”?  We snapped our fingers and said “Not me” with one hand and named another with the snap of the other hand.  We have sayings to ease our anxiety, “Where there is smoke there is fire.”  We don’t want to call anyone a liar and so we concede that there must be an element of truth in the report.  Witnesses in a trial are cross-examined to not only know if they are credible but also if they are qualified to speak as an authority.  We are just as skeptical today as people were at the time of the disciples.

         What helps you believe that someone is telling you the truth?  One of the qualities we look for is trustworthiness.  Is the person known to be someone who tells the truth?  We might also ask if the person has a vested interest and if there is a hidden motive in telling the story.  Perhaps we look for consistency.  Are the basic elements of the story the same as the story unravels and as the person remembers more and more about what happened?  Figuring out truth is not easy and in our culture today where so many people are “experts” of different kinds, it is possible to be confused and fearful.  Perhaps a lesson here is to ask myself if I am a reliable witness and friend as I tell my stories.  Am I believable?

         Into this midst of confusion and fear, Jesus steps three dimensionally.  He is seen, heard, and touched.  God wants us to be sure of his resurrection and presence in our lives.  He reaches out to us.  Thank you, Lord.

This week we reflected on the resurrection report of Cleopas and friend, possibly husband, on the road returning home to Emmaus after the crucifixion on the evening of Easter .  Jesus, unrecognized, joined them and explained to them as they walked the scriptures that predicted his death and resurrection.  They invited him in to stay and it was in the breaking of bread that their eyes were opened and they recognized him.

         One of the most popular communion songs that comes from African American spirituals is Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees.  Often communion is associated with kneeling at the altar rail on our knees.  There are several versions arising from the Gullah/Geechee cultural Heritage area along the East coast between Jacksonville, FL and Willmington, NC.  “Oh Lord have mercy on me,” is the Kyrie Eleison, the plea for mercy that comes with our prayers.  I am including a link to Joan Baez sharing how she sang it during Civil Rights.  It seems appropriate for our day too!

 Can you think of “eye opening” experiences that changed the understanding of your world.  For my generation, the shooting of JFK shook people to the core for they thought the President of the USA was infallible.  Again men landing on the moon was remarkable.  Tonight astronauts return from the international space station and the trip includes an American and two Russians!  Money can go from the USA to Kenya in minutes with the proper app.  I spoke with my daughter in Canada as if she were next door.  We live in a world where the miraculous happens daily. The miraculous has become ordinary.  Perhaps we do not realize what a revolutionary event it was for Cleopas and friend to encounter the risen Christ.  As they neared their hometown of Emmaus and invited this stranger who had joined them walking on the road and who was explaining scripture to them, Jesus unrecognized, in to spend the night.  They were still on an intellectual journey trying to understand.

         “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:20, 21)”  Christians call the breaking of bread and the sharing of drink “communion.” We believe that as we confess sin, are forgiven and then eat the elements, relationship, communion is restored.  We are reminded that even as bread builds our body, Christ died to build us.  Even as wine flows into our blood to build our blood, that close is Christ to us, strengthening us for our journeys.

         Today you may be struggling with broken relationships because of what and what.  Arguments?  Distance?  Language? Disease? Death?  Communion somehow crosses those barriers.  When I was a chaplain in a memory care unit, communion was given to people who could not talk and were a shadow of themselves and yet, as they received the bread and drink, they suddenly could say the Lord’s Prayer and their faces beamed as the elements entered their bodies.  Many could sing Amazing Grace but not talk.  Those are sacred moments.

         Is there someone you need to restore relationship with today?  Christ in the bread and the drink is able to cross barriers and restore: our hearts, our faith, our minds, and our relationships.  He still meets us today in communion experiences.  He meets us in ways technology cannot duplicate.  He walks with you, strengthening and seeking to encourage you. Spend time communing with him today!

Questions are funny things.  A question can really be an accusation.  Why did you do such and such?  Didn’t you know?  I still remember in kindergarten one day when my mother was observing, the teacher asked me what day it was.  Petrified at being pointed out, I blanked.  The teacher feeling my embarrassment, gave me a clue, “It sounds like ‘thirsty.’”  I could not come up with the name and have not forgotten that humiliating moment.  Jesus, however, always asks questions to draw a person out to help them understand more.  As he comes along side Cleopas and friend walking to Emmaus on Easter evening, he politely asks what they are chatting about. Luke 24:17-27.  They counter with a question, “Don’t you know what has been happening in Jerusalem?”  Of course he knew but he wanted them to share how they understood the events, so he asks, “What things?”  That question opened the floodgates of their hearts.

         It seems to me that this little scenario involves two aspects worth reflecting on.  If Jesus were to join you and a friend chatting and were to ask what you are chatting about, what would it be?  How much of our conversations are about food or movies or friends, possibly current events.  Think about a conversation you might have had yesterday and ponder what insight Jesus might have brought to your discussion?

         On the other hand, what might we ask Jesus to explain were he to join a conversation?  Cleopas and friend were talking about events that needed to be understood in terms of their historical perspective and future implications.  All that had happened to Jesus was predicted in the Old Testament.  What appeared random actually was prophesized.  My first son visited this weekend and we chatted about his three daughters, my granddaughters, and how their character was forming and becoming and where that might lead.  We laughed and reflected about my thoughts of what my children might become and where they are today.  Some I was right on and others have pleasantly surprised me. 

         Jesus is not asking Cleopas and friend questions to accuse them but to draw them out so he could inform them, give them historical context and a foundation for the reality they were living through but so little understood.  I find it deeply comforting that when life feels so random and out of control, God understands and walks with me through the chaos.  Full disclosure might be more than I can handle now but believing that he holds the whole truth and some day we might talk about it, is comforting.  Then again, maybe events are not about me but are unfolding for the sake of another and I am the “best supporting actress.”  That is worth an Emmy also! 

Cleopas and friend, perhaps husband as they lived together, are walking away from Jerusalem on Easter evening and headed to their home in a town seven miles distant.  They were discussing the events of the day.  We don’t know if they saw the crucifixion or if they just were caught up in all the stories flying around Jerusalem.  The soldiers were saying the body was stolen but the soldiers had not been executed for negligence at their job.  And…how could trained soldiers be overwhelmed by fishermen disciples.  Perhaps the crowd that cried, “Crucify him!” had changed their mind and stolen the body?  Others were saying they had seen Jesus.  Mary Magdalene claimed she met him at the tomb but she was a woman and probably confused with grief.  Some said that when the earthquake occurred, graves opened and the dead were seen walking in the city.  So many stories were circulating in the city and what could it all mean?   A third person joined them as they walked to Emmaus and they all started comparing notes.

         I wonder if it was not unlike the discussions after the mob overran the US capitol in January.  It was so far from what everyone expected that news commentators talked for days about what happened, who might have been involved, who was responsible, who got hurt, and what would happen now.  We can imagine the “stay tuned” heart-beat of Cleopas and friend.  The surprising element is that the third person who joined them seemed very knowledgeable about Jewish writings and could explain how it all tied together.

         How many times does Jesus walk beside us and we just don’t recognize him.  Perhaps our eyes are prevented from recognizing him too but he is there in the heart of a friend who listens to our tale.  He is there when just the right song comes on the radio and speaks to us.  He is there when the phone rings and we receive an unexpected phone call.  He is there when we go to the mailbox and find a surprise check.  He may even be there in a sunrise, sunset, bird’s song, or child’s hug.  So many times Jesus walks with us and we just don’t realize.  Jesus cared about these two people who were not part of the “in crowd” and he cared about their confusion.  He walked with them and spoke into their dynamic.  He walks with you  today too.  Lord help us to listen and recognize your voice.

Cleopas and friend were walking to Emmaus that first Easter evening, discussing the events of the day.  They were headed seven miles away from Jerusalem, the center of all the action.  Luke 24:13-35 goes into an extensive explanation of this encounter.  There must be something that caught Luke’s attention.  It seems that Jesus goes out of his way to appear to unlikely people, for example Cleopas and friend and later to Saul who becomes the apostle Paul.  Again Jesus is not recognized as he comes alongside these two.  Perhaps they were not that familiar with Jesus’ ministry and had joined the followers of Jesus later.  I wonder if they are headed in the wrong direction as there was “no room in the inn.” They might be Roman by ethnicity as the name Cleopas is not very Jewish. In any case, they are emmersed in their discussion.  Jesus takes time for them.

         I like the explanation that these two might have been Roman and that Cleopas might have been a woman as “a” is a female ending in Latin. Cleopatra would be another version of this name.  Most scholars agree that Luke’s intended audience was the Gentiles, the non-Jews, you and me.  If so, this story then goes out of its way to show how even the Gentiles were included in the resurrection accounts and their confusion was a concern to Jesus.

         Jesus goes to Scripture, explaining to them how his life and resurrection fulfilled Scripture.  That would further support God’s interest in not just the Jews but also others who are not as familiar with prophecy.  It would include most of us. Many of us would claim we were walking the wrong direction, away from formal religion or church experience, when Jesus appeared to us.  As a young adult, I loved the poem about the Hound of Heaven  by Francis Thompson. He pictures the resurrected Christ as one who “chased me down the labyrinths of my mind” until cornered, I turned to God. 

         Perhaps like Mary Magdalene, we warm to Christ’s approach to us as he calls our name.  But perhaps you are like these two people, headed away from the action but discussing all you have heard but not understood.  Jesus still cares and comes to us and is willing to explain and answer our questions.  What direction are you headed today?  Do you need the warmth of knowing Jesus calls you by name or do you need the help to explain the questions that cloud you mind and sight.  Jesus can meet us on whatever road we travel today.  We may not recognize him walking beside us but he is there, trying to explain and reach out to us.  Thank you, Lord.

P.S. “Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.  These returned and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. (Mark 15:12,13)”

         It is still Easter day or evening and Mark has a postscript after his account of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene at the tomb.  Jesus is risen but the disciples did not believe. It seems that the Gospel of Mark ended here but a postscript was added including other appearances of the risen Jesus.  Matthew and John do not mention this incident but Luke fills in missing details.  Luke wants us to remember these two people.

         “Afterward.”  Do you remember what you did Easter afternoon – watch a football game on TV?  Have a family gathering – properly spaced of course?  Organized yourself for the next day?  After a big event there is often the wind down, perhaps the move on to the next expectation, or “the debrief.”  I remember coming home from church and we would talk about the sermon.  In order to get my nickel allowance for the week, I was expected to remember the sermon and report in.  In the narrative we will ponder this week, two people are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a small town about seven miles away, and debriefing the events of the day. 

         What senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell, or touch – do you suppose were aroused in them by the resurrection story that now stimulated their conversation?  What is it about Easter morning that captures you imagination “afterwards;” the trumpets that told your ears to wake up, the pancake breakfast that woke-up your tongue, the beautiful spring outfits that impressed your eyes, or the warmth of a hug from a friend who greeted, “He is risen!”  Easter is an experience that captures not only our thughts but also our bodies because it talks about something real.  These two people walking along a dusty road, discussing the death of their hero and a possible missing body were so intent in their conversation they did not even look when someone joined them.

         “Afterwards,” is also today, Monday.  Perhaps as the Mamas and Papas sang in their song about Monday, we can identify with that sense of lostness that follows a huge disappointment – a death – the weight of the soul, the burning eyes from crying, the slump of the shoulders and the questions that swirl in our hearts.  We know this feeling of Easter evening or Monday morning.  Perhaps the challenge for us this week is to connect the experience of the disciples with the feelings we have in hearing about the death of heroes like Prince Phillip, or friends from Covid or the loss of a job or the trials going on in our courts over racial injustice and murder, to connect that heaviness we feel as we try to understand the news with the heaviness these two people were feeling as they walked.

         They were not alone but they did not recognize it yet.  We are not alone but perhaps we cannot feel that yet.  They processed with each other and perhaps we need a friend to listen or we need to be a friend who listens.  “Afterwards” for any impacting event in our life, it is good to take time to ponder, to discuss, to grieve if necessary, and to try and figure out what comes next.  Life can be very confusing but Jesus walks with us even if we do not recognize him. Hopefully there are friends to reach out to when we are ready.  Blessings as you face the challenges of this week and process with a friend.  Jesus is there with you.

The angel told Mary Magdalene that first Easter morning, “ Don’t be alarmed.  You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!”  One of the most famous Easter hymns written in 1739 by Charles Wesley was “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”

         Charles Wesley wrote between 6,500 and 10,000 hymns!!!  In 1738 Charles and his brother both had conversion experiences that deeply impacted the course of their lives.  Charles had been ordained in the Church of England but had a “heart-warming” experience at Aldersgate Hall, an old iron foundry converted into a church.  This experience seems to have ignited and jettisoned his musical talents.  Charles, his father, his son and his grandson were all talented musicians.

         Charles wrote this hymn for the opening of Aldersgate Hall in 1939.  Charles had a gift for making Christ real and three dimensional.  He gave converts something they could identify with, grasp and embrace and possibly die for at that time. 

         Methodism was founded by the Wesley brothers but Charles always was faithful to the Church of England.  They believed, “the resurrection assures us of God’s tomorrow.”  That hope allows us to deal with the trials and tribulations of today.  Mary Magdalene went to the cave expecting to anoint the body of her dead friend who had not made the Jews great again. Instead she met angels who gave her hope and purpose.  As we finish this first Easter siting of the risen Christ and we finish the first week of Easter, may we listen to the words of Charles Wesley’s song and feel the hope of the resurrection.