|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Acts 3:12–19 |
Psalm 4 |
1 John 3:1–7 |
Luke 24:36b–48 |
Once there was a wise rabbi who told his students that if they conscientiously studied the Torah it would put God’s words on their hearts. One day the students asked, “Why do you say on our hearts rather than in our hearts?” “Ah,” the rabbi replied, “only God can put can sacred words inside. But consistent reading of God’s Word can put it on your hearts, and when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.”1
After Easter we look forward to pleasant weather, and visits to nurseries, fantasizing about all the beautiful flowering bushes we could plant in our yard, or barbeques we could have with a new super size grill from Loews. The season marks the arrival of songbirds and the beauty of flowers in city parks as daylight increases. Students and professors alike look forward to summer vacations or a more relaxed pace. However in ancient agricultural societies, spring marked the arrival of hard work, of preparing the soil, sowing the seed, and weeding in the hot sun. It wasn’t a comfortable respite from inclement weather, but an urgent call that plenty of tasks awaited. A first century farmer didn’t have time to sit on a patio with a glass of iced tea and smell the flowers.
The Gospel accounts tell us that the weeks following the resurrection became a time when the early disciples became aware of the challenging tasks ahead of them. They realized that Easter would never be simply contained in a flowery message of romantic niceness and bucolic beauty. Discipleship was not going to be as easy as slicing warm butter. The first disciples came to realize that genuine discipleship was not about Jesus promising to solve all one’s problems or providing a setting where problems could be ignored or cast aside. Rather the disciples began forming a community where problems could be honestly and realistically faced without fear or recrimination and growth would occur as hope was sustained. That is why I suspect that the early post resurrection church would have well identified with the insight of the wise rabbi concerning God’s Word and how it enters one’s heart.
The Lessons after Easter are warning us not to expect quick acceptance from the world or an easy journey of faith. There is the old story about a chicken and a pig who were driving along Meadow street and passed a sign outside one of those new chain restaurants that read Weekend Special: All you can eat ham and eggs breakfast for $3.99. The chicken spied the sign and said, “Gee that’s a good deal, let’s go in and have breakfast.” But the pig’s eyes became large and he said, “Oh, no, not for me. For you, an egg is merely a donation, but when you talk about ham, that’s different. For me, ham is a real commitment!”
The disciples were quickly learning that God called them to make a commitment, not a mere donation. A donation is something you get a receipt for, or even a thank you coffee mug or tote bag. You quickly recover from donations and go on your merry way. But with a commitment, you take some roads you might not wish to take and your heart may very well break open. A commitment has consequences, both seen and unseen. That is why the post resurrection Gospels are inevitably disquieting and why the news of Jesus’ resurrection did not bring most of the crowds back to hear and follow the Gospel. The message of Easter is really about serious commitment and rolling up one’s sleeves for the work ahead, planting seed, weeding in the hot sun, and waiting for God’s word to shape, mold, and change us.
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
1from Anne Lamont, Plan B, Further Thoughts on Faith
