2nd Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2020
Holy Humor Sunday
1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31
This year we can identify in a new
way with this morning’s Gospel passage. The first line says that “the doors of
the house where the disciples had met were locked out of fear, and Jesus came
and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” The disciples were
self-isolating, just like us. They were staying put in a house with locked
doors in fear of what might come in. We are self-isolating each in our own
homes lest we catch or spread the Coronavirus. Jesus shows up, anyway, in the
locked room with the disciples. And Jesus shows up, anyway, in our homes as
well. Are these locked rooms like an escape room, where you have to solve
puzzles and mysteries in order to get out? Or maybe our homes feel more like a
fun house, with mazes and mirrors meant to confuse you. How many of you feel
like you’re confused? Who is doing a great job keeping the days of the week
straight? How many of you feel like the virus is a puzzle to be solved before
we’re allowed out? Last summer at the Howard County fair, my son was almost at
the end of the fun house, but he wasn’t sure what was around the last corner,
so instead of risking it, he went all the way back through the familiar mazes
and exited out the entrance instead. It was really funny to watch him, because
he did this more than once. He never made the last turn to exit the house; he
always went all the way back through it to the beginning. How are you going to
respond when you’re allowed out? Are you going to believe? Are you going to
live differently afterward as a result of this time? Or are you going to try to
go back to the beginning, too?
It’s something to think about, because how we react is within our
control even when many things are not. Thomas didn’t see Jesus; he decided he
wasn’t going to believe unless he saw Jesus for himself. Jesus was gracious
enough to come a second time into the locked room, and told Thomas, “Do not
doubt but believe. Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Belief runs deepest when you believe even though you don’t see. Faith
that is seen is not faith at all.
In my CPE class last week, we were shown a graphic titled “7 Key
Elements of Pastoral Stress Management/Self-Care.” It was shaped like a
pyramid, like the old food pyramid, where the food you should eat the most of is
at the bottom, like fruits and vegetables, and the food you need the least of is
at the top, like desserts. The base of this self-care pyramid, at the bottom,
was faith. Your faith is the foundation of your self-care and stress
management. It’s the bedrock of the pyramid. Above it come other good things,
in order of priority from most to least: attitude, rest and nutrition,
exercise, support, and problem-solving at the very top. These other things are
good and important, but paying attention to and developing your faith is more important than any of the rest. So
not if, but when you get stuck, when you feel overwhelmed, when you’d rather stay in your pajamas
and do nothing but eat junk food, go back to your faith. Pick up your bible and
open it. I don’t care whether you start at the beginning in Genesis, or you
turn to your favorite passage, or you open it randomly. Read your bible. Pray
and cry out to God. Whine even, if you must. God’s probably the one person who
doesn’t mind listening to whining. God understands where you’ve coming from.
“Do not doubt, but believe… Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed.”
Then, let’s look at belief and this
passage from 1 Peter. Verses 6 says, “…now for a little while you may have had
to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” We know about this now, don’t we? Now we are suffering various trials. Peter continues in verse 7, “These
have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than
gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory
and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love
him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled
with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of
your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Whenever we lean more on God, our
faith is strengthened. And the end result of our faith is the salvation of our
souls. Remember, we are saved by faith.[1]
This is the time to develop and strengthen your faith.
An article in Christian Century came
out on Friday pointing out that we’ve all become involuntary monks.[2]
If we live by ourselves, then it’s like we’re in a hermitage, since we’re by
ourselves. If we live with others, then it’s like we’re in a monastery. Either
way, we’ve been forced into monastic living where our faith is the single most
important thing. The problem, according to this article, is that we’re less
equipped and more bereft than the typical monk. Some of us have lost our jobs.
Some of us have lost our financial security. Some of us have lost our support
community. Some of us have lost our routines. Moreover, this article claims
that we don’t have a “spiritual director to guide our journey. We have no
established communal rule to form us. We have no communities who have
experienced this desert to instruct us.”[3]
But this part I disagree with. We have no contemporary community who has
experienced this desert, but I’ve read lots of articles about the Spanish Flu
of 1918. This desert has been experienced before, it’s just been a while. As to
a communal rule, I expect that by now, as we are entering our sixth week of
physical distancing, that you have created a new rule and routine in your
house. My house has, starting the very first week, because I know that children
do best with routine. Adults do best, too, but we’ve learned over the years how
to be more flexible and adapt outside routines. If your house has not settled
into a new routine yet, then make that your goal for this week. I do recognize
that Howard County schools are only rolling out distance learning last week and
this week, so for those of us with school-age children, our routine is about to
change again. But a communal rule is simply the guidelines by which your
community, now consisting of your household, live. Last is a spiritual
director. I like to think that as your pastor I play some role in that. I have
not been trained formally in spiritual direction, but in each of our messages
over six weeks now, at two messages a week, today is number eleven; in each of
these eleven services and messages there has been the opportunity for spiritual
direction if you are listening. Listen, pray, discern, talk to me separately or
another trusted friend, there is spiritual direction available, even if not
directly tailored to you in a one-on-one setting. We’re involuntary monks; isn’t
that a crazy thought?!
Now, what else do you need to laugh at this morning? What absurdity?
Church in your pajamas? Being able to mute the preacher? Laughing at these and
other absurdities is how you rise up while you are sequestered in your house.
Our theme for this Easter season is rising up, and while we’re physically
staying home, our spirits are rising up. We’re rising up with our faith, elevating
our faith. That’s the whole point in taking a retreat or entering a monastery:
it’s in response to your faith and it’s to deepen your faith. Jesus says, “The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that [you] may have
life, and have it to the full.”[4]
What does abundant life look like now? It looks like laughing at Satan and
telling, “Not today!” It looks like the self-care that focuses first on your
faith, firming up the bedrock. It looks like participating in the activities
that bring you joy, whether in your garden or with your pet or taking a walk or
calling a friend. We can still have and claim abundant life during a pandemic.
We can still rise up during a pandemic. Know why? Because of Jesus! Jesus
defeated death, he defeated sin, he defeated Satan once and for all. So whatever
doubts creep in, whatever fears, whatever despair, whatever anxiety, whatever
lethargy… tell yourself now, “Not today! I am a beloved child of the holy and
living God.” And pray, “God, I give these thoughts and feelings over to you.
God, I want to draw closer to you.”
There’s a story of a healing Jesus does in Mark 9 of a child who seems
to have epilepsy; he has seizures and has trouble speaking. The child’s father
brings the boy to Jesus. Jesus asks the father, “How long has he been like
this?” The father says, “His whole life. If you can do anything, take pity on
us and help us.” And Jesus says, “‘If
you can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately, the boy’s
father exclaims, “Lord, I believe; God, help my unbelief!” Jesus heals the boy.
But I love that prayer, “Lord, I believe. God, help my unbelief!” As you go
about your routine this week, let that be your prayer as well. Lord, I believe.
God, help my unbelief!
No comments:
Post a Comment