Next Weeks Lesson / Office of Church Relations

Editor’s note: this is an encore presentation of a previously written WORDLINK. We will present these encore presentations only from time to time.

Learning From Our Family Stories

Often on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University you can hear the Christian students make references to the first century Christians found in the book of Acts. They desire to be like those first century Christians in terms of the passion they brought to their faith and to their sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ. If indeed we are in a post-Christendom period as many say we are, these young adults might have something to teach us old-timers who make the assumption that we still live in a basically Christian culture. They are right that we do need a rekindling of the Holy Spirit to find that passion for preaching, teaching and sharing the Good News and reaching out in response to the Good News with lives of service and advocacy.

During these weeks of Easter, the Church lectionary invites us to get in touch with our roots and to hear again the family stories of our Christian ancestors. Over the next few weeks, our first reading will come from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, our second reading from First Peter, and our Gospel readings will be resurrection accounts from John and Luke. There we will meet our ancestors in faith and hear their stories, but this is not just an occasion to bring out the family photo album, these stories are our stories and they are meant to mold who we are, to remind us of our calling in baptism, to rekindle the passion of hearing the Good News and sharing it with others, and to show us how the resurrection of Jesus empowers people, then and now, for lives of service.

In his book, “Dangerous Wonders” Mike Yaconelli laments that in our day the Good News has become the Okay News. He laments, not unlike my students, that we have lost the passion and we must pray for the Holy Spirit to light the fire again. To steal a line from Patricia Datchuck Sanchez, “The alleluias we sing are not only for what was, but also for what is and what will forever be.” That is Good News indeed.

Link to the Gospel Reading

Obviously, this text is rich in themes and images. There is no way we can do justice to them in this WORDLINK. However, keeping in sight the comments above, let us approach the text looking for those links to our faith life today.

One thing you can say is that the Bible is brutally honest about the faith lives of our Christian ancestors. We tend to think of them as perfect models of faith who never do wrong when the truth is they are real models of faith who sin and fail and from their brokenness try to do the best they can to follow Jesus.

On the evening of Easter after seeing the empty tomb and hearing the testimony of Mary Magdalene where do we find the disciples? Are they out boldly proclaiming the Good News as we might suspect? No! They are behind locked doors out of fear of being associated with Jesus! Oh, we can’t relate to that can we? Fearful to be labeled a Christian, fearful that others might discover that we believe in God and go to church on Sunday, that’s not us. We are fearless proclaimers of the Good News, aren’t we?

Ah, but then Jesus comes into their fearful midst. We might expect him to read them the riot act for deserting him when he faced his darkest hour or at least chastise them for being fearful and behind locked doors. That’s what we’d do if we were Jesus. However, Jesus stands among them and says “Peace be with you.” And after Jesus showed them his hands and side, he breathed on them and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. (You would be correct in assuming that John’s version of the giving of the Holy Spirit is different than that of Luke as recorded in Acts 2.)

What does this tell us about Jesus? Might Jesus also come to us in our fear and uncertainty and instead of belittling us for a lack of faith, might not Jesus say, “Peace be with you. Receive the Holy Spirit.”?

In the giving of the Holy Spirit, two things happen, the disciples are sent as God sent Jesus (which indicates to me that they are to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus) and they are given the power to forgive sins (that has more implications than one might think. Not only can forgiveness remove guilt and reconcile people, but remember how many of Jesus’ physical healings were done through the forgiveness of sins).

Are we not, since the Holy Spirit is given to us through baptism, also sent to proclaim and serve? Are we not also given the power to forgive sin and thereby bring peace, reconciliation, health and wholeness?

Finally, the story of “doubting” Thomas. Again, Jesus does not do what we would expect. Accepting the doubt of Thomas, Jesus declares peace to Thomas and shows him the proof Thomas demands to see. What that says to me is that Jesus does not abandon us in our doubts, but comes to us with peace and encouragement to believe and to act on our belief.

One final note on the Gospel reading. I always have found it fascinating that the resurrected Jesus still had the marks of his crucifixion. Even in his resurrection, Jesus bears the brokenness of human life. I find that very comforting and very encouraging as I try to be a disciples of Jesus.

Link to the First Reading

Where we usually expect a reading from the Old Testament, during the Church year season of Easter, our readings come from the book of Acts. This week’s reading is a portion of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. Note the boldness with which Peter proclaims the Good News.

The thing to remember here is that this is Peter, the one who denied Jesus three times, the one who fled as Jesus died. This is Peter, the one who sometimes “got it” but could never hold on to it, the one who mostly got it wrong. And yet, here is Peter empowered by the Holy Spirit preaching the Good News and becoming, as the book of Acts reveals, the leader of the early church.

Folks, if Jesus and the Holy Spirit can do this to Peter, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can do this to you and me. We don’t have to be perfect, but faithful. God will use us to accomplish God’s purposes, as we are open to simply following Jesus the best we can.

Link to the Second Reading

The author of First Peter is writing to a group of Christians who are being persecuted for their faith. The exact nature of that persecution is unknown to us but it might simply be a situation where non-Christians revile the Christians for their beliefs. Either way, the letter is meant to encourage them to hold fast to their faith. The author reminds them of their baptism into Christ (this is the reference to “new birth” in verse 3) and all the benefits baptism brings. By clinging to the promises of baptism they will be able to endure the difficult times and rejoice in their salvation not only in the future, but even in the midst of their suffering (see verse 8).

While in our country we do not suffer persecution for our faith (though many Christians around the world do and we should pray for them often), we do not what it is like to be ridiculed for our faith. Have you ever prayed out in public with your family, say at a neighborhood restaurant? If you have you know how some can look at you like you are some kind of religious nuts.

If we do live in a post-Christendom world, then this kind of ridicule will continue to grow. What does it mean to hold on to your faith in such an environment? Might not we need the council of those first century ancestors who faced the same thing? Might not the words of First Peter be directed at us today? I think so.

Conclusion

As the season of Easter unfolds, keep watching those first century Christians. See how through their doubts, failures, mistakes and brokenness, they sought to follow Jesus and proclaim the Good News. We are not so different than they were if we are at all honest about our struggles to follow Jesus.

Questions for Discussion

Do you believe we live in a post-Christendom time? Why or why not? What evidences do you see?
How did you react to Mike Yaconelli’s comment that in our day the “Good” News has become the “Okay” News? If you agree with him, when did we Christians lose our passion for sharing the Gospel?
Do you find any comfort in the story of the apostle Thomas? Why or why not?
As you were growing up, what message did you receive regarding doubt? Where you taught that doubt was a natural part of faith or where you taught that doubt was wrong? What do you believe now? What do you teach your children or the children you meet?
First Peter reminds us of so many of the blessings we have as baptized Christians. How often do you think about those blessings? What effect do they have on your daily life? What effect should they have on your daily life?
Is the Church doing enough to share the Good News of Jesus Christ? Why or why not? What could the Church do to improve its witness to Christ?

Office of Church Relations