Reach Out and Touch Faith

April 27^th, 2014       “Reach Out and Touch Faith”        Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 20:19-31 with Psalm 104

          As many of you know, I commonly follow the lectionary cycle, or the prescribed readings for the church year, for my Sunday sermons.  Many others pastors do the same, which is how you might find yourself talking to a friend who goes to another church and find out that you heard sermons on the same reading that Sunday.  Usually the lectionary provides a good variety of readings; but not on the Sunday after Easter.  For some reason on the Sunday after Easter our gospel reading is always John 20:19-31.  Always this same story, doubting Thomas.

          Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that we always find ourselves here after Easter.  Like the disciples, we have a tendency to revert to old patterns after our high holy day of hope.  Just last Sunday we were all smiles and sunshine, promises of new life and a celebration with family on our minds.  This week that is like a distant memory as we are back to the grind, back to the ordinary life, coming to church for one more boring Sunday.

          The disciples are back to their old places too, and theirs is a place of fear.  Unlike us, they have not skipped ahead a week.  No, for them it is still the very same day of Easter.  It is evening on the first day of the week.  Mary, Peter, and the beloved disciple have all been to the empty tomb.  Mary has proclaimed the message that Jesus has risen.  And yet, here the disciples are, locked away in a room for fear of the Jews.  Although the world has profoundly changed, it feels to them that very little is different.

          Jesus appears among them bringing words of peace.  He seeks to comfort and reassure them.  Yes, he has risen from the dead.  See the marks of his wounds, still deep and red.  He breathes on the disciples the Holy Spirit and in that breath we are reminded of the spirit breath of creation.  This is the same wind that we find elsewhere in the scriptures.  It is the ruah that hovers over the waters of chaos, the breath that brings forth life in the mud creature Adam, and the four winds that bring life to zombies in the story of Ezekiel.  Jesus breathes on the disciples a new creation, and sends them out into the world to share it.

          But Thomas was not there.  Thomas was not with the others that night in the locked room.  So where was he?  Was he out looking for Jesus?  Was he out keeping watch for the threatening Jews?  Was he scoping out the empty tomb?  Or was he simply on a pizza run?  Hard to say.  But wherever he was, he wasn’t there, and he didn’t see what the others saw.  He didn’t see Jesus.

          Everyone loves to call him “Doubting Thomas” and even though the word doubt does not appear anywhere in this scripture reading, that is how he will go down in history.  For centuries he will be the odd man out, the one who wasn’t there, the one who doubted.  It’s a bad rap really, for all those guys locked up on Easter eve sure look like doubters to me.

          Regardless, Thomas asks only to have what others before him have had.  He wants to see the risen Lord.  He wants to see and touch the wounds.  He wants to know for sure that the one he knew and loved, the man he saw hanging on a cross, is the one who has risen from the dead.  Is that so much to ask?

          Apparently not, for one week later he gets his wish.  The Lord once again appears to the band of disciples who are once again shut up behind closed doors.  This time Jesus speaks specifically to Thomas.  “Go ahead,” he seems to say, “Touch me and see that I am real, touch me and find out what it is to be fully man and fully God.  Yes I have suffered and I have risen.  Witness that resurrection.”  The text never says if Thomas really touches the wounds but I like to imagine that he did.  Thomas’ response to the generosity and love of Jesus is the greatest declaration of faith in the gospel of John, “My Lord and my God!”

          Even though we read this text every year, and it can be hard to come up with a new sermon each time, I really do love this story.  I love that the disciples didn’t believe what was happening because so often we don’t believe the stories of our faith.  And I love that Thomas wanted to see and touch Jesus for himself.  He wanted to know the power of God.  He wanted to see the reality of the resurrection.  His is a great story because I think that in the end, we only want what he wanted.  We all want to see the power and glory of God in our world.  We all want to reach out and touch faith.

          As many of you know, in the field of educationally theory, folks have discovered that we all have different learning styles.  Now I am not going to go into any great detail here, because there are friends in our ranks who know a lot more about this than me.  But basically people learn by sight, by sound, or by touch.  Some people learn visually; charts, graphs, pictures, all of this helps them process information.  Some people learn aurally; lectures, songs, stories help them learn.  But some people just need to touch.  They learn through hands on methods like stacking blocks or enacting role play.  I think Thomas was a hands-on learner.  He wanted to touch the Lord.  Don’t just tell me about it, and don’t just show me, let me touch it to know if it is true. 

          And you know what is great?  Jesus doesn’t judge him.  Sure for years the church has looked down on him because he doesn’t fit the mold, but Jesus doesn’t.  Jesus allows Thomas the learning process that he needs.  Jesus gives Thomas the opportunity to touch, and in that opportunity Thomas’ faith grows leaps and bounds beyond that of the other disciples.  Ironically it is in touching the Lord that Thomas is able to finally see who Jesus is “My Lord and My God!”

          Now folks have asked me if we could celebrate Earth Day today, which is new to my church experience.  This week I was wondering how I could jump from Thomas to Earth Day.  Doubting Thomas might be a good opportunity to talk about global warming but I didn’t feel like going there this week.  Instead, I decided to abandon the lectionary.  That is how we get to Psalm 104; Psalm 104 is an awesome text for Earth Day. 

          Psalm 104 is all about the beauty and wonder of creation.  The Psalmist describes all the marvels of creation, from the sun and the clouds to the mountains of the earth.  The Psalmist tells of the creatures of land, of air, and of sea.  The Psalmist sings of the love and care of God for all of the creatures, who look to God for food and life.  Praise God for all the good things that God has created.

          Just like the story of Thomas, the Psalmist calls us to reach out and touch faith.  The Psalmist praises God not only for the good things that we see and hear in creation, but also for the wonders that we touch and taste.  He writes “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for the people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.”  I love that line, and not just because wine and bread are the ingredients my favorite dinner!

          God has made a beautiful world and God has filled it with things we can touch.  Just as Jesus welcomes Thomas to touch him and know the truth, the Lord’s creation invites us to touch and taste, to know the goodness of the Lord.  What a beautiful image.

          Whatever learning style we may have, God is calling out to us this day.  If we are visual learners, we can see the love and care of God in the red buds and hyacinths.  If we are aural learners, we can hear the love and care of God in the songs of the cardinal and the mourning dove.  And if we are touchers like Thomas, God invites us to reach out and touch the world.  From the soft grass to the rose petal to the dandelion puff, our Lord invites us to reach out and touch faith.

          So on this celebratory Sunday after Easter, we praise God for many miracles.  We praise God for the open tomb and the story of resurrection.  We praise God for the faith of Mary and of the disciples, behind closed doors.  We praise God for the courage of Thomas, to ask for what he needed, and to touch the Lord.  We praise God for this earth which shows and tells us so much about the love and care of our Lord.  And we praise God for the daily opportunities we have to reach out and touch faith.  What a blessed day and what a blessed world.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.   

         

Tragedy, Comedy, and Love Story

April 20^th, 2014       “Tragedy, Comedy, and Love Story”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 20:1-18

          He has Risen!  Thanks be to God!  I love all of the gospels’ Easter narratives but I have to admit that the way John tells the story is my favorite.  John’s story is so robust and real.  Tragedy, comedy, love story; plus great characters, John has it all.  The way he tells the story brings a smile to the lips and pulls at the heart strings, and what could be better on such a day of celebration?

          Tragedy of course is where we start as the scene opens in darkness.  Jesus has been unjustly killed.  His disciples and followers have been in hiding.  They have all been keeping quiet, keeping to themselves, staying out of the light, and waiting for the Passover to finally pass over so they can go to the body.  Tragedy is what sets the stage here in the gospel of John.

          But it isn’t long until we transition into the love story which is tied to the character of Mary.  Mary loves her Lord like no other and she struggles to wait until the Passover ends.  She can hardly contain herself, and when she can’t wait any longer, she is up before the sun, headed down the lonely path to the tomb. 

          She has come to pay her final respects.  Having anointed Jesus for burial while he was still living, Mary has come to attend to his body one final time.  But, upon arrival, she sees that the stone has been moved, and her heart is filled with dread.  It was not long ago that there was talk of removing the stone at her brother, Lazarus’ grave.  But this open tomb does not prompt faith in Mary’s heart, instead it prompts fear.  Tragedy is interwoven in this love story as Mary doesn’t dream of resurrection, but instead finds herself in a nightmare.  Her beloved Lord is missing and it is obvious to her that someone with malice in their heart has taken his body.

          Mary doesn’t even enter the tomb, but runs back to the disciples to report, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb!”  And now the comedy begins.  Two wonderful characters make their appearance in Peter and the beloved disciple.  Both hear the news of the empty tomb and immediately a foot race begins.  Imagine the scene, as the two men look at each other in wonder and then take off running out the door.  John makes a point of letting us know that the two weren’t simply running to the tomb, they were racing, running with energy and vigor like younger men in better times.

          What a scene!  Imagine these two very serious grown men, two of Jesus’ greatest disciples, running like children.  I see them with their robes flying behind them, sandals threatening to come off, sweat beading on their foreheads.  Here is the beloved disciple leading the way.  He is a special character in the gospel of John and right now he is flying to the tomb as fast as he can.  And here is Peter, who ironically has spent the past few days running away from the Lord.  Watch him hot footing it down the trail in pursuit of the mystery.  One can’t help but smile upon seeing them race down the road.

          I wonder if they were expecting to find Jesus there like Lazarus had been days earlier, waiting to have his burial cloths removed.  Or perhaps they were hoping that somehow Jesus hadn’t really died.  Maybe the beloved disciple was looking for one last moment with his master.  Maybe Peter was looking for a chance to apologize.  Either way they are filled with hope and excitement as they challenge each other to see who can get to the tomb first. 

           Upon arriving they find that yes, the stone is moved.  There continues to be a sense of comrade and tom foolery in the way John relays the story, as one disciple enters after the other.  The beloved disciple has won the race and looks in, but it is Peter who is bold enough to enter the tomb first.  Sometimes I imagine the beloved disciple giving Peter a jockeying shove so Peter ends up the first man with his foot in the door.  Both find an empty tomb, and instead of Jesus wrapped in cloth like Lazarus, they find the burial garments folded and put aside. 

John tells us that the beloved disciple sees and believes, but we don’t know what it is that he believes.   The writer of the gospel says that they still have not understood that Jesus was to rise from the dead.  It appears that these two don’t hang around long before they turn and head home, perhaps at a more melancholy pace, wondering what to make of the whole scene.

          And now we are back to our love story.  We see Mary standing outside the tomb, consumed by grief.  She is lost, confused, and weeping.  The men have come and gone and still no one knows where Jesus is.  She looks into the tomb and unlike the men who have gone before her, she sees angels in the tomb.  Yet, she does not seem moved by their presence, even when they ask why she is crying.  Her response to them is the same as it was to the disciples, “They have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have laid him.”

          Mary turns, and sees a man she assumes to be the gardener.  And he too, asks why she is weeping and who she is looking for.  She wonders if perhaps he has moved the body and asks, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Mary’s only desire is to care for the Lord that she loves and so even though she is in the presence of angels and the risen Christ, she fails to notice them.

          Finally, Jesus ends the charade, “Mary!” he calls to her, and at that moment, her world changes.  I love the way Henri Nouwen talks about the magnitude of this moment.  He says . . .

When Jesus calls Mary by her name, he is doing much more than speaking the words by which everybody knows her, for her name signifies her whole being.  Jesus knows Mary.  He knows her story: her sin and her virtue, her fears and her love, her anguish and her hope.  He knows every part of her heart.  Nothing in her is hidden from him.  He knows her even more deeply and profoundly than she knows herself.  Therefore, when he utters her name he brings about a profound event.  Mary suddenly realizes that the one who truly knows her truly loves her.

Imagine the way that Mary’s heart swells as she hears her name.  “Teacher,” she cries out in joy as she moves to embrace her Lord.  She must have really rushed to grab hold of Jesus for he responds, “Do not hold on to me.”  He still must ascend to his Father and our Father, his God and our God.  Jesus then sends Mary to go and tell what she has seen.  He asks her to take this love story and spread it.  The one who knows us best and loves us most has risen and conquered death forever.  Apostle to the apostles, Mary is the first one to share the message that will change the whole world.

          As I said earlier, I just love the way that John tells the story.  John has it all, expertly weaving together tragedy, comedy, and love story.  I think that this is such a fabulous text because wherever we find ourselves this morning, we can find ourselves here in John’s story.

          Although we are here to celebrate resurrection, the fact is some of us here are still in the tragedy part of the story.  This is the first Easter without a beloved family member or friend and though the resurrection promise rings true, our hearts are still raw with ache.  In Mary’s tears at the empty tomb we find our place in the story.

          And some of us here are in a more comedic mood, full of the infectious joy that loving our Lord brings to our lives.  We love Easter and it brings a smile to our face.  We can’t help but crack that joke around the table and rib our neighbor a bit as our joy is contagious. 

          And of course, some of us are simply wrapped up in that great old love story.  The one who knows us more than anyone, all our good stuff and all about ourselves that we wish to hide, the one who loves us more than we can even love ourselves, today we have gathered to celebrate him.  We have come together to celebrate the risen Lord who has given us the greatest gift of love in the history of the world in his death on the cross; and the greatest miracle of love in his resurrection that first Easter morning.

          Look around, for all the wonderful characters of John’s story are here.  Some are like the beloved disciple.  They have walked a long journey with Jesus and can’t contain their joy.  They are ready to race to church on Easter Sunday, to once again find that empty tomb, to see and to believe. 

          And there are Peter’s here as well.  Those who have let the Lord down, slipped a bit on the road of faith, and are eager to race to church and find the Lord; to say their apologies, to accept forgiveness, and to start afresh on the road of life. 

          And of course, there are Mary’s here.  Those who have been touched deeply by God’s love.  Those who have come to the tomb early in the day because nothing could keep them away.  Those who come to church every Sunday, whether angels are here or not, simply because they are looking for Jesus, the one that they love.

          On this special morning, in this special place, all of us are wrapped up in the tragedy, comedy, and love story of Easter.  We have come once more to the tomb.  All of us looking to find our Lord.  All of us listening to hear our name.  All of us here because the one who loves us fully, who loves the whole of who we are, has promised to meet us here when we gather in his name. 

          This is Easter morning.  The day we set aside to celebrate empty tombs and open doors, the arrival of spring and new life, family and friends gathered together to share in the hope of resurrection.  This is the story of our faith: tragedy, comedy, and love story.  As followers of Christ we are confident that if we come seeking, the resurrected one will find us.  Jesus will call us by name, and wherever we are in the story, we will know that we are loved.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.