Hearing the Voice of Christ and Language Impairment

  4 Easter   C      May 8, 2022    
Acts 9:36-43 Ps.23
Rev 7:9-17  John 10:22-30

Lectionary Link 

A happy mother’s day today to all who have had this blessed calling in life.  And yet there is an irony in our Gospel reading for Mother’s Day.  Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.”  So that’s what we read on Mother’s Day.  It could have been more literal for Jesus to say, “My Mother Mary and I were one during the nine months of gestation.”

 

The other theme for this day is Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and the Lord God of the Psalmist was referred to using the metaphor of a shepherd. God made the Psalmist feel as though he were one of God’s favorite pets.  And who in life better represents a good shepherd than our good mothers who nurtured us for so many years because human children in contrast to other animals are needy and more dependent for so much longer.

 

But I would like to speak about a saying of Jesus from John’s Gospel.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”  He is referring to a recognition factor in the relationship that one has with Christ.

 

What do we call the hearing impairment?  Deafness.  The kind of hearing impairment which the words of Jesus refer to is the inability to discern the spiritual within oneself and in life.

 

What does one hear?  One hears words, but not just words, but the wisdom and understanding which comes with the words.  And we all know that hearing can be very selective.  When I told my dad that I was going out to mow the lawn.  He jumped in with immediate praise and reinforcement.  But when I ask him for five bucks, he just kept reading the paper as though he did not hear me.

 

Hearing the voice of Christ, has to do with our relationship within the way in which we use language.  One might say, that the Gospel of John is all about the issue of language impairment.

 

In John’s Gospel, we are told that Christ is the Eternal Language from the beginning.  Christ is the Word.  And if we are going to hear the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd, we are going to have to get our language right.

 

The Gospel of John is about people who do not hear the voice of Jesus because they understand only literal and empirically verifiable meanings.  To hear things spiritually is to understand all the physical metaphors in John’s Gospel as bearing spiritual meaning.

 

The blind person in John saw Christ.  The religious leaders who had physical sight, were blind spiritually.

 

The Samaritan woman at the well wanted her physical thirst quenched; Jesus wanted to show her the secret of having her spiritual thirst quenched. 

 

Jesus told a very adult man, Nicodemus, that he had to be born again.  But he was crassly literal and wondered about getting back into his mom’s womb.

 

Jesus raised a stricken child who was lifeless to new life; the spiritual life is reactivating one’s childlikeness to be able to know spontaneous joy for no other reason than the sheer consciousness of life itself.

 

Jesus gave Lazarus his life again, as an indication that everyone could have resurrection life within themselves even before they die.

 

Jesus made a lame man walk again, even as he said I am the way.  I give the ability to walk in the right way.

 

Jesus turned water to wine, indicating that under the appearance of the ordinary we can taste the extraordinary.

 

Jesus met fearful and anxious fishermen on the stormy sea and showed them how to respond to both their own fearfulness and the fearful situation.

 

The Gospel of John with Christ as Eternal language itself, is trying to expand the disciples in their experience of language.  He is trying to change their language experience by showing them that there are other ways to interpret everything.  And that having faith in the Christ-Nature within oneself is the key to correct our language impairments.

 

To hear the voice of Jesus is not to limit ourselves to just the physical or what we register in our five senses.  To hear the voice of Jesus, is to have had the experience of being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit,  and to add the spiritual dimension to everything which we experience in life.

 

John Gospel is about arriving to an appreciation of what Paul said: What is the mystery of the ages?  Christ in you, the hope of glory.  The Risen Christ is the activation of the image of God upon each human being, so that we can know, see, walk, live, and hear spiritually.

 

And we might say, “well I’m a doubting Thomas type of person, a show-me person.”  And Jesus seems to say, “Well, if you want to live on the surface with your doubts, you get to have all the side effects too.  Fear, worry, anxiety, depression….all of these are because of language impairment.  A disorder in interpreting the situation of one’s life as perpetually the worst case scenario.

 

Fear, worry, anxiety, and depression are real problems, but the root of the problems is language based.  There is some truth in psychology being called the “talking cure.”  What happens in therapy?  One talks out how one has gotten into the habit of interpreting life situations in certain ways.  The traumatic events came to interpretations and got remembered.  That language interpretation of certain events gets repeated over and over again, and locked into the repetitions of our lives.  And we can trapped by our seeming automatic responses.  The language interpretation makes one’s body and emotions remember and be stuck on the same response of worry and fear.  The language event goes deep into our body programming.

 

Jesus as eternal language came to let us interpret things differently in a new way, a freeing spiritual way.  Jesus came to free us from our language impairments which hinder us from seeing, thinking, feeling, talking, and hearing in creative and worry-free ways.Hea

 

My sheep hear my voice.  Why?  Because they have discovered the mystery of the ages: Christ in them, the hope of glory, the hope of the faith and love which casts out worry and fear.

 

So why are we at Mass today?  A simple meal.  The bread and wine having received a full identity with the Christ nature, enters us, and it becomes us; it mixes in with the Christ nature which is already in us, and we can once again be renewed in the mystery of the ages:  Christ in us, the hope of glory.

 

Christ in us means that  we also need to be at the work of the continuous “talking cure” to heal our language impairment, when we have been interpreting our life situations in ways that make us worry, fearful, anxious, panicky, sad, or even depressed.

 

This is an exercise that we might use to break the spell of some harmful interpretations which have kept us imprisoned.  Rather than thinking of mediation as silence without words, think about mediation as the hum of all language and words being present at once.  Think of Christ as the eternal language bath.  And let us take our worded interpretations which have trapped our lives in anxiety, and let that limited interpetation bathe in the ocean of the eternal word.  Let those interpretation get dissolved and die in Christ who is eternal language.  And from that baptism in the Eternal Word, let us arise to have receive the power of new words and new interpretations and let those new interpretations teach our bodies, minds, and feelings new patterns of reaction giving us the freedom from fear, worry, sadness, and just plain sour attitudes in our lives.

 

John’s Gospel reveals the great mystery of Christ as Eternal Word, Eternal Language, all within us as a mighty hum ready to dissolve all the petty interpretations in our lives which keep us trapped and defeated, sad and worried.

 

And if we can let Christ the Eternal Language heal our language, then we will learn the joy of hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd, saying your life is good, and because your life is good, you can learn to have a good version of everyone and everything in life because by faith you have learn the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Amen.

 

Sunday School, May 8, 2022, 4 Easter C

 Sunday School, May 8, 2022    4 Easter C

Themes

Good Shepherd Sunday

A good shepherd is a person who takes really good care of sheep.  Jesus is called our Good Shepherd and we are his sheep because he takes care of us by loving us and by showing how us to live together in love and care for each other.

There was a shepherd boy who became the King of Israel.  His name was David.  David also played the harp and he wrote poetry.  One of the most famous poems in the world is found in Psalm 23.  The poem begins:  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  David discovered a wonderful relationship with God.  David was a good shepherd for his sheep and he believed that God was a good shepherd for him because he knew God’s love and care.

Sometimes we are like sheep and sometimes we need to be shepherds.  When we have a need, we need help from others.  We need others to be our shepherds like parents, doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and fire fighters.  But each of us also need to be good shepherds too, because God has given us strength and ability to take care of others who need our help.  When our friend falls on the playground we can be a good shepherd and help them.  We can be good shepherd for our pet and take good care of them.  We can even be good shepherds for our parents when we help with the chores at home or help them when they are sick or when we take care of our younger brothers and sisters.

In our lives we are both sheep and shepherds because we often are in need, but we also have the ability to help others in need.

When we have a need, let us pray that we will find good shepherds to take care of us.  When we see someone who needs our help, let us pray that we will be good shepherds to them.

The Bible tells us the story of the sheep and the Good Shepherd so that we can understand that this life requires us to know what it is to be sheep and good shepherds.

Puppet Show on David the Shepherd

Characters:

David the Shepherd

Sheep, Lion, Crocodile

Fr. Phil

Father Phil:  Boys and girls, today is good Shepherd Sunday.  And a long time ago when the Bible was written, there were lots of sheep to take care of.  When the people of the Bible tried to teach about being a good leader, they said being a good leader was like being a good shepherd.  And Jesus was a good shepherd because he was a good teacher and leader.  But there was also a famous shepherd boy who became the King of Israel.  His name was David.  David, hello, do you have time to talk?

(David is busy rescuing a sheep from a lion)

David, are you there?

David (out of breath after rescuing a sheep):  Sorry, I had work to do.  I had to chase the lion away from my sheep.

Fr. Phil:  David, that is dangerous.  You could get hurt by the lion.  You must be very brave.

David:  Well, I want to take care of my sheep.  I get to know all of my sheep and so I don’t want them to get attacked and hurt.

Fr. Phil:  So, you are good shepherd.

David:  Well, I try to be.  I like to be out in valleys and mountains with the sheep.  It gives me time to pray.  And also I can write some poems too.

Fr. Phil: Have you ever written a poem?

David: Yes, I wrote one that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want for anything.”  I wrote that because I am out alone with the sheep and I have come to know God.  And so I feel like God, the Lord is my shepherd; and because I feel like God takes good care of me, then I want to be a good shepherd and take good care of my sheep too.

Fr. Phil:  Well, you were a good shepherd.  And God noticed because God made you to be King of Israel.

David:  Being a good king is like being good shepherd.  You have to care for people.  A good King, a good leader is like a good parent.  A good leader takes care of people who need care.

Fr. Phil: Well, people and sheep often need lots of care.  Babies need care, sick people need care, and hungry people need care.

David:  Yes, since the Lord God is good shepherd, God wants all of us to be good shepherds.

Fr. Phil:  Do you mean that these boys and girls can be good shepherds too

David:  When they help their moms and dads they are good shepherds.  When they take care of your younger brothers and sisters they are good shepherds.  When they do their chores they are good shepherds.

Fr. Phil: So some times we are sheep and some times we are shepherds?

David:  Yes, that is true.  When we need help, we are like sheep.  And when we help others we can be shepherds.  Oh, Oh, I have to go.  I see that a sheep has wandered near the river and I see a crocodile.  See you later.

(David leaves to rescue the sheep from the crocodile)

Fr. Phil:  Boys and girls, David was a good shepherd because he discovered that he sometimes was like a sheep and God was his good shepherd.  God sent Jesus to be a good shepherd for us.  So when we need help we can ask for help.  And when we are strong, we can be good shepherds too.  Can you remember to be a good shepherd?

Children’s Sermon

Today we have read about the Good Shepherd and we have learn that Jesus is like a Good Shepherd.

  A Good Shepherd takes good care of his sheep.  How does he do that?  He finds them a pasture with grass to eat.  He finds them water to drink.  He keeps them safe from wolves and coyotes.  He takes care of them when they are injured or sick?  Why?  Because the sheep need care.

  Do you know that we are both like shepherd and sheep?  A shepherd is one who gives care to someone who needs it.  A sheep is someone who needs care.

  I’m going to play a quiz game with you?  You tell me who is the shepherd and who is the sheep.

  When a person is really, really sick, she goes to the doctor and the doctor helps by giving her some medicine.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep.

  A father and mother go to work and they provide money for their children to have food and clothing.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  A boy has a dog and the boy feeds the dog every day and brushes the dog furry coat.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  An older sister is with her baby brother, and mom leaves the room.  And the baby brother drops his bottle and starts to cry.  So the older sister picks up the bottle and gives it to her little baby brother.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  So any of us can be a shepherd or a sheep.  Why?  Because sometimes we need things and sometimes we need care.

  But most of the time we have the ability to provide care for someone else.  So when someone needs care, we need to be like a good shepherd.

  Jesus is the good shepherd because he cared for people who needed his care.

  So, we too need to be good shepherds too.  Why?  Because people need us, and we need people too.

  Just as you and I often need help and care for ourselves.  We should learn to give care to others when we can.

  Jesus as the good shepherd has taught to care for people in need.

How many of you are going to try to be good shepherds this week?  I know that you can be a big help to your family and friends and to other people who need your care.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

May 8, 2022: The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children; O Be Careful; O, How I Love Jesus; Peace Before Us

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children (Christian Children Songbook, # 184)

1-Praise him, praise him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Praise him, praise him, all ye little children.  God is love, God is love.

2-Love him, love him, all ye little children.  God is love, God is love.  Love him, love him all ye little children.  God is love, God is love.

3-Thank him, thank him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Thank him, thank him, all ye little children.  God is love.  God is love.

4-Serve him, serve him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Service him, serve him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Revelation to John

For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple,  and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.  They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; *I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –   

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song: O Be Careful, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 180)

1-O be careful little hands what you do.  O be careful little hands what you do.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little hands what you do.

2-O be careful little feet where you go.  O be careful little feet where you go.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little feet where you go.

3-O be careful little lips what you say.  O be careful little lips what you say.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little lips what you say.

Children’s Choir: Freely, Freely,   by Carol Owens

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Oh, How I Love Jesus (Children’s Christian Song book, #182)

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: He’s Got the Whole World (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 90)

He’s got the whole world; in his hands he’s got the whole wide world in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands; he’s got the whole world in his hands.

Little tiny babies. 

Brother and the sisters  

Mothers and the fathers

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Alleluia!  Alleluia Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Jesus Showed Himself Again

3 Easter          May 1, 2022

Acts 9:1-20   Ps. 30

Rev. 5:11-14    John 21:1-19 

 

Lectionary Link

 

The reason for the growth and success of the Christian faith can be explained in four words which are found in our Gospel reading for today: "Jesus showed himself again...."  The word show in the Greek is the same word for epiphany, which is in fact the name of the season after Christmas on our church liturgical calendar.

 

The post-resurrection appearances of Christ, are showings of Christ when he became known in distinctive ways to persuade and win the hearts of people.

 

Today, we have accounts of various kinds of epiphanies of the divine in our Scripture readings.

 

The divine showing for the Psalmist occurred when the Psalmist experienced rescue from death.  To have the experience of being rescued from death is quite a profound apparent awareness of God, one which will indeed make one into a writer of poetry and song, which is what Psalmist was, a poet and a musician.

 

John the Divine had been imprisoned on Patmos; the showings or revelations to him came in the form of nearly inscrutable visions giving him hope that the seeming great losers in the end will win.  The Lamb who was slain, Jesus, was victorious, and so John the suffering prisoner, comforted by fantastic showing visions, was given hope that though oppressed and persecuted he would eventually be raised up like the Lamb who was slain.

 

In the reading of the Acts of the Apostle, we have read the fantastic converting epiphany of the Risen Christ which happened to Saul of Tarsus as he was traveling to Damascus to seek to persecute, arrest, and even kill the followers of Jesus.  Perhaps we can understand how a showing to Saul might happen to one who was caught in the most serious event of religious hypocrisy imaginable.  Saul was a zealous Pharisee who knew the Torah backwards and forwards.  And yet he got himself engrossed in inter-religious competition.  He was offended and jealous of the devotees to Jesus of Nazareth, and angered that they would preach Jesus as the Messiah, when his particular sect, the Pharisees could not make that confession.  His anger led to his being an accessory to murder, simply because these followers of Jesus were in a Jewish sect which believed Jesus to be the Messiah.  Can we appreciate his religious pride steeped in anger at these followers of Jesus?  And Saul was acting out on his anger to the point of bringing followers of Jesus to public stonings.  Saul was ready to snap.  He was vulnerable for an event.  Why?  Saul knew the Ten Commandment, and the one which stated "Thou shall not kill;" and what did he find himself doing?  Killing in the name of Almighty God.  What a contradiction.

 

Saul snapped and his insides opened up to a showing of the Risen Christ.  The event was completely psychosomatic; it affected his physical sight.  He was blinded by the awful contradiction of being proud of his devotion to the Torah while killing in the name of the Torah.  The showing of the Risen Christ gave him a way out of his dilemma.  Saul was converted and eventually he recovered his sight as his inner moral self adjusted to new behaviors consistent with God's plans for his life.  Saul became Paul and he came to be the chief architect of Gentile Christianity, and as a former Pharisee, he rebuked Peter for being so stuffy about his behaviors toward Gentiles converts to the Gospel of Christ.  The showing of the Risen Christ converts and changes people.

 

Simon Peter walked with Jesus in his three years of ministry.  He had many showings of Jesus.  He confessed him to be the Messiah.  He was quite certain that he would be a strong and brave leader for Jesus.  In spite of his self-confidence, and his intimate time with Jesus, Peter still had need for further showings of Jesus.

 

What is one of the most painful things in life?  It is the experience of self-disillusionment.  "I thought I was more than I found myself to be.  A challenging situation put me to the test, and I failed my best friend, and I failed myself.  How can I ever let myself back into good standing with others, and with myself.  How can I be rehabilitated?"

 

The life of Peter is proof that we never stop needing another showing from the Risen Christ.  In the case of Peter, he needed to be rehabilitated and brought back into good standing with Christ and with his friends.  Jesus asked him three times whether he loved and liked him.  Peter had denied Jesus three times, and Jesus gave Peter three take backs.  "Peter do you love me,  do you love me, do you like me?"  "Yes, yes, yes, you know I do."

 

For you and me, when we need such really dramatic showings of the Risen Christ to deal with some serious problems, may we experience such wonderful breakthroughs.  But the showings of the Risen Christ do not have to be so traumatic and dramatic; they can be joyful caresses in the midst of the mundane, they can be the profound truth of beauty in art, music, and written word.  They can be in the middle of the night when we can't back to sleep.  The showings of Christ are waiting for us.  Let us not think that they have to be dramatic or traumatic to be truthfully meaningful.

 

And how do we know we are having these showings?  Joy, peace, smiling, laughing, caring, giving, loving and more, because the showings of the Risen Christ are tailored to the specifics of your life experience and mine.

 

And let the Gospel of our life today be: And Jesus showed himself again to us.  Amen.