Gospel text for the Great Vigil of Easter 16 April 2022

Luke 24.1-12        On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Reflection        No eloquent words nor finely formed images can  begin to help us wrap our minds around resurrection. Frankly this was an enormous stumbling block for me years ago as I was discerning my call to the priesthood.  What am I to think about resurrection? It is the hallmark of Christian faith and I am not sure I can swallow it? Surely I cannot preach it. I wrestled. I prayed. I waited. And then something happened. 

It was an unremarkable day during which I was having an unremarkable meditation when suddenly I had an experience of Jesus that was more real than anything I have ever seen with my eyes or touched with my hands. It captivated all of my senses and hung a lamp in my heart that remains undimmed.

With no apparent previous cause, in the silence of my heart  I heard Jesus say, “Follow me.” Do not ask me how I knew it was Jesus. I just did, with absolute certainty. I knew it like I know my own name and that I am standing here speaking with you. And I felt my self step behind him. Jesus said, “Come closer.” I did. And he said, “Closer.” Feeling hesitant and awkward I answered, “If I come any closer I will step on your heels.” And he said “Closer.” Ever so tentatively I stepped into his heel and vanished, except I was not gone. What was gone was my sense of separation. I could not see him. I had no sense of where I ended and he began. I just knew that he was closer to me than my own breath and that I was so close to him that there was nothing between us.

Every cell and every space of my being glimmered with knowing, “This is true.” Though I have rarely shared this story, the experience remains as real for me today as it was seventeen years ago. Unlike seventeen years ago I am no longer afraid to share this story, a story I have come to understand as an experience of death and resurrection. Death of my belief in my sole and separate self and resurrection in union and unity with Divine Presence that Christians recognize as the Christ. St. Paul explains it this way to the Galatians. “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” Death and resurrection. The only thing lost in death is the belief in separation. Everything is gained. This is resurrection.

Two thousand years ago Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women followed Jesus. They heard the authority in his words. They felt the healing power of his touch. They grew weary walking with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They watched and were horrified as their teacher, their friend was beaten, nailed to a cross and died. They saw Jospeh of Arimithea take Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrap it in linen and place it in a new stone tomb. Regardless of the circumstance, the women never stopped following Jesus. 

It is no wonder that when the first glimmer of light pierces the frightful night following Jesus’ crucifixion the women, exhausted and rapt in the aroma of anticipation,  immediately returned to Jesus’ tomb where they have a mystical encounter with Divine Presence.

When Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women look into the place of death they see it is not empty and with every cell and every space of their being they know that the words of the two men with dazzling clothes they mysteriously encountered in the tomb are true. Jesus is not to be found among the dead. Jesus’ place is with the living. Jesus’ place is in the hearts and minds and lives of the living who follow him. 

Here is the thing. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women expected resurrection but it was not supposed to happen now!  They brought fresh herbs and spices to Jesus’ tomb believing the ritual of preparation was essential to properly prepare a person’s body so that it could begin its long journey toward a far distant resurrection.  The women went to the tomb expecting to minister to the dead. They had absolutely no idea that resurrection is now. Resurrection is for the living, living in union and unity with Divine Presence, the Christ, right here, right now. 

This is the wonder of the Easter story. NOW is the moment of resurrection. NOW is the moment of new life in union and unity with the risen Christ, living, breathing and loving through each of us right here, right now. 

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Passion Narrative for Good Friday 15 April 2022

 

Link to Passion Narrative according to John   John 18:1-19:42 

Reflection        Each tentative step I had to pause, adjust the heft of the rough hewn cross on my shoulder as I made my halting way to the altar steps and there laid down the burden of the awkward Good Friday cross. Having completed my part of the liturgy, I sat down in the chancel facing the church half full of people.

One by one folks left their pew to wait in line to touch, bow before, kiss or weep over the stark symbol of suffering. It was not long before hot tears dripped like blood from my chin, painting dark stains on my mourning cassock as I watched the people wait in somber silence for their turn at the cross. Without favor my river of tears accompanied the wealthy, poor, elders and teens, beautiful and bent until the eyes of my heart rested on a person whom I always judged as having the perfect blessed life, and like lightening I “knew” with my heart what my head could not fathom. 

With the scales on my eyes washed away by my tears I “saw” the river of humanity flowing up the church aisle to reverence the Good Friday cross as one, one intimate and holy communion in suffering. Suffering, a great equalizer. Suffering cutting through every strand of diversity, born in the hearts of all human beings. 

Suffering is suffering. It is not better. It is not worse. It is not more and it is not less. Suffering is suffering. Great riches do not protect us from suffering. Neither does brilliance or poverty, good judgement or folly make our suffering less. In suffering we all participate. In suffering we all belong. This truth is stamped on my heart forever. In suffering we are all one holy communion.

Perhaps that is the good part of Good Friday. We cannot and we will not suffer alone. This night we weep the tears of the powerful and the poor, the dying and the to be born, the pious and pretentious, the murdered innocents and their perpetrators. This night we are one, one holy communion joined in suffering, suffering with God.

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Gospel text for Maundy Thursday, 14 April 2022

John 13:1-17, 31b-35        Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean.”

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

"Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Reflection        Knowing that his time on earth is coming to an end, Jesus does what many of us might do, host a dinner party with our closest friends because we love them, even to the end, even those ones who have disappointed or betrayed us.  The odd thing is, at dinner parties generally the host takes the place of honor and perhaps Jesus does while serving barley bread, goat cheese, olives, dried fruit and wine. But on this night Jesus also does something extraordinarily unconventional. 

Jesus steps away from his place of honor as host and teacher. He gets up “from the table, takes off his outer robe, ties a towel around himself…” pours water into a basin then kneels in front of each guest, washing their feet and drying them with a towel.” We commiserate when Peter blurts out precisely what we are all thinking, “I am not comfortable with this. I do not want you to wash my feet!”

Here is a bit of context about the tradition of foot washing during Jesus time. Temple priests were not permitted to minister unless they washed their own feet twice. (Zeb 17b) In ancient Israel as a sign of hospitality a host would offer water to a guest and invite them to wash their own feet. (Gen. 18:4)  It is no wonder Peter is appalled when Jesus kneels to wash his feet.  A good host will offer their guests water to wash their own feet. Even temple priests wash their own feet. For a friend, a teacher to wash your feet, this is unheard of.

Which of course begs the question. Why in the world would Jesus do such an outrageous thing? And why on earth do Christians across the globe on this night get on their knees to wash the feet of friends and strangers?

I believe that at some unspeakably deep level we understand that love is more than an interior experience of excitement and attraction. Love is what we actually do to express our care and desire for the good of other people. Jesus puts it this way, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15.13)  I would add, love means setting aside our pride and preoccupation with our self. Love is about making our selves less and elevating the other.

Still, we protest.   “Let’s shake hands or have a polite hug, but  I don’t want you to see my gnarly toes and touch them. And Jesus, I do not want to wash your dusty feet either.”

And Jesus says, “I have seen you. I have heard your. I have felt you. I have touched you. I have cared for you as your servant. I have held nothing back from you because I love you as God the Creator loves me. I love you as God the Redeemer loves me. I love you as God the Source of all being loves me. Now, do likewise.” 

Jesus is showing the disciples and us what love really looks like. It is passing on God’s care and loving kindness.  Later in John’s gospel Jesus says, “I have loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love… this is my commandment. Love one another the way I have loved you. This is the very best way to love, put your life on the line for your friends.” (John 15.9,10,12)

Let me be crystal clear. Jesus is not promoting masochism nor being a doormat. He is showing us the way of extravagant love that holds nothing back. Extravagant love for the good of others, love poured out without measure for the good of friends and strangers. Whose feet do you need to wash? Who will you let wash your feet? Amen. 

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