Where have you seen Jesus?
Happy Easter! He is risen indeed Alleluia! Don’t look at me
like I’m crazy…all the Sunday School kids took care of that last week. So maybe
all the lilies are gone and we’re back in our normal routines, but it is the 3rd
Sunday in Easter and we heard another resurrection story today. Why not
continue to celebrate!
Okay, okay. Perhaps it’s a bit much, but I’m not so sure of
that. We can’t always keep the same Easter intensity going throughout the year.
It would be crazy! What we can do is carry the resurrection farther than just
outside the empty tomb on Easter morning.
Growing up the associate pastor at my home church, Pastor
Grant, would always have us answer one question during our reflection time:
Where have you seen Jesus this week? What she meant was where during your life,
since we last met, have you seen someone or something that reminded you of
Christ’s love, teaching or sacrifice. Talk about a tough question! As a junior
high kid I probably rolled my eyes more times than not and struggled with how
to answer. The beauty of this question is: there is no right or wrong answer,
so many of our answers included a teacher, our parents or sometimes --- if we
felt like we did something especially Christ-like --- ourselves. At the time, I
didn’t understand the importance of this question. As I grew older I started to
realize and be on the lookout more and more for the ways that Christ was truly
present among my day to day life. And the eye-rolling continues! I now make it
a priority to ask our Junior High and High School kids where they have seen God
during their week. The answers vary, are never right or wrong and are always
interesting to hear.
I always thought the disciples were really lucky to
experience the risen Christ in flesh and blood, but even they had their doubts.
They thought they were seeing a ghost the first time Jesus showed up! Even in
their joy of seeing Jesus there was still disbelief and wonder. Often when we
think about encountering Jesus it has to be on our own terms. When we go out to
serve others, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. When we go out
and enjoy nature, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. When we come
here to worship, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. We would like
to schedule out the encounter for Thursday at 4:30pm so we’re sure to be
prepared. If we see him anywhere else
it’s like we’re experiencing a ghost! We’re terrified. It startles us. The
encounter totally throws us off our game. Sometimes it’s like seeing someone
you know from a certain place in a completely new place. It can be awkward and
uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be.
It was like the time that I went to New Orleans with a
travel team while working my first year at summer camp. It was the year after
hurricane Katrina had devastated the city. Our travel teams were teams of staff
members sent out to different places to lead Day Camp, just like we had come
here last year. I was just learning guitar and for some odd reason I was
selected to go on this really big adventure as, you guessed it, the guitarist. I
was shocked and a little confused. I was really nervous about how my skills
would work out. Little did I know that the kids at the two churches we worked
with could care less. They were just as excited as we were to be there
following the disaster. We had such a good time worshipping, learning and playing
together that it didn’t matter whether I was any good. I was confused why I was
being sent there, especially since I was still lacking, but after encountering
Jesus in that place I knew the answer. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t the
greatest guitar player ever. It didn’t even matter that I was a rookie staff
member. What mattered was being with and loving others.
Jesus comes and stands among us saying “Peace be with you.”
He shows us his hands and his feet so that we might know it is him in the flesh
and blood. He also eats with us and opens our mind and shares with us the
scripture so that we might understand. This often doesn’t happen when we choose
it to. It happens again and again in the mundane and the everyday. Not with
paranormal expression, but in flesh and blood. In the messiness of our world, our
relationships and our lives the risen flesh and blood Christ is present
speaking words of peace and love. Jesus is also calling us to be a witness to
these things. What does that mean though?
I believe it simply means answering the question: where have
you seen Jesus? By asking ourselves that question we continue to look for the
risen Christ way beyond Easter morning. We open ourselves to the possibility
that Jesus is right here among us in flesh and blood the whole time. When we
look and point out where we see Jesus we lay claim to the promise that he is
not dead, but is risen indeed. We point to a kingdom that is happening here and
now, but also the kingdom that is still to come. We point out that love is
stronger than death and fear and that resurrection can happen. What a beautiful
thing to share with each other and the world! It doesn’t have to be about the
biggest things, but it can have the biggest impact.
In February I traveled to New Orleans to attend my annual
conference that I go to called Extravaganza. Part of the reason Extravaganza
was held in New Orleans this year was to give the youth workers from around the
ELCA the chance to see the city and plan before the National Gathering. While I
was there I was witnessed to a lot. The witnessing came in the form of the many
different restaurant owners, hotel staff and other people who were very excited
that we were coming back in the summer. That’s not the response you would
expect when talking about a massive group of teenagers. The work and witness that
we had provided back in 2009 had left such an impact that the people of New
Orleans were still witnessing about it three years later. There were a ton of
things done, both big and small, while we were there last time that pointed to resurrection.
Not as some far-off idea, but present in and through the flesh and blood of
teenagers and the people of New Orleans. We got to experience both being Christ
and seeing Christ.
Which is what we are called to do as witnesses.
We are called to see Christ and be Christ. We are called to answer the question
where have you seen Jesus and show the answer to others. We are called to be
the answer to that question. We are called to go, but we are not alone for the
risen Christ goes with us in many of the faces and interactions we will have
this week. Where will you see Jesus this week? Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment