The Magic of Easter
Romans 15 13.
May the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you
may abound in hope.
Have you ever
been intrigued when watching a magician? How easily he or she
makes a person disappear or reappear! Often, the performance
seems miraculous. I think that the post-Easter appearances of
Jesus also have a magical quality. But whereas during his life he
preached to and healed anyone and everyone, after the Resurrection, he
appeared only to people who knew and loved him.
If his
appearances were intended to be just spectacular, He would surely have
appeared to Pilate, to Herod, to Annas and to Caiaphas! But
instead, Jesus appeared to Mary, Joanna, Peter, the Disciples, even to
Thomas while they were at home, fishing, or going for an evening
walk. John says, possibly with some hyperbole, that if all His
appearances were recorded. "the world itself could not contain all the
books that would have to be written."
The objective
of Jesus was to familiarize the disciples to His presence. Once
they accepted the fact of His resurrection, he was to be expected all
of the time. They began to hope that Jesus would be there when
they woke up in the morning, when they met at the beach to go fishing,
and when they went to the market for food. And of course, He was!
It was an
exciting feeling. "I'm going to the market today. Will
Jesus be there?" "I'm going to visit my parents to night- will he
walk with me on the way?" "I'm going to see my grandchildren-
will He be there?" "We're going to the synagogue on Saturday-
will He be standing next to me?"
Let's switch
time frames. "I'm going to the office tomorrow- will He be
there?" "I'm going to my school to teach. Will Jesus be
there to help me with that awkward student?" "I'm going to school
today. Will he be there to help with that math problem?" "I
have to stand behind the counter all day today. Will He be there
to give me patience?" I have to fly to Edmonton. Ca I be
sure He will be with me?"
The disciples
eventually realized that He would be with them, whether they could see
Him or not, which is just what Jesus had hoped. Are we as aware
of His abiding presence and His consequent help?
Ken called
himself a travelling missionary, but he was feeling drained and
discouraged. Should he change jobs? He took a drive with
his family, and his children began to feel peckish. Suddenly, he
saw a sign advertising pizza. "That's what I mneed, Lord, a
sign!" The family ran eagerly to the pizza counter, but Ken
wasn't particularly hungry, so he walked outside in the mall.
Suddenly, the phone began ringing incessantly in a pay phone.
Eventually, he picked up the receiver, and heard the long distance
operator say she was looking for an evangelist called Ken. "Are
you there? I have a long distance call for you." He
wondered if this was a "Candid Camera" prank. But no! A
voice said "I'm Millie. I'm desperate. Please help
me." She explained that she was about to commit suicide and was
writing a note when she remembered seeing Ken on TV. If only she
could talk to that kind gentleman. Suddenly, his phone number
came to mind, and she thought "wouldn't it be a miracle if I could talk
to him?"
Silently, Ken
prayed for wisdom. "Are you in your office?" she asked.
"No, actually I'm out for a drive with my family. Don't you know
where I am?" Somehow, Millie had found him in the parking lot of
a mall, and ken was able to counsel her gently. And he realised
that he had been given an answer just as surely as Millie.
"You'll never believe this" he exclaimed to his wife.
Because the
disciples lived expecting Jesus at any moment, it made a difference to
everything that they did. Would this hurt Jesus? Would that
make Him ashamed? If so, they couldn't do it. Is there a
lesson for us there?
John Lewis was
the local Fire Chief. The staff at the firehall always had to be
at the ready. But given notice of a special inspection, even more
than the usual elbow grease went into cleaning, checking switches,
light bulbs and equipment. The Inspector failed to appear.
But they were ready! There was a similar story about the Save-on
Store, and the way it prepared for the supposed coming of Jimmy
Patterson. He didn't come, but they were ready for him. Are
we ready for our Lord?
When we first
decided to follow Jesus, was it easy to recognize His presence?
Does this become easier or more difficult with practice? Jesus
doesn't explain His resurrection to us. He never gathers His
disciples around Him to give a scientific explanation of what really
happened. He did explain the "why" on the walk to Emmaus.
The results were what mattered.
Is it more
difficult to believe today? Those of my age group have lived
through many changes, from the uneasy peace between two world wars to
the horror of international conflict and immense changes in post-war
society. The pace of change is such that the future looks a
little scary. But the God of hope has all the answers! Just
think what he made of the disciples- Peter, who denied that he even
knew Jesus, Matthew, the hated tax collector, and a bunch of fisher
folk- the lowest of the social stratum. The disciples who ran
away when they were most needed were given a second chance. And
the love of Jesus still reaches out, even to people who go hobby
fishing today; not just to a tax collector, but also to the taxpayers
of today; not just to the women who stayed with Him at the foot of the
cross, but also to the women of today who are raising a family,
babysitting grandchildren, office workers, and those who are trying to
survive on a very small budget; to all those with money to spare, to
those just beginning new jobs, and to those who are just embarking on
retirement.
Jesus has come.
and He has unbelievable faith in the willingness of ordinary people
like you and me to live and to spread His gospel of hope.
Where? Just where we are today! How? By loving and
looking for opportunities to live and to serve. Will it cost
us? Yes! Anything worth having is costly. It may also
be awkward or embarassing.
But we can help
to change our world. Squamish United Church can both survive and grow!
O
Lord, help each one of us to live this day and all our tomorrows
centred on your will.