Easter 2 C - John 20: 19, 21- St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Charleston, SC – 4/28/19
Risen Lord, you speak the word of peace to us.. grant that this day we might hear that word as your word to and for us…and that we might be changed forever. Amen
Peace be with you… His first words to them… perhaps, unexpected… The last time he had seen them, they were running away – running for their lives as he was arrested at Gethsemane– And here they were, shut up in a room, scared to death, for fear of the religious authorities ….They certainly did not expect to see him, despite what the women had said, and the Emmaus road travelers,… and when their face to face moment came, did they expect to be chastised? O ye of little faith! Or something stronger perhaps… but, instead, it was an unexpected, grace-filled response (to tag Fr. Philip’s sermon last Sunday) – for his first words to them were – Peace be with you.
These are also His words to us. Here and now.
Peace be with you– I want to ask you --where in your life today do you need peace? –
The word is Shalom which means not just – no fighting or an absence of conflict or the ending of hostilities , say, as in a war….(although that can be part of it ) but, its so much bigger than that – it means – restoration, wholeness and healing of that which is broken.
What brokenness in us – in you and me- needs this word of healing , this word of peace today?
Is there something in your past that haunts you, some current struggle, or anxiety about the future? Remember, Jesus word to you, to us, today – Peace be with you.
This is a word that heals – and our world needs this peace.. the peace that passes understanding.. the peace that only Jesus our Lord can bring..
It’s the word that changes everything.
Jesus speaks peace to them and to us and then he says – as the Father has sent me , so I send you—the word behind the word sent is the Greek verb apostello – you can hear our word – apostle in it. As the Father has apostled me, so I apostle you.
And, then, he ties in the work of forgiveness which he entrusts to us.. There is not much that heals better than forgiveness. Just an aside, truly we can only forgive because we have been forgiven.
But to be sent goes beyond even this… to the larger sense of righteousness. This is not a word that we use a lot today but what mean is simply bringing something into right relationship - with God and each other – this righteousness is about healing brokenness with faithful mercy and loving justice.
There is an idea in Jewish thought that speaks to this – It’s the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam (pronounced tee-KOON oh-LUHM) means "world repair." It means taking part in repairing the world by acts of loving kindness, justice, and righteousness. [1] Would you agree with me that this old beautiful, broken world is badly in need of repair?
There is a fine story from the Jewish mystical tradition about this very thing…it’s told by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen .. I heard her tell this story on Krista Tippet’s program – On Being -- the story was given to her by her grandfather as a gift on her fourth birthday. [I love that idea… what if we gave each other stories for birthday presents] .. This story is a grandparents’ way of explaining beginnings to a little one -- It’s called the Birthday of the World and it goes like this…
“In the beginning, there was only the Holy Darkness,
the Ein Sof, the source of life.
Then, in the course of history,
at a moment in time - this world,
the world of a thousand, thousand things, emerged.
it emerged from the heart of the Holy Darkness as a great ray of light. (Remember, let there be light)
And then (perhaps because this is a grandparent’s story to a child) there was an accident.
The vessels containing the creation light, the wholeness of the world, broke.
And the light of creation, the wholeness of the world
was scattered
into a thousand, thousand fragments of light.
And the fragments of light fell…
Fell into all times, happenings, and into all creation and into all people,
where they remain deeply hidden until this very day.
The whole human race is a response to this accident.
We are here because we are born with the capacity to find the hidden light in all people and all events,
to lift it up, to make it visible, to restore it to itself and to make it whole once again,
and thereby, to repair the world.”
“This is a very important story for the world today. The restoration of the whole world, tikkun olam, is a collective task. It involves all people who have ever been born, all people presently alive and all people yet to be born. We are all sent to be healers of the world. “ (Dr. Reman)
And it ”… opens a sense of possibility. It’s not about healing the world by making a huge difference. It’s about healing the world that touches you. That’s around you. Around us. This is where our power is.
Today so many people feel powerless to deal with the world’s wounds” (Dr. Reman) …but this story reminds us that we are not powerless to repair the world.
Sometimes, you and I may have ideas about grand things we would do for the world – if only, if only …I had the time, the money, the connections, the power…(If I were a rich man) .. well, you know how it goes….(please notice… I don’t want to dissuade anyone from trying to launch a big idea because I am sure there are some big ideas here..) but for most of us, being sent – being apostolically sent doesn’t have to mean launching a grand scheme or going half way around the world – it means looking for the light and healing the parts of the world we touch…with the medicines of truth and mercy.
Jesus said -- As the father has sent me, so I send you…
You and I, this Easter, are sent with a message and given a job – to declare Peace be with you, and in that telling of peace, we are given the wild, effective energy of resurrection power..
Later, as we leave church today – let the love and energy of the peace we pass to each other - go with you into the world – don’t leave it at the door.. BECAUSE we are Jesus’ people for the healing of the world, for the gathering of the fragments of light buried deeply in our fellow human beings and in that which unfolds around us. We are Jesus’ people for the restoration of shalom. And, thank God, it is not all up to us, remember, remember, remember , we are not in this by ourselves… remember the Lord’s promise to us – I will be with you. (repeat that)… It is God working through us to bring this Shalom, this peace into being…
So, starting here and now… … where in your life today do you need Jesus’ healing word of peace? Where are the places in the world you touch? Where is there brokenness? In our family? At work? In our neighborhood? In our community?
Today…Hear the wildly unexpected word our Lord has for us – Peace be with you. And…As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Amen.
Peace be with you… His first words to them… perhaps, unexpected… The last time he had seen them, they were running away – running for their lives as he was arrested at Gethsemane– And here they were, shut up in a room, scared to death, for fear of the religious authorities ….They certainly did not expect to see him, despite what the women had said, and the Emmaus road travelers,… and when their face to face moment came, did they expect to be chastised? O ye of little faith! Or something stronger perhaps… but, instead, it was an unexpected, grace-filled response (to tag Fr. Philip’s sermon last Sunday) – for his first words to them were – Peace be with you.
These are also His words to us. Here and now.
Peace be with you– I want to ask you --where in your life today do you need peace? –
The word is Shalom which means not just – no fighting or an absence of conflict or the ending of hostilities , say, as in a war….(although that can be part of it ) but, its so much bigger than that – it means – restoration, wholeness and healing of that which is broken.
What brokenness in us – in you and me- needs this word of healing , this word of peace today?
Is there something in your past that haunts you, some current struggle, or anxiety about the future? Remember, Jesus word to you, to us, today – Peace be with you.
This is a word that heals – and our world needs this peace.. the peace that passes understanding.. the peace that only Jesus our Lord can bring..
It’s the word that changes everything.
Jesus speaks peace to them and to us and then he says – as the Father has sent me , so I send you—the word behind the word sent is the Greek verb apostello – you can hear our word – apostle in it. As the Father has apostled me, so I apostle you.
And, then, he ties in the work of forgiveness which he entrusts to us.. There is not much that heals better than forgiveness. Just an aside, truly we can only forgive because we have been forgiven.
But to be sent goes beyond even this… to the larger sense of righteousness. This is not a word that we use a lot today but what mean is simply bringing something into right relationship - with God and each other – this righteousness is about healing brokenness with faithful mercy and loving justice.
There is an idea in Jewish thought that speaks to this – It’s the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam (pronounced tee-KOON oh-LUHM) means "world repair." It means taking part in repairing the world by acts of loving kindness, justice, and righteousness. [1] Would you agree with me that this old beautiful, broken world is badly in need of repair?
There is a fine story from the Jewish mystical tradition about this very thing…it’s told by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen .. I heard her tell this story on Krista Tippet’s program – On Being -- the story was given to her by her grandfather as a gift on her fourth birthday. [I love that idea… what if we gave each other stories for birthday presents] .. This story is a grandparents’ way of explaining beginnings to a little one -- It’s called the Birthday of the World and it goes like this…
“In the beginning, there was only the Holy Darkness,
the Ein Sof, the source of life.
Then, in the course of history,
at a moment in time - this world,
the world of a thousand, thousand things, emerged.
it emerged from the heart of the Holy Darkness as a great ray of light. (Remember, let there be light)
And then (perhaps because this is a grandparent’s story to a child) there was an accident.
The vessels containing the creation light, the wholeness of the world, broke.
And the light of creation, the wholeness of the world
was scattered
into a thousand, thousand fragments of light.
And the fragments of light fell…
Fell into all times, happenings, and into all creation and into all people,
where they remain deeply hidden until this very day.
The whole human race is a response to this accident.
We are here because we are born with the capacity to find the hidden light in all people and all events,
to lift it up, to make it visible, to restore it to itself and to make it whole once again,
and thereby, to repair the world.”
“This is a very important story for the world today. The restoration of the whole world, tikkun olam, is a collective task. It involves all people who have ever been born, all people presently alive and all people yet to be born. We are all sent to be healers of the world. “ (Dr. Reman)
And it ”… opens a sense of possibility. It’s not about healing the world by making a huge difference. It’s about healing the world that touches you. That’s around you. Around us. This is where our power is.
Today so many people feel powerless to deal with the world’s wounds” (Dr. Reman) …but this story reminds us that we are not powerless to repair the world.
Sometimes, you and I may have ideas about grand things we would do for the world – if only, if only …I had the time, the money, the connections, the power…(If I were a rich man) .. well, you know how it goes….(please notice… I don’t want to dissuade anyone from trying to launch a big idea because I am sure there are some big ideas here..) but for most of us, being sent – being apostolically sent doesn’t have to mean launching a grand scheme or going half way around the world – it means looking for the light and healing the parts of the world we touch…with the medicines of truth and mercy.
Jesus said -- As the father has sent me, so I send you…
You and I, this Easter, are sent with a message and given a job – to declare Peace be with you, and in that telling of peace, we are given the wild, effective energy of resurrection power..
Later, as we leave church today – let the love and energy of the peace we pass to each other - go with you into the world – don’t leave it at the door.. BECAUSE we are Jesus’ people for the healing of the world, for the gathering of the fragments of light buried deeply in our fellow human beings and in that which unfolds around us. We are Jesus’ people for the restoration of shalom. And, thank God, it is not all up to us, remember, remember, remember , we are not in this by ourselves… remember the Lord’s promise to us – I will be with you. (repeat that)… It is God working through us to bring this Shalom, this peace into being…
So, starting here and now… … where in your life today do you need Jesus’ healing word of peace? Where are the places in the world you touch? Where is there brokenness? In our family? At work? In our neighborhood? In our community?
Today…Hear the wildly unexpected word our Lord has for us – Peace be with you. And…As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Amen.
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