union avenue christian church |
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Earthquake, Lightning and Snow Matthew 28:1 – 10; Jeremiah 31:1 – 6 A well-known story is told about a small monastery nestled in the mountains of France. “Once it had been the center of inspiration for pilgrims and seekers yearning for God. People came from all over Europe to discover God in the monastery. But then the monastery changed. It became proud. The brothers took themselves too seriously. Instead of being humble, they became proud of their humility. So began their decline. Fewer and fewer pilgrims sought their wisdom, and fewer monks joined their ranks. The brothers became rigid. They worshipped their past. They were spiritually dead and physically dying. In another generation all the monks would be dead, and the monastery would die with them. “One day a scraggly stranger came to the door. He smiled a toothless smile and asked for a place to rest for the night. He was invited in. The monks thoroughly enjoyed his presence at dinner and sensed a spiritual depth in him, though he was outwardly rough and smelly. “The next morning, as he was leaving, the stranger thanked the abbot profusely. Taking the abbot’s hand, he leaned forward, and said in a soft whisper, ‘I need to tell you a secret, one that God has given me permission to tell you. Christ is here in your midst. The Messiah is masquerading as one of your brothers.’ The abbot was shocked: ‘The Messiah? Here? In this place? No, it isn’t possible!’ He told the other brothers what the stranger had said. They also couldn’t believe it. Then they began to think: Could it be Brother Joseph? No, he is too selfish. Could it be Brother John? No, he is much too strange. Is it Brother Bernard? No, he is too clumsy. No matter which monk they thought of, they couldn’t imagine that brother being the Messiah. Still, what if the stranger was right? What if Brother Joseph is really Christ, and just pretending to be selfish? What if Christ is Brother John, and he is just pretending to be strange? What if Christ is Brother Bernard, and just pretending to be clumsy? So they started to treat one another as though each was possibly Christ, lest Christ be revealed as one of them. As they did, the monastery changed. The monks began to focus more passionately on God during worship, lest Christ catch them slumbering. They read scripture with renewed fervor, lest Christ catch them daydreaming. As they did, they grew spiritually. Their prayers took on a new life. So did their teaching and service. And people noticed. Soon pilgrims and seekers came to their door to learn from their wisdom. New monks joined their ranks to learn the spiritual secrets. They became alive once again, and once more the monastery became a center of spiritual life for all of Europe. They became alive to Christ.” (N. Graham Standish. Becoming a Blessed Church. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute. 2005. Pp. 78-79.) Graham Standish uses this priceless story in his new book, Becoming A Blessed Church, to illustrate how important it is, as the church, to become conscious — absolutely and acutely aware of Christ among us — so that we can become infused with the energy and dynamism of Christ and, thereby, BE the church we have been called to be. It is Easter — the day we celebrate the reality that Christ is alive. Of that, we have no doubt. But are we alive to Christ — and what would that look like, be like, live like right here? Each Gospel writer has created a different version of the first Easter morning. Matthew is the only one to use earthquake language. This truly would make a spectacular movie clip: an angel falling from heaven with a force like an earthquake, whooshed down and rolled away the stone; In addition to the earthquake experience, the angel’s appearance was a strike of lightning. Are you picturing this — because this is not normal! The earth quaking and lightning striking near to where we are standing. It is no wonder the guards went into shock, and as Matthew writes: were like dead men. When the shaking of the earth had stopped and the lightning ceased, the two women saw the angel clothed — white as snow — sitting on the stone that had been rolled away. Why didn’t the women go into shock? Why didn’t they collapse like dead women? How did they live through this earth shaking, lightning striking, white-as-snow angel appearance? And why did they believe this angel so that they indeed did what he instructed? The only answer I know is that Jesus Christ was alive in them. They had spent years with him, traveling with him, as had the disciples. They had come to believe in what he had taught them and showed them. They believed because of the promises he had made to them, the new understanding of God that had been revealed through him, the meaning of their own community life because of his mandates. They were ready. They were ripe for accepting that Christ was alive because they were alive to him! The tradition of our Christian faith has been handed down through the ages. Each Gospel writer gives us narrative of what happened that Easter morning, and if we could find stories from all those who were near or present, we would have even more fodder for our speculation and consideration. Whatever the truth is that we could ascertain by weaving through all the tales, an amazing shift occurred from the grief for a crucified man to the joy of his living presence. We do not need more earthquake stories. We do not need to have lightning bolt angels appear to us. We do not need more proof that the presence of Christ is alive. We do need more evidence that we are alive to Christ in our presence. Here are some ways: There are three public schools in our neighborhood — Clark, Mitchell and Soldan. When we are alive to Christ, we will be seeking ways to touch every one of those children and youth with health — mind, body and soul — even as we would serve Christ Jesus. We will be mindful that the homes in which they live, and the streets where they walk are safe from danger, lest the infant Lord of life be hurt. We will be investigating what the lack of health care or governmental aid would do to them because we would not want Jesus to go hungry or without medical aid. We will be energetic in finding sources for career counseling, healthy habit development, pregnancy and sexual activity education lest Christ not be in an environment to fulfill the call in life. When we are alive to Christ in our midst, we will not only learn every child’s name of THIS congregation, but we will stop to converse with them…listen to what they are interested in that day…care about their life and world. When we are alive to Christ we will meet every newcomer not just as a potential member for the congregation but as a beloved child of God on a journey who might be seeking life, nourishment and community. When we are alive to Christ, we will put away age-old differences, and see others in a new light! For all is possible. When we are alive to Christ we will remember our own gifts as a congregation and discover new ways to use them. We will realize that the incredible music we receive is not for our pleasure, but so that others (and we) are drawn closer to an experience of the divine. Because, indeed, it is Christ singing and playing through Elise, Patrick, Rose, Scott and all the others. And when we get to that realization we will find ways to share those gifts with as many people as will listen. Because they, too, may be drawn into a relationship with God when they hear the music. When we are alive to Christ in our midst — and that would be in every bit of our midst — we would never think about dismissing someone’s opinion as worthless, or describe someone’s living situation as hopeless, or defame someone because of his/her sexual orientation. We would cease using stereotypes about people who are aging, those whose skin color is different than ours, or teenagers whose energies may be enigma to most of us. Indeed, when Christ is alive and living, there will be no ‘other.’ When we are alive to Christ we will be enthused about learning more of all the peoples in this creation, and stretch to understand the many pathways to God, and seek to find ways for creative living together lest we repudiate an expression of God’s intention that we have not known before. When we are alive to Christ we will bloom and flourish as one portion of this incredibly created universe, and know that there are so many, many others who need our love and compassion so that they may do so as well. My friends, we do not need more signs from the skies and falling angels pushing away stones. As those who claim Christ being alive — raised from the dead by the power of God — we need to be alive to Christ. And alive to Christ in our presence means more energy and synergy than we have ever imagined. No earthquake or lightning bolt will parallel the experience of the Church when and if we are truly alive to the presence of Christ in our midst. • SW |
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