What do we do now? I imagine the disciples sitting in the Upper Room, hunkered down in fear silently pondering that question. They had been called in extraordinary ways from very ordinary lives. For a time they had experienced a springtime of hope … here was one who might actually be the one to overthrown the Roman oppressors and lead them to freedom. But right now they sat defeated … feeling like the cold snap after that one warm March day. You know how much harder the cold is to take after that "promise of spring-time" day. The strange tales brought to them by the women did nothing to alleviate their fears and doubts and questions. What do we do now?
The book of Revelation tells of seven seals being opening, unleashing all matter of destruction upon the earth … but when the seventh seal is opened we find this: "When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Silence … it is I think after all was said and done … that is the first reaction to the resurrection. A silence that breathes and grows to fill all the spaces of the first disciples time. It contains all their fears and joys and hopes and doubts … silence. We know the space these first disciples were in. Think about the times after … the time after celebrating a huge party, of coming home after the funeral … the silence that envelopes you as you walk into the door of your home … a silence so loud it overwhelms. I imagine that is what the disciples were dealing with. The chaos of the arrest and crucifixion is gone. The crowds in mourning have left. And now, the strange tales brought by the women are starting to filter through … Jesus is not there. What to do with this strange message, how to continue on? What will life be now that Jesus is gone? We too know that feeling … of learning to reshape life after a major event, we know how hard it is to take one step into the future. John's gospel this morning reads that the disciples were in the locked room for fear of the Jews. I wonder however, if the doors were locked because at another level they were afraid of journeying on.
An old Chinese proverb says: "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And so it is with the aftermath of Easter Day. In the season of Easter we learn to live as resurrection people. The gospels give us a glimpse of what it was like in the first days. The doubts and fears of the disciples as they huddled together wondering what their next step could be. This morning's gospel records one glimpse … of Jesus empowering the disciples to act; of Thomas doubting because he hadn't seen with his own eyes. Oh, how we can relate with Thomas … always wanting our own eye witness to an event, never quite trusting another with the message. And at the same time, for the rest of the disciples, what a vision into the future they get: if one of their own doubts their testimony, what will it be like when they go to spread the Good News to others?
The after-Easter text from Acts for today, (that we did not read) gives another glimpse into the earliest days of the church. The community is learning what it means to live as the resurrection people. They are pictured as holding all possessions in common, and as being united in heart and souls. They lived generously towards one another and no one is needy in their midst. Not too much further on, the community will be named the church for the first time. Even in this community there are those who aren't so sure … immediately after this story of unity, there is one of brokenness as recorded in the story of two wealthy patrons, Ananais and Sapphira who are unable to give of themselves completely. The church is beginning to take shape after the resurrection.
The text from First Peter is a proclamation of belief that we hope to live into as we discover what it means to live as resurrection people … what life looks like after we leave the Upper Room. You are the ones who have returned to continue the journey. Many worshiped with us last Sunday, yet are unable to live out the day to day realities of what it means to be a church community. You are the ones who walked through the darkening days of Lent and dared to journey to the cross. You've come back to see what is beyond. There is much of us found in these stories of moving on from the resurrection. We find we are with Thomas, wishing to have first hand proof, wanting to believe, yet finding the doubts in the way. And there is some of Ananais and Sapphira in us, as we too hold back something of ourselves, unable to give ourselves over completely to this venture. There is also a part of us that wants to throw caution to the wind and shout out the proclamation of belief found in First Peter.
The journey from the empty tomb begins. We have experienced the reality of God's love that is bigger than the powers of death and destruction in the empty tomb. We are called to new life. But the step away from the empty tomb is hard. Again, like coming home after a major event, the journey is hard. Life has to be re-shaped, re-formed. The temptation is to stay locked in the upper rooms of our lives. But, like the disciples we must leave the Upper Room and start this new life.
I was struck last week by the text of the choir's anthem. It said a lot about living as Easter people … where we place our hopes and why we do what we do. Listen to part of the text: "Why, then, why, O blessed Jesus Christ, should I not love thee well? Not for the hope of winning heaven, or of escaping hell; not with the hope of gaining auth, not seeking a reward; but as thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord!" It is a profound statement on the "why" of living as resurrection people … to follow in the example of Jesus Christ. To do so means we give of ourselves simply in response to his complete love for us … a love given not with the expectation of gain or reward … but, again, a giving out of love. That is what it is to live into this new life.
Jesus calls us forth to live again. The Easter season is about learning to live anew with the mystery of God's radical love for us. It is time to take the step from the empty tomb to bring God's message of power to the world. God calls us wholly and completely … that is the joy and mystery of the resurrection. God is big enough to handle anything we might bring to the table. As we journey this Easter may we bring ourselves to this mystery so that we might participate fully in the joy of being God's people.
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