Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Towards Sunday, April 19, 2015

Scripture: Luke 24:36b-48 and Acts 3:12-19

In the Gospel story, the disciples of Jesus are trying to figure out the resurrection.  Suddenly they are startled to see Jesus right there among them.  They think he's a ghost; they don't know what to do; they wonder (as we read in Acts 1, the sequel to this Gospel) if God is about the bring the world as they have known it to an end.  And in response to all this, Jesus just looks at them and says, "What's for lunch?"

I love it. What better way to affirm that God's will remains and is maybe even more than ever the redemption of this world -- that the good news of the risen Jesus is not about an escape or advancement to some other realm, but about the fulfilment of God's desire for Earth as we know it?

And the Acts story (which we too easily and mistakenly read as a udgement on Judaism and Jews) is a wonderful affirmation by a fallen and imperfect believer that it's exactly us fallen, imperfect, mistaken, often-unfaithful believers who God still (and always) invites to be the agents of Earth's redemption.  Only weeks before, Peter himself publicly denied and betrayed Jesus and his way, and the people Peter is talking to, probably know this.  So what he is saying is, "You know I screwed up myself -- that I turned my back on Jesus when he was crucified.  I'm no better than you.  But look at me ... guess what, God forgives my weakness and mistakes, and welcomes me into the work of the kingdom.  And God does the same for you; so why not come and also be part of the revealing of God's kingdom in our time?"

Wanted: fallen, imperfect, sometimes-mistaken, sometimes-unfaithful believers, to be part of the revealing of God's kingdom in their ordinary, daily life.

Sounds like a perfect job for any of us.

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