Year B
Acts 3:12-19
Psalm 4
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The electromagnetic spectrum describes many different kinds of energy and light\u2026 including light the human eye cannot see… in fact\u2026 most of the light in the universe is invisible to our eyes\u2026 the light we can see\u2026 which as you know… is made up of the individual colors of the rainbow\u2026 represents a very small portion of the full spectrum\u2026 other types of light\u2026 or energy\u2026 include radio waves\u2026 microwaves\u2026 infrared radiation\u2026 ultraviolet rays\u2026 x-rays\u2026 and gamma rays\u2026 all of which are imperceptible to our human eyes\u2026 though some birds can see ultraviolet\u2026 and some snakes can see infrared\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But different types of light tell us different things\u2026 radio waves and microwaves\u2026 which have the lowest energies\u2026 allow scientists to see the motion of gases within interstellar clouds\u2026 and infrared light can detect molecules in the atmospheres of planets and stars\u2026 ] the color of a star can also reveal its temperature\u2026 red stars are relatively cool\u2026 while blue and violet stars are much hotter\u2026 next comes ultraviolet light\u2026 whose energies are too high for human eyes to see\u2026 ] x-rays are emitted from superheated material spiraling around a black hole\u2026 ] and gamma rays\u2026 created in powerful magnetic fields when stars explode\u2026 have even higher energies and shorter wavelengths\u2026 and so\u2026 as in so many things\u2026 what we can see\u2026 what we can perceive\u2026 almost never reveals the entire picture\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The action in this morning’s Gospel takes place immediately after the Road to Emmaus story\u2026 when two travelers\u2026 one whose name was Cleopas\u2026 didn’t recognize Jesus\u2026 but because it was late\u2026 they invited him to stay with them\u2026 and share a meal\u2026 they didn’t recognize Jesus\u2026 but he became known to them in the breaking of the bread\u2026 comparable to the bread he broke on what’s become known as Maundy Thursday\u2026 when he established the Eucharist\u2026 and although they already knew the gesture\u2026 and had information about his death\u2026 ] at first\u2026 they didn’t fully comprehend either the gesture or his death\u2026 they were unable to answer the question Jesus asked them\u2026 about whether it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer before he entered into glory\u2026 what they could see did not reveal the entire story\u2026 and the ancient Christian connection between Eucharist and the Cross\u2026 eluded them\u2026 but when\u2026 in their presence\u2026 Jesus repeated the Eucharistic gesture\u2026 there was a breakthrough\u2026 perhaps he opened their minds too\u2026 to understand the scriptures\u2026 and they began to understand the larger plan of which he was a part\u2026 which is that Jesus is filled with God’s life\u2026 and just as bread nourishes the physical level\u2026 Jesus nourishes the spiritual level\u2026 Jesus was always giving divine life to others\u2026 and this is what was made known to them in the breaking of the bread\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Cleopas and his companion wasted no time in returning to Jerusalem\u2026 and found the eleven and their companions\u2026 and told them their story\u2026 and the next thing they all knew\u2026 was that Jesus was standing among them\u2026 and he must have known how they’d react\u2026 because the first thing he said was\u2026 Peace be with you<\/em>\u2026 ] they were not only startled\u2026 but they were terrified\u2026 they thought they were seeing a ghost\u2026 but what they could see\u2026 did not reveal the entire story\u2026 ] and as Jesus spoke\u2026 and as they listened\u2026 there were varied responses\u2026 disbelief\u2026 but also wondering how this might be\u2026 and Jesus asked them for something which meets one of the most basic human needs\u2026 he asked for food\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the overall conviction\u2026 the overall significance here\u2026 is that Jesus does not return to the same space-time continuum in which he lived before his death\u2026 however\u2026 the language from this Gospel seems to say just that\u2026 because warm flesh is the physical life we know\u2026 and warm food is how we keep it going\u2026 but ghosts don’t eat broiled fish\u2026 so Jesus isn’t a ghost\u2026 or a zombie who eats human flesh\u2026 or a vampire who drinks human blood\u2026 and let’s be clear\u2026 Jesus was not resuscitated\u2026 as paramedics may sometimes do for those whose heart has stopped\u2026 he was resurrected\u2026 and the physical rules with which we’re familiar no longer applied\u2026 this was a new creation\u2026 a new way of being\u2026 and it brings to mind Revelation 21:5 which says\u2026 See\u2026 I am making all things new\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1944\u2026 W. Somerset Maugham published his book The Razor’s Edge\u2026 for those who may not have read the book\u2026 or seen the 1946 film version\u2026 or the 1984 remake\u2026 it’s the story of an American pilot who’s traumatized by his experiences in World War I\u2026 he rejects conventional values\u2026 and who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life\u2026 he searches for a deeper experience\u2026 and he thrives\u2026 ] while his more materialistic friends suffer monumental reversals of fortune\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n The title of the book was taken from a verse in the Upanishads\u2026 part of the Hindu scriptures\u2026 and real-life author Christopher Isherwood\u2026 actually helped Somerset Maugham translate a verse from the original Sanskrit which says\u2026 Rise\u2026 awaken\u2026 seek the wise and realized\u2026 for the path to salvation is difficult to cross\u2026 like the sharpened edge of the razor<\/em>\u2026 there’s a similar sentiment in Ch. 7:13 of the Gospel of Matthew\u2026 which says\u2026 the road that leads to life is hard\u2026 and the gate is narrow\u2026 and there are few who find it<\/em>\u2026 ] and so again\u2026 what we can see\u2026 may not reveal the entire picture\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today we live in a world of war\u2026 poverty\u2026 disease\u2026 neglect\u2026 prejudice\u2026 fear\u2026 isolation\u2026 and sinfulness\u2026 God seems powerless and absent in the face of ongoing suffering and pain\u2026 ] and despite the efforts of well-intentioned\u2026 generous\u2026 and sensitive persons\u2026 the world remains oppressive and inhospitable for many\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in his book The Search for Common Ground … Howard Thurman reminds us that\u2026 the contradictions of life are not final or ultimate\u2026 and that God is the giver of forgiveness and mercy\u2026 ever-ready to offer shalom\u2026 peace\u2026 the possibility and promise that order\u2026 well-being\u2026 hope\u2026 compassion\u2026 and love\u2026 might yet prevail\u2026 Jesus’ post-Easter appearances assure us that God is alive\u2026 and working for wholeness\u2026 working on behalf of community\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The different types of light tell us different things\u2026 and different kinds of spiritual light invite us into different kinds of behavior\u2026 and if we imagine that God’s physical and spiritual creation is like the entire electromagnetic spectrum\u2026 then for many of us\u2026 the range of our experience is more like the narrow sliver of visible light\u2026 and we can see only a part of the whole\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in a cosmos where mystery and uncertainty abound\u2026 in a universe where wonders never cease\u2026 where the breaking of the bread and the resurrection are little more than different points on the line of a single unbroken continuum\u2026 we’re told that the lover of our souls came to be with his friends\u2026 and with us\u2026 ] and says\u2026 Peace be with you<\/em>\u2026 that the peace that Jesus offers\u2026 signifies the connection and restoration of relationships\u2026 relationships between God and God’s people\u2026 and between us and each other\u2026 ] we are now\u2026 just as they were then\u2026 witnesses of these things\u2026 and we are called to deepen this Good News in our own lives\u2026 and share it with others\u2026 Holy God\u2026 make it so\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year B Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 1 John 3:1-7 Luke 24:36b-48 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 The electromagnetic spectrum describes many different kinds of energy and light\u2026 including light the human eye cannot see… in fact\u2026 most of the light in the universe is invisible to our eyes\u2026 the light we can see\u2026 which as you know… is made up of the individual colors of the rainbow\u2026 represents a very small portion of the full spectrum\u2026 other types of light\u2026 or energy\u2026 include radio waves\u2026 microwaves\u2026 infrared radiation\u2026 ultraviolet rays\u2026 x-rays\u2026 and gamma rays\u2026 all of which are imperceptible to our human eyes\u2026 though some birds can see ultraviolet\u2026 and some snakes can see infrared\u2026 But different types of light tell us different things\u2026 radio waves and microwaves\u2026 which have the lowest energies\u2026 allow scientists to see the motion of gases within interstellar clouds\u2026 and infrared light can detect molecules in the atmospheres of planets and stars\u2026 ] the color of a star can also reveal its temperature\u2026 red stars are relatively cool\u2026 while blue and violet stars are much hotter\u2026 next comes ultraviolet light\u2026 whose energies are too high for human eyes to see\u2026 ] x-rays are emitted from superheated material spiraling around a black hole\u2026 ] and gamma rays\u2026 created in powerful magnetic fields when stars explode\u2026 have even higher energies and shorter wavelengths\u2026 and so\u2026 as in so many things\u2026 what we can see\u2026 what we can perceive\u2026 almost never reveals the entire picture\u2026 The action in this morning’s Gospel takes place immediately after the Road to Emmaus story\u2026 when two travelers\u2026 one whose name was Cleopas\u2026 didn’t recognize Jesus\u2026 but because it was late\u2026 they invited him to stay with them\u2026 and share a meal\u2026 they didn’t recognize Jesus\u2026 but he became known to them in the breaking of the bread\u2026 comparable to the bread he broke on what’s become known as Maundy Thursday\u2026 when he established the Eucharist\u2026 and although they already knew the gesture\u2026 and had information about his death\u2026 ] at first\u2026 they didn’t fully comprehend either the gesture or his death\u2026 they were unable to answer the question Jesus asked them\u2026 about whether it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer before he entered into glory\u2026 what they could see did not reveal the entire story\u2026 and the ancient Christian connection between Eucharist and the Cross\u2026 eluded them\u2026 but when\u2026 in their presence\u2026 Jesus repeated the Eucharistic gesture\u2026 there was a breakthrough\u2026 perhaps he opened their minds too\u2026 to understand the scriptures\u2026 and they began to understand the larger plan of which he was a part\u2026 which is that Jesus is filled with God’s life\u2026 and just as bread nourishes the physical level\u2026 Jesus nourishes the spiritual level\u2026 Jesus was always giving divine life to others\u2026 and this is what was made known to them in the breaking of the bread\u2026 And Cleopas and his companion wasted no time in returning to Jerusalem\u2026 and found the eleven and their companions\u2026 and told them their story\u2026 and the next thing they all knew\u2026 was that Jesus was standing among them\u2026 and he must have known how they’d react\u2026 because the first thing he said was\u2026 Peace be with you\u2026 ] they were not only startled\u2026 but they were terrified\u2026 they thought they were seeing a ghost\u2026 but what they could see\u2026 did not reveal the entire story\u2026 ] and as Jesus spoke\u2026 and as they listened\u2026 there were varied responses\u2026 disbelief\u2026 but also wondering how this might be\u2026 and Jesus asked them for something which meets one of the most basic human needs\u2026 he asked for food\u2026 But the overall conviction\u2026 the overall significance here\u2026 is that Jesus does not return to the same space-time continuum in which he lived before his death\u2026 however\u2026 the language from this Gospel seems to say just that\u2026 because warm flesh is the physical life we know\u2026 and warm food is how we keep it going\u2026 but ghosts don’t eat broiled fish\u2026 so Jesus isn’t a ghost\u2026 or a zombie who eats human flesh\u2026 or a vampire who drinks human blood\u2026 and let’s be clear\u2026 Jesus was not resuscitated\u2026 as paramedics may sometimes do for those whose heart has stopped\u2026 he was resurrected\u2026 and the physical rules with which we’re familiar no longer applied\u2026 this was a new creation\u2026 a new way of being\u2026 and it brings to mind Revelation 21:5 which says\u2026 See\u2026 I am making all things new\u2026 In 1944\u2026 W. Somerset Maugham published his book The Razor’s Edge\u2026 for those who may not have read the book\u2026 or seen the 1946 film version\u2026 or the 1984 remake\u2026 it’s the story of an American pilot who’s traumatized by his experiences in World War I\u2026 he rejects conventional values\u2026 and who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life\u2026 he searches for a deeper experience\u2026 and he thrives\u2026 ] while his more materialistic friends suffer monumental reversals of fortune\u2026 The title of the book was taken from a verse in the Upanishads\u2026 part of the Hindu scriptures\u2026 and real-life author Christopher Isherwood\u2026 actually helped Somerset Maugham translate a verse from the original Sanskrit which says\u2026 Rise\u2026 awaken\u2026 seek the wise and realized\u2026 for the path to salvation is difficult to cross\u2026 like the sharpened edge of the razor\u2026 there’s a similar sentiment in Ch. 7:13 of the Gospel of Matthew\u2026 which says\u2026 the road that leads to life is hard\u2026 and the gate is narrow\u2026 and there are few who find it\u2026 ] and so again\u2026 what we can see\u2026 may not reveal the entire picture\u2026 Today we live in a world of war\u2026 poverty\u2026 disease\u2026 neglect\u2026 prejudice\u2026 fear\u2026 isolation\u2026 and sinfulness\u2026 God seems powerless and absent in the face of ongoing suffering and pain\u2026 ] and despite the efforts of well-intentioned\u2026 generous\u2026 and sensitive persons\u2026 the world remains oppressive and inhospitable for many\u2026 But in his book The Search for Common Ground … Howard Thurman reminds us that\u2026 the contradictions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[110,317,206,296],"class_list":["post-2454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-easter","tag-holy-communion","tag-peace","tag-witness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/foodlastssmaller.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2456,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454\/revisions\/2456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}