handing on

a very short sermon this week.

The disciples were in hiding, they were afraid, Jesus had been killed, there was talk of resurrection, but?

Then Jesus appears. Notice what Jesus says to the group, "Peace be with you." Not why are you hiding, or why did you run away when I was arrested. Jesus doesn’t have a go at them for not having enough faith, or courage, or vision. Jesus stands in the room, in the midst of their fear, and says "Peace be with you."

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

In both John’s gospel and the first letter of John we are told of what people have seen and touched and heard. The people writing this down are writing so that we too may know the story of Jesus, and that we too may come to know Jesus, to have relationship with God, to live as people of God.

I wonder what do we hand on to people? judgement? criticism? do we heap guilt and shame onto people? Do the pronouncements of the church bring people into relationship with Jesus? or drive them further away?

Sin is real, I am sure of it. Sin exists in the world and in each of our lives. When looking at the gospel stories, notice what happens when someone accused of sin is brought before Jesus – does he condemn? does he give a lecture on keeping the ten commandments? No.  Jesus is the one who offers forgiveness and life.

 "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

I wonder what we hand on to those we meet, I wonder what we will hand on to Abileigh. Will she learn from us about fear and judgement, or above love and grace. And what of others in this community, what of the young people wondering what life is about, single parents, people who are unemployed, people isolated through illness and age and grief, people who are busy with work and family responsibilities, people, any people, what do they hear from us, what do our words and our lives say.

We do we hear from each other?

The stories of Jesus are handed down to us, through the writers of the gospels and the letters. But living a life of faith is more than knowing the stories in our heads.

We learn to live as faithful people by hearing the stories, reading the Bible, but also by being around people who hand down the faith to us.

‘We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. … We are writing these things so that our [or your]  joy may be complete.’

What do we declare? What do we tell others about?

What do we know from living as people of faith, what are some words you would use to describe the way Jesus.

Hope, peace, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, …

Here some people are writing about their experience of God in Jesus Christ. They are writing so that others will hear about the possibility of relationship with God through Jesus, and that in hearing and responding, others will come to the same joy that the authors have.

In what ways do our lives tell people about Jesus?

we are resurrection

Mark 16: 1-8

The story we reflect on each Easter Sunday is one that makes some people anxious, it stretches the limits of our rational thought, the idea that a person could die, and then not be dead? Who are you kidding!

So up front I want to say, I don’t understand this story, I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know in what form Jesus appears, we will think about resurrection appearances more in the coming weeks. Some people are certain of these things, and have explanations for them, but I don’t.

But given that we are here 2,000 years later; suggests to me that something did actually happen, something amazing and momentous.  And just because I can’t explain how doesn’t mean it didn’t happen; because if that was the test I wouldn’t drive a car or use a computer.

There are lots of things in life I don’t understand, but that doesn’t make them any less real.

So what do we make of this story, of a man who died, a man who died a violent, brutal death at the hands of an oppressive regime, because he would not stop being who he was, the living God. He would not stop loving, healing, teaching; he would not stand by and be silent while religion was used to abuse people; he would not stand by and watch while people were excluded; he would not stand by and pretend it was OK while people lived bound by the law.

This man who died, whose death we remember each day, but especially on Good Friday, died because of the sins of the world, the violence, the oppression, the self-centredness, the hunger for power; the lack of compassion; and these things still exist in the world today, and we are all implicated in systemic oppression and violence.

What does it mean that this man did not stay in the grave?

We can read in the gospels and New Testament letters what it meant to some people in the first century, but what does it mean now, to us?

What does it mean for us to say Jesus rose from the dead?

What does it mean for us to believe Jesus lives?

What does it mean for us to live as people of the resurrection?

A quote:  “Every single thing the Resurrected Lord does on earth now he does through our bodies.” In a way she’s saying, “We are the resurrection.” It’s not a one-time only event. The Resurrection as an unfolding thing with Christ continually being resurrected in those who follow him.”

http://revalli.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/the-resurrection-really-how/

I have a story for you: Picture book – The Last tree in the City

http://treeday.planetark.org/documents/doc-430-last-tree-in-the-city.pdf

I wonder what we carry around with us, what is it that we value above all else.

What brings colour into our lives, and the lives of those around us.

We can sit at the foot of the cross and mourn what was, and at times we need to do that. But at some point we need to move beyond the pain and grief and look for signs of life.

We are the resurrection.