3^rd Sunday of Easter

                                                                                                April 26, 2009

                                                                                                Omaha, NE

                                                                                                Rev. Steven W. Plank

“The Practical in Our Midst”

Text:    Luke 24:41 – “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’”

Scripture Lessons:       Psalm 4

                                    Luke 24:36b-48

Proposition:  In our day and time, we have so very many feelings about so very many things, all mixed together in our hearts and minds.  The Risen Christ, though, comes to us in the small, daily things of life, “The Practical in Our Midst.”

Prayer for Illumination:  Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Way back when I was growing up, there were still pretty hard distinctions between the different Protestant traditions within Christ’s Church.  It was rare to have someone join an Episcopal Church who had been raised a Lutheran, or to have someone who was a Baptist become a Pentecostal.  The tension in the air was almost palpable if Methodists and Presbyterians were in the same worship service and it came time for the Lord’s Prayer; each group almost audibly raising their voices for emphasis when it came to the “debts” vs. “trespasses” part of the Lord’s Prayer.  And, in those days, a “mixed marriage” was between any Protestant and a Roman Catholic, so deep were those divisions!

Things have changed, though, over the years.  The old Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to become the United Methodist Church.  The old Evangelical and Reformed Church joined with old Congregational Churches to become the United Church of Christ.  In many communities, particularly smaller ones, churches of different traditions merged their congregations to become union churches, like, for example, the Baptist-Presbyterian Church in Valley, NE.  Even the solid walls of division between Roman Catholics and Protestants have begun to crack.  As an example, a little over a year ago I was invited to officiate at a wedding at St. John’s Church on the campus of Creighton University… by myself!  Now, to be sure, St. John’s is run by the Jesuits, and they do things a little differently than many other Roman Catholics; but that still was a milestone.

            We still value our own traditions, and that’s not a bad thing.  Each of us has our own unique emphases to offer our sisters and brothers in Christ in the broader Church.  And, now more than in decades past, we’re able to laugh at the distinguishing characteristics that we each have.  I don’t remember where I found it, but there is an old story about ecumenical differences that goes like this.  It seems that, during an interfaith gathering, someone rushed in and shouted, “The building is on fire!”

-          The Methodists gathered in a corner and prayed.

-          The Baptists cried, “Where’s the water?”

-          The Quakers quietly praised God for the blessings that fire brings.

-          The Lutherans posted a notice on the door declaring fire to be evil.

-          The Catholics held a raffle to let the winner get the best view.

-          The Jews posted symbols on the door, trusting that the fire would pass over.

-          The Fundamentalists cried, “It’s the vengeance of God!”

-          The Christian Scientists agreed among themselves that there really was no fire.

-          The Episcopalians quickly formed a pompous procession and marched out of the building.

-          The Presbyterians elected a task force, who then appointed a chairperson to dialogue and network, and to write a study paper on the diverse views on burning buildings!

And as well as this story can stand by itself, a new twist came when I passed this out several years ago at the Chaplain’s Office at a local hospital in Illinois.  As the chaplains were all chuckling at the story, particularly when it came to their own tradition’s response, the funniest – and most insightful – line came from the office secretary, who, in the midst of her laughter, said, “And nobody put out the fire!!”  Ah, there always has to be some practical person in the group, doesn’t there?

And we can thank God that there are such practical people in the world.  When we are in the middle of shock and grief when someone close to us dies, there almost always is that practical person who comes to our side and begins making a list of who needs to be called, what decisions are needed now and what can wait a few days or even a few weeks, who is going to pick up cousins and aunts and uncles who are flying in from the airport.  God knows we need such practical people in our lives!  They help things happen, they help keep organizations from stagnating, they make sure groups of people don’t just sit around paralyzed by inaction or indecision.  A couple of years ago at a meeting of our Presbytery Council – which consists of the Presbytery officers, the Executive Presbyter, a few at-large members, and the chairpersons of every Presbytery committee – we were discussing an emotional issue around which most everyone was expressing their opinion.  You know those kinds of meetings, yes?  Well, folks had a hard time stopping sharing their thoughts and getting on with whatever decision the group needed to make.  Discussions continued… frustrations increased… inaction seemed inevitable.  But then a retired minister on Council, the Rev. Roy Fox, in a fit of frustration, blurted out with intensity:  “I move that somebody do something!!!”  We all stopped, and then just cracked up!  Roy couldn’t articulate what specifically he wanted done, but he knew that it was time to move on and make a decision!  His was the practical voice that shook us out of our inability to act.  Even now, long after Roy rotated off of Presbytery Council, people will sometimes say, in the midst of a long-winded discussion, “We need a ‘Roy Fox’ motion!”  And those of us who remember that priceless parliamentary event will chuckle and will then begin again to focus in on what needs to be done.

There’s a wonderful, rich, fascinating verse in our Gospel lesson this morning from St. Luke’s retelling of the events in the lives of the disciples after the Resurrection.  Listen to this wonderful way in which Luke forever captured the wondrous mix of feelings and perceptions that the disciples of Jesus always have had about the Resurrected Christ:  “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, … (v. 41a).  The disciples were filled with joy and astonishment at realizing that the Risen Jesus was present with them.  Yet, so real was his presence to them, and so astounding were its implications, they could not help but have spaces within them where doubt and disbelief prevailed.  After all, could it really be?  Was Jesus truly the Resurrected Lord of life, of history, of creation?  It didn’t make any sense to their rational minds – and it still doesn’t “make sense” to our logical, rational ways of thinkng!  But there it was… there HE was, and is!  So of course the disciples were “still wondering” at this marvelous and strange mix of feelings that they found within themselves!

But that amazing little verse from St. Luke’s Gospel continues… “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, (Jesus) said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’”  As often as I have read this verse over the years, I still find myself shaking my head in amazement by the still-surprising statement Jesus makes to his joy-filled, bewildered followers.  One might expect that Jesus would sit down with them and explain the miracle of his Resurrection.  One might expect that Jesus would sit down them, calm their troubled hearts, and clear their befuddled minds.  One might expect Jesus to use this as yet another opportunity to go back into the Scriptures and explain God’s providential plan in all of the things that had happened to him.  Instead, in the very midst of the disciple’s mix of feelings and emotions and wonder and confusion and love and fear and amazement, the Risen Jesus opens his mouth to speak.  You can almost sense the hushed anticipation as the disciples wait for words of teaching and wisdom and compassion and clarity.  And what does Jesus say?  “So, got anything good around here to eat???”  Jesus brings them quickly and decisively back to the reality of life again in this world, at this time with his shockingly down-to-earth, intensely practical question.  Jesus’ completely unexpected question absolutely shakes off complacency and other-worldly contemplations, shatters organizational paralysis and inabilities to act, and brings us back to be present with Jesus in our lives here and now!  The Easter affirmation – Christ is risen; He is risen indeed – is no idle recitation of formulaic liturgy!  It is an affirmation that the resurrected Jesus truly is risen, and he is risen in our midst… today!

How does the presence of the risen Jesus impact the ways in which you choose to live… the quality of your relationships… the prioritizing of the use of your time and your money and your energy?  In a few minutes we will gather around Christ’s Table.  We are invited to remember the presence of Jesus with us here, now, even in the midst of whatever mix we have of feelings and emotions, of decisions or indecisions, of wonder and fear… and hopelessness and strength… and doubt and faith.

St. Luke wrote:  “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, (Jesus) said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’”  Jesus joins us at the Table this morning… still inviting and challenging us to move from contemplation to action, from wondering to doing, finding ways to live out our faith.  Jesus comes to us again this day, “The Practical in Our Midst.”

AMEN!