Peace Be With You

This is Caravaggio's amazing "Incredulity of St. Thomas," dated around 1602. It brings to life the scene of Thomas' encounter with the risen Jesus in John 20:26-29, where Thomas touches Jesus' wounds with his own hands.
John 20:19-31, the continuation of the Easter story, is the gospel for this week. We spent time immersed in it during Wednesday's Confirmation Class, our first time gathering since Lent began.
Reading the story, we realized that even though Jesus has risen and resurrection life is offered to the world, Jesus' disciples are still frightened and are acting like Easter hasn't happened. They are scared that what the authorities and crowds did to Jesus will still be done to them, and they are ashamed because Jesus has fully shared his life and blessing with them but they ran away, even after pledging to stay with him. They lock themselves in a room, which becomes a kind of tomb because they are afraid to live the life and love of Jesus fully. But he comes to them, he gets inside the closed off room, and offers them his peace. It is the peace of love without limits. He teaches them about the power of forgiveness; his very presence with them is the experience of God's forgiveness that overcomes their failure. He tells them that as they practice forgiveness with others, people will be released from great burdens, both those who have caused wounds and those who have suffered them. Jesus peace is the peace of knowing that you are loved by God in all circumstances and that God's love can make good things come out of situations that start out really bad. Jesus says that as the Father has sent him, so he is now sending them out into the world to be the good news of God's love. Amazing! And he breathes his very own Spirit, his life, into them!!
Later in the story we hear about Thomas, who isn't there the first time Jesus comes. We've always heard him called "Doubting Thomas" because when the other disciples tell him they've seen Jesus he has a hard time believing them and wants to see Jesus for himself. "Doubting Thomas" is a bad name and an unfair one. Thomas is the only one of them not locked in the room. Maybe he's the only one who actually believed Mary Magdalene when she said she had seen and talked to the risen Jesus. Maybe he was out looking for Jesus so he could follow him again!
Jesus invites Thomas to touch his wounds, and Thomas does. It must have been hard because Thomas, too, had run away when Jesus was arrested, and he knows his abandonment hurt Jesus. He's willing to confess it, and to receive the new life and new purpose that Jesus is now giving them. Amen!
Are there times when we know in our hearts the lessons Jesus has taught us but we're afraid to do them? When? What does it mean that even when we fail once (or even more), Jesus comes to us, loves us, forgives our sins, and chooses us to again be the ambassadors of God's unlimited love?

The Stone Has Been Rolled Away

"While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb."

--John 20:1

On Easter Sunday, at the second service, I told a story about two families, and the friendship and new life that has been experienced in the wake of terrible tragedy. Tariq Khamisa was a vibrant, twenty year old art student studying in San Diego. In addition to his studies he had a part-time job delivering pizzas. One evening a group of young teenage boys who had been playing video games, drinking, and using drugs all day hatched a plan to rob the pizza delivery man. One of them, a fourteen year old named Tony Hicks, had a gun. When Tariq refused to give them the pizza, Tony shot him.

A number of lives ended that day, at least as they had been known. Tariq's life was lost. His family's life with him was ended. Tony's life was essentially over at age fourteen. Tony's grandfather, Ples Felix, who had taken over as Tonys guardian when his mother had left, was crushed, as Tony had taken a young man's life life "and betrayed every bit of love" he had received.

Even in his horrible pain, Tariq's dad, Azim, saw that "there were victims at both end of the gun." At Tony's prison sentencing, Tony confessed his guilt and said that he prayed to God that Tariq's father would forgive him. He also said that his grandfather, Ples, pledged to be Mr Khamisa's friend.

As he grieved, a spiritual mentor urged Azim to channel that grief into doing a good, compassionate deed. Azim began the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, dedicated to stopping kids from killing kids.

He reached out to Ples Felix, and asked Ples to help him. Ples says it was an answer to prayer.

Azim and Ples began speaking together to children in schools about forgiveness, reconciliation, and nonviolence. When their presentation begins, the person introducing them begins by standing behind Ples and then moves behind Azim saying, "This man's grandson murdered this man's son." Azim reflects: "This is the first time in their young lives that they actually see an alternative to violence; mostly what they see in our culture is an eye-for-an-eye."

Azim and Ples became best friends. Though they come from different faith traditions, the infuence of their beliefs and the living out of them has shined light in what was only darkness. Azim has gotten to know Tony, who rejoices in what is possible with God, even while doing twenty-five to life. Azim has petitioned for an early release for Tony, and offered him a job at the Tariq Khamisa foundation when he gets out.

Death has not had the last word! Crushing burdens have been lifted, huge stones separating people have been rolled away, new life has been breathed into a situation previously defined by death.

This is Easter power! This is what the love of God is capable of.

Resurrection Day!!!

"Good" Friday

Jesus lived the nonviolent, self-giving love of God to its fullest. He never compromised that love, even in the face of punishment and the cross. When he calls out, "It is accomplished," he is announcing the completion of that life. In a way, it is the completion of God's original creation, because Jesus has fulfilled the life that God has intended for all of us, and opened a path of fulfillment for us. This is what makes Holy Friday "good."

Jesus-Share

"To allow Jesus to cleanse our feet is to remove all
that prevents us from using our feet to follow him,
to scrub away our insecurities, to wash away our
weariness, to buff off our bitterness."
--Alyce McKenzie