Fellowship in Faith (Easter 2B)

Road to Emmaus, Lindel Littleton, 2010

 

“Fellowship in Faith”
Second Sunday of Easter (Year B)
8 April 2018

The Rev. Fr. Tony Hutchinson, SCP. Ph.D.
Homily Delivered Trinity Parish Church, Ashland, Oregon

8 a.m. Said Mass, 10 a.m. Sung Mass

Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31; Psalm 133

God, give us hearts to feel and love,

 take away our hearts of stone
 and give us hearts of flesh. Amen.

Today’s readings are all about how faith and spiritual growth come from fellowship with others, love and unity, and sharing of stories.  The story of Thomas is not so much about a doubter who gets his come-uppance as it is about the basic truth that when it comes to matters of community and faith, simply showing up is the most important thing.  Thomas missed that church meeting on the evening of Easter and was left to wonder what foolishness had overtaken his fellow apostles.  The next Sunday, he is there in attendance and finally “gets” it.  The epistle declares: “What we have seen and heard, we announce also to you, so you too may have fellowship (or communion) with us, even what indeed we share with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John1:3) The Psalm says, “How good it is when siblings dwell in unity… It is like fine and abundant anointing oil in the Temple... like the dew of distant Mount Hermon distilling on the parched hills of Jerusalem.”  And the reading from Acts tells of the power of story-telling: “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”  “They were of one heart and mind, and shared all their possessions so that there was not a poor person among them.” 

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter.  Just as Christmas is both a day and a season, (December 25 and then the 12 days up to January 6), Easter is not limited to Easter Sunday.  It is a feast that lasts 50 days, what are called in the Eastern church, the Great Fifty Days.  I have always loved the fact that the Feast of Easter is 10 days longer than the Lenten Fast.  Joy always outweighs and outlasts regret and sorrow.  And during all the Great Fifty Days, we tell each other these stories of Jesus’ rising.  And we should share with each other how these stories have affected each one of us. 

Easter cannot be done in a day.  The Resurrection of Jesus demands an extended period, not just for joy and celebration, but also for processing and digesting its implications and exploring its deep meaning.  Bishop N. T. Wright says that the resurrection is so joyful and its implications so overwhelming that for breakfast each morning in these great 50 days, we should drink champagne,  or, (if I might add from the Episcopal Church’s General Convention), an equally attractive and abundant non-alcoholic alternative.  Madeleine L’Engle said, “[The resurrection of Jesus] is almost too brilliant for me to contemplate; it is like looking directly into the sun; I am burned and blinded by life.”  Take all 50 days to rehearse these stories, feel the joy, and pray into what they mean about our lives and hopes. 

The Easter story is the heart of my own personal faith.  I natively have a great difficulty in believing beyond what I see.  The death of family and friends is invariably devastating to me.  But not surprisingly, over the years, it is during this season that I have had fleeting glimpses of the life beyond, whether talking in a dream to the deceased—Elena’s mother, or my parents—or seeing for a moment in a darkened Trinity library a departed brother of the parish.   But even beyond this, the resurrection breaks the power of hopelessness in my life here and now, giving me an optimism and confidence that in the end, all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well.    Jesus back from the dead is a sign to me that everything he ever said about God’s love and care is true, that regardless of rotten things in life, the Reign of God is already among us. 

Tell each other your stories and how this story changes you.  Share faith, and it grows.  See faith grow in the ones with whom you have shared, and have your own faith affirmed.  Listen to the stories of others, and grow in affection and love.  In this way, we share fellowship not just with each other, but with God and Christ. 

Each Sunday, show up.  Each and every Sunday is a little Easter, a celebration of our Lord’s victory.  Don’t miss that Church service or meal where God descends and everyone present is changed.  And if you do miss occasionally, make up by sharing and serving all the more. 

Jesus says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Those are profound, earth- changing words.  Resurrection.  Life.  Hear, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them.  Lean into them.  Share communion and fellowship.  Receive the hope and joy of the Easter Feast. 

In the name of God, Amen.

Icon, St. Thomas Believing