Easter 3 – B

April 30, 2006

The Rev. Dorian McGlannan

 

Change is one of those words that elicits an emotional response – unless, of course, you are talking about changing the oil in your car.  My guess is that most people don’t too excited about that kind of change. But other kinds of change - watch out as we dig our heels in and say “no way”. Change is perhaps the most difficult when we can’t envision the other side. I must confess, I cried the whole way over the Cascade Mountains on our journey from the Northwest to Michigan last July. Every time we passed a freeway stop, I remembered this summer outing, that mountain bike ride, this hike or that ski trail. When we passed the exit for the park where we had numerous church camping trips, full of memories, there were no more tears to be shed. Had my husband and I not had some sort of vision of what life in Michigan might be like, we would never have survived that trip. We surely would have turned around and headed home. Well, okay it is not the flat areas of Michigan that I envisioned with hope  - but life in this church, the people of this community, the music program, the view from the front of the church to the memorial garden.  It was life in Canton, Plymouth, and Northville, the intrigue of Detroit, the schools for our children, a neighborhood with lots of children right there. They were the visions that kept us going and going and going on this long journey across the country.

 

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples are also dealing with change. The death of their leader was a huge change. They had walked with Jesus for three years and suddenly he was no more. They were lost. And then Jesus was raised from the dead – more change. The startling thing was that they did not recognize him right away. 

 

Chapter 24 in Luke from which today’s reading comes is full of rich stories. We have the women who discovered the empty tomb, the road to Emmaus story in which Jesus walks alongside Cleopas and another guy who had heard about the resurrection. These two didn’t recognize Jesus in this new form… and then we have the most famous fish fry in all of history in which Jesus shows up and once again, the disciples do not recognize him. His appearance has changed. He looks different. In each of the resurrection appearance stories Jesus looks so different that he is not recognized until he either speaks - as in the garden scene with Mary Magdalene, does a familiar action - as in breaking bread after arriving in Emmaus or has people touch his hands and feet - as in the encounter with Thomas and now with the disciples. He has changed to the point of being unrecognizable and yet he is not a ghost because he can be touched and he needs to eat. And then what is even worse, just as they are getting used to Jesus in this new form, he disappears by being ascended to God and dag gone if they don’t have to adapt to more change. Jesus is out of sight but he is not out of mind and the coming of the Holy Spirit lets them know that Jesus will always be at their side whether they are in Galilee, Emmaus or Jerusalem. Not only that, but the disciples job description changes. They aren’t just hanging out with Jesus watching him heal and teach – now they are told to be witnesses – they are to tell the story of how Jesus has been raised from the dead, they are to tell the story of repentance and forgiveness. I can just see Peter now as Jesus ascends to the heavens. “Hey you, Jesus, come back! This is not what I signed up for.” 

 

We in our church are on the verge of change. Next week is Pastor Heather’s last Sunday. That will involve change as someone who has been a part of the community for almost three years leaves to lead another community. God willing, a new associate will be entering the community this summer. Most likely there will be changes regarding the music leadership. This is a difficult change especially since the leaders have either been around a long time or have met particular needs. But I promise you that the stories of scripture let us know that in Jesus’ day change was always on the horizon. Paul went out charting new territory. The growth of the early church as told in the book of Acts was in constant flux as new house churches were developed and the story of Jesus was told over and over again and more and more came to believe.

 

Our denomination is full of blessings and at least a few liabilities. The blessing is that we are open and loving. Another blessing is that we encourage people to embrace their faith and think. Most Episcopalians have a wonderful sense of humor and know how to enjoy life. Episcopalians appreciate a wide range of prayer experiences such contemplative prayer and mysticism. We love liturgy and we do liturgy very well. We are, as many say, “the best kept secret in Christendom”. And I believe that, I am certain that is true.

 

A liability is that we have lost the fervor of telling the story. For some of us a liability is that we don’t know the story and so all of us need to get our Bibles into our hands a bit more. In the last 50 years, Episcopalians have, by and large, lost the capacity to be the witnesses that Jesus calls us to be. The purpose of any church, no matter what its mission statement may or may not say, is to bring people to God. It is to let people know of God’s healing love. We Episcopalians do a fabulous job of expressing God’s love - we just don’t happen to let anyone else in on the secret. This community, the community of St. John’s, is incredibly loving. The behind the scenes folk are right on top of things. In the short time our family has been here, we have experienced the death of two people to whom our family was close: the death of my friend Tom and the very recent death of a classmate of my youngest daughter. In both cases, thoughtful, loving cards were sent. People prayed for us. People asked how we were doing. You don’t have experiences like this at Starbucks! How blessed we are to be in such a caring church. 

 

Our final liability is that we are by and large not the most adaptable people in the world. “What do you mean you going to put the flowers on the left side instead of the right side?” “What do you mean we aren’t supposed to kneel during the Easter Season?” “How could you even think of using a hymn at the 11:00 service that is not in the 1982 hymnal? And by the way, it better be one I know! I was born singing Lift High the Cross.”

 

So okay, adapting to change is not our strong suit. And that’s okay. It really is. In a world in which trying to learn how to operate a digital camera requires brain cells that many of us don’t have… In a world in which car radios are less than manageable, I can understand the resistance to change. I hate driving my husband’s car because Sirius radio is way too complicated. I can’t find the one and only radio station I want to listen to. No, I do not want to listen to the traffic reports in Seattle!

 

And so I really do understand why people want to be able to come to church and feel the comfort of the familiar, why singing a hymn they’ve know for years wraps them in warmth in a world of constant change and upheaval. Our task as a church is move ahead at a rate most people can tolerate, at a pace that brings curiosity and not panic, in a way that keeps us in search of how to continue in the great commission without depleting ourselves. 

 

The disciples had to deal with change. It was part of the whole story. If Jesus hadn’t died and been raised from the dead, we would not know the meaning of the word salvation. If Jesus hadn’t ascended to God, we would not be able to experience him and talk to him in any part of the world, at any given time of day or night. 

 

As rector of this church, I am in constant discernment about the balance between being a chaplain and being a leader. In my role as chaplain, I am there to comfort the community. In my role as a leader, I am there to move the community to new places. This is the nature of leadership. 

 

The disciples in today’s reading had to deal with a lot of unknowns. Who was this man that suddenly appeared at the meal? What were his expectations? What would happen to them when Jesus ascended to God? They had to be open and they had to trust. History tells us what happened when they were able to do that. History tells us that the faith flourished as the multitudes began to experience God’s healing love through the saving deeds of Jesus Christ. That is our history; it is also our future.