Easter II 04/16/23

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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Second Sunday of Easter

 ... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need;

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers;

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews [Jewish Authorities], Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

Poem: “Easter”                                                                   by George Herbert (b. 1593)

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praiseWithout delays,Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewiseWith him mayst rise:That, as his death calcined thee to dust,His life may make thee gold, and much more just.Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy partWith all thy art.The cross taught all wood to resound his name,Who bore the same.His stretched sinews taught all strings, what keyIs best to celebrate this most high day.Consort both heart and lute, and twist a songPleasant and long:Or since all music is but three parts viedAnd multiplied;O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,And make up our defects with his sweet art.

Meditation

All of the stories of the risen Jesus appearing to his followers involve something very physical, such as breaking bread at supper in Emmaus. For Thomas, it is being invited to touch Jesus's scars. In all these stories, the followers of Jesus are fearful, anxious, and overwhelmed with grief. Jesus comes to them in very tangible ways to provide unexpected hope and joy.The poem by George Herbert employs musical metaphors to capture the joy of Easter. References to the wood of the lute (and the cross) and the stretched strings (and sinews) refer back to the crucifixion, but the image of heart and lute consorting to "twist a song pleasant and long" are the organic joyful response of the poem's opening: "Rise heart; they Lord is risen."Theologian Howard Thurman speaks of the glad surprise of Easter -- the end of winter and sudden coming of spring, and being led from darkness to light. "It is as if a person stumbling in the darkness, having lost their way, finds that the spot at which they fall is the foot of a stairway that leads from darkness into light. Such is the glad surprise. This is what Easter means in the experience of the [human] race. This is the resurrection!"When we are feeling anxious or fearful, we may hear this message of hope again and again: Rise heart; your Lord is risen.

Questions for Reflection

Reflecting on the stories of the risen Jesus's appearing to his disciples, or in particular the story of Thomas, what gives you hope? What provides comfort and joy?Here is a beautiful musical setting of the George Herbert poem by Ralph Vaughn Williams.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKGLvRPe_V0&t=85sIn what ways does music lift your heart at difficult times? 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered todayWe bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayerWe bring to God a troubled situation in our worldWe bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trustWe bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affectionWe offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our livesWe name before God those who have died.Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.                  Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.  Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell