The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
Today is the Sunday after Easter. It's often called "Low Sunday," because
it's time for us to come back to earth after all the glories and wonders of
Easter Day. It's time for us to get to work and put what we have experienced and
learned from Easter into the every-day lives we all lead. We all know that
Jesus' rising to life again brings us the great gift of salvation, but how does
that miracle affect our daily lives with our families, our jobs, and the world
situation?
The first reading is from the book called the Acts of the Apostles, and it
gives us a starting place. We are told that the whole group of those who
believed were of one heart and one soul. They shared what they had, and
helped one another as needs arose. To avoid squabbling and favoritism, they
contributed to the church and let the leaders of the church decide how to use
the combined funds to help those in need. We do much the same today. We give to
the church, and the church uses part of that money to help people in need...it's
called the Discretionary Fund, or in some places, the older word,
alms, is used. And of course the Episcopal Church has the
Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. Some of the money we have given to the
church in the past is now providing blankets and tents and food for survivors of
the earthquake in Italy. All this is good...but as Jack Benny used to say, "It's
only money." How can we be more like the early church? How can we cultivate the
feeling of being of one heart and one soul?
We all learned one way, back in Sunday School. Can anyone remember the Golden
Rule? (pause and wait for answers) Yes, that's right: Do unto
others as you would want them to do unto you. That's one of the keys to
being of one heart and one soul. If YOU had just lost your job, and the bank
foreclosed on your house, what would YOU need or want done to help you? Well,
that's how you can be of one heart and one soul with people suffering from those
problems. You may not be able to solve their economic problems, but you could
help them find a consumer credit counselling group who can guide them in
deciding what to do. In fact, I have heard that some churches around the country
have actually set up such counselling groups to provide guidance and advice to
people struggling in that situation. They call on volunteers from within the
congregation: accountants, lawyers, social workers...to provide the guidance and
help. There are other ways to help other people in need. Baby-sitting co-ops to
help working moms...Child clothing exchanges to pass on good used clothes to
younger kids as older ones outgrow garments...volunteers to visit seniors who
are lonely and in need of friends. Almost every church could find some ways to
grow into one-heart-and-one-soul relationships in their community.
The psalm for today reminds us how wonderful it is to work with others and
share this one-heart-and-one-soul relationship: Oh, how good and pleasant
it is when brethren live together in unity! When we do this kind of
sharing and consider the needs of others, we gradually grow into the family and
household and kingdom of God. And that is a wonderful thing...a feeling of
security, of being accepted and of accepting and helping others. Our time and
our energies are well used, and that gives us a feeling of achievement,
community and shared love.
When we have that feeling, we naturally want to share it with others who are
not yet part of our circle of love. And so, as John writes in his first epistle,
we witness to those who don't know the feeling. And that means, basically,
telling them about Jesus, who is the source of our initative for doing all this,
as well as the source of our salvation. In both today's Gospel and in the
Epistle of John, we are shown that it is our job to pass along the Good News. It
is our job to help those who haven't already learned it, to come and share in
it: get to know Jesus, receive his love and pass it along to others by our good
works and our example, as well as by teaching and telling the old story. Maybe
you remember singing in Sunday School the hymn, I love to tell the story
of Jesus and his love. That's exactly what we have to do. There is an
old saying that the measure of our love for God is how well we treat one
another. And, of course, bringing others into our fellowship is part of
that.
I'd like to share a couple of thoughts about today's Gospel, while we are on
the subject. First of all, I think it's very unfair that we call Thomas "the
doubter." After all, you remember from last Sunday that the people who went to
the tomb doubted that Jesus was truly risen...just as Thomas did. And all this
in spite of the fact that Jesus had told them over and over, beforehand, that he
would be arrested, put to death, and three days later would rise again. How is
Thomas any different from the others? They didn't believe, even when they saw
the empty tomb and heard the angel's explanation. Thomas didn't, either. I don't
see any reason to emphasize his doubt any more than that of the others. You and
I would have the same doubts...after all, we all know that dead people don't get
up and start moving around the countryside. But this dead man, Jesus, did
exactly that. And remember what Jesus said to Thomas? Blessed are you who
have believed...and blessed are those who have not seen but have believed.
Sisters and brothers, that's US Jesus is talking about! Now we have to help
others believe, not just with our words but with our actions, too.
The second thing I want to point out about today's Gospel is really simple,
so simple that we probably didn't notice it at all when the Scripture was read.
Remember when Jesus came into the upper room, and he said, Peace be with
you? But it seems that their surprise and slowness to believe prevented
that peace from coming into their minds and hearts, because, later, AFTER Jesus
had shown them his hands and his feet and his side, and they finally were able
to grasp that yes, this is really Jesus, really
alive, really here with us...he said again, Peace be with
you. And this time they were able to accept that peace. That's something
for us to think about, when we try to tell others the Good News. They cannot
accept the peace of mind and heart until they are really convinced about what we
say. And that is one of the big reasons why our actions and our lifestyle have
to agree with our telling of the old story of Jesus and his love. Words alone
won't cut it. We have to live it, too.
So, you see, this Low Sunday is full of good advice on how to make the Easter
message part of our own lives and the lives of others. And now that we have
heard the advice of the early church, it's time for us to be about that work,
don't you think? Eastertide is given us to think about this job of making the
Good News real, and part of our thinking and living and doing. After Pentecost,
when we will share the empowering of the Holy Spirit, comes what many churches
call Kingdomtide, instread of our term, the Sundays after Pentecost. That's when
we use what we have learned and pondered about Easter and new life, to help
bring God's kingdom to earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.
