Scripture: Luke 24:36b-48
I wonder how surprised I would be if Jesus just showed up at my place? Have you ever thought of that? Would I Hit him with the hockey stick my wife keeps by the bed or would I recognize Him for who He is?
It is sad to say that chances are I would probably threaten Him. I wonder if that is why He said peace be with you to His disciples. I would not doubt it since Peter chopped the ear off of one of the men that came to arrest Jesus. So often we act first and then think later. We tend to be very reactionary people. We rarely plan for something to take us by surprise. Maybe that is why there is a seat set for Elijah at passover, to encourage the Jewish people to anticipate the unexpected.
But I do not think they were expecting anyone to really show up. They had the doors locked up and were in an upper room, they would have heard smeone approach. Jesus took them by surprise first off and then scared them because they thought hey saw a ghost. The giving of peace was necissary. The issue of a spirit was another matter. Jesus knew they needed some sort of proof. What evidence would you need to believe it really was Jesus in your room? I have not really thought about that. It is now nearly two thousand years after the event, so I am sure the evidence I would need would need to be great.
Jesus proved His humanity by showing the wounds, letting them squeeze His body to feel His bones, and He ate with them. I am sure these would be necissary for me as well, but I would need more. There have bee many crazy people claiming to be Jesus, I have even heard stories that some of these people went so far as having scars in their wrists, feet, and side. So even though I have full faith that Jesus is alive I would have to say I would be one of the biggest sceptics on the planet if He were just to show up unannounced. This reality scares me. Would I know my Savior if I were to see Him face to face?
Doubts are part of life, if we acknowledge where w have doubts then God can work with us in these areas. If I would in my own mind make a list of things that I would need to see then I am sure He would meet me there. He did with His disciples. What scares me though is that I would no know His charactor enough to be able to discern who He is. That is the point and purpose of Prayer. It is a conversation with the Creator that loves us. In these times of reflection on scripture and conversation we begin to see Jesus our Lord and King as He realy is. We can see His humanity as well as His divine nature and hopefully we will be so close to Him relationaly that all He would have to do is show up and say “peace be with you.”
That is what my Journey is all about. It is my reflections on scripture as I pray. I use methods that I have learned from my Quaker background as well as methods I have learned from participating with the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises. I do this and encourage you to participate so that we can know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow we my attain the resurrection from the dead. (Phillipians 3:10-11)
As you pray today consider what your doubts are about the resurrection, and take a journey to move you from doubt to belief. As you do this may the blessing of Jesus be on you in this quest. “Peace be wth you!”
Scripture: Acts 4:32-35
I always wonder what it would have been like in the first days of the Church, when it was fresh and new for everyone. Today we have all these mature Christians that tend to put the brakes on things. We get a glimps at the lifestyle of these people, they would sell all they have and give it to the poor. I can easily look over this, I can gloss over it as young fanaticism, but who are these people? They were committed Jews, they gave a tithe and various other offerings to the temple which average out to around thirty percent of their income. They already gave that much yet they felt led to give more.
We get pretty attached to our stuff. I am pretty attached, at least. I spend most of my day earning the money that goes into buy the stuff, but what is it really worth? I have recently read a book by Richard Foster about simplicity, in this book Foster stresses that this is a perspective issue, asking whose stuff is it really. The answer to these early Christians was that it was not their’s. If it is not the individual’s then it is God’s. If the stuff is God’s then why am I so attached to the stuff?
I am a hard working individual. I have worked most of my life either on my family’s farms or in various other companies. In my ministry I have worked at leastone other job outside the church so it breeds in me an idea that I have gained or earned all that I have. So when I read passages like this or Foster’s book, I struggle. This has lead me to ask a question of myself, why do I work? The answer is so I can meet people. I cannot count the times I have been able to share my faith with my coworkers or with customers. Not that I insert the four spiritual laws in every cnversation, but in the course of the discusion I am able to talk about areas I struggled with or the church meeting I worship in. I work so I can minister.
These people did not view the stuff they had as their property but as a means to extend the kingdom of God. What would happen if we were to come to the same conclusion. What if we were to live our lives on a budget and give the rest to extend the kingdom not as a demand of the church but because we love the kingdom. On the flip side, what if our worship communities would reguard their budgets and properties in the same ways? These people gave so that the excess could be used to minister to those without. It was never demanded, the followers of Jesus did not encourage a tithe or anything of them, but instead encouraged everyone to listen to the leading of the Spirit and be obedient.
As you pray today just consider your relationship with your career, your stuff, and God. In this you may want to consider which you give the most priority to and how they relate to each other.
Scripture: Psalm 133
Quakers, I have to admit, are a bit odd. The way we make decisions are just weird in our American culture. When our governments pass laws they do so with the idea that the majority rules. Quakers do not do this. Instead they attempt to find a sense of the Meeting. This is done through discussing, praying, and listening to the minority voice as we’ll as that of the majority. In many cases the sense of the meeting is not the most popular stance. When Friends say they they have a testimony against war durning a period of time we have soldiers around the world risking their lives, our stance is not exactly popular.
We stive for this because unity is amazing in a community. When a group of people can come to a decision with little or no objection allow us all to push forward into the future knowing that everyone else participating is pressing on to the same goal. It is also joyful to be able to come to an agreement without argument.
Unity of course is a goal, it is difficult to get to that point. Even in a worship community where unity is rule, there is difficulty getting to that point. It takes time, energy, and people willing to sacrifice their own desires for the greater good. It is not however just an ideal, unity can be achieved. When it is everyone involved is more satisfied with life.
As you read throught the scripture, imagine the auromatic oils covering you hair and face. Imagine the pleasure you have as the smells of our labor are covered with the spices of worship. Imagine now, what life would be like if you strove for unity in your homes, businesses, and churches. What would you have to do to gain a life of unity?