THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER

Reassuring Thomas (Fragment), 1311 by Duccio.

Scripture: Luke 24:36b-48

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you–that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Reflection:

I checked my silenced cell phone for messages after this week’s Monday morning meetings at the conference office and discovered that had I missed three calls from my 27-year-old son who is a pastor at a UM church in San Antonio. Several voicemail notifications showed on my phone screen, but I did not bother to listen to them. Instead, I called him immediately thinking that he either had some good news and could not wait to share it with me or there was an emergency he was calling about.

My son shared that he was calling me earlier to ask for prayer and guidance as he raced to the church to minister to the surviving family of a long-time member who was in a tragic and fatal auto accident as she was turning into the church parking lot for a Monday morning bible study. The family members had all gone their separate ways by the time we spoke. We have had several conversations during the week to process his experience. He called yesterday to share some of his thoughts on the sermon he is preparing for the memorial service this Saturday morning. I’m sure the Lord will give him the right words of comfort and assurance the family needs to hear in their time of need.

The faith of the family of the deceased in Christ’s promise of eternal life has left an indelible impression on my son who has been around the deaths of friends, several church members, and students. He shared how the family while grieving, expressed gratitude to God for the life of their loved one. He said, “Dad, I was expecting to minister grace to the family in their time of sorrow and loss, and instead their faith in the resurrection and eternal life ministered grace to me.” He continued, “The good news of Jesus conquering death through the resurrection is meaningful and real for people of faith. Their witness in the hope of the resurrection and eternal life strengthens my faith.”

The main point of Luke’s post-resurrection appearance story is that the peace of the resurrected Christ drives out doubt and fear. Christ’s peace becomes the basis for the proclamation of the marvelous news of the resurrection to all nations. The disciples found in the resurrected Christ sustaining peace, hope, and joy for their troubled hearts. The family my son ministered to this week found in the resurrected Christ sustaining peace, hope, and joy for their troubled hearts. Like the disciples, we also find in the peace of the resurrected Lord, sustained joy and hope for our troubled hearts. In turn, we desire that our peace, hope, and joy in the risen Christ will find its way into the troubled hearts of people in our communities and in our frightened and disbelieving world.

Paz – Peace