Easter 3 B + The healed body + 4.18.21

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Acts 3:12–19, Ps. 4, 1 John 3:1–7, St Luke 24:36b–48)

In today’s reading from Acts, you have to get the context to understand why Peter is going on about people believing in Jesus and turning around the error of having rejected him before. The people are marveling because Peter has just invoked Jesus’ name to heal a man who was unable to walk. And now he is leaping for joy!

When I helped teach Bible stories during vacation Bible School, this story was so fun to act out because we got to leap about like the man who was healed! And Peter points out that it wasn’t him who healed the man, but God. When we rejoice because we are healed, we must thank God who worked through those who enabled our healing, including the doctors and nurses and scientists. The pure joy of those who feel free as they are vaccinated after a full year of so many limitations comes to mind. Perhaps not everyone is leaping around but I have certainly seen more smiles amongst friends these past couple of weeks, and I hope to see even more as more are able to get vaccinated, even as I pray that no one experiences scary side effects.

But this week also brought moments of deep sadness. Added to the level of unease that has been being generally felt across the nation as the Derek Chauvin trial proceeded, we saw the death of another unarmed black man this week. Daunte Wright, taken too soon. Was he an angel? I don’t know- is any of us? But he was a human being. The more important question is why do certain human beings have so much to fear at traffic stops whereas for some of us all we need worry about is a delay or a fine or a stern talking to most times?

In the reading from 1^st John today we hear about Jesus: “When he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” When he is revealed, we will be like him.
Well, Jesus was revealed. Folks, Jesus came into the room and near gave the disciples a heart attack! Is this really him? No, it must be a ghost! And to that he invites them to physically touch his hands and his feet. To give him something to feed his very real stomach (coming back from the dead must be a very energetic experience)!

Imagining Jesus in this scripture, my mind flows back to our time in Manoppello, Italy, seeing the Volto Santo and seeing the image of Jesus. The nun who explained the image of the resurrected Christ to us pointed out that the image is at the exact moment of coming to life, such that Jesus still bears the wounds. He is bruised on one side and has liquid in his eyes as if the vitreous humor was coming out in death. But the other side the eye is brighter, more alert, healed. God has restored Jesus. But what the disciples likely saw was still a person with wounds. Wounds miraculously healed for having died and being just a step from his death, but wounds all the same.
In his stripes, we are healed. Those wounds reminded the disciples of the reality of what he had gone through (as if they could forget) and reminded them of the unbelievable (and yet it is still so) miracle that YES, Jesus was alive! Feel these wounds, feed this belly, I am alive he says!

But his flesh is still not healed today. Because every time a member of his body is sacrificed, hope dies again. But God is so good, because God keeps resurrecting that hope. Keeps healing us.

A small group of us are using a video series called Lamenting Racism put out by MennoMedia in our Bible Study this season. It might seem like an oddly serious subject for Easter, but it has felt so timely to me as we have begun our discussions. The premise is that the Biblical act of lamenting allowed our ancestors to express anger, fear and grief when they witnessed injustices. Lament also invites us to repent of the ways we have sinned. We can also hear brothers and sisters lament about their experience of racism. This can help us begin to envision a way forward out of racism.

Because the world showed us its face this past week, as it has been doing. And the truth is ugly. We live in a racist society. The problem is not just racist people but a racist structure. I know many of you know this better than I do. And some of us, like me, benefit from that structure and can tend to be blind to it. Others experience the limitations that structure puts on them every day.

But the good news is that we don’t heal people, God does. We don’t heal completely unjust systems and structures, but through us, God can. God can touch hearts to help us imagine a different way. A more loving way, a more just society.

And when that body will be healed, we will truly see Jesus in each other. And we will be like him. And all will be restored.

Amen.