Easter 2 A + Beautiful treasures + 4/12/26
M. Campbell-Langdell
All Santos, Oxnard
Easter 2 A + 4/12/26
(Acts 2:14a,22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31)
“O the
beautiful treasures
Laid up for the wise
O how precious the values
How glorious the prize
Far brighter than diamonds
On princes' brow (Beautiful treasures)
And richer than royalty can bestow…”
Thus goes a song performed by Amanda Seyfried and written
Daniel Blumberg for the recent film “The Testament of Ann Lee” (2025) by Mona
Fastvold, which chronicles the life of Ann Lee, one of the founding members of
the Shaker religious sect. Please note that the film is not suitable for
children and includes some violent or graphic scenes. This said, it does
celebrate female religious leadership even as it problematizes some of the
challenges the community faced, both without and within, through its
unconventional take on Christianity.
I could not help but think of “beautiful treasures” today, as
I read in preparation the scripture from the first letter attributed to Peter.
Here it says: “In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had
to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more
precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to
result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
I was thinking about this community, and all the trials that many have gone
through recently, the pain of loss, and the fear of safety. God surely sees
your faith, your steadfastness. Just as God sees the steadfastness of believers
in Lebanon, Iran, Ukraine, and Gaza. There are believers in this country and around
the world who feel besieged at the moment. And sometimes we need to lean upon
God’s compassion and look to leaders who show us a more loving and caring way.
When we go through trials, it is in those moments that we
realize the aspects of our lives that have not yet been purified. In a time of
profound illness or when another crisis occurs, we may realize that things in
our lives are binding us, things we need to let go of.
Today’s gospel lesson speaks to the cycle of letting go and
transformation.
Jesus surprises everyone in today’s gospel lesson by showing
up unexpectedly. The disciples are rightly freaked out, and somehow Jesus
thinks it will be helpful to come in like a ghost and say, not boo! But peace
be with you! Somehow, he is right. They are, of course, scared out of their
minds, but something tells me that this is the shock of peace that they need to
reboot their lives and ministries. You might notice that, in John, there is no
separate Pentecost moment. This is the moment of Spirit-filling and sending.
The disciples receive the Spirit and are sent to share the good news in this
moment.
And they are given a very special role. To bind and to loose
sins. Those of us who know a thing or two about forgiveness know that, when we
are holding onto a grudge or anger about a situation, it always hurts the one
who won’t forgive the most. And yet, none of us can do that work for another.
If I were to say to you, your sins are loosed! You might believe me. But if you
decided to place something in God’s hands and said, "I refuse to let this
define me anymore," then you might really believe it at another level.
Why do we need to bind sins anyway? As individuals, binding sins can be very problematic
and set us as judges over each other in an unhealthy way. As a church, we do
state that certain actions are not compatible with God’s will. It was telling
that Pope Leo said in his Palm Sunday sermon that God does not listen to the
prayers of those who wage war, quoting Isaiah 1:15 (sermon available on the
National Catholic Reporter website). This is at odds with some historical
teachings of the church, and yet his words felt Spirit-led and scripturally
based. There are times and places for the church to stand up and say,
"This is wrong." I do believe that, after we journey through this
time period, we would benefit as a country from a truth and reconciliation
process in which we discuss how certain groups have been harmed by recent
policies, and in which the public asks for forgiveness on behalf of the injured.
This must be done through a process of listening and truly hearing the hurt, so
that it does not become pro forma.
In Acts, Peter quotes a different translation of today’s Psalm:
“Therefore, my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
Moreover, my flesh will live in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with your presence.”
Right now, there is a lot to make us feel joyous- we had such
a glorious start to the Easter celebration last week. We heard good news for a
beloved member who has been experiencing health challenges. And that is not
frivolous, given what is going on in the world. As Mary Oliver famously said,
“Joy is not made to be a crumb.”[1]
When we are going through difficult times, we need Easter joy more than ever.
Our flesh does indeed live in hope. Because the world around us may rage, as it
has done in different ways over many ages, but we hold fast to our hope. To our
faith.
That faith is the beautiful treasure laid up for the wise. It
is so much more precious than any earthly treasure. Because all the rest will
pass away, but your treasures of hope and faith, and the ways that you show
others love, charity, and compassion, will never pass away. No act of love will
ever be wasted. So, keep hope! Do not be afraid to speak the truth. And then to
let go as needed. Do not neglect to act with compassion and love. All these
will all lead us, guide us and transform us into living the abundant life of
Christ!
Amen.
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