“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”…a perfect Yogi Berra – witticism if ever there was one!
And of course, it is perfect timing for the church year!
The Season of Easter is 7 weeks in length, as you well-know. 7 weeks of 7 Sunday’s.
Seven being the number of wholeness and completion, the perfect number…the number of perfection… Thus making Easter the perfect season of the church year…
“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!” But, as is usually the case – the rest of the world has moved on…
For them, Easter was but a one day affair. But to maximize your sale potential, you have to start a good 4-6 weeks in advance. So they are “over it!”
You will see no more commercials aired for Burlington, where the whole family can get dressed for Easter – for less. Instead, it is now, “spring is here!” with sales for the whole family, including sandals…that just came in…
Walgreen’s and Target are no longer touting Easter Candy sales…
Shelves have to be cleared and re-arranged for “the next BIG thing…” Lawn and Gardening signs are popping up everywhere, including outdoor patio furniture—Brr…
Advertisers are wrapping up campaigns for all the” Memorial Day Sales” to come…and are getting ready to hit the airwaves with them, as soon as possible.
Until then, A “spring thing” works well; even if, it doesn’t feel much like Spring, yet. The last few vestiges of winter still desire to hold us…in its grip.
Lots of folks are returning from “Spring Break” trips and get-a-ways as they prepare for the final quarter before summer sessions begin. Our “blessed educators” have begun counting down the final ten weeks that are left in their term… even as their students are aware that “the end is in sight.”
The point being, the world moves on…
Well, not so for the church. The church wants to stay a while and linger…we want to bask in the glory of the resurrection, for as long as we possibly can.
Let the world move on if they will, but as for us, we prefer to “rejoice” and indulge in a little more of the “glory.”
And our gospel lesson for today is a case in point. We want to linger, we want to stay, we want to dwell there a little bit longer…
So our gospel starts outs…when it was evening…on “that day” … the first day of the week…
Make no doubt about it…that day is Sunday. That day is Easter Sunday. And even though the world has moved on, we have not…
We cannot or will not leave “that day,” yet…there is more to be told. More to be shared… More to be experienced… It is Easter Evening, somewhere in Jerusalem. The disciples are frightened, scared and are hiding – with good cause. They expect to be next. Their doors are locked and bolted. They make nary a sound. They remain subdued and quiet.
When much to their surprise and astonishment… Jesus appears. He appears in a locked room.
He just appeared! There he was in their midst…showing them his hands and his side…before they could even say a word.
It was the Risen Jesus in their midst. He bestows his life-giving spirit on them. He speaks words about the forgiveness of sins and the retention of sins…
He comes to them in their fear and in their terror…he comes to them moment of need and he breathes on them…
How is this possible?
In a locked room. Behind locked doors.
He who was dead…breathes on them…how is any of this even possible?
They see him.
They talk with him. And he vanishes.
They are over whelmed, they are revitalized in spirit, they are strengthened…and yet they question.
HOW?
Jesus is alive. It is true. He is not dead. He breathes. He speaks. They recognize him. They know him.
Ten of them were present. Judas had hanged himself…and Thomas was in absentia. Ten were ecstatic. Ten were blown away. Ten were extremely excited. Thomas was not! But then, none of this is really about Thomas or the eleven, is it?
It is about Jesus…the resurrected one. God raised Jesus from the dead. He lives! He is not dead…
And he brought to them a message of hope and of serene peace.
Easter continues…