3rd Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the third Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19
2. Psalms 4: 2, 4, 7-8, 9
3. 1 John 2: 1-5a
4. Luke 24: 35-48

• Point of view
• In 2008 a movie called Vantage Point was released that presented an assassination attempt on the president from various vantage points.  Each vantage point provided more missing pieces of the total narrative until the audience finally understood the whole story arc near the end of the movie.  Life in general can often be like that.
• How does God generally reveal the meaning, the big picture of current events to us as Church?
• How do you decide what events going on around you mean?
• Does that big picture really make a difference?

• God's shining face
• Most of us would agree that God watches over us constantly.  But we often let our thoughts end there.
• When God is watching you, what expression do you see on His face?
• What have you done lately that you think made God smile?
• What have you done lately that you think might have brought tears to God's eyes?
  
• Does that have any impact on any decisions that you're faced with now?

• Perfecting the love of God
• It sounds presumptuous to desire to perfect the love of God in our lives, by our lives.  But in some way, that is exactly what God asks of us.
• One way to define love for another is to dedicate yourself to working so that they become the best version of themselves.  So how do you find out what that "best version" of those that you love might be?
• Does that sort of work on our part make the world a better place?
• Does that sort of work make better people of us?
• Is it easy?
• Why is that?

• Peace be with you
• Jesus wishes peace on His disciples a lot during the Easter season.  They seem to have needed it.
• Why do you suppose that it's important that Jesus appeared to His disciples in the flesh, rather than just a vision of some sort, a booming voice from the sky?
• What brings peace to your heart?
• Where is God in that process of achieving peace?
• Why do you suppose that Jesus wished peace on His disciples first, then showed them that all that they had gone through was the fulfillment of Scripture?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What is going on in my life today that I need to pray about?
2. Where am I giving God joy in my life?
3. Who  in my life might be waiting for generosity from me?
4. Where in my life do I need more peace?

The Empty Upper Room

Pilgrims used to visit here.

Hoping to somehow touch the place, the bench, the cup

Where it all happened, where Jesus appeared, first in bread and wine

Then in His resurrection garb,

Wishing us peace, sending us forth.

Finally, we realized that 

Just like those looking for Him in the tomb,

Or gazing after Him at His ascension, 

We were looking for Him in the wrong places,

Hoping that we could still find him where He had been.

Instead, we eventually realized

That we most earnestly felt Jesus' touch,

Heard His deep laughter,

Found our deepest peace,

Was in the washing of the feet.

Offering ourselves to those in need,

Reminding ourselves that to serve is privilege,

Finding the Face of Jesus in the afflicted, the worn, the forgotten.

As long as we looked for Him there, our memory of Him would be fresh -

And refreshing.

So, there's hardly any point to coming here anymore.

Jesus has left the building.

The only ones who come here now are students of the past.

Trying to find the meaning of life in history's cadaver.

Stretched out safely on a cold table of indifference - to those Jesus came to save.

Shalom!