Luke 24 : 36 - 48
NRSV
36-37 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.
38-40 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.
41-43 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.
44 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."
45-48 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 is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
REFLECTIONS:
Thoughts from John, Pastor of Community Development:
I am imagining myself as one of Jesus’ disciples…
In the wake of his death, I am petrified. For three years I have aligned myself with a revolutionary leader who just lost his life. The empire won. And now my friends and I are left to figure out how in the world we will ever show our faces in public again.
Then Jesus walks into the room. The room we have kept locked. Am I hallucinating?
But he’s hungry. As he asks about some fish, he sits and reaches for the pitcher of wine on the table and I see the wounds on his hands. They’re still pink and swollen and moist.
While the rest of us look sheepishly at each other, asking silent questions with our eyes, Jesus comments that the wine is dry. (It’s a Cab and the J-man likes his Pinots. He’s always been picky). Apparently the fish is a little undercooked too.
Excuse me, Jesus, but your presence here is a little under explained. Could you help us out??
Now that he’s got food and wine in his belly, Jesus looks at each of us. When his eyes meet mine, it’s as if time stands still. Then, with a sigh that absorbs then releases all the tension in the room, Jesus begins to speak.
By the time I’m aware of myself again, it is dark out and my back is sore. I’ve been sitting still since morning, since Jesus walked in, sat, ate, looked at me, and spoke. I can’t tell you all the words he said. But I can tell you what I know:
That he was there.
And by the end of it, I could see what I’ve never seen before. I could see a God who suffers. A God who heals through God’s own wounds - not ours. A God who no empire could put down.
And with my own sigh, I was ready to walk home.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
Learn the names of 3 people this week. Address them each by name, and learn something about them that is memorable.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week:
Pay attention to the narratives and assumptions that play in your head this week. See if you can catch yourself in order to ask: what do I know is fact?
Pathways toward Centeredness
Intellection (Loving God through pursuing knowledge):
Find a new non-fiction book to read in your free time. As you read, consider how any new bits of wisdom you discover might help you love the world around you.
Questions for Reflection
What is your vision for a more beautiful world? Where are you afraid to proclaim that vision? How might you begin to turn fear into courage and compassion?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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