Appearances

April 17, 2022 – Easter Sunday
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Isaiah 65:17-25; Luke 23:55 - 24:12[1]

He appeared. He had been arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, and some of them had even seen him crucified. At early dawn, on the third day, the women found the stone had been rolled away. There was no body in the tomb. It seemed an idle tale to the apostles.

And then the most amazing, unexpected, incredible thing happened. He appeared. He appeared to Peter, “The Rock,” one of the closest companions of Jesus. Though Peter had denied knowing him in the courtyard of the high priest, Jesus appeared.

He appeared on the road, as two of them traveled to Emmaus. At first their eyes were kept from recognizing him, and they told their story to one they thought a stranger. For them, it was at the table, when he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. He appeared.

He appeared to the eleven. They were the ones who had followed him, learned from him, and served beside him, and yes, those who had fled at his arrest. He appeared to more than five hundred people at one time.

And, most amazingly, especially to Paul, he appeared to Paul! Paul, who, before his conversion, had tried to destroy the early Christian community, and who considered himself unfit to be called an apostle. Even so, Jesus appeared to Paul.

He appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, and called her by name. He appeared to Thomas, who doubted, and had to be convinced. He appeared to many others, throughout the centuries, and he is appearing still.

These days, when people say Jesus appeared to them, most of us scoff, or say under our breath, “this ought to be good.” I mean, really? Where was he this time? The image of Jesus has appeared in some strange places. He has appeared on a cheese pizza, in a water stain on some drywall, in ketchup on the side of a plastic bottle. These appearances can be amusing, and it is easy to explain how our brains form patterns out of chaos. But these are not what I’m talking about when I say Jesus appeared.

When Jesus appeared to Mary, Paul, Peter, and Thomas, it was not a face appearing on a loaf of bread. When Jesus appeared, it was a presence. What Mary experienced was no abstract image. Quite the contrary, the moment shared between the two of them was tangible, emotional, and deeply personal. He called her by name, “Mary,” and the sound of her name spoken by him rushed through her, touched all of her senses, and brought to life her broken, aching heart. Something within her shifted, and she was transformed by the experience.

This is how we all want to experience God. Like Mary, we long to be known by God. We want to be loved and cared for, to be held in the gaze of the one who knows us best. We want to be known in the deepest, most intimate corners of our hearts, our bodies, our past and present and future, in all that we hope for and all that we have lost. We want to experience the Living God as real and grounded, as a presence that touches all our senses.

I have heard my name spoken in this way. In the midst of an amazing worship experience, surrounded by cherished friends, I walked up to take communion. As I took the bread, I heard my name, and looked into the eyes of love, and Christ appeared. In my mind I know that it was just my friend Scott, offering me the cup of grape juice. But someplace beyond my mind’s power to know, I was touched in a way that I can still feel.

Perhaps you have also heard your name spoken and felt the world shift into place. Perhaps your world has been shattered, and in your confusion and loss you have experienced the presence of arms that held you and would not let go. Perhaps you have been overflowing with guilt and shame for what you have done, and in that moment when the bottom fell out you were lifted, and the pain fell away, and you breathed the fresh scent of a new day.

God appears. Not as often as we would like, not as obviously as we would like, but God appears. We may have to step outside of our daily experiences and embrace the mystery of what cannot be explained. We may have to walk in the garden at daybreak. We may have to climb a mountain. We may have to sail beyond the sight of land. But that is not the only way to become aware of the presence of God.

As people of faith, we are called to the mystery, but we are also called to live in the day-to-day, ordinary world. We must attend to our inner, spiritual lives, and strengthen our intellect, but we are also called to attend to our senses and our physical being. Jesus appears in ways that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, and tasted, and it is important for us to hone these senses as well.

In the community of faith, as the gathered church, we experience Christ physically, emotionally, and communally. Christ can be known in the light shining through the windows, in the scent of the lilies, in the heft of the hymnal, or the thin pages of the Bible sitting heavy in our laps. Christ can be known in the taste of the bread and wine, or the sound of music that moves us deep within.

You didn’t come to church this morning simply to hear me talk about how Jesus loves you and wants you to share that love with the world. You are here because your bodies, all of your senses, need to be reminded that God lives. You came to have the unconscious and the ordinary stirred up within you and given new energy, new hope, and a renewed purpose. You are here because the life that could not be destroyed on the cross is ready to stage a resurrection in you.

The stone has been removed. A familiar voice is calling. May Christ appear to you this day, and every day. Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.