04/07/2024 ~ Second Sunday of Easter ~ *Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 ~ Communion Sunday ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/933003275

The Presence of Jesus

“Then to Thomas, Jesus said this: ‘Put your finger here and examine my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not persist in your unbelief but believe.’ Thomas answered, ‘My Savior and my God!’” — John 20:27-28.

I want to set up a trick question. Now that I’ve said it’s a trick question, the answer will likely be obvious.

Here’s the set up. Cleopatra, commonly identified as the Queen of Egypt, lived from approximately the year 69 Before the Common Era to the year 30 Before the Common Era. She therefore lived less than 100 years before New Testament Times.

Now, in the year 2,670 Before the Common Era— 4,700 years ago— construction started on the Great Pyramids of Egypt. I will not mention when the last of those Great Pyramids was built. That information defines the trick. The question: did Cleopatra live closer to the building of the last of the Great Pyramids or did the Queen of Egypt live closer to our time today?

The obvious answer since this is a trick question, is Cleopatra lived closer to our times then to the time the last Great Pyramid was constructed. The minor detail of how I set that question up, the trick, is I used a specific limiting factor.

I specified the Great Pyramids. The last of the Great Pyramids was constructed about 4,200 years ago. There were, in fact, some pyramids built after that but they are not considered to be among those Egyptologists label as Great Pyramids.

Even among these lesser pyramids, that later construction ended a long time ago, about 3,900 years ago. And there are still other even more minor structures which date to about 2,800 years ago, still a long time in the past. [1]

To be clear about the math, construction of the Great Pyramids ended about 2,300 Before the Common Era. [2] Since Cleopatra lived less than 100 years before the Common Era, her lifetime was closer to our time by about 200 years.

That leads us to a simple thought. That math says Great Pyramids were built so long ago in terms of human history, the very presence of the pyramids is how we know the individuals, the people, who held the title of Pharaoh back then, even existed.

The pyramids, after all, mark their graves sites. The pyramids are physical markers which attest to their reality, attest to their life. Amazing, isn’t it? (Slight pause.)

We find these words in the Gospel according to the School of John: “Then to Thomas, Jesus said this: ‘Put your finger here and examine my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not persist in your unbelief but believe.’ Thomas answered, ‘My Savior and my God!’” (Slight pause.)

I know I keep stressing we have to glean what Scripture means as opposed to what Scripture says. But there are times I think we pay attention to neither what Scripture means nor to what Scripture says.

Too often our prime source of information about Scripture comes from novels, hymns, movies and Renaissance art rather than what the text actually says. Here are two examples of that reliance for factual data on the popular culture.

The first one: people will often say the Apostle Paul got knocked off a horse. And Paul falling off said horse is an image used in hundreds of paintings which address that episode— mostly the bad Renaissance art not the good Renaissance art. But check out the story in Acts. There is no horse— not there.

Equally the movie The Ten Commandments taught us enslaved Hebrews helped build the pyramids. But the facts tell us when the Hebrews arrived in what we today call Egypt the construction of the pyramids was already complete.

Equally I suspect our cultural image of the interaction of Thomas and the Risen Christ has the Apostle placing a finger in the wounds made by nails and a spear. You’ve probably seen many paintings which picture the event that way— some more bad Renaissance art I’m sure. But there is no mention of any such action by Thomas.

The response of Thomas to the invitation of Jesus to touch the wounds is only a verbal response. Thomas says, “My Savior and my God!” (Slight pause.)

When I introduce the Gospel reading on Easter Sunday I always say this. (Quote:) “There are no Resurrection stories in Scripture, no stories about the Christ coming out of the tomb. There are only post Resurrection stories.”

In many of these post Resurrection stories Jesus seems to do physical things, like eat. Even appearing and disappearing as we heard in this reading would in some sense would be physical. And yet in these stories no one ever physically touches the Risen Christ. Indeed, when Mary of Magdala interacts with Jesus, the Risen Christ says these words (quote:) “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to Abba, ascended to God.” (Slight pause.)

Unlike the Pharaohs, we have no physical marker, no grave of Jesus in the region called Roman Palestine in New Testament times. Yes, there are some sites which lay claim to being the exact places certain things happened.

But those claims lack any proof, any veracity. They are simply claims. Jesus was buried here, right in this place or Jesus was born here, right in this place. I can, after all, claim I won the Masters Golf Tournament. That does not mean it’s true. It’s simply a claim. So what is this claim about the presence of Jesus? (Slight pause.)

I want to suggest all the post Resurrection stories in Scripture try to do two things. First and rumor to the contrary, these writings are not primarily trying to tell a story. The post Resurrection tales are there to express theology, to say something about God.

And yes, the writing in the Bible uses story to do that. Take it from this Pastor who had been a professional writer. Telling stories is an effective way to communicate.

Therefore and second, the real question is ‘what is the theological statement being made?’ I think the theological statement being made says the presence of Jesus can be felt.

If that claim is true— that the presence of Jesus can be felt— the question for us here, today, becomes how can the presence of Jesus be felt today? What does the reality of presence Jesus feel like today? (Slight pause.)

Let me make a suggestion on that count. The presence of Christ can be felt here when the Kellogg Church gathers for worship. The presence of Christ can be felt here when the Kellogg Church has a community dinner, a barn sale, a holiday fair.

I do not mean to disappoint the Board of Finance but the reason we have those last three events I listed, dinners, fairs, barn sales, is not to raise money. The reason we have them is or should be to affirm the presence of the Christ in the world.

Perhaps more to the point, the presence of Jesus, the reality of that presence, is a more than feeling, more than a sense. It is a spiritual experience.

Physical markers are a fine statement about a presence if you are the Pharaoh of Egypt. But our claim as Christians is there is more to the reality of Christ than can be signified by a mere physical marker. I, thereby, am suggesting the presence of Jesus can be felt.

After all, the response of the Apostle who doubted was humble. In humility Thomas said, “My Savior and my God!” rather than reaching out to touch, to look for a physical marker. (Slight pause.)

Indeed, the presence of Christ can be felt in how we treat one another. Do we treat one another with love, respect, kindness, patience? Do we treat one another as God would have us treat one another?

I think we, in humility, need to treat one another as God would have us treat one another— with that love, respect, kindness, patience. When we treat one another that way we can feel and even see that the Christ is present to us all.

When we treat one another with love, respect, kindness, patience is when we are empowered to acknowledge, in humility, the presence of the risen Christ is real. Last, when we treat one another with love, respect, kindness, patience we act as a physical presence, we act as the markers of risen Christ. Amen.

04/07/2023
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “First things first: remember, nothing eclipses the light of Christ. And the Thought for Meditation today is a quote from Marcel Proust: ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.’ The theological statement. Therefore, the theological claim made is, because Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is with us and that God walks with us. Perhaps the new eyes that Proust suggests need to be theological eyes— eyes constantly aware of the presence of God.”

BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing: we go into the world carrying forth God’s love. Let us go from this place and offer the peace of God which surpasses all understanding to all we meet, and may the Peace of Christ keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and companionship of the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier, this day and forever more. Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids

[2] https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/the-egyptian-pyramids