Catalyst Question

If you were living on a desert island for a year, with enough food and water to last indefinitely, what is one thing you would want to bring to make it the best life possible?

Peace with a Purpose

In John 20:19-31, a resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples twice. Often, when we read this passage, we focus on Thomas. He wasn’t present the first time Jesus showed up, and so was skeptical until Jesus appeared a second time. Some call him Doubting Thomas. Others emphasize Thomas’s devotion because he would only settle for the real Jesus and not any potential imposters.

Today, let’s instead focus on what Jesus says to the disciples during his appearances. Jesus sends the the disciples, just as God the Father sent him. Jesus equips the disciples to forgive sins. Jesus empowers the disciples, never alone, but with the Holy Spirit. As essential as each of these commissions are, they’re built upon something else.

Three times Jesus declares peace. In part this is because the disciples knew him to be dead just a few days before. Now he’s here, but with wounds still showing the evidence of his murder. How threatening would that feel!? Peace is needed. But more than this moment, peace is needed for the movement ahead. After a death wrought by violence, Jesus declares that the way of life is the way of peace.

Even so, violence still remains too present in our world. Another mass shooting, this time at Florida State University, reminded us of the violence so prevalent in the United States. This occurred after years of war in Gaza and Ukraine. In the face of such death, and at the absence of peace, we might despair.

Yet, that’s why Jesus resurrection reminder is so essential still for today. Peace is no less essential for life in our world than it is for the recently resurrected Lord. For life to continue, for life to thrive, peace is required. Easter reminds us that we live in the hope of resurrection, and therefore the hope of peace, even amidst the signs of death.

Small signs like that still show up. For instance, after three years of war in Ukraine, Russia recently indicated openness to substantive peace talks for the first time. This is no guarantee, but it is progress, especially since just a few weeks ago there seemed to be no end in sight. Now, we may see only a glimmer of possibility, but it is there.

The peace that Jesus sends us with is much more than this. It is a peace that passes all understanding. It is a peace that relies not only on the natural instincts of survival, but the supernatural experience of resurrection. It is a peace that promotes not only coexistence, but life abundant! That is the peace Jesus gives to us in the resurrection, and it is peace with a purpose: to bring abundant life to the very ends of the earth.

Ask Yourself

What does peace look like? What does peace sound like? What does peace feel like? Take time to reflect on these different senses of peace.

Ask a Friend

How can we work together to bring peace to places where we notice conflict? Strategize two different ways you can share peace in your daily lives.

Catalyst Question

What kind of evidence do you need to believe something is true?

Evidence of Life

Recently, the possibility of life on another planet hit the news. While studying a planet 124 light years away from Earth, scientists made a surprising discovery. Thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and an advanced understanding of physics, scientists identified two gasses in this plant’s atmosphere that, in our experience, are only produced by bacteria and phytoplankton. How could anyone know that these particles exist from such a distance? The telescope can identify the composition of the planet’s atmosphere by studying the way that light passes through it. Different gaseous components will mean that light behaves differently as it moves through those elements. Right now, with 99.7% confidence, scientists believe that the atmosphere of planet K2-18b is showing signs of organic life.

Artist’s rendering of planet K2-18b based on observed data. Used with permission from NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

The certainly of life was much lower when Mary Magdalene and the other women visited Jesus’ tomb on the Sunday morning after his crucifixion. In fact, they were expecting death. Luke 24:1-12 tells us that they’d brought spices to anoint him for burial, which was impossible to do after his death since the Sabbath had begun. They were showing up to complete the funerary process. But there was just one problem.

There was no body.

After a brief encounter with an angel, who said in no uncertain terms that “he is risen,” the women ran back to share the good news with the other disciples. Though they were much closer than 124 light years, no news could seem further from the truth. What evidence of there was life? At this point, none. There was, after all, an incredible lack of evidence. There was no body. Just like the particles on K2-18b, no one had yet touched Jesus body, whether it was alive or dead. It was just as possible at this point that someone had stolen Jesus’ body for reasons unknown; in fact, most of the disciples thought the testimony to the resurrection was an “idle tale.”

Yet, there were signs. That brief encounter with the angel was kind of a big deal. That angelic presence matched their previous experience of voices from heaven, miraculous healings, and power over nature. There was evidence that this resurrection thing was possible. It just wasn’t something they had touched. Not yet.

Today, none of us have touched Christ’s resurrected body. We, too, rely on the testimony of those who came before us. Just like this faraway planet, we might wonder how reliable the evidence really is. But there are signs. The taste of grace at the communion table is a sign. Waters washing away sin at baptism is a sign. Hope that perseveres despite the most dire circumstances is a sign, all that nothing–not even death–can separate us from the love of God.

Easter Sunday isn’t about academic certainty. Christ’s evidence of life is found in faith passed down from Mary Magdalene to today. Some will come to know this on the road to Emmaus. Others by touching his wounds. Still others like you and I who, for generations to come, by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So today, and every day, we proclaim together:

Christ is risen!

Ask Yourself

What are three ways that I can emulate Mary Magdalene and share the story of Christ’s resurrection with my own community?

Ask a Friend

This Easter, what about the story of Christ’s resurrection gives you the most hope?

Catalyst Question

How do you identify the heroes in your life?

Joy Amidst the Sorrow

We’re at a turning point in the season. The long journeys we’ve been on are finally coming to a conclusion, identifying the heroes and champions, as well as the wannabes and villains. Though the wait has been long, we can finally see the finish lines.

This could be about sports. After all, we just wrapped up both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments, crowning two champions (Florida and UConn, respectively). With few cinderella stories and the top-8 seeds in both Final Fours, these playoffs felt like money and pedigree were the most important factors to victory. Whether you consider the final victors heroes or villains likely depended on your rooting interest before the tournament began.

Of course, that’s not the only season that’s wrapping up. We’re headed through the final days of Lent, into Holy Week, and culminating with Easter. This Sunday’s reading from Luke 19:28-40 shows a different approach to recognizing heroes. Jesus didn’t enter Jerusalem as a top seed, but as a backwater preacher. Yet, peopled hailed his entry. His arrival didn’t require fine chariots pulled by thoroughbred horses, but just a donkey. The crowds didn’t cheer for him because he was the odds-on favorite. These everyday people cheered him because he, too, was an underdog, and they were looking for liberation from oppressive influence of Rome’s money and pedigree.

You see, while we hail Jesus as King on Palm Sunday, we do so in the shadow of Holy Week. Even that first Palm Sunday was a revolutionary moment, because Pontius Pilate was likely arriving to Jerusalem on the other side of town. The simplicity of Jesus entry was a counterbalance to the extravagance of Rome’s arrival. What power do palm fronds have over spears, or peasants over centurions? Yet, in Jesus, the people found the hero they needed, however unlikely he was.

There’s still much more to the story, with a last meal with friends on Maundy Thursday, followed by abandonment by those very same friends before his death on Good Friday. For now, though, take note of how people in real need identify their heroes. Rather than the ones that have all the money to buy allegiance and all the power to force submission, they cheer a man who healed their illnesses and fed their hungry bellies, all while forgiving their faults. That’s the hero that we welcome on Palm Sunday. That is Jesus Christ.

Ask Yourself

It’s fun to root for underdogs, though we often don’t expect them to win. How does the unlikely nature of Jesus’ ultimate victory make you think differently about Palm Sunday?

Ask a Friend

Who are the people in our lives that we’ve written off because they didn’t seem like they had a chance to succeed? How might we reconsider their role given Jesus’ cinderella story?

Catalyst Question

What’s the longest trip you’ve ever taken? Share about what you did to occupy yourself during the journey.

Joy Amidst the Sorrow

Believe it or not, we’re in the last few weeks of Lent. After this Sunday, it’s Palm Sunday, then Holy Week, with Easter just around the corner. It’s not the longest season of the church year; that honor belongs to ordinary time. Yet, it’s perhaps the most intentional season for many Christians. As we take on new devotional practices or give up certain privileges, these 40 days can feel much longer.

This long slog of progress toward new life isn’t restricted only to Lent. Think, for instance, of the communities in California still recovering from wildfires or North Carolina rebuilding after floods. Globally, consider the recent earthquake in Myanmar. Natural disasters, and the destruction that follow, require long journeys of intentional activity to restore life to something like normal. Lent can teach us this intentionality so that, when we encounter our own struggles, we too can take specific steps toward new life. Lent can also help us sympathize with those whose seasons toward new life take much longer than 40 days.

In many other ways, Lent is a lesson in life. One of the key reminders in Lent is this: find time to celebrate. In areas of the world that face disaster, both home and abroad, there are still birthdays and anniversaries, holidays and festivals. They are not the same as in normal times, not at all. Yet, many people find solace in reclaiming a moment of joy in the midst of a sorrowful season.

John 12:1-8 depicts a woman anointing Jesus with perfume on his journey toward the cross. It seems a weird thing, to interrupt dinner so she could douse Jesus in Axe body spray. But rather than cheap aerosols, this nard was an expensive rarity, meant to prepare a body for burial. The pungent aroma flowing from a vase would hold the scent of death at bay. For Jesus, who we know is preparing to die, this expensive gift both acknowledges the seriousness of the season and takes a moment to celebrate something sacred in the midst of the struggle.

That’s why Sundays aren’t properly a part of Lent. After all, there are more than 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The Sundays aren’t counted in the season because they are mini celebrations of Easter. On those days, we don’t ignore Lent. Yet, we find a reason to pull out the stops and find joy amidst a sorrowful journey. In doing so, we follow this woman’s lead, for she too sought to celebrate Jesus even as he undertook the most grievous journey toward the cross.

As you journey throughout the rest of Lent, consider the following questions:

Ask Yourself

What are the things that I want to celebrate even when I am in a sad or difficult season of life? Why is that?

Ask a Friend

How do you like to celebrate special moments in your life? How does that change in a time of sadness, if at all?

Catalyst Question

What was the last trip that you went on? How did it feel to come home after being away?

A Surprising Homecoming

After nine months, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are home. These two are the astronauts who were originally supposed to spend a week at the International Space Station. What was meant to be a short, joyous journey toward the stars became a months-long stay in the vacuum of space. They returned to great fanfare and, of course, to some well-deserved time off.

This week’s Gospel tells of another homecoming. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 includes the parable we often call The Prodigal Son. It’s a story of another trip that was meant to be lots of fun but turned into a torturous tail of woe. Unlike the astronauts above, however, the son at the center of the story departed with more selfish intents. He demanded his inheritance early, then went off to some far flung region to party. It’s the biblical equivalent of taking your parent’s savings and running off to Las Vegas. After a series of unfortunate events, this son ended up poor and doing hard labor. Eventually, he remembered the lifestyle of his father’s laborers, which was much better than his current lifestyle. So, he went home in hopes of taking a job just to survive. Yet, upon his return, the father welcomed this son back like an astronaut returning from an extended stay in the cosmos.

This was a surprising homecoming because, unlike the astronauts, the son left with no gratitude with his family and no intent to return. Yet, he was celebrated like a returning hero rather than a greedy child. Why?

Grace. Grace is more powerful than even the son’s most significant failures.

The great grace of the father in the story reflects the great grace of God for us all. We are, in many ways, prodigal children. We turn away from our home in God and try to find satisfaction elsewhere. Yet, when we come home, God receives us not with judgement, but jubilance. God celebrates everyone who comes home, no matter how long it takes. This Lent, remember that the journey we walk toward Good Friday and Easter Sunday is the culmination of grace. There is nothing that God won’t do in order to welcome us home.

Ask Yourself

Have you ever been afraid of admitting you’ve made a mistake? Why was that?

Ask a Friend

Have you ever been given grace after doing something you knew was wrong? What did receiving that grace feel like?