The Third Sunday of Easter, 4 May 2014
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17
I Peter 1:17-23
St. Luke 24:13-35
First, a thank you to
Nigel Renton who pointed out to me that my auto correction on my computer kept
substituting “periscope” for “pericope”.
Thank you, Nigel. Although, periscope
might have some advantages here.
Background: Breaking of the Bread
The significance of this action on the part of
Jesus is seen through our Christian eyes, as we retroject its symbolic power
into the perceptions of the disciples at Emmaus. What was it that made a rather common
cultural and religious act turn into a mode of recognition of the Risen
One? That is a question that might
occupy our minds as we think about what resurrection really is all about.
As I write this, I am in Dresden, Germany. One of the huge goals I had was to visit the
restored Frauenkirche that was
destroyed by the fire that resulted from the Allied fire bombing in February
1945. Already the church holds a huge
sense of history, and the meaning of history in its very stones. What is interesting, and here is why I
mention the church here, is that there is no evidence that the breaking of the
bread is of any importance in this place.
There is no Sacrament Gottesdienst
listed on the church announcement boards, the altar is hidden away behind a
pulpit and a baptismal font, and is crushed by an overly ornate baroque altar
(which has barely enough room for the Bible it holds). I am certain that they celebrate the Holy
Eucharist there – but where is the important ability to allow the public to
recognize Jesus?
Where is the breaking of the bread in your
personal or your parish life? What
happens when you break the bread at home with your family (or do you?)? As the
practicalities of food move from the home into the marketplace and public
domain, we might need to make certain that the breaking of the bread is central
in our parish life. It is in these
actions that there is the possibility of recognizing Jesus, and the power that
his resurrection brings.
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Peter, standing with
the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the multitude, "Let the entire
house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and
Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard
this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles,
"Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may
be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise
is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the
Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and
exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day
about three thousand persons were added.
As I mentioned in last week’s commentary, Luke has both Peter and Paul
repeat certain actions of Jesus – here preaching. It might be interesting for you to go back
and look at Jesus preaching in Luke
4:16-30 or Paul in Acts
13:16-41 to see the similarities.
What is paramount here for Luke is the representation of the apostolic
kerygma (proclamation), and in this series of Peter sermons we see what it is
that Luke saw as the salient content of the apostles’ message. In this pericope, we have both the assertion
and the results. Peter announces in the
initial verses of the pericope what it is that he believes about Jesus, “God has made him both Lord and
Messiah.” What follows next in the
reading, is not the further development of that assertion, but rather a
question on the part of the hearers, “what
should we do?” And now the message
takes on some signs of life after the resurrection: repentance, baptism, and
the gift of the Spirit. These are
actions that have some direction about them, a movement toward God, acceptance,
and the anointing of the Spirit. Even in
this message Luke (and Peter) signal the mission to the gentiles, that the
importance of the resurrection is not limited to a certain sort, “For the promise is for…all.” Peter is an effective preacher – three
thousand – what an Easter Vigil! The
question for us is, how are we preaching the pointed yet inviting message?
Breaking open Acts:
- What would you like to say about the resurrection of Jesus?
- Are there elements of resurrection in your life?
- What should you do now?
Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 Dilexi, quoniam
I love the LORD,
because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined
his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
The cords of death
entangled me;
the grip of the grave
took hold of me; *
I came to grief and
sorrow.
Then I called upon the
Name of the LORD: *
"O LORD, I pray
you, save my life."
How shall I repay the
LORD *
for all the good things
he has done for me?
I will lift up the cup
of salvation *
and call upon the Name
of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows
to the LORD *
in the presence of all
his people.
Precious in the sight
of the LORD *
is the death of his
servants.
O LORD, I am your
servant; *
I am your servant and
the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from
my bonds.
I will offer you the
sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name
of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows
to the LORD *
in the presence of all
his people,
In the courts of the
LORD'S house, *
in the midst of you, O
Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
For Lutherans, the use of this psalm on this particular Sunday will make
a connection between the Gospel and its implicit sense of the Eucharist, and
this psalm, which can be used as one of the general Offertories in the Lutheran
Liturgy. The latter verses are filled
with symbols that bring to our Christian minds the gifts of the Holy
Communion.
The initial verses describe a situation for which the author is making
thanksgiving. There is death, and the
urgent call upon the Lord to both listen and to save. The verses which are elided from the reading
talks about God’s protective and merciful nature, but what follows is the
question about how might the author make thanksgiving (Eucharist), “What shall I give back to the Lord?” To our minds the “cup of rescue” has definite content, but what did the psalm’s
original readers hear here – a cup of libation poured as a sacrifice? You might
want to look at this action in another context in II Samuel 23:16f. Other offerings are considered as well, vows,
gift of self as a servant, a sacrifice of thanksgiving. All of this is offered up in the Temple. What does the Eucharist send us out to do?
Breaking open Psalm 116:
- How has God saved you from death?
- How have others saved you?
- Now what do you owe God, or others?
1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father
the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in
reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed
from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things
like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb
without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world,
but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have
come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that
your faith and hope are set on God.
Now that you have
purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine
mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew,
not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring
word of God.
Resurrection implies new life, and our question is what should be the
signs of that new life? The author asks
the reader to look at the past and see what culture and family tradition
provided, and then to ask the question, “is this consonant with the
resurrection?” He uses as an example the
Passover Lamb, and applies it to Jesus himself.
This is the sign of both God’s intentions, and of God’s love for us. Made pure (by repentance, baptism, and the
Spirit? – see Acts above) so that we are like the lamb “without defect or blemish”, we are called to have not only faith,
but also its necessary component, hope.
From that point we can begin to look to love of one another – the mutual
love that was a sign that distinguished Christians.
Breaking open I Peter:
- What have you inherited from the past that impedes your approach
to God?
- What changes might a resurrection attitude effect in your life?
- How do you show love of others?
St. Luke 24:13-35
On the
first day of the week, two of Jesus' followers were going to a village called
Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all
these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus
himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing
him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while
you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose
name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"
He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about
Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all
the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be
condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to
redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these
things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at
the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they
came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said
that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it
just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to
them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer
these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and
all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the
scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked
ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay
with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So
he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took
bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened,
and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each
other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on
the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they
got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their
companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen
indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on
the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The
Easter mystagogy, that exercise in seeing what Easter truly means for us, is
often forgotten as quickly as the Easter candies are consumed and the
decorations are put away. The Gospel
readings during this week of Sundays all reflect on the meaning that the
resurrection brings, and there is no finer example of this exercise than this
story from Emmaus. What are its
elements? First there is wonder (perhaps
more in the sense of confusion and frustration), then a confession of what they
believed would happen, Jesus’ proclamation of the Good News, the invitation to
stay, the breaking of the bread, the recognition, and the new confession and
wonder. It has the elements of a
liturgy, doesn’t it, and shouldn’t we be thinking about the mystagogical
elements in our own liturgy and worship?
Enough said.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- How might you express you faith to others? What words would you use?
- Where do you recognize Jesus in your daily life?
- How do you see Christ in others?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the
breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all
his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
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