Touching the wounds of Christ

The Gospel lesson for April 19th is the story we all think of as "Doubting Thomas".  As is true of so many stories we read from the Bible, there are several things we can focus on.  The act of doubting or the sharing of peace can be a focus of this story.  But also is the recognition that we too can touch the wounds of Christ.

We touch the wounds whenever we see the need in others.  The wounds in God's creation, both human and in the world we share with all living creatures.  During this pandemic there is even more need.  Those who were wounded before the virus are even more at risk now.  Essential workers have needs.  There is more loneliness and fear.  There is certainly doubt and anxiety.  And there is sickness. 

But touching the wounds does not mean despair.  It means that there is opportunity for healing.  We can help each other through this time.  Indeed we must.  Together our actions will "flatten the curve" and we will stop the spread.  Individually there may be opportunities to help others:  pick up groceries for someone who can't leave the house, call someone who is alone, stay in touch with family and friends, and keep all the wounded in our prayers.  Simply staying home is helping.

One interesting effect from the virus and lockdown, is that some of the wounds on our earth have been healing.  We know that human activities have wounded the land, water and air, plants and animals.  Have you seen some of the pictures showing how by us staying home, air pollution has reduced and fish are in clear waters where they haven't been seen in generations?

Easter is not about going back to what was.  Easter people go forward into the new.  We don't know what the days ahead will hold, but we do know that with God we can touch the new reality as Thomas did.  Resurrection holds our woundedness and brokenness, our hurt and failure and loss.  Thomas shows us the courage to touch the wounds, to name them and share them.  And through God, we are given new life.

We are invited to connect with Christ and challenged to have Thomas’s courage to reach out to touch our own and others’ wounds with healing and grace.

We are Easter people.

Easter is love in action

As part of her invitation to Easter worship, Pastor Tuula reminds us that physical distancing is love in action.  As is Easter.  As you hear the trumpets and bells and voices of Easter, may you also hear the love in all the story and the music and the people.  In the actions of Jesus and His Father.

And so, we are an Easter people.  We look for joy that comes from faith and grows through unselfish love for neighbour.  And to live as Easter people means working together toward a single purpose: love.

To borrow from St. Augustine who said it so well:

We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!

Joy and Grief

As Pastor Tuula wrote in her weekly email, during this stay-at-home time, each day is, “a mixture of grief and joy, of strangeness and routine, of faith and doubt.”  This must have been the experience for those who witnessed the events of Holy Week.  The joy of a parade on Palm Sunday, the strangeness of the Last Supper, the emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane, the grief of Friday, imagine the doubt on Saturday, and all of it coming together on Sunday.  God knows our human experience is complicated. 

And so is Holy Week this year.  So many thoughts, feelings, and unknowns.  While we walk with assurance through our Holy Week traditions, they are changed this year.  Washing hands has a whole new meaning this year.  As you wash your hands this week, remember how we wash each other’s hands on Maundy Thursday as our gesture to relate to Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. 

As we stay apart, we will know our own time in the Garden.  Loneliness, fear and anxiety.  I never thought going grocery shopping would cause fear and anxiety as it does now.  And the loneliness as we cannot be near our family and friends.  This is a time of prayer.  Jesus was “deeply grieved” we are told.  He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”  This is a hard prayer to pray.  And he knew what was about to happen.  What is your prayer during the pandemic?   

As the deaths from COVID-19 are reported each day, we experience the tragedy and horror of this pandemic.  The grief.  On Friday, we will pause to consider the death of one man.   His anguish and suffering for us.  His last words:

And, as Pastor Tuula wrote in her email:

This is Holy Week unlike any we have observed before. Yet the simplicity and starkness of it might allow us to feel the mystery of God's story even more than usual. Without the celebrations we will be left only with the story – the story of love, betrayal, suffering, death and love again.

I invite you to observe this Holy Week with an open mind and open heart, ready to hear what God might have to say to you. After all, the risen Jesus went into the locked rooms, where the disciples were hiding out of fear. Why would Jesus not do the same for us?

May you have a blessed Holy Week.  And as you walk through all the emotions of this week, may you find joy.  We know Sunday is coming.  We know there will be an Easter.

Can't remember the day? Remember what centres us.

Wait -- what day is it? Are the days running together for you? They kind of are for me. Thankfully, the calendar reminds me that we are about to enter Holy week.

Christ’s Passion, death, and resurrection is the centre of our lives of faith and of everything St. Philip's Lutheran Church is and does. Everyone whom we serve or host; all whom we welcome, our lay leaders, the members of our choir, and our entire staff and volunteers know the importance of what we do on Palm Sunday and in Holy Week and on Easter Sunday.

This year, as we all practice social distancing in our homes apart from one another physically, we will continue to support each other and join together virtually. 

Together – Apart: Let’s Stay Connected

The coronavirus has turned our lives upside down. Stress, anxiety, and fear are being felt in homes across Canada and around the world.

Coronavirus is a real threat. We are asked to maintain physical distance to control the spread of the virus. But there is a danger in  distancing. It can lead to isolation which can lead to despair. It is important to stay connected: joining worship online, attending Bible study on Zoom, making phone calls, sending text messages and emails, and praying for each other.

Apostle Paul's words have special significance for us in this time of COVID-19:

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair....struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies" (2 Corinthians 4: 8-10).

Even in this time of being afflicted, perplexed, and struck down, we can continue to trust in the Lord of steadfast love and faithfulness.

The coronavirus does not have to crush us, drive us to despair, or destroy us, because God is always working to heal us, help us, and work for our well-being. Even in the time of physical distancing, we can continue to worship God and serve our neighbours because Jesus has promised to be with us, to work through us, and to never let us go.