Preferring Nothing to Christ

DORCAS

Peter went back with them immediately, and on his arrival they took him to the upper room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes DORCAS had made when she was with them.

Acts records just a handful of details about Dorcas. We have become accustomed to listening to the silences in our biblical texts. That she is named already marks her out as someone significant. To be remembered as one who ‘never tired of doing good or giving in charity’ is a significant accolade in the language of the Early Church. She has spent her life embodying Christ’s self-less service.

The detail of the widows showing Peter the clothes she had made always strikes me. We live in an age where handmade clothes are a rarity. As a monastic I have the privilege of every part of my habit being handmade, including my leather belt. It’s not just handmade, it’s made to measure. It’s likely that my tunic and scapular would only fit me. When I hear this story I am reminded of the care and attention that is needed when you make a garment for someone else.

Where is Christ calling you to show care and attention this Eastertide?

(Acts 9: 31-42, Saturday, Third Week of Eastertide)

COMMON

‘The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in COMMON.‘

This is a touchstone text for anyone who wants to explore living in community. Living in a way which expresses unity is something to which we can all aspire. There are of course many ways to do this. No one way perfectly embodies this text.

This vision of the early church is something which inspired St Benedict in the Sixth Century. Chapter 34 of his Rule is entitled ‘Distribution of Goods According to Need’. He quotes Acts 4 and makes the very important qualifier:

‘Whoever needs less should thank God and not be distressed, whoever needs more should feel humble because of his weakness, not self important because of the kindness shown him.’

Benedict understands human weakness and knows that ‘one size fits all’ will not work in monastic living. I take heart from this. Accepting where you fall on this spectrum is an important part of the inner journey in monastic life.

How does Luke’s vision inspire you today?

( Acts 4:32-37, Tuesday, Second Week of Eastertide)

BAPTISED

We see here the full fervour of the Early Church as, filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles proclaim an urgent message:

You must repent and everyone of you must be BAPTISED in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It’s easy for us to lose that sense of urgency in our own faith journeys. Listening to the Acts of the Apostles throughout Eastertide gives me the chance to reconnect with my ancestors in the faith. The choice to be baptised in the Early Church opened up a whole new world view. Jesus is Lord (kyrios) and not the emperor. Loyalty now is to the values of the Kingdom and not the Empire.

The majority of us will have been baptised as babies and so didn’t make that life changing choice ourselves. But what we do have now is the invitation to live that baptismal calling to the full. The life of faith is never static and what is means for each of us to share in Christ’s anointing as Priest, Prophet and King will grow and develop through our lives.

How does your baptism shape your life today? Are you living in the fullness of the Spirit’s power?

(Acts 2:36-41, Easter Tuesday)

EASTERTIDE ALPHABET (A)
AWE

‘Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.’

I am struck by how this text conveys a mix of emotions as it couples ‘awe and great joy’. Throughout the Biblical story of our salvation we meet those who have come close to the holiness of God and have experienced awe. There are dramatic moments on mountain tops, but also quiet moments when prayer has been answered.

The women have been reassured by an angel that there is no need for them to be afraid. Jesus has risen as he said he would. I imagine this news filling every fibre of their being. This a powerful moment of transformation as they move from sorrow to joy, from doubt to belief. The women, who had come to the tomb expecting to mourn, instead encountered the miraculous: an empty grave, a risen Saviour.

Moments of awe are part of our own faith journey’s too. The work of the Alistair Hardy Trust has shown that 75% of people claim to have had some form of spiritual experience, often in childhood and often related to nature. There’s something about the nature of childhood that makes us open to these moments of awe, these touches of God.

Has anything over the past few months filled you with awe and great joy?

(Matt 28:8-15, Easter Monday)

John 20:19-31

There’s nothing worse than being with a group of people who are talking about an experience that you haven’t had. There’s only so far that you can go in trying to understand what they are saying and feeling. It’s easy for me to understand how Thomas might be feeling when the disciples say that Jesus has risen and that they have seen him. I feel I have a lot in common with Thomas. I am more at home with things that are enfleshed and concrete than theories and abstractions. It has always struck me that when Jesus says to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ this is as much a challenge as it is a comfort. Thomas now has the choice to live in the light of the resurrected Christ or to walk away and find a different path.

I love these lines from Godhead Here in Hiding and they always come to mind when I hear today’s Gospel.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But I plainly call thee Lord and God as he:
This faith each day deeper be my holding of,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

Whether we need concrete assurance or are happy to take things on trust, the invitation is the same: live in the light of the resurrection.

As Eastertide unfolds, how can you find ways to ‘harder hope and dearer love’?

Mark 16:9-15

There’s shift in tone in today’s Gospel text. After the intimacy of Mary’s encounter at the tomb with Jesus and then the breakfast on the seashore, today’s Gospel shifts our focus. It reads as a recap of themes we’ve heard during the week: refusal of the disciples to believe, the journey of the two disciples and Jesus making himself known ‘at table.’ The first hearers of this Gospel will have been challenged by the theme of disbelief in these verses. Faith in the resurrection wasn’t as solid as we might imagine. Those first hearers had their commitment tested.

‘And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’

This last verse of today’s text echoes the beginning of Mark’s Gospel; ‘Repent and believe the Good News.’ Things have come full circle. To believe in the Good News means to believe in the resurrection. Implicit in this believe is a call evangelise in word and deed. We are to be Christ’s resurrected life for the world.

How can you live the resurrection today?

John 21:1-14

Just after my A levels I was able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our visit to the Sea of Tiberias stands out for me as a time of grace. In what was a fairly packed itinerary, there was suddenly time to sit and watch the water. It was a relief after the noise and heat of Jerusalem.

When the disciples decide to go fishing they are going back to the thing that they know best. They’ll either catch something or they won’t. I imagine that there was a certain relief in knowing this. But this turns out to be no ordinary fishing trip. First of all, the disciples take fishing advice from a stranger and then he cooks for them.

With his invitation of breakfast Jesus has made another space for intimacy with his closest followers. I like to imagine that they linger over this breakfast and perhaps watch as the morning light catches the water. There is such healing in doing something normal with friends.

Picture yourself in this scene. What do you notice? How do you feel?

Luke 24:35-48

Today’s Gospel invites us to stand with the disciples as Jesus appears among them. They are startled and Jesus reassures them with his greeting of ‘Peace be with you.’ Understandably they think he is a ghost and he reassures them again: ‘Touch me and see for yourselves.’

If I imagine myself among the disciples I think I probably would have held back a little and waited to see if one of the other disciples did actually move forward and touch him. This is an intimate moment. Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Don’t get too close. This is my glorified body. Be careful.’ No, he wants his disciples to be close enough to touch him.

I’ve often been asked about death and resurrection and what happens when we die. My answer is always the same: Jesus is our model. He appears in flesh and blood. His body still bears the scars of his death. He can eat. He can cook. But he isn’t recognisable at first. There is something different about him.

Imagine Jesus saying to you; ‘Touch me and see for yourself.’

How do you respond?

Luke 24:13-35

Luke paints the picture of the disciples at the end of an emotional journey where crucifixion has dashed their hopes. As they walk they talk to each other. There is a sense in which the journey is a time of healing as the disciples verbalise the experiences of the past days. A stranger joins them. Rather than intimidating, the presence of the stranger deepens the process as, for his benefit, they re-tell the story. With each step of the journey they are in fact moving closer towards Christ. We might imagine that their pace quickens as they talk about the things that they hold most dear.

‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’

This is one of my favourite lines from the story. The disciples have felt at the core of their being the power of God’s word. I would love to swap places with them and hear Jesus explain the Scriptures.

Are there verses of Scripture which make your heart burn within you?

Easter Tuesday

John 20:11-18

‘Woman, why are you weeping?’

‘Oh, it’s okay, don’t cry.’ It’s surprising how often as I primary teacher I was urging children not to cry. It seems to be one of the first things you say to a child to reassure them when something upsetting has happened. First you try to get them to stop crying and then you ask what is the matter.

In the space of just a few verses of Scripture Mary Magdalene has been asked twice why she is weeping. I like to imagine that both the angels and Jesus are using a gentle tone here and not a harsh one. Both times Mary is given the space to answer. From our vantage point the reason for her crying is so legitimate and so understandable. Then comes the moment of recognition as Jesus speaks her name. Did those tears dry instantly as she heard her name? Did she take a breath and feel her heart expand a little?

Nowadays we understand much more about the grief process. Tears are not a sign of weakness but of love.

How can you show your love for others today?