Looking Ahead to April 21, 2024 -- 4th Sunday of Easter

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• John 20:24-29
• Luke 24:36-49

The Sermon title is Touching, Seeing, Believing

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Early Thoughts: What would it take for you to believe? What would make the Resurrection real to you?

Our stories this week come from the first days of the post-Easter community (the Luke story is either the evening of Easter Day or possibly the day after [depending how fast the walkers to Emmaus got back to Jerusalem], the John passage is a bout a week after Easter Day). There are rumours and stories about this remarkable event. Some people have had direct encounters with the Risen Christ and some only have the stories to go by. Some people believe, some are still a little unsure what is going on.

So Jesus shows up and offers proof.

A number of modern folk struggle with the Easter story. One of the areas of struggle is "was it a real body?". Were the appearance stories people seeing the raised body that had been taken off of the cross or were they mystical visions? Certainly the history of Christian theology and mysticism shows that people continue to have visions of the Risen Christ well beyond the time period of Scripture and those are clearly visions, not a visitation by the body that came off the cross. I would argue that Paul's experience of the Risen Christ, the experience that led directly to his conversion, is in that category.

But what about those Easter stories in Matthew, Luke and John?  What were/are they?

The witness of those Gospel writers clearly attest that these appearance stories are not mystical visions but are physical visits by a flesh and blood body. And in the stories we read this week the narrative goes to great lengths to prove this physicality. The Risen Christ eats, can be touched, hears and speaks. This body still carries the wounds of his death (I think this is an important piece, though possibly a whole other sermon). And it is in these signs that belief comes for those early disciples.

What does it take for us to believe Resurrection is real?
--Gord