Did you ever have the experience of coming up out of someone's line of vision and without meaning to you caught them completely by surprise? "Oh—you scared me!" That might be the most civil response you get. Sometimes there's a little shriek of surprise—then, "Don't ever do that again!" "Do what? I didn't mean to scare you like that." On the other hand, I know people who get a real charge out of sneaking up on folks and scaring the daylights out of them. You do so at your own peril. Children have been known to do this to their poor parents.
Part of the charisma of Christ was his ability to show up in places when least expected. One time during his ministry he came walking across the storm-tossed sea—it was one of his most famous miracles—walking on water. But it was powerful not just because he defied gravity like a magician, a first century David Copperfield or Houdini—but because he was able to be there, amidst their deep anxieties, when they feared for their lives. When they thought all was lost, suddenly he was there for them. Now we have what is referred to as one of his post-resurrection appearances. He has a risen body—not subject to the constraints of our mortal flesh, yet still similar enough to how he was to communicate his personhood to others. He can pass through walls, and locked doors are no problem for him. But, they can still recognize him. Sometimes, like Mary Magdalene in the garden or the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it takes them awhile—but eventually they recognize him. He seems to take people off guard. He comes around when they're not expecting him. People have asked what we'll be like in the resurrection, how old, how many wrinkles. Will our loved ones recognize us? What about those who died in infancy or youth? The spiritual body recognizes other beings spiritually. The physical attributes we place so much emphasis on will recede in importance. No need for Botox or Thighmasters or Rogaine there. Of course we'll recognize one another—but our ability to do so will be based on discernment rather than optical nerves.
On that first day of Easter—Sunday night—we are told the disciples were together with the doors locked. Easter night—and they were still afraid. The authorities wanted to stamp out this new faith, and they would stop at nothing. Who can blame the disciples for being afraid? But—they had heard that one of their numbers had already seen Him risen from the dead. Pastor Bell spoke of that last week. Mary Magdalene said, "I have seen the Lord."—and that's the experience that in some way we are all meant to have. We want to see Jesus.
One of the strongest arguments for the resurrection is that none of the disciples expected it. Some skeptics say, "Oh, they wanted to see him so much that they did see him. It's a wish-fulfillment." But—according to the record, Christ's rising caught them by surprise. They weren't looking for it at all. It was the furthest thing from their minds. They were down and defeated. Their reaction to the news was not—"Aha! Just as I expected!" Their reaction was, "Impossible!" "Couldn't be!" It took a while to sink in. They weren't quite as blatant as Thomas—but they needed to see the Lord for themselves, before they could believe.
Think for a moment about this matter of locked doors. What are the places in our lives where we've shut him out?—often enough for the same reasons the disciples unwittingly did long ago. Fear is one of the biggest faith-destroyers. And our thoughts and words—our self-talk—can lock the door of our lives to the presence of the Lord. The writer Anais Nin declared, "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are." We interpret the world according to our own mood or our own philosophy of life.
There was a great story with a happy ending this week. A tram full of people got stuck for many hours dangling over the East River in New York City. There was a 12 year old boy aboard named Dax Mayer. He phoned in one of the local TV stations on his cell phone and calmly described what was happening. Later they asked him what he had learned in the experience. He said he learned that if you just stick together and don't panic, you can get through most anything. There was a youngster with a great outlook on life. It shaped how he weathered the whole experience. The challenge for us is, how does this faith of ours color our world?
Clearly, Jesus doesn't need our help to get through locked doors. The gospel tells us that when we least expect help, when we're not even looking for the Lord, he has a habit of showing up in all his power and glory. But it also seems we can enable that to happen more readily in our lives and in the lives of others: when we have faith, when we unlock the door of our life, when we live as Easter people and live in expectation that God will bless us. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
So, what locks need opening in our lives? To figure that out, we need to think about the areas of life where we have said to ourselves, "Can't." I can't get my finances squared away to the place I'd like them to be. I can't get this habit under control. I can't resolve this conflict with my friend or spouse. I can't get this worry to stop eating me alive. I can't fix this situation at work. Can't. Did you ever get stuck in that kind of thought pattern? Maybe you're in one now. That's a great opportunity. It represents one of those locked rooms—the kind that's no problem for the Lord. Open the lock. Slide the bar over. Let Jesus come in to that specific situation or attitude. He can bring in solutions that you and I never dreamed of. There's a great verse in the gospel of Luke—it's the start of Jesus' ministry—there's a sense of expectation—it says: the power of the Lord was present to heal. Wherever he goes, broken hearts are made new, the discouraged spirit is lifted up, the hungry find bread. Where will he show up next?
Be honest: Lord, I don't have an answer to this thing—whatever it is. But I invite you in, I ask you to bring the positive change to this vexing problem. Come on in—the door's open.
We never know where the Lord will show up next. I had an experience once in Scotland. I was driving a rental car up in the Scottish highlands—my father was with me. The highlands are a beautiful place—in the summer. This was the first part of January. It gets dark about 3 p.m.—it was now 4 p.m.. And it was blizzarding. You've heard the saying, "It's not exactly the end of the earth, but you can see it from there." Well, this truly was the end of the earth. There wasn't another car, another soul, a house, a farm. Nothing. Then the car died. It just quit. And we sat there in the dark and the snow, listening to the wind howl. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the car window. Talk about unexpected appearances. From out of that black night some guy showed up. We explained our plight, he lifted the hood, and then said "Try it now." Yes—it started right up. He waved to us, then disappeared down the road. Walking—not driving. There was no other car! On cue my father said, "Who was that masked man?" And I replied, "We didn't even have a chance to thank him." I've always that of that fellow as an angel. Maybe he was one of God's emissaries who just show up.
We do know that where Jesus goes, he brings new life, new hope, pardon, power, purpose and peace. To us, and then through us, to others. Through us, to others. By our prayers we can pave the way—prepare ye the way of the Lord. Think of your prayer life as a process of opening trouble spots in other people's lives to the redeeming power. Some of our friends and acquaintances might be surprised by the Lord showing up in their lives. They might even wonder, Lord, how'd you get in here? The Lord might reply—oh, that friend of yours over in the next office prayed me in. She opened the lock for me, and I just strolled right in!
Easter people expect the Redeemer to redeem. People who are afraid and discouraged can find hope again. If they've got big trouble, they can come to believe, "This too shall pass." And the health concern or the work challenge or the relational problem that seemed like it would never change, well—it changes.
Lastly, notice how the scene with the disciples ends. They were overjoyed when they saw the Lord—that's a sign of Christ's presence: joy. Then he says, "I'm sending you, just as the Father sent me." No time wasted here. Get on with it, folks—you've got a mission to carry out. Then he said—here's the power to do it. Don't try this at home. Here's the Holy Spirit. Go out and share the news of forgiveness in my name.
In other words—become the kind of people who show up unexpectedly. Just when you're needed. Just like Jesus. Show up. Be there. To bring Christ's help and healing to all who are not expecting much. Go—show up—and say surprise! In Jesus' name.
Let's pray:
Lord, you are the God of the unexpected. You appear in our midst when we least expect it. Walk through the walls and barriers we set up, the obstacles that keep your power and joy out of our lives. Surprise us with your gracious presence. Help us to be available to you and others. Give us grace to pass through the locked doors of people's lives, and bring them hope; in your name we pray. Amen. |
