Now What?

If this Sunday had a proper title, it might be called "Now What Sunday". We have about worn ourselves out with the ultimate celebration of the Christian calendar - Easter, the festival of the Resurrection. The grand event with all its processions and music and high ritual and deep excitement has passed, and we head off to another round of the regular stuff. Now what? What real difference does all that noise make for us in everyday existence?

As I studied the scripture passages for today, I was struck by three thoughts that I would invite you to consider with me now.

I - Life is the norm - the reality.

"God raised him up, having freed him from death, because It was impossible for Him to be held by its power." (Acts 2)

Jesus - fully human and fully divine - could not be held by death. The power of the life that was in him made that impossible. Jesus was us made complete - and life is the complete definition of the human creation as intended by our creator.

Yes there is death and misery of some degree or other in all of our lives, but that is the scratch on the fender, not the car. I say that knowing that some of the dark experiences of our existence are long and deep but even in them the reality that sustains us is the sense of life by some definition.

Do you ever wonder by what miracle some of the homeless people in our city survive? Or how life continues in areas of the world where violence and war and abject poverty are the norm? Against all odds, the pull of life is undeniable and most often irresistible.

In this context, I think of my grandfather, who when his first wife died in childbirth took his grief with him to mend the fences on his farm because that was where life would continue.

In God's game plan, life trumps death.

II - The Life that is demonstrated in the resurrection is part of a continuum to which we are connected.

The grand event is the demonstration of a pre-existing and ongoing reality.

My daughter sings - beautifully. She does not sing beautifully because she won an audition into the Vocal Arts Program at Canterbury High School, nor because she is asked to perform as a soloist. She wins auditions and performs publicly because she sings beautifully. Erynne sings because she cannot help but sing. Music is part of her genetic code. Her mom sings beautifully and continually. She has been surrounded by the doing of music all her life. Erynne sings because it is how she unleashes the strength of her innermost being. Winning auditions and performing are demonstrations of the fact that she sings wherever she is - in the bath, at a karoke bar, in the car, or with her mom after school.

The event of the resurrection is the demonstration of a pre-existing reality. That reality is life. The resurrection is not an isolated lively event in an otherwise dismally boring production. Jesus Christ - showing us the possibilities of being fully human - exhibits in a 33-year span the fact that life is the intended essence of human history.

The continuing impact of the resurrection is not just in the spectacular nature of the miraculous, holy event, it is also (perhaps mainly) in the context of

• The 30 silent years
• Three years of ministry
• One week of betrayal and agony and death
• One moment of resurrection
• The ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit
• The energy and commitment of the early church
• And the multitudes of those of us who later believed though we were not original witnesses

Those witnesses who authored the Gospels - and other early Christian writers - believed that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were all a continuing part of God's involvement in human history. They drew clear connections between the Jesus events and the ongoing story that stretched from creation in Eden to slavery in Egypt to deliverance in Sinai to kingdoms in Israel to exile in Babylon to babies in Bethlehem to healings in Galilee to death and resurrection in Jerusalem and beyond that to Christian communities throughout the known Roman and Grecian world.

In the grand scheme of things we experience resurrection events even as other types of events take place - all the while surrounded by the over-riding reality of life.

III - We are sent into life in the same way that Jesus was.

According to John, on the day of the resurrection Jesus says to his disciples (a group of shocked and fearful people), "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

What does it mean, to be sent into life in the same way that Jesus was? Part of the answer to that question is that we too are sent to live fully the complete human possibility - to live the truth of our nature in harmony with God. In embracing our life Jesus displayed hope and offered redemption, cared deeply for all types of people in all kinds of circumstances, and challenged those concepts in his culture that diminished life for others.

We are sent to open doors of opportunity for others.

My son plays hockey. His team once won a very exciting tournament. It was a great event but that is not why he plays hockey. He plays hockey because when he was nine the big boys at the neighbourhood rink included him in their pick-up games. He plays hockey because an off-beat 20-something coach named Troy and his weird buddies invested time and energy. He plays because of history and events and friendships and because the training and discipline and skills are part of the fabric of his life. When Ryan plays hockey these days it is not for a trophy but for the sheer joy of it - and he is now one of those who encourages young kids to join in. In fact, it is becoming his life's vocation as a coach and teacher of physical education. Thank you, Troy for taking time with my boy.

We are sent to offer hope and redemption.

The Well, a ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa that finds its home here at St. John's provides hope and redemption through a day program for women in need offering a wonderful range of practical care and support. In the same location, the In-From-The-Cold program provides a hot supper and overnight shelter during the winter for some of the most needy women in the city who would otherwise face abuse of one sort or another.

Sometimes hope comes in the form of something as simple as a shared meal or cup of coffee with someone who is lonely or bereaved. And there are times when the only effective hope comes through the ministry of intercessory prayer.

We are sent to care.

Albert's friend Elinor is in her seventies, lives on limited means and is crippled with arthritis. One demonstration of her generous care for others is the fact that she makes and gives cuddle quilts for premature babies at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

One of the activities here at St. John's is the Foot Care Clinic where seniors receive care for their feet. How appropriate for followers of Christ to care for the feet of others.

There are many simple ways that we can offer care to those who populate our lives. In his tribute to Kathleen at the celebration of her 50th birthday, our rector, Garth, mentioned her practical living out of the Christian faith. He said something to the effect that while he was on about some great social injustice and what to do about it, she was daily finding ways to care for and love those around her.

We are also sent to "be on about" the great social injustices. We need both the Kathleens and the Garths. We are sent to challenge and to be advocates for change within our society.

Sometimes the focus is affordable housing for people with limited incomes. Sometimes it is about lobbying for appropriate levels of aid for developing countries. Sometimes the focus is on human rights, and other times it is on accessible treatments for people with HIV-related diseases in under-resourced countries.

We are sent to take the risk of living who we are, with joy.

I am aware that I speak to an eclectic group here at St. John's. I have been around long enough to know that we hold different views about many important subjects. This community allows people to take the risk of being themselves and even to disagree with each other. And yet, the whole thing works with a joyful energy because of our common experience of worship, love and life together. It is no wonder that the street people feel free to add assorted decorations to our two 'Charlie Brown' trees out front over the Christmas season.

We are sent to give and receive love.

In his novel, "No Great Mischief" Alistair MacLeod tells a story of life and struggle that includes the close relationship between a young orphan and his grandmother. Near the end of the narrative, when the woman is ancient and the boy is a successful orthodontist there is a particularly poignant scene which ends with the observation, "Everyone is better for being loved."

Our stories differ but we all know the truth of that statement.

As Jesus was sent, so are we.

So, "Now What?" After the big celebrations, do we have more than a hangover?

Peter reminds his readers that we are receiving the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls. Even now the promised inheritance is upon us, flowing in around us - we are in the middle of it. Big events may celebrate and demonstrate this truth but every day we are in the midst of overflowing life. We are the continuity of the resurrection.

So we get on with the reality of life - a life that I believe is given by God, renewed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues through the influence of the Holy Spirit.