e-vo for April 15ish

Dearest e-votees,

I must confess I am having trouble getting back into the rhythm of posting e-vos in a timely fashion.  Truth be told it is hard to maintain our regular rhythms and patterns during this extended homestay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, here is the midweek(?) e-vo.

Peace,

Karl

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The disciples spent 3 years with Jesus.  They lived an itinerant lifestyle so there was always some degree of unsettling, resettling and adjustment.  Nevertheless there was certainly patterns of meals, chores, teaching, learning doing ministry.  Jesus and the disciples were in close physical proximity for a very extended period of time.

And then, suddenly, Jesus was no longer with them.  Deeply unsettling and needing major adjustment.  And then, just as suddenly, Jesus was back among them--risen from the grave.  Again, deeply unsettling and needing major adjustment.

Jesus comes bringing words of peace.  He eats with his disciples.  He shows them his wounds.  The disciples believe and doubt.  Grief can do funny things and maybe they're not entirely convinced things are as they appear.  And if Jesus is truly risen from the dead things can't go back to normal?  How can you unsee something that profound and that miraculous?

For mental well-being and just to manage with all the details of life we need patterns.  Things go where they are supposed to go.  Things happen when they are supposed to happen.  Rules are put into place and abided for the good of the order.

But Jesus seems intent on disrupting the patterns.  His corpse went where it was supposed to go but it didn't stay there.  As Michael Card sang "eternity stepped into time" and our schedules and time has never been the same.  Biological and religious rules were trumped by the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  And the Holy Spirit was sent to keep us from settling back into unhealthy patterns but rather to keep stirring things up as Jesus did.  There is a quote by Andrew Greeley:  "Jesus and his troublemaking go merrily on".  Amen and amen.

Jesus, come to us again (and again and again).  Upset our patterns and frames that draw us away from you.  Make us an Easter people.  Amen.