Sunday Homily 5-20-12, 7th Easter
Readings:
Acts 1, 15-17, 20-26, Lord, You know the hearts of all;
Psalm 103, The Lord has set his throne in heaven;
1 John 4, 11-16, If God so loved us, we also must love one another;
John 17, 11-19, That they may be one just as we are one.
Acts: a review–
Author: Luke, the author of The Acts & The Gospel
Date: ca. 50 years after the death of Jesus
Our Selection: Believe it or not, we are now back to chapter 1 after getting as far as chapters 9 & 10. What is going on is this. The chapter opens with an introduction and then a description of the Ascension, Jesus going up in the sky. Apparently the event took place about a half mile outside Jerusalem on the Mt. of Olives.
Afterward, all the community come together in the room they had been hiding in. About 120 are present and Peter gets up to speak. We read Peter's words.
John's letter: There is a great line in this selection. See if you can spot it when you hear it. I'll tell you after the reading, but a hint, it is the last line.
Sources: Good News Bible; The New Interpreter's Study Bible
Our World, Bad or Good?
In the past 10 days I have been part of a couple of extraordinary events.
The first took place outside of Boston in Thompson, Ct. The wedding of Jessica Bresson & Steve Craig. It was one of Those Special Weddings. Two things.
First. I usually invite couple to speak their own vows. Memorize them if they want. I give them a simple vow template and let them know they can use it, change it, or write their own. My thought is they are sharing with each other their vows, not mine.
Jessica and Steve composed such a beautiful vow statement that I copied it and will give it to future couples. Then, they pulled a new one on me. I am always looking for something unique & special. We had talked about a unity candle or sand glass. They were not inclined that way.
It took place right after the vows. I read which started out, “Steve, take Jessica’s hands, palms up, and look at them.” Then it went on to say, “These are the hands that will hold you, support you, and console you.” “These are the hands that will hold your baby.” They had put together about 8-10 of these “These hands” phrases.
I was totally touched and had to take extra time to stop or at least slow the tears. In fact, I was so impressed that I lost my place, invited them to share a kiss, said a few parting words, and was preparing to introduce them to the community, when Jessica whispers, “You forgot the rings!”
Jessica & Steve made this event their unique wedding. I loved it. I told John & Connie that they took us all to the top of my old friend, Kilimanjaro.
The second event took place last evening in Highland Village and was at the other end of the emotional spectrum. We held a memorial service in honor of Andy, 23 years old Tuesday. He died of an overdose just a day or so before he was scheduled to depart for rehab in Utah. More tears.
I did not personally know Andy, but hearing the stories his friends & family shared, I came to know him. He has twin sisters 3 years younger whom he loved and tried to protect. He was described as live as an electrical wire sparking. One mother describe how when he was a little kid, she offered him and her kids lobster tacos. Not one kid wanted one. Except Andy. “I’ll try one.”
These two events are our world, some of it beautiful, some sad. Despite the Gospel of today indicating that the world is a pretty bad place, which was a common thinking pattern in those days, I would propose that our world is supposed to be and often is a wonder. Even in the sad events, there is beauty as I witnessed in the beauty of the people who talked about Andy last evening.
The challenge for us: continue to make it even more beautiful for the Jessica & Steves, and for the Andys so they don’t lose it.
This morning we are privileged to have with us a group which is doing just that: The Bona Responds Group from St. Bonaventure outside Buffalo and their professor sponsor, Jim Mahar.
I especially want to thank John & Connie for letting me share about Jessica & Steve. And I thank Beverly for letting me share about Andy, her son.
What are you doing to make our world more beautiful?