Sunday Homily, April 7, 2013, 2nd Easter C
Readings:
Acts 5, 12-16, Many signs and wonders were done among the people.
Psalm 118, Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Revelation 1, 9-19, I was caught up in the spirit.
John 20, 19-31, Put your finger here and see my hands.
Acts observations: I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations. I thought I would repeat them because you may have missed them Easter Sunday with all that was going on. Periodically I will remind you of the basics.
Date: sometime before the year 70. Why? No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, a Big Date in Jewish history.
Who: The same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke. How do we know? Similarities of style, language (Greek), and theological themes.
Subject: The story of the expansion of the Jesus story in 3 areas, first, Jerusalem, then, Palestine or the Holy Land, and finally, into the Mediterranean and ultimately, Rome.
Today’s Subject: a description of the growth & expansion within the first area, Jerusalem.
Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia
More on New Life
Ever hear of a guy named Christopher Scott? How about Michael Morton?
I want to talk again about the new life coming from the resurrection. To exemplify I want to tell you the story of one of these two men, Michael. Both were chosen by The Dallas Morning News as their Toys of 2012, Texans of the Year. Both were exonerated of crimes in the last two years. Christopher served 13 years for a robbery & murder he never committed. Michael, 25 years. Here is Michael’s story.
It is early morning, August 13, 1986. Michael is 33 years old and manager of a grocery store. He gets up early this morning and slips out of the house quietly so he won’t wake up Christine, his wife, and his son.
He goes to work, punches in, and begins his regular day. Meanwhile, back home a sick man breaks in and kills Christine while the 3 year old son watches. Then he disappears.
Next thing Michael knows he is arrested for killing his wife and taken to jail. The prosecutor is convinced Michael did it and determined to convict him, even to the point of hiding evidence that proved Michael could not have done it. The prosecutor succeeds and Michael is sent to prison for life.
Sixteen months later in the same area another woman is killed in a similar fashion and a man is caught and charged. His DNA and the DNA from Christine’s crime scene match. Nobody checks it out.
All during this time, Michael is in prison for life, knowing he was innocent. His wife murdered and he is convicted of it. He cannot raise his young son. The long years pass for Michael.
Until 2011. A group of lawyers and student lawyers take up his case and expose how he was framed. November 9, 2011, Michael, now 58, walks free exonerated more than half his life behind him.
And now the amazing part. I would imagine that if I were in the same place, I would be bitter and eager for revenge. Michael, however, is totally at peace and instead of seeking revenge is seeking to convince the Texas legislature that some new laws need to be enacted to protect innocent people from prosecutors framing people and hiding evidence.
Both Michael with his 25 years and Christopher with 13, the other guy I mentioned, are working to help other prisoners who are innocent. Already about 90 have been exonerated. How many more?
Can you imagine how you would feel walking free after 25 years in prison for a crime you did not commit? And not be bitter? And not want justice, but want to help others in similar circumstances? Talk about resurrection and new life. This is it.
When was the last time you were grateful for and just savored your life and your freedom?
Source: The Dallas Morning News, Sunday, December 30, 2012, Texan of the Year