Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead (NRSV, Jn 21:12–14).
The first three weeks of Easter include vivid encounters with the risen Christ. Readers and hearers of the gospel are offered a diverse set of witnesses who demonstrate some unique insight in seeking and perceiving Jesus while at the same time experiencing some elusiveness in his presence. Sometimes, our own experiences may seem puzzling as we still struggle with our encounters of the risen Christ. Mary, Thomas, Peter, and even Paul, all have their own unique encounters and even so, are witnesses to their own experiences. Not everyone believed the women in Luke’s first resurrection text. Not everyone is going to believe us either.
After the three weeks of Easter encounters, the final four weeks of the season, along with Pentecost, will evoke the mystical union of our dwelling in Christ, the Holy Trinity, and the beloved community of faith. What may surprise many people during year C in the lectionary are the many texts we’ll read from the book of Revelation. Interestingly, the readings from Revelation tend to help put a “real life” spin on our Easter season. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Re 1:8). Those are not the high and lofty words of a disconnected God, but rather the reassurance that God has been and always will be, forever. The one truth who we can depend on in this life and whatever lies on the other side of death, is God. The continuing Easter message is that this God who is “always,” showed us all just how much God loves us, even when we’re at our very worst.
We will continue watching for the risen Christ during the Easter season and beyond. Like the disciples before us, we know that he is most likely to show up in the ordinary, messy, sometimes harsh reality of our days. He is also most likely to make his presence known when we least expect it and aren’t looking; suddenly, there is Jesus. The more frustrating part for me is that I don’t always see him when I expect to or when I think he ought to show up in a glowing, clear and unquestionable way. Still, his promise is that he’s here with us, always.
Happy and Blessed Easter Season to you All,
Pr. Ernie +