| Rev Deborah - In-Between Time 16/4 | | Print | |
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~ You are welcome to forward this to others, please credit the author. ~ The In-Between Time
by Deborah Beach Giordano
© April 16, 2007 On the evening of Resurrection Day, the disciples were huddled together in fear. Although they had locked and bolted the doors of the house, Jesus appeared in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." After he showed them his hands and his side the disciples rejoiced — for it was then that they recognized the Lord. Jesus again said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Then he breathed on them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In this, perhaps the best-known of the post-Easter stories of Jesus, we again hear Thomas insist that he personally must have an experience of the Risen Christ in order to believe. And he gets one! Which is such a relief, and a blessing for all of us — all of us "doubting Thomases" who wonder if what the disciples saw was really real. His inquiring spirit confirmed the resurrection for all "who have not yet seen." Perhaps we don’t take as much time as we should with Thomas and his friends. Maybe we are missing another important aspect of this story of the early church. For my part, I tend to get pretty excited about the whole thing — and rush through to the moment when Thomas is graced with the real Presence of our Lord. How joy-filled his heart must be, how good our God is to give us this Sign! How transformed we all are in that moment when Heaven and Earth are joined together! Death and fear have been defeated utterly! We are free and loved beyond all imagining! All praise to the Beloved! After I’ve read Thomas’s declaration with tear-filled eyes and snuffled a bit into my handkerchief, I believe that I have heard the Gospel. The story isn’t over, exactly, but I think I’ve heard the important bits. But I wonder. In my haste to get to "the good part" I skip over the time in between. That is a luxury Thomas and the other disciples didn’t have. For them time could not speed up. They had to face each day as it came, and live through it as it was. And they had to live through a week when the rest of the gathered community held a belief that Thomas didn’t share. They said they had seen the risen Lord. He said he’d believe it when he had touched the wounds of Jesus’ body. And that’s how matters stood. It must have been a hard time for everyone. None of the disciples knew it was an "in between time." For them it was reality — a permanent reality — that they disagreed about something very important. Something we might consider essential. Think about it for a moment: the first Christians disagreed with one another. And they stayed together as a community. Nobody was judged or condemned. No one was excluded or vilified or shamed or chased away. Let me say that again. Despite the fact that the Christian community disagreed about whether Jesus had risen from the dead or not — they stayed together. They continued to meet together, eat together, and pray together. They continued to watch out for one another. They continued to love one another. They continued to behave as if they were Jesus’ disciples. Imagine that. Imagine being free to follow Christ without having to defend yourself; without having to learn the verbal equivalent of a Masonic handshake that sets you apart as the "right sort" of Christian in the exclusive club of "right" Christians. Imagine being free to reach out to other Christians — Christians with whom you disagree — with love and compassion; able to engage in conversation, to learn from one another, to see Jesus’ face reflected in each others’ eyes. Imagine what a difference it would make in our world. Imagine what a difference it would make in your life. ......... When I was in seminary I attended a three-day Billy Graham School of Evangelism. I went as a progressive "spy" in "enemy territory." I wanted to hear, first hand, what mind-numbing tripe and repressive dogmas "those fundamentalists" were preaching — so I could effectively refute it in my ministry. That was my attitude, going in, I admit it. Of course God has plans, too. (The sound you hear is a Cosmic Giggle.) The first day I signed up for a seminar on Pastoral Counseling which was held in a huge classroom at the Conference Center. Making my way through the maze of folding chairs, I sat down next to a pleasant-looking middle-aged woman I’ll call "Ava." She gave me a friendly smile and we chatted aimlessly for a few minutes. After a short presentation, the lecturer directed us to pair off and practice our "listening skills." A pang of alarm ran through me: what if I ended up talking about my liberal faith, or why I’d come to this event? For all I knew they might chase me out with pitchforks. Blessedly, Ava asked if I would mind if she went first, as she had a lot on her mind. I eagerly agreed. She told me that she was the acting pastor of her husband’s church. Nobody "higher up" knew about it, though, because women weren’t allowed to preach. But she had taken over after an automobile accident a year earlier that had left him with a brain injury. Since then her husband had changed: he had lost his ability to read, had no interest in the church, and was subject to fits of rage during which he would beat her — breaking her arm on one occasion. There was nothing she could do, no one she could tell. If the authorities found out Ava and her husband would be left without work; without food or shelter. And, as she said, "I love him. I love the man he was. I cannot abandon him now." Ava continued to talk, even after we were instructed to "change sides." I did the only thing I could do: listen — with compassion. I was probably a better Christian that day than I’ve ever been — before or since. It didn’t matter if Ava believed in an immanent fiery apocalypse, talking jackasses or floating iron. Theology or doctrine wasn’t important. Here was a woman of faith and courage and steadfast love. It was not my place to judge or to educate or convince: my only task as a Christian was to listen with a loving heart. .... Now is as much of an "in-between time" as the one Thomas and those first disciples experienced: a time when goodhearted, faithful souls disagree. Perhaps, with God’s grace, we can follow those early Christians’ example. Perhaps we can meet together, eat together, and pray together with those with whom we disagree. We can watch out for one another, have compassion for one another, and love one another. We can behave toward each other as Jesus taught us to do (John 13:35). Imagine that. Virtual hugs and real-time blessings, Deborah + This Week’s Suggested Spiritual Exercise: Examine your heart: does Christ live and move freely there — or has He been pushed aside? Is there space for disagreement without anger; an openness to truly hear what others may say? Is your community built on compassion and love? And yes, Ava and I still keep in touch. I send her articles about the feminine face of God and she forwards prayers for George Bush. And we love one another, and laugh with one another, and pray for one another. May the Beloved grace us all with such joy and friendship here in this "in between" time! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JOIN OUR LIST: If you would like the weekly Reflection to be sent directly to your email address, you may join our list for free by emailing dbgiordano@comcast.net with the word "Reflections" in the subject or body of the email. The Reflections mailing list is NOT used for any other purpose. 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