Conversion

The disciples of Jesus returned to Galilee, to a place of safety away from the controversy surrounding his death, just as he had told them, and returned to work as fishermen, with no idea of what the future would hold for them. He comes to meet them at work, and at first they do not recognise him in the early light of day, but they hear his voice across the water, suggesting to them where their efforts at catching fish might be fruitful. Perhaps because this is not the first time he has made this kind of intervention, Peter realises it's not any bystander calling out advice, but the Lord. They trust and act upon the advice and yield an impressive catch. When they come ashore, they find he has prepared a meal for them.

In Jerusalem he came to them when they were hiding behind locked doors, but here he comes to them in the open, where they live and work. The experience of meeting the risen Jesus is not restricted to one kind of place or another. It can happen while blessing God for their bread, while talking about life as his disciples, in places of work, in places of sorrow and joy. And when he finally takes his leave he says:

"Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the ages."   (Matthew 28:20)

The importance of remembering, and especially remembering and praising the works of God as part of the story people tell about themselves is deeply embedded in Hebrew spirituality:

'O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make know his deeds to all the peoples.

Sing praises to him sing praises, tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually.

Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgements he uttered.'

(Psalm 105:1-5)

St Paul recalls being told of all the appearances of the risen Jesus

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles." (1 Cor 15:1-7)

He doesn't elaborate on any of them, however, apart from that of his own conversion 

"Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me" (1 Cor 15:8)

His story appears twice in the Acts of the Apostles, once as narrative (Acts 9:1-30), then in his own voice as personal testimony (Acts 22:1-16), and again in Galatians 1:11-16. 

"I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being."  

Paul's story gets so much coverage not just because he is such a key figure in the emergence of the Gospel of Christ as Good News for the whole world, but because his encounter with the risen Jesus comes despite his rejection of the story proclaimed by the Apostles. There are instances of early public preaching meeting a response, with many being converted at one time, where the revelation follows the hearing of the message. As Paul himself asserts.

'So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.'  (Romans 10:17)

Paul's experience causes him to reassess what he had rejected. He has to re-interpret his own Jewish faith anew before he has anything to say to the world. This is decisive for the development of Christianity, and apart from the opening chapter of the book of Revelation where John the Divine speaks of hearing and seeing the risen Lord, there is little else to compare with it in the New Testament. Yet, such unbidden experiences have continued to shape the life of some Christian converts down the centuries since.

One may pray for a lifetime and never have such a life changing decisive experience. It is given by God where it is most needed, so it is not necessary to crave for it or to seek it in order to grow in faith. Those to whom such experience is not given need only to learn how to follow, just like the rest of the disciples, trusting and obeying the message received and understood.

     

In spirit and in truth

Two disciples leaving Jerusalem start discussing the events of the last few days. As they are walking, a stranger joins them and is told about the what has most recently happened that the men have heard about the empty tomb and the rumours about Jesus being alive. They cannot make sense of these reports, and are surprised when the stranger directs them to thinking about the message of the prophets relating to the fate of the Messiah. When they stop for the night they invite the stranger to join them, and say grace at their meal together.  Only then do they realise it is Jesus with them, and before they can respond he's gone again. It leaves them astonished, yet full of encouragement and hope, so they return to Jerusalem that same night, despite travel risks to tell other disciples what happened. 

It's yet another story of how the risen Lord is made known when his followers begin to talk about him, try to work out what has happened and what it all means. Thinking about the meaning of scripture in relation to Jesus, remembering him and breaking bread together, are all bound together here, and in this the seeds are sown for all acts of Christian worship and fellowship that will evolve as time passes. There is no elaborate ritual prescription as with Passover and Temple worship under the Jewish Torah.

Speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus says;

"The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him."  (John 4:23)

In his teaching about God's kingdom, he explains his own position;

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)

The fulfilment of all kinds of ritual words and actions prescribed for worship is found 'in spirit and in truth' - the inward disposition of the heart, the sense of purpose and purity of intention towards God that flows from genuine spiritual freedom. It doesn't matter in the end what outward forms worship may take, what matters is the free openness of the heart to give God due honour and praise. The source of this motivation is sharing the story of Jesus, remembering him and what it all means for us and for the world, embedding this in everyday life following him. 

The prescriptions of religious tradition aren't abolished, nor are they irrelevant. They are simply no longer binding or restricting, but a foundation that secures the culture of religious worship in its history, with full permission to develop differently in the future. Although the diversity of forms of Christian worship seems very different from those of Judaism, it is not difficult to identify many elements in common - use of Psalms of praise and penitence, the blessing (=giving thanks for) and sharing food (especially bread and wine) and many other gifts of God, public scripture reading, prayer of intercession.

Doing these things together provide a frame of reference, a context in which the risen Jesus continues to reveal his presence to those who continue to commit themselves to worshipping 'in spirit and in truth'.

A revelation shared

For St John (John 20:11-18) the discovery of the empty tomb sets the stage for Mary Magdalene to meet Jesus. She doesn't recognise Jesus because in her inconsolable grief, she doesn't expect to see him at all. Only when she hears him speak her name does she realise that it is in fact Jesus, not a gardener. 

There are times when the painful intensity of human emotions can prevent us from recognising God's presence. This may seem to make it impossible to focus on God in prayer. Mary's experience here may suggest that the effort to 'listen' in some way for the familiar voice of love is what breaks the enclosing cycle of sorrow. This voice from beyond can reach us through the words of scripture, memorised or heard, or the words of some other person reaching out in compassion towards us. 

Sharing in the resurrection experience begins with a breakthrough from beyond ourselves into that dark place where we turn in on ourselves in pain. For the disciples this starts with receiving the disruptive news of the empty tomb, which prompts them to come out of their misery of shame, and talk to each other, if only out of bewilderment and disbelief. Only then does Jesus come to them, unannounced, bearing words of forgiveness and peace. 

Already it is the evening of a new day when he appears, and appears to disciples - gathered in one place, scattered to another - appears once they have begun to share their experiences with each other. His whole ministry has taught them how to share and when they start to share again in earnest, he reveals himself to them.

Personal prayer and communion with God sustains our spiritual lives, but God gives us so much more to enable us to grow into 'the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ'. He gives us each other to share in prayer together. Sharing not just in the formal ritual acts of common worship, but in intimate and personal trust, when hearts are open to each other as well as to God.

No matter how powerful experiences of God may be through personal prayer, experiences that are shared are more powerful still because they can be witnessed to with confirmation from others. Having appeared first to Mary Magdalene, he appears to the eleven disciples and breaks bread with two, travelling on the road to Emmaus. St Paul reports that he also appears to five hundred at one time. Although the detail is scant, the experience conveyed is enough to convince others and lead to the expansion of the church far beyond Palestine. The experience of the individual is confirmed in the experience shared by a group.

The blessings of personal prayer find confirmation or challenge, when shared with others - 

"Where two or three are gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matt 18:20)

    

Living in the revelation

The discovery of Jesus' tomb empty, and all that follows occurs 'very early in the morning', as dawn is breaking. The time of waiting from the start of the third day at sunset until then, is of key significance for the prayer life for the church. It is an occasion when biblical texts are read which cover the entire story of God's dealing with humankind from the creation of the world onwards. Candidates for baptism and confirmation meet and make their solemn vows before the whole church membership, and with dawn, the Eucharist of the resurrection is celebrated joyfully.

Keeping vigil in this way resembles the Jewish Passover, when the Exodus people gather at supper to tell the story of their liberation and remember their covenant with God. It is the Passover of Jesus, from death to life, so this occasion is called the Paschal Vigil. The angelic messenger says to the mourners visiting the tomb of Jesus; 

'Why do you look for the living among the dead, he is not here but is risen.' (Luke 24:5)

Reflecting later on the meaning of God's work of salvation through Jesus, St Paul says;

" .. even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way... If anyone is in Christ, there a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything is become new." (2 Cor 5:16) 

Although many people may have suspected or wondered if Jesus was God's Anointed, and he himself hinted at this or even privately declared it, the resurrection experience, so unique and unexpected, reveals decisively what was hidden. The nature of resurrection appearances show in St Peter's words, preaching six weeks later, on the day of Pentecost that;

"This Jesus whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Messiah" (=Christ in Greek) (Acts 2:36)

The words 'son of God' take on a different meaning in the light of the resurrection. Jesus is proclaimed to be the Son of God in an unique way, and it will take years, centuries in fact before this revelation is understood with any clarity. Disciples of Jesus have to devise new ways of expressing what his death and resurrection mean to them. Just starting to realise who this man Jesus is, enables them to see the shame and horror of his suffering and death in a different perspective. They start to understand how his undeserved suffering in total trust of vindication by God the Father is healing and liberating for the whole world and humankind.

Venturing into the depths of relationship with God through a Christian way of prayer takes us from getting to know the words and work of Jesus, the man of Nazareth, as one of the most remarkable exemplary human beings who has ever lived, right through his Passion to the resurrection revelation that he is the Christ, the Son of God and Lord. This disclosure calls for different understanding of what it means to be human, a child of God, destined for a relationship with God not bounded by mortal existence. 

By entering into this experience, dwelling with it and letting it change our hearts and minds, and the way we live, a gradual relearning takes place. Through baptism we identify our lives, our humanity with that of Jesus. Each Easter celebration offers an opportunity to renew our self dedication to life in God, pledged by the renewal of our baptismal promises.

"If you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is..." (Colossians 3:1)

Participating in resurrection celebrations opens up for us in prayer a dimension of joy and peace, hope and love above and beyond other experience. Acknowledgement of the heart of this message releases afresh in us the life of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to pray as God intends. It opens us to the life of intimate communion with God that is inexhaustible in its richness, beyond imagination, beyond words.

'He is risen indeed, Alleluia!'