Peter’s solution? Repentance, baptism and commitment to a
life of discipleship. Baptism was free to everyone, no strings attached. And of
course, that was just the start. Baptism welcomed the new disciples into a big,
vibrant conversation about faith, God, and personal and cultural
transformation.
Peter invited them to be transformed as he had been
transformed. Peter had witnessed his beloved leader going through the farce of
an unjust trial where the decision was made by a court more interested in
political popularity than justice and fairness. And Peter ran away, afraid for
his life. Then he hid behind locked doors, anxiously wondering when his arrest
and execution would happen. The transformation from coward to leader was
unexpected and he attributed it to his Easter experiences of the Risen Christ like
some disciples had on the road to Emmaus.
Unexpected transformation can come in many ways. It can be
dramatic and instant like Mary and Salome finding the tomb empty. It can be
quiet and slow like on an eleven-kilometer walk as described in our gospel
reading today. That's not a five-minute stroll down to the mailbox!
Today we're most likely to experience a long journey with a
stranger by carpooling to an event or taking a bus tour or airplane trip, but
back then folks were expected to travel to Jerusalem for Passover. And unless
they were rich or had mobility issues or were pregnant, they didn't use
donkeys. Donkeys were a luxury, not for regular people. And regardless of how
you travel, a stranger traveling with you can be the worst thing or the best
thing for such a long trip. Like astronauts flying around the moon and back for
days in a tiny space with a broken toilet, the time spent together can be
transformative. Just as Jeremy Hansen said in their recent press conference,
the astronauts now have become good friends and also have new perspectives and
hope for the future.
The disciples picked up a hitchhiker and had no idea what
was coming. They discovered that the
more they talked to the stranger, the more surprised they were at his ignorance
of current affairs, and then amazed at his thorough knowledge of scripture. They were trying to figure out what had
happened. Was Jesus resurrected? Was it a hoax? Was it a hallucination? They weren’t sure. But they called themselves disciples, and
although they are not a part of the official list of 12, they too had followed
Jesus, they too had learned his teachings, they too, knew his methods of
thinking through complex issues. And
they too knew what disciples of Jesus were called to do.
Disciples are called to test the insights and ideas that
come their way. They are to ask
questions. They are to explore the
scriptures, the sacred texts, not as a law book with rules and regulations, but
as a road map that may need some redrawing from time to time. Like astronauts seeing the world from a
different angle, scriptures help change our viewpoint. And scripture helps us explore what God is
calling us to through conversation, through logic, through experience. The disciples said, “this is what we
experienced, this is what we know, the tomb is empty. This is what others are saying. Now stranger, help us understand what is
happening. Help us make sense of our upside-down
world. Help us understand this corrupt generation and how we are being called
by God to respond.”
Notice that they didn’t get their full answer until they
practiced that first, fundamental Christian discipline of offering hospitality
to the stranger. It was only after they
invited him to stay and eat with them that the revelation of who he was
transformed them. It was only when their
simple meal of bread and wine was turned into the sacrament of sharing
abundance that Jesus had practiced with them that they realized his true
identity. This revelation transformed them so much that they ran back the 11 kilometers
in the dark to testify to the disciples that Easter was real, Jesus was risen!
Transformation was possible, both for individuals and for their corrupt
generation that had murdered an innocent man.
Some will say that our generation is not corrupt. And yet the Guardian newspaper reported this
week that the world’s largest oil companies are making more than $30 million an
hour in excess profits. Exxon will earn an extra 11 billion, Shell will get 6.8
Billion, and Chevron 9.2 billion if the price continues. The Alberta Government
is dismissing the non-partisan report on where to draw political boundaries,
and they are excited about new legislature that will protect children from
pornography in public libraries while cutting grants to family violence
programs. Now I don’t know about you,
but I have never seen a copy of Playboy on the magazine shelves, nor have I
ever seen 10 year olds sneaking blue videos out of the libraries, or librarians
gleefully lending 12 year olds piles books on how to make money as a sex
worker. Our definitions of what a
corrupt generation is may vary from church to church, but we are all called to
be disciples that are transformed away from exploitation and manipulation to
justice and compassion.
Peter called us to turn from a corrupt generation, by
repenting, remembering our baptism, celebrating God’s presence, welcoming
strangers, feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, and being open to new
encounters with Jesus when we gather together in the breaking of bread, the
celebrating of communion, and the gathering of disciples to celebrate Jesus,
crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In Life, in death, in life beyond
death, He is risen, halleluiah!
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