The way of imagination

  Scripture text : Acts of the Apostles 1.8; 2.1-11      How did Christianity begin?   Think about it – on Good Friday, the Jesus movement consisted of around 120 people whose leaders, the apostles, decided to hide in a locked room because they were afraid that what had just happened to Jesus would also happen to them (Jn. 20.19).   Even the sightings of the resurrected Jesus on Easter and the following 40 days seemed to have left the disciples with more questions than answers (cf. Ac. 1.6-8).   So how do we explain the fact that less than 2 months after Good Friday, the followers of Jesus were boldly proclaiming throughout Jerusalem and beyond that Jesus was alive, that he was Israel’s true King (Messiah) and the true Lord of the entire world?   How do we account for the fact that they continued to do so despite being imprisoned and threatened with death for doing so?   What had happened?   If we were to go back in time and interview the apostles, they would tell us, “We received th

  Scripture text : Gospel of St. Luke 4.16-21      This passage is often called “the Nazareth manifesto”.   Jesus goes into his local synagogue, and stands up to read from the Scriptures; but this Sabbath is not like the others.   Jesus has just returned from 40 days spent in the desert, having been tempted by Satan and tested by God.   Jesus emerged from the wilderness triumphant, having resisted Satan’s attempts to lure him onto a life-path that would have led him away from his true destiny – the cross.   Through this trial, Jesus had reaffirmed his commitment to faithfully live out his vocation as Son of God.        That Sabbath, Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah, who had predicted “the year of the Lord’s favour”, that is to say, the great Jubilee year of freedom.   There is a law in the Old Testament according to which all debts must be cancelled and the land itself must be allowed to rest every 70 years.   Isaiah had predicted that when the Messiah came, all those oppressed a

Scripture text : Gospel of St. John 16.4-15      At the Last Supper, Jesus uses a new word to describe the Spirit – he calls him the parakletos (“the one who stands beside”).   Some versions of the Bible translate this word as “advocate” (= defense attorney).   The book of the Acts of the Apostles describes the adventures of the apostles during the first few decades following the Ascension of Jesus – the beginnings of the Church and its world-wide mission.   The Apostles were often getting persecuted because they wouldn’t stop preaching about Jesus.   Jesus knew that his followers would get into trouble after he left this world (Jn. 14.27; 16.33).   While he was still with them, Jesus promised the apostles that he would not leave them alone (Jn. 14.18).   No matter what they would face, the Spirit would be with the apostles and give them the strength they needed.      Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth”.   Jesus had said of himself, “I AM …the truth” (Jn. 14.6).   J

  Scripture text : Gospel of St. John 14.25-31      “Trust me”.   Often, these words signal to us that the person speaking is about to do something reckless or perhaps pretending to know something they don’t.   Trust is often an implicit, instinctive thing.   If the person seeking our trust must ask for it, we suspect that something isn’t right.      Trust takes a long time to build, remains ever fragile and can easily be destroyed.   Trust, as we often understand it, implies predictability.   A trustworthy person, we think, is someone who can be counted on to always act in the same way and the quality of whose character stands the test of time.        As he shares his Last Supper with the apostles, Jesus knows that his death is near.   How to prepare his friends for what’s coming?   How can he ensure that they will continue to trust (believe in) him after he’s gone?   Jesus knows that the Father has a plan – a plan to reclaim his rebellious world.   The followers of Jesus will b

  Scripture text : Gospel of St. John 14.15-24      How do you say goodbye?   If you knew that you had to leave your closest friends, what would your last words be?   How would you choose to spend your last hours together?   This was the situation for Jesus at the Last Supper.   Jesus often had difficulty getting his followers to understand what he was saying – either about the nature of his mission or about his impending death.   Try as he may to explain to his disciples that he was not destined for the kind of glory that they imagined, Jesus’ attempts to explain true greatness were often frustrated.   So, the first thing that Jesus did on his last night with his inner circle – after supper – was to…wash their feet.   Apparently, there was no servant to attend to the needs of Jesus’ dinner party; otherwise, this group of 13 men would never have sat down to dinner with dirty feet.   So, Jesus knelt, took the sandals off the feet of each apostle, and washed them clean.   We can imagin

  Scripture text : Gospel of St. John 2.23-25; 3.1-8      Do you know where you’re going?   Can you see your way ahead?   Often, life feels like an effort to stumble forward in the dark, feeling your way as best you can, stubbing your toes on innumerable obstacles and occasionally, whacking your head and getting laid flat out on your back.   If you had the chance to start your life over again, would you take it?   Maybe you would, on the condition that you would be born into a different family.   Of course, that would mean losing all the memories you have made, but then again, maybe there are things that you wouldn’t mind forgetting…   Sometimes, we just feel lost, like we’re trapped in a labyrinth, going down one dead end after another…   Maybe we’ve made it, perhaps we’ve experienced a certain level of success, but now we’re wondering if there’s more.   Was that it?   Was that accomplishment what my life was all about?   But I’m still here… what do I do now?   Has my life served th