An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ (from Acts 7:55-60 ) The youth were in trouble.  Quinipet Camp & Retreat Center on Shelter Island, NY was the location of my student pastor MYF retreat. Some youth decided to energize the retreat with marijuana. They got caught with the "weed". Their defense was claiming using "weed" was OK because the Bible said "Peter got stoned."  It was time for a new beginning. So, I prophesied unto them: collect the weed now and I will dispose of it, or I will explain your Bible verse to your parents at the retreat's conclusion.  The new beginning: youth fellowship is about trust not deception. Steven was in trouble. Following the euphoria of Easter stories, Thomas' experience, and Jesus' Emmaus Road meal, comes this wretched story o...

That evening, the two on the road said,“Stay with us" So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him;  and he vanished from their sight." (from Luke 24:13-35 ) What do you think is Jesus' most distinguishing activity? The Crucifixion? Preaching to a crowd? Healing the sick?  Glorified at God's right hand? In Luke's Gospel, Jesus' most distinguishing activity is being at table with an ordinary meal and ordinary people.  Jesus also dined at table with sinners, tax collectors, and powerful people. Jesus' sharing and blessing bread with all sorts of people, is a radical act breaking down socially accepted boundaries. That's exactly what's happening on the Emmaus Road. Cleopas and another person were reviewing and debating the facts of Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus joins them, unrecognized, yet they strongly ins...

"When it was evening on that day,  the first day of the week,  and the doors of the house  where the disciples had met  were locked for fear of the Jews,  Jesus came and stood among them and said,  “Peace be with you.”  (From John 20:19-31 ) Thomas got a really bad rap. It began when the disciples were in a locked room out of fear and Jesus appears to them saying, "Peace be with you." Jesus says "Peace be with you" twice, calming the disciples at this astounding, unexpected appearance. Jesus shows them his hands and side. Thomas, though, was elsewhere and didn't see Jesus hands and side, so when the disciples say they saw Jesus, he doubts their story. And thus, Thomas earns the undeserved title of "Doubting Thomas". This, however, is a resurrection story.  The resurrection stories intent is to show, that even in locked doors of fear and anxiety, Jesus brings peace. Because the human events of the past week were enough to wreck a sense of security ...

"After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it."  ( from  John 20:1-18 ) Mary Magdalene was heartbroken. It was a hard road she traveled, first with the delight of witnessing Jesus' healing, casting out demons, then the Jerusalem journey, trial, torture, crucifixion, last words, and death of her beloved Teacher. Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body, placed it in his own tomb, covered it, and sealed it according to custom. The inner darkness of these traumatic experiences leaves Mary desperate to find a ray of hope, the dawning of a new day. So, in predawn darkness, she sets off to the tomb to do whatever it took to serve Jesus in death. Arriving at the tomb, she sees the stone rolled away, runs and tells Peter Jesus body has been stolen. Others return home...