A Post-Resurrection World

“Son,” my father would begin, “the ‘good ole days’ were not that good.  You don’t remember, but we had to go outside to use the bathroom.”  Just this week, I was telling my son, “Son, I remember when you had to actually get up and walk across the room to the television to change the channel.”  Of course, some of you remember the hardship of the Depression and the sacrifice of World War II.  Some remember the days when previous generations struggled to end segregation or marched for women’s suffrage.  For younger generations, it can be hard to understand how bad it was before.  Most of us can only imagine what others have experienced as we declare to those in authority how bad things are now.  What was it like to have to submit to a monarch’s every whim before the Magna Carta?  What might it have felt like to have taxes levied on you without any voice in appointing the person who levies the taxes?  Even stranger still, for many of us, is the thought of enduring discrimination and recrimination simply because of our race or gender.

In many ways, it is a monumental task to wrap our minds around the concept of existence before the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You and I have always lived in a post-resurrection world.  If we read the Gospels, we get some insight into the life of the disciples before the resurrection. Confusion, uncertainty, fear, jockeying for key positions in the Kingdom they thought was coming, and despair were all common traits in each of the disciples.  How did they and the world change after the resurrection?  Realization, confidence, courage, sacrifice, and hope were the hallmarks of the disciples turned to apostles as revealed in the books of Acts. I can only imagine the response of Peter or Andrew if they heard the church in the present day complain about persecution or show fear in the face of crisis. I suspect we would get a healthy dose of pastoral advice if one of the apostles were to hear the church verbalize the despair of evangelization in our very secular culture. Perhaps the same advice he gave to the Church at Ephesus is applicable today when Paul writes, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

The season of Easter is a chance to “remember” through the Acts of the Apostles what a post resurrection people are called to be and to do.  Through Easter, the Old Testament lessons are replaced with readings from the book of Acts.  This Sunday we celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. The rest of the Sundays in Easter, we celebrate the victory of the Body of Christ, His Church, over the powers of darkness that seeks to swallow the world in despair and fear.

As Christians who have always lived in the ongoing light of the resurrection, we forget what “the ole days” were really like.  We live in the glory of the resurrection! Christ has been raised from the dead. Those in the church who keep that forefront in their proclamation will never know despair.

The damage Casinos do to our communities

Relief Efforts for Tornado stricken West Liberty, Kentucky

Dr. Lon Oliver, Executive Director of Kentucky Appalachian Ministries and Associate Regional Minister for District 10 and 11(Eastern Kentucky), telephoned the church on Tuesday to thank us for our support of the initial relief to the community of West Liberty, Kentucky.  He has been visiting the shelters and collaborating with other agency directors as they pull together resources to help in the ongoing relief that may well take years.  One of the stories he shared with me was the image of a husband, wife and their children that were living in an area just big enough for a few cots.  The husband was making his way to work for the day and the mother was planning the day’s activities with her small children in area not much larger than the average bathroom. 

This far, our congregation has sent $600 in emergency grants to Kentucky Appalachian Ministries to purchase kerosene for older residents with no power or heat.  An additional $370 was sent to Week of Compassion who is working in partnership with KAM.  Thus far this week our congregation has received an additional $3,000 that will go to KAM’s continued relief effort.

What is next?  For many, the relief effort is frustrating as emergency workers are still doing initial assessment and managing the critical necessities of the survivors.  As the heads of these relief agencies have collaborated, they have wisely divided up responsibilities on which each group is able to focus.  Over the next few weeks, FEMA will provide trailers for long term temporary housing.  Rev. Greg Alexander and our Regional staff will be coordinating mission relief teams to head to the area in the months to come to help with clean up and repair of homes.  In turn, Lon has called together KAM congregations in partnership to help in the long term recovery. FCC-Ashland is partnering with FCC-Morehead to help with home needs.  Our two congregations will join with the Disciple congregations in West Liberty to hold a furniture and home drive to help furnish the FEMA trailers.  FCC-Ashland will be gathering bedroom and kitchen needs and FCC-Morehead will be handling bathroom and personal hygiene items.  Of course, we will receive any gently used furniture or kitchen supplies that we will take to one of the congregations in the West Liberty area for families with insurance or Red Cross certification.  The details of what exactly we will need will be discussed at a meeting with KAM and the minister of FCC-Morehead tentatively scheduled for March 22.  Our target date for the giveaway will be the middle to late April. 

I understand our initial impulse is to rush and do as much as possible today and our financial gifts are making that response possible.  However, in true Disciple ethos, we will not only be some of the first on the ground, we will also be the last to leave.  This relief effort will be a long term mission.  We will keep you informed as our elders, deacons and Outreach Department will be working with both the critical needs and the long term efforts in helping folks, like the family Lon told us about, to rebuild their lives.  There will be opportunities for all of you to be an integral part in this process. Thank you for all you are already doing!

From a sister Church: Peachtree Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Atlanta, Georgia

I Will Make You Fishers of Men from Peachtree Christian Church on Vimeo.