"where Jesus walks and breathes" by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

So everyone seems to know that Jesus once walked on water. It shows up in bad jokes all the time. But how many people have heard that Jesus also specializes in walking through bolted doors?

As far as I’m concerned, the first factoid, the one that everyone knows, is of little consequence. It’s a cool miracle he did one day. That Jesus walks right into locked-up-tight hiding places... now that’s HUGE.

Here’s the story. It takes place that first Easter day, some hours after Mary Magdalene talked with the risen Jesus: John 20:19-31  (Do me a favor, and when you read the first sentence, substitute the phrase, “fearful of the Jews,” for the phrase, “fearful of the Judean guys in power”; it’s truly a better translation, since Jesus and his disciples are Jews themselves. Thanks.)

So Jesus’ best buds have locked themselves inside. I suppose they’d rather not be crucified (guilt by association, you know), so it’s not so hard to understand. Who wouldn’t be terrorized by the events of the past few days? The fact that they’re scared doesn’t seem to bother Jesus either. He just walks in. He walks in with a breath of fresh air called forgiveness. He shows them his scars. Yes, it really happened, and yes, I really forgive you for not sticking by my side. And I’m hoping it feels so overwhelmingly good that you’ll bolt out the bolted door and give it out to the rest of the world!

A week passes and they haven’t bolted yet. Still hanging in lock down mode. Jesus is patient. He walks through the locked door again. It seems he’s come back for the lost sheep that wasn’t with the crew last time he showed: Thomas, the realist, the one with questions and a stubborn streak. But Thomas is also the one with eyes open wide, hands ready to embrace Jesus, wounds and all.

Score one for Jesus. Now the disciples are ready to get back into the world and spread the good stuff around. That walking through locked doors is a priceless talent. Good thing Jesus bequeathed this talent to his followers so we can do it, too. What are the doors that are closed in your face that you need to yank on? What are the ones that are closed so tight that you need Jesus to do it for you?

We all have fears that make us want to close off part of the world. We may imagine that God is with us in that safe, cordoned-off place, and it’s true. But God’s on the other side of the door, too. And it just may be that God is calling us to check out the other side, to step out and see God, living and active, breathing forgiveness and peace, where we least expect God to be.

That’s the God we see in Jesus, the “out there” God, who will keep surprising us, and will keep walking through locked doors to find us.

To give your imagination a ride into places you may not yet have imagined Jesus walking, give this  Kenye West video a try.

And some poetic thoughts from Nigel Weaver, to bring it all together:

The risen Christ, who walks on wounded feet
from garden tomb through darkened city street,
unlocks the door of grief, despair, and fear,
and speaks a word of peace to all who hear.
The risen Christ, who stands with wounded side,
breathes out his Spirit on them to abide
whose faith still wavers, who dare not believe;
new grace, new strength, new purpose they receive…
May we, Christ’s body, walk and serve and stand
with those oppressed in this and every land,
till all are blessed and can a blessing be,
restored in Christ to true humanity.

Feel free to come and take this discussion further in a virtual conversation on Skype, this Thursday, April 8, 7pm. Look for bythewaycommunity. All are welcome. Come as you are!

Humility, Service, and Grace

by Heidi Jakoby

Last night was filled with discussions about serving, about humility, and about doing for others. We gathered as we usually do around a candle to remind us of God's presence and we could smell the warm bread.
We began with our readings and prayers http://breadforyourjourney.blogspot.com/

 Humility, was our first topic. In Mark's lesson Jesus points our that it does not matter who is the greatest what matters is how you serve others. How do you encourage and serve others throughout your life.  This past week Kanye West stole Taylor Swifts moment at the Video Music Awards because he felt Beyonce was more deserving of the award. There was a great deal of coverage of this moment but not as much coverage of Beyonce's responce. So here is the link to it: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621540/20090915/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

During our discussion we noted that when Beyonce won for the Best Video of the year and when she came up to accept her award she spoke about her first award at 17 years of age and what a special moment that was so she wanted Taylor Swift to have her moment. Beyonce did not thank anyone but gave her time to Taylor.  What a gracious and classy action. She truly put Taylor before herself. In our third reflection the Mayor of New Orleans thanks the youth who came to serve and Bishop Hanson very eloquently explained that the youth came to be Gods hands in New Orleans and thanked all the citizens of New Orleans for all they taught the gathering participants. In some ways I think humility is as simple as putting others needs ahead of our own. It is also about meeting people where they are, listening to their story and walking with them. This is not always easy to do. How have you been God's hands today?

One of the stories shared was a simple way to serve is to share a smile and or a conversation with someone who seems to be having a bad day. When you are in a store making a purchase do you share a smile and some conversation with the cashier?  Do you notice the person before you and do you try and lift their mood if they seem down?

We know that serving others is not necessarily easy but as in Micah we are to "do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously ." This brings me to Kenye West's apperance on the Jay Leno Show where Jay asks him the tough question, what would your mom say? check out the clip http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/09/first-leno-show-clip-kanyes-apology-video.html I give him a lot of credit for saying he needs to take some time to reflect on what happened.  He is a person who believes in helping others and you can see this is an upsetting situation. What do you think?

Many of my friends serve the community and the world in a variety ways; putting causes they are interested in on their twitter page, creating new organizations for groups that have been marginalized, helping on a Habitat for Humanity build, baking bread for others, or sharing a smile. Their are so many ways to serve some only take a moment. Please consider serving others.

Please share your thoughts and comments. I would love to hear how and why you serve other?