THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER – 30 APRIL 2006

St Paul Lutheran Church, ABQ NM – The Rev. P. L. Holman

Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48

“Have you anything here to eat?”

[Read Luke 24:13-49]

I have a confession to make: it’s been a bit hard for me to focus lately.  I’ve been a bit distracted.

First there was Holy Week – I turned, well, “senior menu age” on Monday of that week, then spent my birthday at UMNH undergoing stress tests because, well, there were some concerns about my heart.  Then there was Easter, yet even before the lilies arrived there was the Synod assembly to focus on – housing and other support requests to process, voting members to shepherd, a brass group to get the lip in shape for, time with friends to schedule, and then this week a trip to T or C to meet up with the president of the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar, Pastor Modeste, and his wife Mme. Jeannette, welcome them to ABQ, and help get them situated for the Synod assembly.  Oh yes, then there were the details to attend to for the wedding of our younger daughter, Julia, in Iowa at the end of May…

I was already having trouble focusing, and then Jesus interrupts my distraction with a question I don’t have time for:

Have you anything here to eat?

What?

Have you anything here to eat?

“[The disciples] gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.”

If there is an image that captures what the call of the Gospel is about, it is the image of feeding – providing food for the hungry, water for the parched, companionship for the lonely, hope to the disheartened – providing real, life-giving hope and sustenance in God’s time, not ours.

It is not often that we get to host a synod assembly in ABQ.  I dare say we did a great job this weekend, and I am grateful for the many volunteers from St. Paul who participated in a variety of ways to prepare for and welcome our guests from throughout this five state region as well as from Madagascar.  The final business meeting and closing worship are this morning. 

There are many ways the Christ in our midst was made visible in these days.  Worship and fellowship to be sure, as well as generous offerings collected to support Betela Seminary in Madagascar and a new congregation on the west side of ABQ made it clear we are a generous people.  An offering of letters was collected to support the ONE campaign to encourage additional support through our own government’s budget to help alleviate world hunger.  Bible study led by Dr. Gordon Lathrop called us to a renewed understanding of our call to be a flesh-loving rather than a flesh-fearing community of the faithful.  And as we listened to President Modeste speak, we heard powerful stories of how the good news of Jesus is being sung and proclaimed throughout the island of Madagascar, how the power of the “evil one” is being challenged by the witness of the faithful “piandry” (shepherds) and by the Christians who understand baptism to be their washing into a life of active witness.

Bishop Allan Bjornberg was reelected to another 6-year term and several leaders from ABQ, including Jan Krakow and myself, were elected to serve terms on the Synod Council.  Many people came forward to serve in a variety of roles on behalf of this synod, and in their willingness to serve we all are blessed.

Yet it seems the more we accomplish the more there is to do…

The ministry of our synod continues to be hampered by a lack of financial resources.  It’s not that we don’t have the money – we just need to develop a new relationship to it.  We are like those two disciples headed away from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus who were so preoccupied with trying to parse the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection that they didn’t recognize Jesus until he turned the tables on them in the breaking of the bread.  Maybe the disagreements about how best to support youth and household ministry in this synod, and whether to commit to supporting the 2009 assembly in El Paso TX – maybe these are God’s way of trying to get our attention as we take this Emmaus road journey ourselves.  Can it be the fact that the bishop was not reelected on the first ballot, that it took three ballots and speeches by him and three other people (including yours truly) before the decision to return Allan Bjornberg to office was finally made – can it be that the “power from on high” is trying to get our attention here, trying to call us back to heart of what really matters…to listen to all the voices around us, and to voice the voiceless into speech, so that the greater fullness of Christ is made known in our midst? 

As we gather at this table we are invited to taste and see the presence of Christ, to recognize in our midst the one whose forgiveness and grace blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.  

I knew that I had to be flexible when it came to the schedule for our Malagasy visitors.  We had them here for only 24 hours, and while I had prepared a tentative list of activities for that time I wasn’t prepared for what actually happened: Mme. Baonizafimanana Jeannette and I spent the afternoon together on Thursday doing their laundry at my home.  What was not anywhere on my horizon of expectations ended up being a very inspiring time of sharing with a woman of deep faith.  Known to friends and family as Mama Joana, she trusts God’s work in her life so implicitly it is amazing. With faith visions and real people as her traveling companions, with the words of Scripture as her guide, this informally educated village girl has been led all the way to the Bishop’s office, equipped principally by faith and her openness to the Jesus way.  “Sometimes,” she says, “sometimes you don’t know what is happening until later.  But always Jesus will show you the way.”  Indeed.

You too are called and equipped to be witnesses of these things.  With what will you feed the yearnings of others: Have you anything here to eat?