Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

 Lectionary: 288

I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete."

Everyone remembers how natural disasters and widespread catastrophes bind strangers together in an immediate and harmonious agreement. They pulled the victim out of the burning vehicle; they checked on elderly neighbors after the blizzard to see if they needed food or warmth. They knew what to do and they did it. 

Happy events, too, can pull strangers together as when the hometown wins the Superbowl or the World Series. They high-five in the stadium and on the street, and greet the winning team with an impromptu parade. Even the bad guys will settle down for a while. The  unity might not last as long as that of disasters but it's worth remembering. 

Joy frees people to laugh and share, to relax restraints and lower barriers. We watch each others' children, and provide more readily for the needs of everyone. "There's plenty to go around!" They're free to greet a stranger, asking, "Where you from?" and then discover connections. If we learn we're of opposing parties or different religions, it doesn't matter today. We might even dare to hope we can retain these bonds of freedom a few more days. Even into next week! Before reality settles in again. 

The disciples of Jesus share the Lord's unifying joy as he gives himself for us, and triumphs over sin and death. We laugh the haha of hallelujah and the hoho of hosanna. If we don't high five in church, we do greet one another with a fervent sign of peace. 

But Christian joy is more than a mob reaction to pleasant news. It's a decision we make, like the decisions of faith, hope, and love. There is no one who can't think of something miserable to make them glum and grumpy again. But there is neither courage in those thoughts nor inspiration. They don't rouse anyone to more gracious generosity, fresh commitment, and deeper sacrifice. 

As disciples of Jesus we keep our eyes on his life, death, and resurrection and find ways to pull our community together. In today's reading from Acts, concerning the first major crisis in the post-Resurrection church, we first hear Peter and then James endorsing the positions of Paul and Barnabas. Right there in the heart of conservative Jerusalem, they decided to welcome gentiles into full fellowship with the Jewish disciples of Jesus. If the decision meant a radical revision of Church and an irrevocable departure from the Judaism, it was clearly the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

It would be painful and confusing and would certainly demand a deep, ongoing conversion. No one had expected it or prepared for it during their nine day novena following the Lord's Ascension. Although Jesus had demonstrated an openness to gentiles, he never spoke of it. But carrying the Gospel to the ends of the earth was not just for the scattered children of Abraham. It included everyone, even antipodeans. The adjustments might never end. 

But the joy of the Lord makes it first imaginable, and then possible. We'll find a way; we'll make it work. 

During these days of deep division in the United States, we do well remember the joy of Easter, and to practice it with courage. 

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