The Choice
I remember in Southern California one interesting day where the weather was just right, and if one timed it perfectly they could be in the snow and on a warm beach during the same day. So, there I began my day after a drive up to the Angeles Forest where there was snow. A little over an hour or so later I drove down the hill, stopped to change from winter wear into summer wear and by lunchtime I was at the beach working on my tan.
The climate was so perfect that I could choose a day in the snow, a day at the beach, a little of each. It was my choice, and I made it. If the choice was yours, what would you have done?
Choices have been one of the themes we can mine from our Easter Gospel readings the last few Sundays. Two weeks ago the disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, and had a choice; to remain in their saddened state over the earthly death of Jesus or to have a renewed spirit. The chose the latter and shared the news; reinvigorated by their witness the immediately share their experience with others.
Last week we were provided the parable from the Gospel of John reminding us of the image with Jesus as the Good Shepherd, offering his followers the choice to follow him ever closer towards the gate, to be led astray, or retreat.
This morning the disciples are faced with a choice in a time of fear. The reading takes place before the crucifixion but offers us a glimpse at what all followers wrestle with. As they grasp the understanding that Jesus will be leaving them upon his death they afraid. What will they do without him? Jesus reminds him that he and God have great love for them and that they need not be worried. They are together now, and because of that experience they have what it takes to continue his work. Also, they will again one day be reunited with him; in God’s heavenly kingdom they will be together. In short, he is telling them to not worry. Their fear emanates from the idea that they will lose Jesus. “Perish that thought,” is what he seems to be telling them. They WILL be together again. Yet the question hangs in the air, during that time of separation what will they do with it. They have a choice. What will they choose to do?
That question is yours as well. What will you chose? What will you do with your time here on earth? Like the disciples we have the opportunity to learn from Jesus, to visually recognize him in the world around us and breaking of the bread, as well as opportunities to hear his voice. We see, we hear, we learn. With that we have the choice to respond? What might that be?
In the Acts of the Apostles we see what the apostle Stephen does with his choice. He follows Jesus to the point that the end of his life echoes that of the Christ. Like Jesus, proclaims God, like Jesus Stephen is persecuted, tortured and put to death. Finally, like Jesus with his dying breath, Stephen asks God to forgive his persecutors. Stephen’s choice is to follow and imitate Christ.
Now, of course I am not advocating that we become martyrs here. Christian martyrdom was tied into the culture in the day for someone like Stephen who dared to live out his faith so fully. Though we are encouraged to also follow Christ faithfully, most of us will not be so threatened by our faith.
That is not to say it is easy being a Christian today. For instance, when Billy Graham was hospitalized a few weeks back I discovered this via an article on the internet. As many news pages have today there was a comment section below and I was saddened by the lack of angry diatribes against Graham and against Christianity. One in particular called him a carnival barker cheating people out of money and those who followed him a bunch of rubes. Now we all can probably think of carnival barker, flashy televangelists, but even the most skeptical people who looked into those types of preachers find Billy Graham to be the real thing.
I share this as probably a mild example of the temperature that Christians face out in the world today. It is not easy. We may not be killed for our faith, but it still is not easy to share our faith. It is not easy, but through our Gospel this morning Jesus reminds us that he is with us, and thanks be to God he waits for us, and what we do as we learn from Jesus until the time we are reunited with him is our choice. We do have a choice.
So does Saul who is quietly featured in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles. We only get this early glimpse of Saul as the crowd warms up to bring harm to Stephen as they go from one stage to another they throw of their coats as they prepare to get down to business. What is Saul doing? If we only look at this section of the reading we might answer “nothing.” He is just standing there. But the transformation accomplished by the men throwing of their coats might be the symbolism of the transformation to come soon when Saul has his conversion and becomes known as Paul.
We can be assured, however that Saul is not an innocent bystander. In fact the next chapter of Acts shows Saul hungrily going after Christians and bringing harm to them. Perhaps the dramatic appearance with the coats at his feet symbolizes to us the idea I remember once reading from Bishop Desmond Tutu, that in the face of cruel oppression if you stand by and do nothing, you implicitly give the oppressor permission to act.
Thus Paul reminds us that in the midst of living out our faith in whatever why we choose, we have a choice. The choice to the choice to recognize the Jesus in our midst, the choice to follow his voice, and today we are reminded that we have the choice to act accordingly, or, even with our inaction to allow oppression to continue.
The choice is ours my friends….the choice….what are you going to do with yours?
Amen
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