Disciples have not been living a usual life. They’ve been living an unusual life with an unusual guide, Jesus, a peacemaker. Usual life is living under warmaking rulers. Rulers judge common people’s sins and calculate the payment they must suffer through to be redeemed of their sinner status. The payment might be money or property, or even their life. Unusual life consists of a community of men and women, who neither judge nor extort payment from sinners but give love, and act not as killers but as healers. All of it is very disturbing to the usual rulers. So, the usual rulers took their usual actions and killed the unusual Jesus. For a time, Jesus’ disciples blend into the usual, afraid they too will be killed. And then, disciples claim Jesus appeared to them, Risen – quite unusual. Unusual as well, he ascends and leaves his abiding Spirit. Encouraged by Jesus’ abiding Spirit, they too now begin leading unusual lives and acting as unusual guides.
Do peacemakers appreciate the unusual nature of our life witness? Do self titled Christians appreciate it or are they among the usual? If we are self-title Christians in this present culture we are taking positions as the usual rulers. We are making the usual judgments about the usual people for the usual sins and inflicting the usual harm. We usually talk and work and play so as to not disturb the usual way. Even the songs we have been singing over the Easter season do not disturb the usual lies we tell about Jesus. For example, “Jesus Christ is ris’n today, – our triumphant holy day, – who did once upon the cross – suffer to redeem our loss” – No. That is not why he suffered, to redeem our loss. He suffered because soldiers tortured him. “Hymns of praise then let us sing – unto Christ our heav’nly King, – who endured the cross and grave, – sinners to redeem and save” – Again, no to the sinning, redeeming, and saving. Also, Jesus is not another king. It was the usual kingship set that ordered his execution. Even the very unusual Resurrection is made usual. Jesus resurrection heals us of rulers, their judgments justifying suffering, and their violence. Yet all have been twisted back around again into the usual story of a savior king and the suffering and violence that save us. How does any of it help us live unusual lives and act as unusual guides like Jesus. It does not. Jesus was a peacemaker, a commoner who loved and healed. We are not called to lead the same usual lives under the same usual rulers who killed Jesus.
We can stop the usual retelling of Militarism’s usual cover story for rulers’ usual crimes – that dominating, torturing, and killing people is godly, salvific. It is not salvific when done by Roman soldiers in ancient Palestine. It is not salvific when done by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not salvific when done by U.S. agents at the southern border. We are not saved by U.S. Border Patrol police destroying water cans left for people in the desert. We are saved – meaning we are salved or healed – by people like Scott Warren. Mr. Warren is a volunteer with No More Deaths who is taking the unusual action of guiding people to water in the desert. Mr. Warren is taking this action because, as is usual in empire, rulers and their minions are judging common people’s plight as asylees and immigrants sinful and have decided the payment they must suffer through is their very life. The usual rulers have thus arrested Mr. Warren, put him on trial, and threatened him with 20 years in jail. Mr. Warren however, a peacemaker, persists in giving witness to our unusual life. Scott Warren is a commoner reaching out to other commoners, loving them, and healing them.
Prayer: Jesus Christ is Risen today. Amen.
Question: How unusual am I for the Christs of my world?
June 02, 2019 Gospel Luke 24:46-53 Ascension