April 15 Update from Eliana Maxim

Dear friends, 

This Eastertide I’ve been thinking a lot about how the assorted followers of Jesus must have felt upon discovering an empty tomb, and a mystery unfolding and still incomprehensible to them. Luke’s final chapter provides us vignettes of good-hearted folks trying to navigate the hard reality of Jesus’ earthly death, and each in their own way.  

The women at the tomb arrive to anoint and tend to the body, desiring to physically hold their beloved one last time, to demonstrate care. The men on the road to Emmaus process the crisis through conversation, talking it all through, trying to find the logic to their situation. The disciples as a group gather in community to commiserate, to grieve, and have something to eat.  

The interesting thing to me is that in their own ways of processing the crisis they’ve encountered, the same net effect results: Jesus makes himself present to them, speaks into their confusion, opens their minds, reinterprets scripture considering the events, breaks bread with them which in turn ends with a worshipful experience. 

Presence.  Conversation.  Understanding.  Rereading scripture.  Communion in community.  Worship.  

We all engage in crises in our lifetimes. And many times, they are more like changes or transitions. Yet, I wonder if the pattern we see play out in Luke might not be helpful to us as well. Perhaps your congregation is entering into a season of pastoral transition. Or there is a need to spend time in reflection and assessment about who your church is and why it is. What if your faith community is wrestling with the simple question on viability and sustainability? 

Can this process work for us as well? Presence sounds like a no brainer, but so many times in a challenging time, the temptation is to either flee or simply be absent from the strain. Staying in the moment, staying in relationship forces us not to look away from the challenge, but rather see it part of being community.  

Conversation and understanding are crucial and ones we tend to overestimate at how well we do them. Conversation requires deep listening which can lead to understanding that which we may not have agreed with or considered. That’s not to say that conversation will automatically lead to unanimous agreement on matters, but it can certainly lead us to discovery and wondering.  “Their eyes were opened...”. (31) 

In these encounters, Scripture is either quoted or reinterpreted. “... the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners“ (7). “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself...” (27) How can we center Scripture, its reading and interpretation in our moments of communal crisis? So that, as it does in Luke’s final chapter, offering opportunities for communion and worship. “Were not our hearts burning within us?”(32)  

Sacred moments of breaking bread and giving God thanks for indeed being Emanuel, a God with us who has journeyed with us in the challenging spaces of our lives. “And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (52)  

Not everything has been resolved, a lot of answers are missing, and frankly, their future is unknown. Yet imagine staying in community joyfully, worshipfully because Christ is in our crisis, in our conversations and Biblical discernment. This is my prayer for you, church. My prayer for us all. 

In grace and peace, 

Rev. Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter