Thought for Today

Genesis 1:5  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.  

2 Chronicles 29:17  They began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD; then for eight days they sanctified the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.  

John 20:19  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."  

1 Corinthians 16:2  On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come.

What is it about Mondays? Why do people almost universally hate the first day of the week? Is it that we ‘crash’ after the ‘sugar-high’ of the weekend? Even the cartoon cat Garfield hates Mondays. Mondays following holidays seem even worse.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. Throughout Christendom, Christian churches celebrated the Empty Tomb. Today is Monday. Last week had Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Should we name today Crash Monday, as we ‘come down’ from the emotional, spiritual ‘high’ of yesterday?

Many awoke this morning to news of the death of the Roman Catholic Pope, Francis. Interestingly, numerous medical studies have shown an increase in mortality rates around Christmas and New Years of about 4%. I have never seen evidence of any corresponding increase associated with Easter; however, some studies have noticed evidence among Jews of similar mortality rate variations associated with Passover.

But, today is the Monday following Easter. Following yesterday’s sunrise services, Easter worship celebrations, special family meals and other holiday events, today we return to the ‘real’ world. It was even worse for those 11 remaining disciples and the other followers of Jesus. The first day of their week began (in John’s gospel) with Mary Magdalene going to that tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. The disciples “first day of the week” began with “the doors of the house where the disciples had met . . .  locked for fear of the Jews.” Their first day began with their huddling behind closed and locked doors, fearful of persecution, of guilt by association. Their world had collapsed around them.

It is important for Christians everywhere to remember on this Monday, this first day of our work week, just how the disciples ‘first day’ of that week concluded. “Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Two simple words in Greek, εἰρήνη ὑμῖν (iraina humin).

Is there a lesson there for us today? This Monday and most Mondays, we are more likely to remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “6:14 They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.” Ours is not a world awash  in peace. We remember Jesus’ warning earlier to those same disciples, “24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . . “ We do still hear of wars and of more than mere rumors of wars.

Even individual lives are not spared the turmoil of upheavals. Certainly the lives of our Catholic brothers and sisters in the faith are in turmoil today. They are grieving. The loss of a beloved leader always brings some degree of fear and concern for the followers of that leader.

Although Protestants do not follow the Catholic faith or the leadership of any Pope, our lives are no less subject to the vicissitudes of life. Those wars and rumors of wars, all of the military conflict in our world contribute to our uncertainties and fears. Economic cycles, family relationships and all of the other aspects of human life can be sources of fear and turmoil.

Today, every Monday . . . and all the other days of the week, we need to remember Mary Magdalene’s declaration to those disciples, “20:18 I have seen the Lord.” Every day we should focus on Jesus’ words, "Peace be with you." Jeremiah was wrong, there is peace, the peace won by the empty tomb, the peace given to us by the Risen Son of God.

Stay safe, enjoy the peace of Christ, trust God,

Pastor Ray