Homily Notes 4th Sunday of Easter 2018
4th Sunday of Easter/ “Jesus is Alive in Us”
We have a Book of the Bible that we read from every day of the Easter Season; The Acts of the Apostles. For seven weeks we read about the history of the early church. If there is a section of the bible that provides accurate Biblical history, it is the Acts of the Apostles. What is the point of this writing. The purpose is not just to provide a history, the purpose is Theological.
During the last several weeks we have remembered a significant event in the history of our country. 50 years ago, the Reverend Martin Luther King was assassinated. Commemorations have been held. Important events in his life have been reenacted from marches to church services.
Significant questions have been asked as well. What are they? One question was whether the drive for racial equality has continued since Kings death? Did the fight for equality end with Martin Luther King? Have new leaders been raised up? Given the tension between ethnic groups and religion we do question this. The thought that many have is that when a leader of a great movement dies, then the cause itself will end.
The Theological purpose of the Acts of the Apostles respond to that concern. Jesus’ message did not die with him. Others took up his ministry. Acts proclaims loudly that Jesus is alive in the world. He lives in the church that started after his death. We define that church as “The Body of Christ.” The apostles were Jesus. We are Jesus. We are to minister as he did.
We have various episodes that show this to be true. In the episode from of Acts, right before the speech from Peter that we read today, we hear how Peter and John go to the temple in Jerusalem. When they arrive, they meet a man unable to walk from birth who asks them for alms. The apostles do not give him money, but they heal him. All of this recalls the many cures of Jesus performed. The action also points to the fact that Jesus is alive. His power is present in his followers.
Peter then fearlessly preaches before the city. He proclaims Christ crucified and risen from the dead. The apostle that had run away in fear now is a courageous witness. He is unconcerned about his safety. He is confident in eternal life. The apostles move with the Spirit. Many of them were not concerned about what others thought of them, what the cost will be, or anything else. The apostles are free of all inhibitions. And there have been Christians who have lived in the same manor throughout the centuries. The challenge for us is whether we will have that same confidence.
We are the church today. We have the task of advancing the message of Jesus. We have exhilarating things that we must do. We have mundane tasks that we are to accomplish. One of the things that we read about in the Acts of the Apostles is how the disciples of Jesus shared their resources. Ministry needed to be paid for. Church people did that. When Apostles like Peter went on mission there were Christians in various places that shared their home, fed the missionaries, gave them a place to stay. Early church members shared the resources they had. We still asked to do that now.
Today, we start our Annual Diocesan Appeal drive. Please pick up the cards in the pew and pass them down. Fill out the front and back. The ADA funds various ministries of the Diocese of Peoria. Sacred Heart’s assessed part of the goal for this year is roughly $147,000. The amount is about $10,000 more than last year. A few of the things ADA funds that our parish benefits from would be the support of seminarians, marriage preparation classes, and diaconate training classes. Three men from our parish and their wives are away this weekend for formation. During the next five years our deacon candidates will be participating in the diaconate program that is largely funded by the ADA.
Last year we came closer to our assessed goal for the Annual Diocesan Appeal than we have in the recent past. We hope to do better this year. To do that, we need your help. You should have received a card in the mail this week. Hopefully, you brought it with you. If you did not, please pick up the cards at the end of the pew and now we will fill them out……The cards can be dropped in the offertory collection in a few minutes.
We are the followers of Jesus. He is alive in us. Hopefully, we show others that by how we live. May our faith in that fact, sustain us in the challenges we face today.