Practicing Resurrection Step 2
- 10 hours ago
- 1 min read
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Acts 2. 36. - 41
In today's reading from Acts, Peter struggles to convince the people that the Jesus whom they crucified is now Risen. "God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified," he says. The little line which they are recorded saying "they were cut to the heart" struck me today. Sort of like the cock crowing for Peter and the wonderful old spiritual "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" and the stab in the back we feel when we know we are complicit with a tragic deed, a sin or a cruelty. But there is a note of redemption in their response..."Brothers what should we do?"
With 20/20 hindsight we can recognize they are practicing resurrection here!
And so we might ask ourselves, "Sisters what should we do?" We have betrayed, deceived and denied, and again I ask, "Sisters and Brothers what should we do?" Peter's crowd took his advice to repent and be baptised and that day, "about three thousand persons were added, " Luke tells us.
In her short little poem, Instructions for living a life, Mary Oliver gives us some other suggestions:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
These might be our practicing resurrection orders for today. Warm up your vocal cords!!!
Happy Easter, my friends.
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