The Sunday Scripture: Luke 24:36-48                 

The first Easter had no good music yet, no trumpets, handbells, or "Hallelujah Chorus." Jesus arose without a soundtrack, no "selfies," no PR firm coordinating YouTube videos showing Jesus smiling with ordinary people. There was no Twitter fake news add placement to give you the Pro-Pilate point of view! There was lots of confusion, skepticism, rumors, and wild speculation, like watching Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

Here is a quick summary of post-Easter reactions displayed by Jesus's disciples.

Mark 16:8: "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." 

Really inspiring, isn't it? Nice work, disciples. Carpe diem! On several occasions, Jesus's disciples did not recognize him. In Matthew's Gospel, Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener and asks Jesus if he knows where his body was taken. (That's a bad Monday morning. More coffee please!) On the road to Emmaus, two disciples do not recognize Jesus. 

"17 And (Jesus) said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place in these days?" 

This story is like the TV show where the CEO dresses in jeans and a hoodie to find out what his workers are doing, an episode of "Undercover Boss. 

Since everyone is confused, I don't know why John's Gospel has it in for Thomas, the rationalist who said he would not believe in the resurrection until the autopsy was complete. Jesus says, "Thomas, would you like a stethoscope? You want an EKG or CAT scan. What kind of test do you want?

Here's my favorite line from today's Gospel reading when Jesus appears to the disciples. 

  "⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering." 

What a great description of the emotional impact. You could use that line to fall in love. "While in my joy I was disbelieving and still wondering…" When the Boston Red Sox came back in the 2004 World Series from three losses and beat the Yankees in Game 7, you could say, "While in their joy, Red Sox fans were disbelieving and still wondering." If we could pass some reasonable gun control laws, or perhaps there will be a turning of the political tide away from division and scapegoating, we might say, "in our joy and disbelieving and still wondering."

 If you have trouble with doubt, understanding, or believing the meaning of the resurrection, welcome to the club. What club, you ask? Church! The church is where you can have joy and disbelieving wonder, too! When did we start editing out our very human doubts and confusion and replace it with a misguided and destructive quest for certainty and proof?

In most spheres of life, a level of faith and trust exists without certainty and proof. Look at the global financial situation and all the complex factors during COVID that lead to inflation. Does the Federal Reserve know what will happen next to our economy? Will it be prosperity or hyperinflation? Who knows? Just keep putting money in your 401K and have faith. Despite scientific sophistication in forecasting the weather, we cannot predict with certainty whether you will get 2 inches or 2 feet of snow. It's an educated estimate. Physicists have found it impossible to predict the exact path of an electron. There is a degree of randomness and unpredictability in the very nature of existence. 

If you only believe and act upon things with proven certainty, what will you do with absolute confidence? Martin Luther King, Jr. warned activists against "analysis paralysis." At some point, more data will not help. Stop perfecting the plan and take the next step. Just do it. The need for certainty can be stifling. Certainty can become a tool of repression as our fears of the unknown keep us from acting with faith and love. The repressive reflex of certainty creates three problems.

1) The quest for certainty blinds us to reality. Life is full of unknowns and imperfections. You cannot guarantee successful action by knowing all the facts. Our highest thoughts have a margin of error. Our love has a hint of selfishness. If we are too sure, we won't adapt and change, leading to disaster. 

2) Certainty separates us from one another when we must always be right. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married? Certitude leads us to being judgmental. People who think they have the truth strike me as rigid and defensive. They act superior yet come off as immature. A little humility and curiosity sprinkled into faith take us further in our journey. 

 3) The desire for theological certainty is at the root of religious violence, which has become a major threat to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Too often, righteousness tries to destroy what seems wrong before it is even understood. Being uncertain and living by faith, hope, and trust is not a sign of a weak mind; it is realism in an unpredictable world.

So here is my main point. Don't let your doubt get in the way of the joy and disbelieving wonder. Life is a leap of faith; every act takes faith in something. Getting in your car to buy groceries takes faith that a few hundred drivers will act responsibly and not plow into you. Eating dinner puts faith in farmers and agribusiness who have produced your food. Every bite you eat is faith in some beleaguered FDA inspector. But you are going to eat that sushi anyway, aren't you? That is an act of faith!

How do we move beyond the dangers of analysis paralysis and act confidently in the face of the unknowable? Example #1 comes from 12-step AA advice, "Do the right thing, then do the next right thing." Focus on the first step, not the master plan, for the rest of your life. Sometimes, we avoid the first step to change because we know we are afraid of steps 4 or 5 down the road. We don't see how it will all fit together, so we never start. I ask myself: "What is one thing I can do right now to make things even a little bit better?" 

If your house is a mess, it is hard to know where to start because you know it might take an entire weekend to get it in shape, so why bother? It helps us to say, "Let's start with keeping the kitchen island clear." If I can have one clear, organized space, there is hope! It's the same with your spiritual house. If you feel far from God, like your spiritual life is just going nowhere, you can get trapped into thinking you need a complete change of heart to spend hours praying, read three books, and join a prayer circle. By the time you think about all that, you are so disheartened that you never take a step. Take one step to God. Don't pull out your phone if you have 3 minutes to wait somewhere. Close your eyes and say the Lord's Prayer, or remind yourself of three things you are grateful for. Get yourself off automatic pilot and talk to your co-pilot. None of it gets solved today. Just do the next right thing.

Here is the second example from my favorite book on writing and creativity, "The Artist's Way." Author Julia Cameron says, "When you commit to writing something, expect to be accompanied." Cameron believes that excellent writing does not simply come from talent and self-discipline. It comes when we open to something greater than ourselves, and the best writing seems to flow through us, almost from another source. Some call it their muse inspiration, or we can call it God or the Holy Spirit. We take a step, however shaky and imperfect it might be. Then we are met. We find out we are not in this alone. Then we take the next step. And in our joy, we are accompanied, and disbelieving and still wondering if it is possible, we move forward.

How do we stand living in the uncertainty of the world? Along with the first disciples and the witness of scripture, we embrace faith in our joy while we are "disbelieving and still wondering."  Faith is choosing to live beyond fear, beyond false certainty. Faith is choosing gratitude for what is in front of us. Faith is a path of accepting forgiveness for our imperfections and mistakes because who has it all figured out anyway? It is the hope in things unseen. Faith gives us the desire to love when we don't know what will happen next, the courage to enter the struggle for justice and peace and a trust in the steadfast love of God in whom we live and move and have our being.

Who knows how it will all work out? But we take the next step, staying open to wonder. As you face into a new week, pause and think for a moment what step awaits your action. May you have to courage to live confidently even in the face of uncertainty.