2024..05.12 | Calmed
“Calmed”
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, Senior Minister & Executive Director
Eden United Church of Christ, Hayward, California
Seventh Sunday of Easter | Festival of the Christian Home
May 12, 2024
Mt. 28:16-20 (Español) & Phil. 4:4-9 (Español)
Anxiety. If there is one word that can best describe the mood of the apostles in both the gospel and epistle lessons for this last Sunday in the season of Easter, today, that word is anxiety.
Consider the setting for both passages. Matthew 28:16-20 is the final episode in Mathew’s gospel. Jesus has died. He was buried in an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had gone to the cemetery to do what mourners do. But instead of a sealed grave, they experienced an earthquake, and encountered an angel who appeared like lightning, descending from heaven, who had rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
The soldiers at the cemetery were so freaked out that they fell to the ground and played dead. But the women, the Marys, had a bit more courage. They stood their ground, and listened to the angel who led them into the empty tomb, interpreted these earth-shattering events, and explained that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that he had gone ahead of them to Galilee, where they should go and see him.
The women did as the angel said. They ran to tell the other apostles what they had seen and heard, and invited them to go on to Galilee. Somewhere between Golgotha and Galilee, somewhere between their encounter with the angel and their testifying to the apostles, these women named Mary, met Jesus.
He reiterated the angel’s charge to go and tell the apostles to meet him in Galilee. They did as Jesus commanded. And, there in Galilee, he commissioned the apostles to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the triune God, and teaching everyone who they met everything that he had taught them.
Matthew doesn’t explicitly state the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ charge, but I don’t think you had to be there to appreciate the reason that the final sentence in this gospel is “...remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus gave this reminder, because the disciples were anxious. The truth be told--they were probably terrified. And all that Jesus had to offer in hopes of providing them comfort and instilling in them some courage was the promise to be with them to the end of the age.
II
The setting and sentiment that we encounter in the epistle today is similar to the commissioning of the disciples in Matthew in that the sender and recipients of this message had plenty of reason to be anxious.
For starters, Paul was writing from a Roman prison to a new Gentilian Christians in the hinterlands of Macedonia. If Jesus could be imprisoned and crucified, and Paul could be persecuted and imprisoned, then surely the recipients of this letter were vulnerable to these eventualities.
In addition, Epaphroditus, who delivered this epistle to the Philippians, was just barely recovered from a life threatening illness, so his fragile health was a reminder of their own physical limits, and finite existence.
The impact of false teachers and teachings was a third concern shared by Paul and the Philippians. He was surrounded by false teachers in jail, and word had gotten back to him that there were missionaries in Philippi who were teaching the need to adopt to works righteousness theologies rather than preaching Christ's message of love and grace. So there was plenty to be anxious about in Philippi.
Anxiety. If there is one word that can best describe the mood of the apostles in both the gospel and the epistle lessons today that word is anxiety.
III
I probably don’t have to cite any of the numerous psycho-social studies that have been conducted on US residents or other populations around the world to convince you that we live in anxious times.
As a congregation filled with students, educators, allied and service workers, PTA members, administrators, school board members, and retirees, we are acutely aware of the psychological toll that the pandemic has had on the socio-emotional health of our students.
Some kids lived their best lives during the SIP, because they didn’t have to face bullies; because concerns about testing were dialed down; and/or because they flourished in a 1|1 student-teacher ratio with a parent or other family member who became their private tutor during COVID.
But for most kids, sheltering in place, away from friends and in-person teachers, they suffered social and emotional delays, and some haven’t yet recovered enough to return to in-person school.
Meanwhile, most of our teachers--including our master teachers--were slammed by the challenge of having to rethink and recreate pedagogical models for the remote learning environment; and by gaining more than a glimpse of the troubled home lives of some of their students, about which they could do pretty much nothing.
My deepest sympathies throughout the pandemic and my constant prayers during the pandemic went out to those among us who were trying to do it all: stay well, supervise their children’s education, look out for their fragile parents, and try not to loose their heads or their jobs, while supervising other people who were dealing with their own menagerie of challenges.
I’d like to stand here and be able to tell you that things are all better, now that the SIP is over, but pastors aren’t supposed to lie. I’ve got too much anecdotal data and read too many EdSource articles to believe that we’re all better. We’re not. And here in the 94541 zip code, I explain that we have “long COVID.” We may have weathered the health crisis better than some other zip codes, but it’s going to take us multiple years to recover from the psycho-social and economic effects of COVID.
What, pray tell, is a Christian to do in these anxious times?
IV
I’m not an MD or a Psychiatrist, but have a doctorate in homiletics and I’m a trained observer of human behavior, so I’m going to venture a response to the question, what’s a Christian to do in these anxious times?
Nothing. Accept that this situation is bigger than any--maybe all--of us.
Pray.
We could start with the Serenity Prayer, which is attributed to UCC theologian Rheinhold Neihbur. It goes like this: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Count your blessings.
Walk the labyrinth.
Exercise. Move your body. Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional wellbeing, and lower rates of mental illness. Exercise is important for people with mental illness – it not only boosts our mood, concentration and alertness, but improves our cardiovascular and overall physical health. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous, structured or take a long time to have benefits. Any exercise is better than none. And 2.5-5 hours of moderate physical activity, or 1.25-2.5 hours of vigorous physical activity per week are ideal.
Talk. Break the isolation. Remember that Jesus never sent people out alone. He sent them two-by-two, and in groups of 12 and 70. Branch out. Find a buddy. Join a peer group. Talk with your medical doctor. Ask if there’s a medication that might help ameliorate your symptoms and get the “wheels” moving in the right direction. Sign yourself up for therapy. Give yourself a break.
All of the above. The Rev. Cheryl Harrel, who was both a UMC pastor and psycho-therapist, and a friend who I met in Boston while in grad school once shared with me that she wouldn’t accept clients who weren’t willing to
V
Think of these examples as part of your starter kit. None of them is a panacea. The approach we choose should be custom-made to suit our respective needs and circumstances. We will know that we are making progress as we begin to experience the type of peace (and the presence of God) that Jesus was talking about.