What happened to the parade?

Easter morning is all flowers and Alleluias and excitement and, well, resurrection!  For the Church, it is THE celebration of the year....well, of all time, but each year we try to pull out the stops.

Then we get to hear about the disciples hiding and Jesus appearing although the door was locked and Thomas coming to deep faith.

Then we get to hear about Jesus serving brunch on the beach and Peter hearing that he is loved, loved, loved and being sent out into the world to tell others of Jesus and take care of Jesus' flock.

And then.....we get sheep.  The sheep hear my voice.  The sheep know me.  The sheep, the sheep, the sheep.

The fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday, and although it is a great image and a most reassuring message, I often wonder how we lost the celebration of resurrection so quickly, moving from Alleluia, from confetti and loud trumpets, to 'he makes me to lie down in green pastures.'  It seems we go from wonder to slumber much too quickly.

There are lots of gospel lessons that ooze resurrection and two of them bookend this section of John's gospel where the Good Shepherd is the main character.  First, in chapter 9, we have the healing of the man who was born blind.  Now just in case you think this is an ordinary healing I will point out two things:  in this story the fact that this man was Born. Blind. is mentioned 8 times in 34 verses with an additional 2 mentioned of the fact that he was bling.  Someone is making a point here.

Second, is the final words of the man who was born blind but who now sees "Here is an astonishing thing!...Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind."

Now there's a story of God doing a new thing right under our noses.  Never since the world began....that is definitely a 'new thing' .....the kind of new thing that Isaiah predicts and is manifest in the empty tomb.

We could never see who Jesus is/was/will be without Jesus coming to us and removing the veil over our eyes.  We would walk around, managing our lives, making a living, but we would not know Jesus and through Jesus, God the Father.

Through Jesus, we now have the ability to see, praise, worship, proclaim, and live out our lives as people healed by God.

Folks, that is resurrection.  A great story for the 4th Sunday of Easter.

That is not the story we are given....but boy would it have made a great sermon.  It gives us a strong image to shape our imagination.  It helps explain how our existence has shifted because of Jesus' presence and gift.

We start this week giving thanks that Jesus came and healed all who were born blind and gave them new life.  Amen