The Luminous Podcast

Peace Be With You | Rev. Chad E. JarnaginJohn 20:19-31 (NRSV)Jesus Appears to the Disciples19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”Jesus and Thomas24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”The Purpose of This Book30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.Easter Sunday was last Sunday, but Easter isn’t over, it has just begun. Eastertide or the Great 50 Days of Easter goes until Pentecost. We’ll follow the gospels during this time together. It is always interesting to walk through this time looking at the disciples and how they responded to the resurrection of Jesus. For obvious reasons, it was unlike anything any of them had ever experiencedTrauma changes us… for worse at first… but over time, as we begin to heal and reframe, restore, and reshape our new realities, we will realize that the trauma that was once painful and horrifying… slowly begins to reveal something new, something good, beautiful, and healthy. Along the process is disbelief… hurt, doubt… maybe dread… anxiety. But eventually, our root system begins to work again… life begins to flow and even flourish once more. What are Jesus’ first words to them, as usual? “Peace be with you”… as if to say, guys, settle down, this is really happening… don’t run, don’t freak out… it is me… again, “peace be with you”… It’s interesting to think of our human condition in the light of this passage… in the light of our own realities. We can’t just push through our trauma… we have to patiently and intentionally navigate it. To begin to heal, we must receive the peace being offered to us… as Christ offered his friends when he magically appeared to them for the first time after his burial. “The resurrection is not an alien power breaking into God’s world,” but that it reveals a deeper reality that has always been there, a spiritual reality. We do not see it because we are totally consumed by seeing with our nearsighted eyes and the eye of the mind… instead of with a spirit-sightedness. We need to open up in ourselves and in one another the eye of the soul. “We fix our eyes not on what is seen,” writes St. Paul, “but on what is unseen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18). 
NT Wright said something like, “the message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and… we are invited to belong.”

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Easter 2020 From Harlinsdale Farms, Franklin, TN | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginMatthew 28:1-10 (NRSV)The Resurrection of Jesus28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”Resurrection: The act of rising from the dead.These unprecedented days bring us many questions. We are all in the middle of new realities. Everything is new. New ways of dinning, shopping, worshiping, living… new ways of worry, new uncertainties… income and job loss… life lost. Today, we’re supposed to unearth our alleluias that were buried as we began Lent... and when we finally find our alleluias again, we will probably never be the same.Early on in the outbreak, I mentioned: This is our life. These are the terms. Now, what is the invitation? These invitations have certainly looked different for everyone.Deep joy and beauty comes after deep pain and death. Joy eventually returns after mourning… The realities of resurrection joy & celebration of Easter exists because of Christ’s life, death, and rising. We’ll all find ourselves in these cycles and rhythms. As much pain, tension, and hurt we see in the world, there are moments of resurrection to be found when humans, sons and daughters show life, light, and love. This is what practicing resurrection looks like.
The resurrection of Christ reveals that death, darkness, pandemics, isolation will not have the final say. The Light from the beginning of time is still traveling and expanding the universe. Somewhere, Darkness is seeing light for the very first time.Our Creator has written the promise of the resurrection in every leaf and bloom of springtime. May our invitation be one to rest and heal. An invitation to listen where nothing but noise is found. An invitation to be hope, light, and life.

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Good Friday | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginGood Friday may seem counterintuitive since the day is a solemn one, observed with our fasting and somber reflections. Why is Good Friday called Good Friday? Good used to mean holy. Today, is Holy Friday. These days, we need some holiness to come near to us. So, let’s lean in… into Good Friday.Psalm 22 is the Psalm for today. It begins with My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It goes on to say, why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and my night, but I find no rest… yet, you are holy…We can find ourselves joining with the sufferings of Jesus during these days. Though none of us are on a cross, humanity is bearing a collective cross on this coronavirus… and if we listen, we can sense groaning… humanity’s cry… and yet… you are holy. There is an invitation of perspective to be had. At the beginning of human creation humans were not meant for death. This may be why death, tragedy, and pandemics are so traumatic, confusing, & unbearable for the human race.Suffering is a focal point which reveals the dimensions of where our humanity still attempts to reject this decay… until we are eventually overcome with it. His love & blood flowed mingled down from the cross that day - Seeing death in a new way, his followers scattered and fled.The invitation of Good Friday: to be reminded that there is perspective to be embraced. It is about us entering the difference between God and humanity… and touching it for a moment. - It’s like touching the sadness of humanity's insistence that we are in control, and have no need of help.Good Friday is a blend of faint Hosannas (a plea to be saved), suffering and pain… and humanity waiting in the tension… for it is finished… and we wait with the hope of unearthing our alleluias. A curiously empty day,As if the world's lifeHad gone underground.The April sunWarming the dry grassMakes pale spring promisesBut nothing comes to pass.AngerRelaxes into despairAs we remember our helplessness,Remember him hanging there.We have purchased the spicesBut they must wait for tomorrow.We shall keep todayFor emptiness and sorrow. -Elizabeth Rooney (1924-99)

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Holy Week | Palm Sunday - Fr. Chad E. JarnaginMay the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14) Today is the last Sunday of no “alleluias”… There’s a difference between Hosanna and Alleluia. Hallelujah is Hebrew (literally meaning praise Yahweh). Alleluia is Latin, derived from the Greek - Where Hosanna is an explanation used as “a plea to save us”… Saved in greek means “to be made well… given peace… rescued… restored.”Before we find or resurrect our Hallelujah again next Sunday, today, we say, Hosanna (our plea to be saved)… (where?) in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (blessed are they who come to be restored), Hosanna in the highest…Palm Sunday begins with triumph and praise, but it is short lived. The readings reflect the rising tension that surrounds Jesus. It culminates in the events that follow - his betrayal, trial and death.What began as cries to be saved soon turns to burying alleluias. What better outcome for those who see Jesus as a radical traitor to their faith, and a threat to their political security, that he should be killed in the brutal way reserved for the worst of criminals?The story doesn't end here… nor does it end there… this is not the end.Many of us may feel like this is the end: the end of the work, the end of our lifestyle… for many of us will never be the same.Psalm 31: 14But I trust in you, O Lord;    I say, “You are my God.”15 My times are in your hand;    deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.16 Let your face shine upon your servant;    save me in your steadfast love. This is not the end.

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Psalm 130Waiting for Divine Redemption1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.2 Lord, hear my voice!Let your ears be attentive    to the voice of my supplications!3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,    Lord, who could stand?4 But there is forgiveness with you,    so that you may be revered.5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,    and in his word I hope;6 my soul waits for the Lord    more than those who watch for the morning,    more than those who watch for the morning.7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,    and with him is great power to redeem.8 It is he who will redeem Israel    from all its iniquities.The Gospel today is John 11:1-45 (NRSV) - In the story of Lazarus, John 11:21- Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”What a story of the Divine and humanity converging… with Jesus weeping… why did he weep? Was it for the death of Lazarus, the sorrow that his family was experiencing or was it that at a point before, they doubted that Jesus could or would raise Lazarus? The disbelief that Jesus could raise him up may have moved him to tears… and if that is true, this is to say that Christ’s concern for our humanity is deep. Christ is the way God connects and communes with humanity. Jesus is God in our human context. The Word made flesh. God with us. Christ understands and empathizes with humanity during pandemics, famines, wars, and past, present, and future disease.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginPsalm 23 (NRSV) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside still waters;  he restores my soul.He leads me in right paths    for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,    I fear no evil;for you are with me;    your rod and your staff—    they comfort me. You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me    all the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord    my whole life long.The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.In this portion of John 9:1-41 (the Gospel today), Jesus is revealing the works of God. Christ continues to be revealed as the light of the world. He is seen as he truly is… today, we need to see Jesus as he truly is, not as we make him out to be. Here’s where I think we have the biggest problem with Jesus - because light exposes everything. This light shows us what is happening in the world and what is happening in ourselves… but there is Good News in this revelation… The Greek for this is meta·noia (a transformative change of heart).Since the outbreak realities over the past week, I have been guiding us through the idea of “this is our life, these are the terms, now, what is the invitation?” That may be different for each of us during this time… but collectively, it may be “who are we when it is all stripped away?” Our refusal of the invitation would be such a waist of our attention and opportunity. Sometimes the spiritually blind refuse to be healed. Sometimes we refuse to see what is right if front of us, even if we have always had our sight. The truth of our conditions are sometimes difficult to face, but to refuse spiritual healing is refuse the gospel… to refuse hope. For those who want to receive the invitation is to receive the Good News… of hope and peace in Christ… especially during uncertain times like these.*Music by The Brilliance

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LENT | Our Help - Fr. Chad E. JarnaginPsalm 121 (NRSV)1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.4 He who keeps Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.5 The Lord is your keeper;the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day,nor the moon by night.7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keepyour going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.Psalm 121 is poetic assurance of God’s presence and activity. Many of us resonate with books of poetry in Scripture because of the rhythm and cadence they have. We have to think that they writers wrote them intentionally. 
This psalm is a process of change. It gives us an effect of God’s presence - Maybe these kinds of psalms can help us with our perspective... which is a changed way of seeing or observation.“We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the present and let our illusions die.” W.H. Auden (Apropos of Many Things)Illusions are that which we have fabricated or constructed to give us a sense of safety, worth, or even identity.There is an ultimate place to look for help. Sometime we look to “alternatives”. But this psalmist tells us to seek help from Yahweh. May this be a reminder that changing our perspective sometimes requires us to actually change.When David looked at those hills, he saw something more. For as many as ten or fifteen years, David had hidden in those very hills, from a brutal king who was trying to kill him. So, in those hills, he saw protection. He saw deliverance. David knew the presence of God in those hills. When he became king, he wanted to remember that even in the darkest places, God was still there... fulfilling the promise He had given him when he was a young, even when it seemed impossible.I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.

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Recognition & Returning | Chad E. JarnaginMatthew 4:12-23 (NRSV)Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people who sat in darknesshave seen a great light,and for those who sat in the region and shadow of deathlight has dawned.”17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”Jesus Calls the First Disciples18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.In the Gospel today, a new phase seems to be opening up. John the Baptist is removed from the scene, and Jesus’ public ministry begins. John’s work was one of preparation. It seems that the message of John the Baptist is a continuation of the call of the prophets to “turn” (or “return”) to God.
The message of repentance is always difficult to hear until it is embraces as a rhythmic practice. Confession (recognition) and repentance (turning or returning) always precedes hope. There is no healthy way forward without “turning” or returning... There is no discipleship... there is no true or sustaining peace. Many of us struggle with finding purpose in life... because we settle for a lesser or easier way... without going to deeper places. Places of pain... struggle... or difficult inner work. We try to go without preparation.As Jesus begins calling his first disciples, they drop everything and follow him. And, the way Matthew tells the story is striking. We are given no preparation for this... but something should tell us that their lives up to that point led them to be ready for a new purpose...The call to repentance prepares the way. Ideally, we leave past trespasses, hurts, and sins behind for a new way forward. In this way, we see Jesus as an in-breaking of God’s Kingdom, peace and justice. All preparation led and leads to newness, renewal.

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Advent | Waiting with Doubt | The Rev. Chad E. JarnaginMatthew 11:2-11 (NRSV)2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,who will prepare your way before you.’11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.Over the years we have been reconditioned to be less and less patient. Waiting is a lost art. Today, we want to push a button and instantly get resolve... Think about how instantaneous our expectations are. We just want the end results... we don’t want the waiting. Many things can happen in the waiting. Mostly, we create false narratives in place of what may happen... we can also get distracted and forget what we are waiting for. John the Baptist even begins to doubt during his time in prison.The argument can be made that over the past few generations, we have sanitized Advent... what was created for waiting, we have removed entirely... There were 400 years of waiting after Malachi prophesied about forthcoming justice in the arrival of the Messiah. Frankly, there are no easy answers as to why God makes humanity wait for what is good or just. No wonder doubt and discontent have their way with most of us in long seasons of waiting.In our waiting... longing, we can either resist or embrace the waiting... and there can be strength found in stillness.Deep joy comes from deep living. Happiness isn’t the same as joy. Happiness tends to usually be dictated by circumstances... but joy can be embodied regardless. The idea that joys comes in the morning is because there was mourning the night before.I think it makes perfect sense that John the Baptist is doubting - it must have been natural to wonder why Jesus would leave him behind. This is actually a common issue - understanding that Jesus is doing something amazing, but not feeling it in our own life... so doubts begin to creep in.Jesus ends his response to John by saying ‘Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.’ The words ‘take no offense’ can also be translated as ‘stumble’. It seems that Jesus is encouraging John in his doubts, not rebuking him. He is acknowledging that faith is not easy and that those who never doubt are truly unique.Instead of running away from his doubts, and deciding to lose faith in Jesus, John asks the question, and seeks an answer from the source - not just accepting what he hears from someone else. He doesn’t have much of a choice, so... John is actively seeking... waiting.In our moments of doubt, rather than pretending our doubts don’t exist, we can: adjust our expectations, ask the questions... in our waiting. There is opportunity for communion in the doubt and uncertainty.You are not alone in the waiting.

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