Called Into Relationship

When I was young, Mom would call us to the dinner table when it was time to wash our hands and eat. This should sound familiar to many. If my siblings and I were in the house at the time, it was a simple call and response. The way I remember, I was never demonstrative enough with my gratitude for this caring generosity. I say it now in print, I am thankful that we had food, that my mom and dad were faithful in preparing it for us and getting it on the table. Here and there we were reminded that being polite meant we thanked each other, for kindnesses, so there were prompted times when I thanked Mom for the food and her efforts. Now, I say it from the heart: I am grateful.

In those days kids had huge stretches of unsupervised time. In my neighborhood, there was an open lot right off of our alley. It was part of the undeveloped property of the Cullen family. This was our sports field and on that lot, we engaged in several kinds of contests. When involved in those games, it was hard to pull away. My mother would step outside and ring a loud bell for dinner time. Several households had their dinner bell and we could differentiate the tones. For my mom, the bell meant, “Stop what you are doing right now and come home. For us, it meant, “Let’s just finish this inning.” She called, and we stalled. The delay meant dinner was cold for me, my parents were disappointed, and that I was missing out on the more important thing: being present with my family when they circled the table for a meal.

I looked over the prayer and lessons for Tuesday in Easter week, and the theme that rang out for me was a presence with God for this life and for always. Christ has made it possible to be in a joyful, real presence with God. The Savior has called us into the fellowship; it is up to us to respond. The Collect of the Day uses the word itself: “presence”, as you can see.

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

For us, the resurrection has meant that death is destroyed and replaced with life and immortality. It has meant we are raised with Christ and can abide—remain—in his presence, looking joyfully to the hope of the eternal life that this life only points to at its best with little hints. Our highest experiences here are a small foretaste of the glorious, “nearer” presence promised.

We are called into God’s presence always. The Acts of the Apostles reading that goes with Tuesday in Easter Week (2:36-41), Peter has been preaching, and those listening are said to be “cut to the heart” and they ask the Apostles what they must do. Recognizing they have heard the call, Peter tells them to repent and be baptized; he says further that they “will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He adds, “For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." We have the Great Fifty Days season of Easter to seal our acute awareness of God’s call to us. We can learn to recognize God’s voice and respond.

When we look into John 20:11-18 we find Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb of Jesus after his death. She is distraught to find that the body is missing. She finds two figures in the tomb (angels) and asks them what they can tell her. She does not speak in terms of the body of Jesus, she said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." I take from this that she is aching for the presence of some kind with her Teacher. She wants to know where he is. Just then she turns and there is Jesus, only she does not recognize him. He asks her why she’s weeping and whom she is looking for. She asks the man where they have taken him, meaning Jesus. Then there is what feels remarkably intimate: Jesus says her name, “Mary”. Hearing that, she recognizes him and called out, “Teacher”. She has found the one she came seeking, but she has found him alive. She was seeking the most she thought she could hope for, but she found more. Mary, the disciple, found her beloved Rabbi, alive.

We should respond to the call of an intimate relationship with God. All those years ago, I really should have dropped all and come home for dinner when called. That hot meal and the warmth of family meant more than that final out amongst the young gladiators of the neighborhood. I really wish I had not so routinely irritated my parents, ignoring the call. In matters of the Spirit, how good it would be now, to be responsive, and receive the good things to which God is calling us.