The Second Sunday of Easter is often called Low Sunday. 

Some refer to it 

as like a “postpartum depression Sunday” 

after the high mountaintop experiences of Holy Week. 

We’re back to normal or below-average attendance, 

the music is more subdued, 

and the flowers are either past their prime, or gone.

But our response to God for the miracle of the resurrection 

remains the same: 

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

Our congregation’s main task one week later is still: praise!

No bells or trumpets are needed to praise God for raising Jesus.

It may be a little harder to sing today than last week, 

but even if we’re a little hoarse or timid: that’s OK.

Gathered together in whatever numbers, 

we sing and worship ourselves into believing,

in community.

Gathered together, we can encourage one another.

Individually, we might sometimes question ourselves: “am I crazy to believe in Jesus Christ?”, 

but in our assembly we remind ourselves, 

“look, there are others here 

who believe in the resurrection as well!”

So, what does the resurrection mean for us?

Why should we care about it,

and what difference does it make in our lives?

Why should we bother to attend worship the week after Easter Sunday?

—

Our reading from First Peter gives us some clues.

(V3) God by his great mercy has given us NEW BIRTH into a LIVING HOPE through the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST from the dead.

There are many benefits that “Peter” ascribes to the resurrection:

First of all, eternal life:

Death is vanquished through Jesus’ raising, 

showing that death is not the most powerful force in our lives. 

We are saved from the power of sin and death.

Also, we have a heavenly inheritance, 

a promised home with God that will be revealed at the end of time, 

and we can rest secure that we have eternal protection under the great Redeemer and Rescuer, Jesus Christ.

We also have a family in fellow Christians, the body of the risen Saviour, who can help us and be with us.

Of course not all is yet fulfilled, 

we still await the full outcome of our faith, 

And so our salvation is a bit dulled, 

But we can still gather with anticipation and joy, 

rejoicing in what is already clear to us.

This can give us hope in difficult times,

And keep our faith, our trust in God going, 

when the going gets tough.

—

The idea is that the resurrection gives us hope, 

and can make a difference in our times of trial.

“Peter” writes:

(V6) in this (realization, and knowledge of the resurrection) rejoice, 

even though you suffer through various trials 

(that is the reality of life that suffering accompanies us).

This is all

(V7) so that … your faith 

(which is more precious than gold which is tested by fire), 

that the quality of your faith may be found to result in praise, 

glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Why do we have our times of trial?

Why do we have to suffer in our life?

There are a few reasons for Suffering given in the Bible:

In some passages it’s punishment for sin, 

and in other passages, it’s definitely not punishment for sin.

Suffering is on occasion described as an incomprehensible mystery.

Sometimes suffering is seen as God’s way of teaching patience and trust.

It’s this last reason that “Peter” brings forward:

That “what doesn’t break you makes you stronger.”

That sufferings are necessary to help us learn and become more wise,

Just like how gold is refined through fire to become pure and shiny,

So sufferings make us better and more pure.

Now this isn’t a perfect theory, 

and there are definitely cases where suffering is not redemptive, 

but it is a relatively helpful framework to understand suffering, 

and can help us maintain hope amidst a sometimes confusing and depressing world.

Since we know that Christ also experienced distress, we can see our sufferings as sharing Christ’s sufferings,

And see how close we are to God, who is not just a distant God, 

but who took on flesh and blood 

and understands what it means to be human, 

with all its ups and downs.

Because of this, we can have a glorious joy; 

through our love and belief in Jesus Christ,

We can rejoice in our love of Jesus, even though we do not see him.

We can gather on a “Low” Sunday like this and praise God 

with glory and honour,

Focussing our attention on God, rather than on what causes us pain.

We know through the resurrection that we are granted eternal salvation,

But this is not just reserved for life after our death.

(Paul) Tillich once wrote: “salvation is derived from the words 

“healing or “whole” and can be applied to every act of healing: 

to the healing of sickness, of demonic possession, 

To the healing of servitude to sin and to the ultimate power of death”.

In other words, being saved through the resurrection also includes healing of body and mind, here in this world.

Thus, salvation is something that can be experienced in small doses even now, when we receive healing through community, 

through sharing gifts with each other.

—

One amazing area I’ve recently discovered salvation, 

the power of the resurrection and how God is alive 

and active in our congregation is through our recently begun “Revive” Programme.

A group of ten members and myself have been meeting now on Wednesday evenings,

reflecting on our spiritual stories and preferences,

And deepening our relationship with God though discussion, 

exploring new spiritual devotional practices, worship, silence, and yes, even some tears.

It’s been a real “Wow!” experience for us.

I really see resurrection life in this group,

And our work together has fed me and the participants 

in only 3 sessions so far.

We’ve created a safe space to talk about what faith means to us,

And discover how our life stories have refined us like gold, 

how sometimes our sufferings have shaped us to be more willing followers of Christ, and reoriented our lives to the power of the resurrection and God’s love for all people.

We’ve also started to grasp how God has healed us in some ways from the hurts and pain we have experienced, 

and given us strength to get on with our lives.

—

In order to remind ourselves of God’s healing abilities, 

esp. after this long, COVID time of trial,I wanted to start a regular monthly practice during Sunday worship, which we’ll begin today.

It’s a time for prayer for healing of mind, body and soul.

It’s about reminding ourselves of the salvation powers that are here in the present,

Giving strength for our life’s journey.

In Biblical times Jesus and his disciples practiced the laying on of hands on the sick to heal them.

The book of James (ch 5) talks about elders praying over the sick and anointing them with oil.

“Providing support and comfort to people who are sick has been one of the central activities and missions of the church”. (“The Christian Life”) 

And the laying on of hands and anointing with oil 

was a key ritual in the early church, 

although it got sidelined during the Reformation.

The order of healing has a strong connection with Baptism, 

where you might most frequently witness the anointing with oil; 

where the sign of the cross on the infant’s forehead is traced after their baptism with water.

But Baptism is not the only time this can happen!

The laying on of hands and anointing is appropriate at any time.

It is a tangible form of God’s blessing! 

It’s a little more physical and real than just a simple prayer, 

as it involves the senses of touch and smell.

The feel of the weight of the pastor’s hands on your head, 

the smell of the anointing oil containing special fragrances like Bergamot, Frankincense, and Spikenard.

I’ve personally experienced it to be a powerful ritual, and I know it can be meaningful for people.

The laying on of hands is another gift of God through the church that I think we need to reclaim in an ordered, calm way.

This is not about those miracle healing antics 

like you might have seen with some sensationalist tele-evangelists.

There are no grand theatrics, just traditional prayers, 

and simple Biblical anointing,

And it provides a good counterpart to our very heady Lutheran Word-centered worship, with something a little more touchy-feely, a little more charismatic, which recognizes that we are not just minds, but flesh and blood, with skin, hearts and feelings.

In the order of Healing and Laying on of Hands, 

there isn’t an expectation of experience of cure 

as result of one’s participation.

Rather we proclaim the “gifts of wholeness, well-being and peace that can endure through any disease, clinical diagnosis or death itself.”

In the rite we don’t focus on success as being as simple as a miraculous instaneous cure.

Instead it is a reminder of God’s gifts of wholeness, peace and love that are remarkably powerful and eternal.

—

So to conclude,

we can rejoice on this low Sunday that the resurrection gives us hope for our lives and makes a difference through our trials.

We can rejoice in the powers of salvation which can be felt here and now through conversation among the faithful,

As well as through ministries of the church, such as the order of Healing, the Word and the Sacraments.

Rejoice, because through Jesus’ death and resurrection you receive peace in God now and though eternity.

And I pray that our times of Healing and Laying on of Hands may bring peace and wholeness to you.