We just experienced another April Fool’s Day and I don’t know why, but it surprises me every year. I’m one of the gullible ones who gets fooled easily on April Fool’s Day in part because it’s not on my radar at all. This is not an invitation to prank me next year, but, in all honesty, by next year I will have forgotten that I told you this and I will have also completely spaced that April Fool’s Day is a thing again. So, if pranking is your thing, I am easy prey. For example, it took me entirely too long to get that no one is actually making hot dog flavored sparkling water when I saw the ad on April 1st. Or that Lake Tahoe wasn’t actually going to be closed for the summer for cleaning. I was thinking, “Couldn’t hurt to give the ecosystem up there a rest.”

I’d like to say my gullibility is a sign of intelligence, but sadly no. For those of us who fall for things a bit too easily (which is arguably all of us), I think it’s a sign of our humanness.

Humans are capable of believing really wild things. We can live in our heads, where the dots all seem to connect in ways that make us feel good, feel like we’re in control while simultaneously being completely unhooked from reality.

Like folks who believe the Earth is flat. Apparently, their arguments can seem quite compelling. The dots seem to line up. The unfortunate thing for them, is that it doesn’t meet reality. While we may not believe in the flat Earth theory (or at least that’s my assumption), we are all prone to believing things that seem compelling in our heads more than believing what is actually true.

Here’s the thing, though. Reality matters. What’s actually true matters more than the delusions and comforting stories we cling to. However, getting in touch with what is actually real is not necessarily our “go to” strategy in life.

We have all been guilty of believing our own stories about other folks in our lives only to find that our stories were completely not true. We have also all fallen for stories that others told us that were also not true, but we so wanted to believe, and so we did.

I heard a quote once that has stuck with me over the years. This wise person (whoever they are) said, “If your livelihood is dependent on you not knowing something, then you won’t know it.” How do smart, good people “not know” about illegal toxic dumping of chemicals at their companies even if they are the ones doing the dumping. Or how can abuse within organizations just go on and on without people knowing? Or sometimes how we can deny the existence of major health problems while we feel (and ignore) big symptoms?  

Humans are so good at self-justification and evasion of reality. But we are called in our life with God to enter into reality with our eyes and ears and hearts open to what is real.

That’s what I am hearing in these texts today. Our texts are all speaking to how we are together in our communities, with each other, and with Jesus in our actual lives. These texts are less about what we “think” and “believe” about things than they are about actions and our physicality. Jesus breathes on the disciples and invites Thomas to touch his wounds. In the Acts text, we hear about how the early church lived out their faith with generosity. They didn’t think about generously giving to their church and community. They did it … in reality. In the second reading, we are being called to be transformed and live our beliefs in our lives, in reality. People’s hands are getting dirty and worn in these texts by living out the gospel.

Thomas has something to teach us about asking to be shown what is real more than being satisfied with just ideas. The gospel of John was written well after the death of Jesus and this scripture was written for those who came after Jesus’ ascension, as in you and I. Blessed are we who come to believe without being able to touch Jesus’ wounds. Indeed, we who did not get to live during that time are still blessed and included in the resurrection of Christ. That said, we are all likely here because we have had an experience or two or three with our risen Lord.

That too is real and we get to ask for that from Jesus.

I wonder how many of us in this room have stories where we prayed for a sign, prayed to have God show us something in a way that we couldn’t miss, just like Thomas asking to see and touch Jesus’ wounds. Ann Black and I share a story like this. When Celebration was still looking for our wonderful Sunday School Director, Pr Dave was on sabbatical so I stepped in to help with the hiring decision. When Ann applied, she came in for a short interview. Towards the end of our time together, I said something like, “Well, it’s obvious that you’re the right person for the job.” Ann was I believe a bit stunned by this because she had prayed earlier that day about the job and this interview, asking that God make it “obvious” whether or not this was the job for her. We both had a good laugh and were also a bit struck by God’s sign to us, making things even more obvious than the already were.

Do you have a story like this? If not, maybe consider praying like Ann and like Thomas, asking for something clear and in your physical reality to show up for you. Our prayers are not like ordering off a menu. We don’t always get what we want. But we are given answers to prayers, all the same.  

In addition to the great day of April Fool’s Day, it was also just Easter and we will be in the Easter season for the next few weeks. During Eastertide, this time in the church calendar, I thought we would explore the realities of how we live our lives in the spirit of Easter. What does this actually mean for us. When we say ‘we are Easter people,’ what does this mean in our lives and in our world? What does this mean for our relationships? How we treat ourselves? Our planet? Our communities? What does it all mean for us in reality?

This phrase “Easter people” comes from Pope John Paul II. He wrote, “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’”

I love his statement that we do not pretend that life is all beauty. We do not deny reality. We do not deny Jesus’ wounds, but instead embrace them as a sign of God’s grace and generosity. We, as Easter people, are free to wade into the depths of reality without fear (or at least less fear), because we “live in the light” of the resurrection. We can go into dark places, reckon with hard truths because we know the resurrection is a true and glorious thing, not just because we were told so, but because of our experiences and our lives.

We can go even more boldly into the dark in community with others. Walking boldly into the dark on your own can be overwhelming, even with Jesus.

So, take a look around. These are all people who likely would be honored to walk into the dark with you as your companion. If you are not on the precipice of hard things yourself at the moment, maybe now is a good time to check in with others. Let us put our resurrection-loving hearts into real and vital action. Let it guide how we give, interact with each other, ourselves, and the world. Let Jesus’ heart and wounds guide the way for us.

Jesus’ resurrection is not an April Fool’s joke. It is real. How do we know? We experience it to be real on one level or another. At fellowship today, I invite you to share your resurrection stories. You can share little ones, like the one Ann and I share. You can share the big ones. If you have yet to have this experience in a way that feels real to you, pray for it. Watch for it. You too can be like Thomas and Ann. Ask for that sign and watch for it, because it will be given. And for this, we the Easter people give thanks!

AMEN