Come Together

"Here come old flattop. He come grooving up slowly. He got joo-joo eyeball. He one holy roller. He got hair down to his knee Got to be a joker he just do what he please... Come Together right now over me!

I know, Miss Dawn's got her Beatles going on again.. and yes, she usually does, although in reflecting upon today's Gospel this song just keeps "coming over me!"

I have to laugh thinking that although this song is portraying the Beatles individually during a time of angst for them it also makes me think of Jesus coming into the room to visit the Disciples during their angst that first day of the week after the Resurrection. (still Easter).

Honestly, get the visual as you sing along.. HAH.. I can't help thinking that if John Lennon were present that fate filled evening this is somewhat how he would describe Jesus' surprise visit! The Disciples, all but Thomas, waiting in a room... Kind of like Paul not being with the group much in those days. Forewarned to meet there by Mary Magdalene, (the Yoko Ono sideboard), they awaited the man to cross over that proverbial crosswalk from Heaven to Earth in his white dazzling suit and say "Hi guys... I told you this would happen." And so he did. "My peace I leave you, my peace I give you." Such powerful words to live by.

" I know you and you know me, One thing I can tell you is you got to be free." Come together, right now, Over me!

This broken and repaired Jesus was back to the very people who spent His final days in hiding. Afraid of what may happen to them. Not being near Jesus in his final hours. Here Jesus was back with them risen, and telling them in his groovy way that although they are frightened by this mess that he leaves with them with His peace.... So Come together, right now over me!

Jesus breathes new life into them and gives them a dosage of Holy Spirit to over come the fears, carry on and keep Jesus' peace inside them to face the harder days ahead. He was there to let them know he had not given up on them. He was there to build real discipleship now!
The disciples know that they are staring into the sweetest joo-joo eyeballs they have ever seen. They are believers! He got feet down below his knees- implying that he isn't kneeling anymore. He is Risen, stand up straight and believe.

Thomas, our doubting friend of the bunch is absent for this meeting. I love teaching this Gospel to children as I immediately follow up with a delicious snack of course... "Thomas' English Muffins!" You know the ones with lots of holes!! No one knows where Thomas is the day Jesus' comes back. Fishing? Downtime? Anxiety? Who knows. But he is informed when he does come around finally that in fact Jesus kept His promise. He was back and bigger than ever! A doubter by trade, Thomas replies, "I am sorry, I don't think so."

"Unless I see him with my eyes and place my finger into his wounds, "hold you in His armchair so you can feel His disease... will I believe!" Funny way to think of this isn't it? All 10 who were witness to Jesus assured Thomas that this was real. (Remember Judas is gone). How could Thomas, and more importantly why would Thomas not believe these folks who had become such a tight knit group? He surely heard the premonition, the prophesy, "He got early warning, he got muddy water, He one Mojo Filter.. and He said, "One and One and One is three," professed over and over by Jesus in the days leading toward this. Why would one doubt? Thomas must have "been so good lookin' it was so hard to see." Come together, right now, over me~

The next week in the same room Jesus shows himself again. This time Thomas is present. He still is reluctant until Jesus approaches him.. right in-his-face-style work... (sometimes as Jesus does for us all), and proclaims to Thomas that, in fact, this is, really real! It all did happen regardless of what seemed impossible and doubtful. After Thomas held Him in his armchair he surely knew that a living Christ was before him. He dropped, not having feet below his knees, and professed publicly the error in his ways. The spirit moved upon Thomas. The roller coaster was over.

"Blessed are those who do not see, but believe." says Jesus. Come together right now over me! Go, tell the world I would like them to begin doing that very thing each week.

And so we do.
The Walrus