We gather in the middle of this wonderful season of easter. I want to start with a story I heard recently and it has stayed with me and I’ve reflected on it a great deal. I think it makes sense in context of today’s readings and certainly the gospel.  

It’s a story about a young man by the name of Rocky Dennis. Rocky Dennis was born with a very rare genetic disease. The disease caused great bone structure misshaping of his skull and of his face. Many found it hard simply to look at him. They found it difficult. They were put off by sort of this grotesque look. But Rocky had an inner beauty and he attracted some good friends who stuck with him over time.  

One day they went to an amusement park and they walked into the house of mirrors. Now if you’ve ever been in the house of mirrors, the mirrors distort everything and they went into the house of mirrors, all of them, and they’re laughing and they’re looking at each other. Some are real skinny, some real tall, some real heavy. And then they looked at Rocky. For whatever reasons, the mirrors had distorted him as well, but distorted his face. And he appeared to them as an extraordinarily handsome young man. His friends commented on that to him. And they said furthermore that they saw the inner beauty now expressed in this house of mirrors, Seeing their friend Rocky in a new way and in a new light.  

Today, we have a post resurrection story. Jesus appears to his disciples, his apostles, and they’re frightened. They don’t understand. He appears to them in a new way, in a new understanding. Jesus who’s no longer bound by time or by space. He eats, he has conversation, He shows the wounds and they recognize him through the wounds. They come to understand and see the beauty of the resurrected lord and their faith is deepened.  

It’s a beautiful story in the post resurrection narratives about our lord and how people continue to recognize him in his risen body, in his glory. And he will tell his disciples to tell this good news of the risen lord and to preach it to all the world, to you and to me.