Have you ever heard of the term….
“Thin Slicing?”
And I am not talking about a beautiful birthday cake…
or a nice piece of Apple pie.
This is an idea or concept.
Well, if you are a fan of the Canadian journalist
Malcolm Gladwell,
like I am,
you might remember Gladwell introduced this term
a few years back in his book called,
Blink.
Gladwell,
makes the claim
that quick decisions
based on narrow slices of experience
are actually more effective…
than decisions based on
long term process thought and consideration.
Now, my apologies here go out to those of you
who do consulting for a living,
Because,
I actually believe Gladwell is on to something.
When he says,
snap decisions made “in the blink of an eye”--
can reveal…“everlasting Truth.”
At least, according to Gladwell,
for some individuals
first impressions, gut feelings and knee-jerk reactions
are often, quite reliable.
To prove his point, he packs this book with,
great examples such as when
Art Historians can spot a fake in a second;
Marriage counselors will know, within minutes
after a couple walks into their office,
whether or not
they will make it past five years.
A tennis coach who can tell when a player
is about to double-fault.
It’s all about “thin-slicing,” he says…
that is, developing the skill to notice,
in a split-second,
by a certain look,
or a tilt of the head,
what is going to happen.
To break it all down,
a “snap judgment”
is usually “right-on-the-money.”
We can trust our instincts…
it’s ok to “go with that gut feeling.”
So on this most Holy Night…
and in this Ancient Easter Vigil liturgy,
what does your gut tell you about
believing in the power of Resurrected Christ?
Certainly, there are many in popular culture today
who make a living trying their very best to debunk
the Resurrection of Jesus.
Well, if you are wondering about this, too…
you would be been in the same boat
with some of those early disciples, long ago
who failed to notice the ultimate thin slice,
on that early Easter Sunday morning.
BUT,
fortunately for us,
there was still one person left,
who trusted her gut that morning,
when she woke up.
Mary Magdalene.
She knew deep down in her heart,
that Jesus would never leave her.
She got up that morning
and walked out to the tomb one more time.
And there in just a split-second she encountered
the glory of the Risen Christ
and, in the blink of an eye,
she knew her life and the life of all the disciples --
that is you and me --
would never be the same again.
Mary Magdalene trusted her gut feeling,
that the God of Abraham who loved her into creation,
would never abandon her to the darkness of death.
None of us here tonight
have set our eyes on the Risen Christ just yet
as Mary Magdalene did or Peter, John, or Thomas.
But when it comes to what we truly believe,
about Christ and our life after death…
what does your “gut-reaction” tell you?
The poet Gerard Manly Hopkins said,
the risen and glorified Christ presence,
“plays in a thousand places,”
in Extraordinary experiences,
in Ordinary friends
and in all the “thin slices” in between.
There are many sure signs of the Resurrection
“slicing” their way into our life today…
in things we see, hear and touch…
They are found in the child we hold,
or the feel of a canoe paddle moving through clear water…
we can come to trust what we see and feel.
But Faith is a funny thing, isn’t it?
It is not always easy.
For me, faith is really about taking that leap…
going with my gut,
even when my head tells me something else.
The Holy Spirit can show us the way…
to those thin slices revealing the TRUTH
And the truth is –
Jesus Christ has been Risen from the Dead…
He is Alive…
and in the blink of an eye,
we are all set free forever!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen,
The Lord is Risen, indeed.
Amen.
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