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Church of Our
Saviour
191 Flanagan Way (Rt 153) Secaucus, NJ 07094
Tel: 201-863-1449
Fax: 201-863-1474
Mark A. Lewis,
Vicar
MLewis@secaucus.org
Dorothy Fowlkes
Pastoral Associate
This page revised 22
Apr 01
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oursaviour
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The Hallmark
We Bear
Reflections on the
lessons
for the Second Sunday of Eastertide, 22 April
2001
By The Rev. Mark A. Lewis, Vicar
Job 42:1-6 Psalm 111
Revelation 1:9-19 John
20:19-31
One of my favorite things to have around me is silver. It's not really about silver having more value than, say, aluminum or brass. I just love the way it looks. And I love thinking about how silver is made. Even brand new silverware has quite a bit of handwork involved in its manufacture. And I like handmade things.
Old silver has even more personality and attention to detail. For me, there's just no comparison between a plastic spoon and a spoon that some human being took a hammer and pounded out by hand a hundred and fifty years ago. I love thinking about who made it. And where. And how the world was then. And how many people have used even simple, everyday items over many generations. Silver has history. And character. And beauty to boot. And all of its history is right there for all to see.
I also love silver for its integrity. It's the same through and through. And it's well documented. The markings on most all silver (English especially) can pinpoint when and where it was made. And exactly what went into making it. And any engraving on it - initials or crests - gives at least a hint of who used it first. American silver is kind of subtly marked. But English silver is clear as a bell. Somewhere on every piece, in plain sight, will be its hallmarks.
Hallmarks have that name because originally, many years ago, all items made of silver -- pots, dishes, trays, utensils, or jewelry -- were produced by a member of a guild, or union. And at one time those guild members met and worked in large rooms called guildhalls. And the marks of each guildhall were stamped onto every item made there.
They tell you two things. First, the marks tell you that the item is actually what it appears to be -- that it is in fact an item made of silver of a certain purity, not illegally cut with other, cheaper metals. So, a hallmark is a guarantee of quality. The second thing a Hallmark tells is who made the product and where. It gives location and parentage to the piece. Hallmarks tell you what something's made of and who's responsible for how it looks.
In England, a little lion stamp says the silver is 925 parts per thousand silver (with some copper in it for strength). If there is a leopard's head, that piece comes from London. The hallmark of the guild in Sheffield is a crown. An anchor means Birmingham. A trademark names the smith. Then a code letter pinpoints the exact year an item was fabricated.
All this business about hallmarks started in 1300 when King Edward passed a law to safeguard the strength of the British currency (pound sterling) saying that no precious metal could be sold without these content marks.
The reason for all this detail about hallmarks is because I think they speak to one of the themes in today's readings, and in the Christian life. In the gospel today we heard about Thomas. He wasn't with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to them after the resurrection, and when they told him about it his reaction was perfectly normal. He didn't believe that someone he had seen dead and buried could be back at it again.
Thomas had a healthy skepticism. He just didn't feel inclined to believe the unbelievable until he had some kind of proof. "Unless I see the marks", he said, "I need to reserve judgment". If Thomas had been an American, he would have been from Missouri, the Show Me state. A state, I should add, where most people live -- in the spiritual sense. Most of us, no matter what is said about how blessed it is for us to believe without seeing, really want to see first. Like Thomas, we want some evidence before we accept what other people tell us, particularly when they are telling us things that seem impossible.
Why shouldn't Thomas, or anyone else, ask to see the marks before he buys the goods? You don't pay sterling prices for a spoon with no hallmarks. You might not even want the unmarked item at all. Thomas's question was a good one. And Jesus' understanding response compels all his followers to be as willing as Jesus was to show anyone who's curious the marks of Christian love. How can we expect people to believe that life has triumphed over death without providing some evidence that it's real? I know that Jesus said to Thomas after showing him the marks of his self-giving love: "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." But I don't think quoting that verse to a skeptic will help anything.
When you look at the gospel reading today one thing stands out very clearly. The very first time Jesus appeared to his disciples in the upper room he showed them his hallmarks -- this a full week before he showed Thomas the wounds that pierced his hands. And Jesus didn't even wait for the disciples to ask that first time.
I think what Jesus meant when he said "Blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet have believed" is simply and precisely that. People are lucky when the Good News of God's love for absolutely everyone seems obviously true. Blessed are they who start walking in faith before they have all the answers to their questions, because they will start experiencing the benefits of believing that they are worthy of love right away and it only gets better from there. But in no way was Jesus suggesting that there are no blessings -- or even second-best blessings -- for those who believe after seeing. "Whatever it takes," Jesus says, "do it."
Today, Jesus has passed on the job of bearing the hallmarks of God's love from his own individual body to his new body, the collective Body of Christ. To us. Now the marks of God's love are shown, or are meant to be shown in us. And the current hallmarks don't look like the old ones -- like wounds. The hallmark people can look for to authenticate us as people in fellowship with God is simply a life that resembles Jesus'. The stamps -- we are reminded at every baptism -- are perseverance against evil, loving our neighbors as ourselves, striving for justice, and respecting the dignity of every human being. People who bear those emblems are sure to be part of the people of God.
Most people have no problem believing in the power of life and new birth when they can plainly see it with their eyes. And see the authentication right out front. And that's the job for us. For anyone who wants to show God to the world. The marks of Christ need to be plainly visible on the people who claim his name and who walk by his light. And Jesus himself taught from the very day of resurrection that anyone who is curious has a perfect right to ask to see and touch those marks at any time. Yes, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. But equally blessed are those who have seen. And blessed too are we who bear those marks and show it by how we love each other.
-- Mark Lewis
Your comments or questions are welcome MLewis@secaucus.org.
Links to additional "Reflections on Lessons" may be found at the bottom of the Sunday web page.
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