Luke 24:36b-48
April 22, 2012
Third Sunday of Easter
Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
I want to start by asking you an easy question this morning: What is real?
How do we know something is real and not just an illusion, a dream, a figment of our imagination?
You might say, it’s real if I can see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, smell it. That is, experience it with my senses. That’s how we generally tend to define “reality.”
I saw a magician make the Statue of Liberty disappear once on TV. Was that real?
I can’t see, hear, touch, taste, or smell love – does that mean it’s not real? Maybe our senses aren’t the only way to decide if something is real or not.
In college I took an Introduction to Philosophy class. We learned that great minds have been pondering this question for thousands of years – What is real?
The great philosophers of the western world all studied this question: Plato, Aristotle, Descartes. We could turn to those intellectual giants to find out what they had to say. But chances are, I couldn’t understand it any better than I did when I was a freshman in college!
Instead, I’d like to turn to that great classic of philosophical discourse, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. Do you know this children’s book? It’s a classic.
Two toys, the Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse are talking one day. Let me share their dialogue with you. (Remember, this story is from a time when toys were much simpler than today’s electronic and mechanical marvels.)
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.
"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."
When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.
That definition might not satisfy philosophers, but it comes close to what the Bible says about being real – that is, reality comes with RELATIONSHIP.
Let’s go back to today’s Gospel reading. It’s after the Resurrection. The disciples are gathered together.
Peter thinks: “Just three days ago I denied I even knew Jesus. Was that real? Did that really happen?”
John thinks: “Just three days ago we saw Jesus die on the cross. Did that really happen or is it all just a bad dream?
Mary Magdalene wonders: “I talked to the risen Lord in the garden by the empty tomb. Was that real, or was I only imagining it?”
While they’re still trying to figure it out, a mysterious figure appears among them and says, “Peace be with you.” It looks and sounds like Jesus, but at first they think it’s a ghost.
They doubt that it could really be Jesus. Despite reports and rumors that have been filtering back to them, they saw him die on cross; they saw his lifeless body taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb; they saw that huge stone rolled against the entrance. How could it really be Jesus?
They are confused – what is real and what is illusion?
Jesus senses their doubts and fear. He asks, “Why are you so afraid and why do you doubt it’s really me?”
Then he holds out his hands to them and lifts up the hem of his robe to uncover his feet. Why? Because he wants them to see the nail scars, proof positive that it really is him.
“Touch me,” he says, “if you still don’t believe. Would a ghost have skin and bones as you can clearly see that I have?”
Luke writes: “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering” – talk about a total confusion of feelings. They wanted to believe that what they were seeing was real, that it really was Jesus standing in front of them. But how could it be? How could someone die and then come back to life?
Jesus asks for something to eat, and when they hand him a piece of broiled fish, he takes it and eats it right in front of them. There’s No way a ghost or an illusion could do that. He is real. It’s too good to be true!
Finally, he teaches them the scriptures and opens their minds to understand. He reminds them of all the things he had taught them before the crucifixion, and that he had fulfilled all those promises from Moses and the prophets and the psalms.
I think in that moment, Jesus finally becomes real for them. They finally understand everything God did in Jesus and how much God loves them. The reality of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection finally come home to them.
How many times had Jesus told them in the weeks and months leading up to his death that the Messiah was to “suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day?” But they didn’t want to hear those kinds of things. They wanted to believe that there was another way, a way without pain and suffering and death. But they finally came to see that God’s love was made real for us in that very suffering, death, and yes, resurrection of Jesus.
How do we know God is real? Have you ever wondered about that? We can’t prove it with our senses. We can’t see or hear or touch or taste or smell God. Various philosophers and theologians have tried to prove the existence of God down through the centuries, but none has ultimately been successful.
But let me tell you how we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is real:
God becomes real for us through love.
When we really love God, God becomes real. We can read, study, and ponder for a long time, but God only becomes real when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
We just have to lay aside our doubts and fears for a while and love God completely, utterly. In that act of love, God will become more real for you than you’ve ever known.
Jesus did everything necessary to show the disciples that he was real. He spoke to them. He showed them his body, the nail scars in his hands and feet. He ate their food. He taught them the Scriptures.
Then they knew that the One who loved them that much, who was willing to die on the cross for them, was the one they loved and they had no doubts. And they went out into the world to show the whole world that Jesus was real.
But reality also goes the other way too. We become real when we let God love us.
When the Skin Horse told the Velveteen Rabbit how a toy could become real …
"The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad. He wished that he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him."
But the Velveteen Rabbit finally became real when he had slept with the Boy for many nights and he’d been played with until his fur got shabby, his tail came unsewn, and the pink rubbed off his nose where the Boy kissed him.
That’s sort of like how we become real, authentic human beings. When we allow ourselves to be loved by God and we love others, even though that might mean we get bumped and bruised and battered at times by life and by the people we’re trying to love, then we become real.
If you long to know God is real, and you long to know real life, just abandon yourself to God in utter love – to loving and being loved. And you’ll know what is real. Really.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sermon: "Walking in the Light"
1 John 1:1-2:2
April 15, 2012
Second Sunday of Easter
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
A young Marine and his commanding officer boarded a train headed through the mountains of Switzerland. The only empty seats were right across the aisle from a young woman and her grandmother.
After a while, it was obvious that the young woman and the young soldier were interested in each other because they kept giving each other “looks.”
Soon the train passed into a tunnel and it got pitch black. There was the sound of the smack of a kiss followed by the sound of the smack of a slap. When the train emerged from the tunnel, the four sat there without saying a word.
The grandmother thought to herself, “It was very brash of that young soldier to kiss my granddaughter, but I’m glad she slapped him.”
The commanding officer sat there thinking, “I didn’t think the young Marine was brave enough to kiss the girl, but I sure wish she hadn’t missed him when she slapped and hit me!”
The young woman was sitting and thinking: “I’m glad the soldier kissed me, but I wish my grandmother hadn’t slapped him!”
The young Marine sat there with a satisfied smile on his face. He thought to himself: “Life is good. How often does a fellow have the chance to kiss a beautiful girl and slap his commanding officer at the same time?!”
Sometimes we can take advantage of being in the dark, but most of the time it’s better to be in the light, where we can see what’s happening. In today’s reading, John invites us to “walk in the light.” John’s talking about walking in the light of God, but in general terms it’s better to walk in the light.
I get up and walk early in the morning, at 6 a.m. This time of year it’s still pretty dark when I start out, but by the time I finish in about 35 or 40 minutes it’s starting to get light. Because we don’t have any streetlights, for the times of year when it’s dark when I walk, I have a headlamp that I wear to help me see (and also be seen by cars). Sometimes there are skunks still out and about when I walk, so the light helps me see and avoid those critters. I’m looking forward to it getting a little lighter in the morning so I can leave the headlamp at home. That’s one reason I don’t like Daylight Saving Time.
This morning I’d like to talk about what it means to “walk in the light” of God. There’s a South African song that the choir and the children have sung before. In English, it goes:
We are marching in the light of God,
We are marching in the light of God…
In Zulu it is:
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’…
That’s a striking image of how we are supposed to live our lives: walking – or marching – in the light of God.
John begins by testifying that “God is light.” Just think about how many times in the Bible God is compared to light. More times than I can count:
The Lord is my light and my salvation… (Ps. 27:1)
Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… (Ps. 119:105)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… (Is. 9:2)
The LORD will be a light to me… (Mic. 7:8)
God may be compared to light more often in Scripture than any other natural phenomenon. In the grand drama of Creation, light was the first thing that God brought forth.
**Let me mention here one unfortunate outgrowth of Scripture’s description of light as being associated with God and good. The opposite has also been true in many cultures and even in today’s reading.
Verse 5 says: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” Walking in the light is cast as the opposite of “walking in darkness.”
If light is good and of God, darkness has been associated with evil. “Good guys” wear white hats and “bad guys” wear black hats.” Luke Skywalker wears all white while Darth Vader is dressed in black from helmet to boots.
That kind of thing may be okay in symbolic terms, but in the past it has even been extended to people – people with light skin were seen as good or somehow more favored by God while people with darker skin were bad or not favored by God.
That has led to many unfortunate stereotypes and prejudices in culture and in religion, and we must do everything we can to fight against such images. In fact, it has been my experience that people of darker skin color are among the most faithful and faith-filled people I have ever met.
With that said, because God is light, when we walk in the light we are walking with God. A close study of this passage from 1 John reveals four benefits of walking in the light. It means:
• Walking in fellowship
• Walking in forgiveness
• Walking in life
• Walking in joy
Let’s look at these four things briefly.
Walking in Fellowship
John says that when we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. I think that means we have fellowship with other people, but also fellowship with God.
Fellowship is kind of an old fashioned word. It’s another word for “relationship,” but relationship at more than just a surface level. As Christians we are meant to live in deep relationship with other Christians and with God. And those kinds of deep relationships require honesty. They require truthfulness. We can’t really be in relationship with God and with people we care about if we’re not honest and truthful with each other.
The light of God symbolizes that kind of truthfulness that’s necessary for us to walk in fellowship with God and with others. A relationship can’t grow very far if we’re not honest with each other. If I want to walk with the God who is light, I can’t pretend to keep God in the dark about who I really am. I have to trust God with my true self. And one of the core truths about myself that the light of God reveals is that I am a sinner.
I have to face up to that truth about myself if I hope to have any kind of relationship with God or with other people. As John says in verse 8:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We can begin to walk in genuine fellowship and relationship with God and other people when we trust them enough to be honest.
But the fact that I am a sinner does not define who I am completely, because walking in the light also means…
Walking in Forgiveness
First, we have to admit the truth about ourselves that we are sinners and that we are separated from God. But out of that honesty, John says, flows forgiveness:
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God’s light in Christ is the cleansing and life-giving light of forgiveness. John reminds us of the truth that we have just lived through in Holy Week and Easter:
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We can’t walk with the God of light when we are in darkness. But God loves us so much that God provided a way out of the darkness into God’s marvelous light – and that way is Jesus Christ. Jesus is our light of forgiveness.
Walking in the light of God also means…
Walking in Life
Listen again to the way John describes what he has experienced in Christ:
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.
John says the Word of Life was so close in Jesus Christ that he literally heard it, saw it, looked at it, and touched it with his own hands. What we have in the light of God in Jesus Christ is the very light of life itself.
When we walk in God’s light, we walk in life. And it’s the kind of full life that begins here in this life, but extends through all eternity.
Sometimes, like John, we are privileged to glimpse a vision and get a small touch of what eternal life is like.
(Description of my Walk to Emmaus over 20 years ago as an experience of genuine Christian community and foretaste of "heaven.")
Finally, John says, when we walk in the light, we are …
Walking in Joy
In verse 4 he says…
We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Some ancient manuscripts of this letter say: “…so that your joy may be complete.”
Both readings point to the same truth: that when we walk in the light of Christ, we not only walk in fellowship, in forgiveness, and in life, but we walk in true joy. Our joy is complete.
Unfortunately, too often people have the idea that when you become a Christian all the joy goes out of life – you can’t have fun anymore. You have to go around with a long face and be serious all the time.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Of all people, Christians experience the most joy. We experience complete joy, because we have true fellowship with the God who created us and with our neighbors; we have forgiveness of our sins; and we have the promise of rich and abundant life here on earth and in all eternity.
You may never have heard of it before, but some churches celebrate the Sunday after Easter as “Holy Humor Sunday.”
This day roots in the ancient Greek practice of celebrating the day and the week after the resurrection of Jesus as a time of laughter, jokes, and joy. They would tell jokes, play jokes on each other, sing and dance. It drew from their belief that God had played a joke on Satan by raising Jesus from the dead.
That’s one reason I started the sermon today with the joke about the Marine on the train. It’s good to laugh. It’s good to celebrate the Sunday after Easter with a smile on our faces. After all, we have the best news the world has ever heard to celebrate – Jesus is risen and in him eternal life, eternal joy, have been revealed to us.
So in these days and weeks after Easter, let’s remember to walk in the light of God – the light of fellowship; the light of forgiveness; the light of life; the light of joy. Remember…
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’
“We are marching in the light of God!”
Amen.
April 15, 2012
Second Sunday of Easter
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
A young Marine and his commanding officer boarded a train headed through the mountains of Switzerland. The only empty seats were right across the aisle from a young woman and her grandmother.
After a while, it was obvious that the young woman and the young soldier were interested in each other because they kept giving each other “looks.”
Soon the train passed into a tunnel and it got pitch black. There was the sound of the smack of a kiss followed by the sound of the smack of a slap. When the train emerged from the tunnel, the four sat there without saying a word.
The grandmother thought to herself, “It was very brash of that young soldier to kiss my granddaughter, but I’m glad she slapped him.”
The commanding officer sat there thinking, “I didn’t think the young Marine was brave enough to kiss the girl, but I sure wish she hadn’t missed him when she slapped and hit me!”
The young woman was sitting and thinking: “I’m glad the soldier kissed me, but I wish my grandmother hadn’t slapped him!”
The young Marine sat there with a satisfied smile on his face. He thought to himself: “Life is good. How often does a fellow have the chance to kiss a beautiful girl and slap his commanding officer at the same time?!”
Sometimes we can take advantage of being in the dark, but most of the time it’s better to be in the light, where we can see what’s happening. In today’s reading, John invites us to “walk in the light.” John’s talking about walking in the light of God, but in general terms it’s better to walk in the light.
I get up and walk early in the morning, at 6 a.m. This time of year it’s still pretty dark when I start out, but by the time I finish in about 35 or 40 minutes it’s starting to get light. Because we don’t have any streetlights, for the times of year when it’s dark when I walk, I have a headlamp that I wear to help me see (and also be seen by cars). Sometimes there are skunks still out and about when I walk, so the light helps me see and avoid those critters. I’m looking forward to it getting a little lighter in the morning so I can leave the headlamp at home. That’s one reason I don’t like Daylight Saving Time.
This morning I’d like to talk about what it means to “walk in the light” of God. There’s a South African song that the choir and the children have sung before. In English, it goes:
We are marching in the light of God,
We are marching in the light of God…
In Zulu it is:
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’…
That’s a striking image of how we are supposed to live our lives: walking – or marching – in the light of God.
John begins by testifying that “God is light.” Just think about how many times in the Bible God is compared to light. More times than I can count:
The Lord is my light and my salvation… (Ps. 27:1)
Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… (Ps. 119:105)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… (Is. 9:2)
The LORD will be a light to me… (Mic. 7:8)
God may be compared to light more often in Scripture than any other natural phenomenon. In the grand drama of Creation, light was the first thing that God brought forth.
**Let me mention here one unfortunate outgrowth of Scripture’s description of light as being associated with God and good. The opposite has also been true in many cultures and even in today’s reading.
Verse 5 says: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” Walking in the light is cast as the opposite of “walking in darkness.”
If light is good and of God, darkness has been associated with evil. “Good guys” wear white hats and “bad guys” wear black hats.” Luke Skywalker wears all white while Darth Vader is dressed in black from helmet to boots.
That kind of thing may be okay in symbolic terms, but in the past it has even been extended to people – people with light skin were seen as good or somehow more favored by God while people with darker skin were bad or not favored by God.
That has led to many unfortunate stereotypes and prejudices in culture and in religion, and we must do everything we can to fight against such images. In fact, it has been my experience that people of darker skin color are among the most faithful and faith-filled people I have ever met.
With that said, because God is light, when we walk in the light we are walking with God. A close study of this passage from 1 John reveals four benefits of walking in the light. It means:
• Walking in fellowship
• Walking in forgiveness
• Walking in life
• Walking in joy
Let’s look at these four things briefly.
Walking in Fellowship
John says that when we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. I think that means we have fellowship with other people, but also fellowship with God.
Fellowship is kind of an old fashioned word. It’s another word for “relationship,” but relationship at more than just a surface level. As Christians we are meant to live in deep relationship with other Christians and with God. And those kinds of deep relationships require honesty. They require truthfulness. We can’t really be in relationship with God and with people we care about if we’re not honest and truthful with each other.
The light of God symbolizes that kind of truthfulness that’s necessary for us to walk in fellowship with God and with others. A relationship can’t grow very far if we’re not honest with each other. If I want to walk with the God who is light, I can’t pretend to keep God in the dark about who I really am. I have to trust God with my true self. And one of the core truths about myself that the light of God reveals is that I am a sinner.
I have to face up to that truth about myself if I hope to have any kind of relationship with God or with other people. As John says in verse 8:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We can begin to walk in genuine fellowship and relationship with God and other people when we trust them enough to be honest.
But the fact that I am a sinner does not define who I am completely, because walking in the light also means…
Walking in Forgiveness
First, we have to admit the truth about ourselves that we are sinners and that we are separated from God. But out of that honesty, John says, flows forgiveness:
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God’s light in Christ is the cleansing and life-giving light of forgiveness. John reminds us of the truth that we have just lived through in Holy Week and Easter:
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We can’t walk with the God of light when we are in darkness. But God loves us so much that God provided a way out of the darkness into God’s marvelous light – and that way is Jesus Christ. Jesus is our light of forgiveness.
Walking in the light of God also means…
Walking in Life
Listen again to the way John describes what he has experienced in Christ:
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.
John says the Word of Life was so close in Jesus Christ that he literally heard it, saw it, looked at it, and touched it with his own hands. What we have in the light of God in Jesus Christ is the very light of life itself.
When we walk in God’s light, we walk in life. And it’s the kind of full life that begins here in this life, but extends through all eternity.
Sometimes, like John, we are privileged to glimpse a vision and get a small touch of what eternal life is like.
(Description of my Walk to Emmaus over 20 years ago as an experience of genuine Christian community and foretaste of "heaven.")
Finally, John says, when we walk in the light, we are …
Walking in Joy
In verse 4 he says…
We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Some ancient manuscripts of this letter say: “…so that your joy may be complete.”
Both readings point to the same truth: that when we walk in the light of Christ, we not only walk in fellowship, in forgiveness, and in life, but we walk in true joy. Our joy is complete.
Unfortunately, too often people have the idea that when you become a Christian all the joy goes out of life – you can’t have fun anymore. You have to go around with a long face and be serious all the time.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Of all people, Christians experience the most joy. We experience complete joy, because we have true fellowship with the God who created us and with our neighbors; we have forgiveness of our sins; and we have the promise of rich and abundant life here on earth and in all eternity.
You may never have heard of it before, but some churches celebrate the Sunday after Easter as “Holy Humor Sunday.”
This day roots in the ancient Greek practice of celebrating the day and the week after the resurrection of Jesus as a time of laughter, jokes, and joy. They would tell jokes, play jokes on each other, sing and dance. It drew from their belief that God had played a joke on Satan by raising Jesus from the dead.
That’s one reason I started the sermon today with the joke about the Marine on the train. It’s good to laugh. It’s good to celebrate the Sunday after Easter with a smile on our faces. After all, we have the best news the world has ever heard to celebrate – Jesus is risen and in him eternal life, eternal joy, have been revealed to us.
So in these days and weeks after Easter, let’s remember to walk in the light of God – the light of fellowship; the light of forgiveness; the light of life; the light of joy. Remember…
Si-ya-hamb’ e-ku-kha-nyen’ kwen-khos’
“We are marching in the light of God!”
Amen.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Sermon: "Why I Believe in the Resurrection"
Why I Believe in the Resurrection
John 20:1-18
April 8, 2012
Easter Sunday
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Salem, North Carolina (as in Winston-Salem, NC) was founded by Moravians, a particular brand of German Protestants, back in the 1750s. The Moravian traditions are preserved today in the old historic village of Salem. One of the special events celebrated every year in Old Salem is the Easter Sunrise service, that began in 1772.
Early every Easter morning, thousands of people, many of them tourists, make their way towards the courtyard in front of the 200-year old Moravian church.
Before daylight, 500 members of various brass bands echo hymns from different parts of city. Everyone converges on Salem square to listen to the almost mystical sounding music.
As the first hint of the rising sun begins to soften the darkness, a hush falls over the vast throng of worshipers. When the church bell tolls at 6 a.m., the Bishop emerges from the church and announces in his loud, unwavering voice, "Christ is risen!" And the crowd thunders back, "Christ is risen indeed!"
Then the band begins to play "Christ the Lord is risen today" and everyone joins in singing in front of church.
Then in total silence, they walk in faithful procession to "God's Acre," an ancient cemetery, where all the gravestones, freshly-polished the day before, are covered with flowers. Even the oldest graves, some dating back almost 300 yrs, are decorated with forsythia, jonquils, tulips, azaleas -- whatever happens to be blooming at the time.
The service concludes there, with more singing and remembrance of those who have died since last Easter. Then in awesome silence, with the beauty of the flowers all around, it's as if the living are united with the dead in worship.
One writer who witnessed this event said, "When you are in the midst of all this majesty and beauty, you can't fail to believe in the resurrection."
It seems like everyone believes at Easter. Churches are filled with worshipers. It’s hard not to believe when you’re surrounded by flowers and music and lilies and crowds of people.
But what about the other 364 days of the year? Is our belief in the resurrection as unwavering? Apart from the pageantry of Easter, can belief that Jesus was raised from the dead be sustained in the modern world?
What's at stake? Is it really all that important? If Paul is to be believed, everything is at stake.
1 Cor. 15 says it is a matter of "first importance."
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures… (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Paul goes on to say that without the resurrection, the Christian faith falls apart:
If Christ has not been raised, our proclamation and faith are in vain … If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins … If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Without the resurrection, the Christian faith is just a nice set of ideas, and not even true ones, because they all hinge on this event on which all history turns.
But this Easter Sunday I want to reaffirm with Paul, who goes on to say in 1 Cor. 15: 20, "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead."
W.E. Sangster, a great preacher silenced by a progressive illness, wrote to a friend:
It is a terrible thing to be unable to stand in the pulpit on Easter Sunday and say "Christ is risen," but I can think of something much worse. That is to stand in a pulpit on Easter Sunday and not say, "Christ is risen!"
I sometimes wonder what preachers who do not really believe in resurrection (yes, there are some) say in the pulpit on Easter Sunday.
This Easter Sunday, I want to share with you why I believe in the resurrection. I will give you three reasons:
Reason #1: I believe in the resurrection because someone told me about it.
At another church I served, a few days before Easter, an older church member called me, a little worried that we weren't having Sunday School on Easter Sunday. We were holding our children’s Easter party and Easter Egg Hunt during the Sunday School time. "How are the children going to hear the story of Easter?"
I reassured her that we would tell the story during children's time.
But I also hope that church isn't the only place kids will hear the Easter story. Their parents should be telling it too.
But this wise older member realized something important: the story of Easter, the story of the resurrection, will die out if we don't continually tell it from one generation to next.
I don't know who it was who first told me about the resurrection -- maybe my mom (she tended to be the Bible teacher in our home), maybe a Sunday School teacher, maybe a pastor -- but someone did tell me.
We must make sure that the real message of Easter doesn't get lost in the bunnies and the candy and the eggs and the baskets.
Easter all started with the telling of the story. There was no one there to witness the actual resurrection. John says it started with a woman named Mary Magdalene. She went to Jesus' tomb early Sunday morning and found that the stone had already been rolled away. So she ran and told someone that the tomb was empty -- Peter & John.
She stayed there after they left, and she met the risen Christ. Again she went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." If she hadn't told anyone, the Christian faith might have died.
But aren't you glad that she did tell someone, and that they told someone, and they told someone, and on and on, until someone told you?
Who first told you the story of Easter? They may not have given you a long theological explanation. They didn't need to. They were someone you trusted, and you believed them.
I believe in the resurrection mostly because someone I trusted, my mom, my Sunday School teacher, a pastor, told me about it. And we who believe because we've been told, have the responsibility to tell others about it.
Who do you know who needs to hear the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead? Will you tell them?
Reason #2: I believe in the resurrection because it has stood the test of time.
There have been many attempts by skeptics, some of them even claiming to be Christian, to discredit or de-bunk belief in the resurrection. Oftentimes around Easter, there will be a news magazine cover story or a program on the Discovery or History Channel that tries to cast doubt on traditional Christian belief in Jesus being raised from the dead.
Non-believers have theorized that Jesus didn't really die on the cross, but only fainted and was later revived.
Or they say that he really died but that he wasn't really raised from the dead -- his body was stolen, or the resurrection was a myth made up by the disciples, or they were hallucinating when they thought they saw the risen Christ.
But the resurrection has stood up against all of these attacks.
When examined critically, evidence for belief in the resurrection outweighs any so-called evidence against.
We don't have time to go through all arguments, but let me give some examples:
Jesus didn't really die on the cross but only fainted or was drugged and later revived -- that explains the resurrection. Credible medical investigation agrees that Jesus could not have survived the torture he received beforehand and the agony of the crucifixion itself. But if he had somehow survived, he would be so mangled and crippled, how could he have inspired faith in anyone?
The resurrection was only spiritual -- Jesus' body remained in the tomb. Jews considered resurrection to be bodily – it would be a simple matter to check the tomb and see if the body was still there.
Jesus' body was stolen from the tomb by his disciples. The tomb was secured by a huge stone and guards. Would the disciples have been willing to die for a lie?
The first witnesses to the empty tomb were women who were friends or relatives of Jesus, so they are not to be trusted. In fact, in that time women's testimony was not trusted. If the story had been made up, the disciples would have written it to have men coming to the tomb first. They kept in that potentially embarrassing detail.
People who claimed to see the risen Christ were hallucinating or lying. Many of the people who saw the risen Jesus were named specifically (Peter, John, James, the Twelve, Mary Magdalene, etc.) -- their stories could still be checked while they were alive. There were too many to be explained by "mass hysteria." The stories are very early -- too fast to develop into legend or myth.
Add to this the "circumstantial" evidence:
• The disciples were willing to die for their belief that Jesus was alive.
• Many skeptics, like Paul, were converted.
• And the rapid and explosive growth of church, based on faith in the resurrected Christ.
Belief in the resurrection stands up against all doubts and theories thrown up against it. I am convinced there is no other rational explanation for these events except that Jesus was raised from dead.
I believe in the resurrection because it has stood the test if time.
Reason #3: I believe in the resurrection because I have experienced it.
In the end, this is the most telling reason of all. First, someone tells you about it, and you accept it with the faith of a child.
Next, you decide to check out the evidence, and find that despite all doubts and attacks, the resurrection is credible. If you want to read about the quest of one skeptic who set out to disprove the resurrection and ended up believing it, read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
But finally, that leaves the test of experience. You may believe the resurrection rationally in your mind, but the final proof will be experiencing it in your life.
I believe in the truth of the resurrection because I have experienced things in my own life that can only be explained if the resurrection were true and Christ is alive.
• I have had a direct encounter with the living Lord and he has forgiven my sins and made me a new creature and he continues to be the Lord of my life.
• I was called into the ministry at the age of 17 by Jesus Christ.
• I've had specific answers to prayer.
• I have witnessed Christ's healing power at work in bodies, minds, spirits, & relationships.
My experience with the living Christ has been multiplied millions of times over with people all around the world for 2,000 yrs.
Evidence of the resurrection begs us to put it to the experiential test. If you believe, as I do, that Jesus Christ is still alive and active in the world today, then find out by relating to him. Trust him to forgive your sins. Invite him to be the Lord of every part of your life. Talk to him in prayer. Study his life and teachings in scripture. Walk with him every day. Become his servant and disciple as he invites all who believe to do.
If you will do all this, you will believe in the resurrection too. Amen.
John 20:1-18
April 8, 2012
Easter Sunday
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Salem, North Carolina (as in Winston-Salem, NC) was founded by Moravians, a particular brand of German Protestants, back in the 1750s. The Moravian traditions are preserved today in the old historic village of Salem. One of the special events celebrated every year in Old Salem is the Easter Sunrise service, that began in 1772.
Early every Easter morning, thousands of people, many of them tourists, make their way towards the courtyard in front of the 200-year old Moravian church.
Before daylight, 500 members of various brass bands echo hymns from different parts of city. Everyone converges on Salem square to listen to the almost mystical sounding music.
As the first hint of the rising sun begins to soften the darkness, a hush falls over the vast throng of worshipers. When the church bell tolls at 6 a.m., the Bishop emerges from the church and announces in his loud, unwavering voice, "Christ is risen!" And the crowd thunders back, "Christ is risen indeed!"
Then the band begins to play "Christ the Lord is risen today" and everyone joins in singing in front of church.
Then in total silence, they walk in faithful procession to "God's Acre," an ancient cemetery, where all the gravestones, freshly-polished the day before, are covered with flowers. Even the oldest graves, some dating back almost 300 yrs, are decorated with forsythia, jonquils, tulips, azaleas -- whatever happens to be blooming at the time.
The service concludes there, with more singing and remembrance of those who have died since last Easter. Then in awesome silence, with the beauty of the flowers all around, it's as if the living are united with the dead in worship.
One writer who witnessed this event said, "When you are in the midst of all this majesty and beauty, you can't fail to believe in the resurrection."
It seems like everyone believes at Easter. Churches are filled with worshipers. It’s hard not to believe when you’re surrounded by flowers and music and lilies and crowds of people.
But what about the other 364 days of the year? Is our belief in the resurrection as unwavering? Apart from the pageantry of Easter, can belief that Jesus was raised from the dead be sustained in the modern world?
What's at stake? Is it really all that important? If Paul is to be believed, everything is at stake.
1 Cor. 15 says it is a matter of "first importance."
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures… (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Paul goes on to say that without the resurrection, the Christian faith falls apart:
If Christ has not been raised, our proclamation and faith are in vain … If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins … If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Without the resurrection, the Christian faith is just a nice set of ideas, and not even true ones, because they all hinge on this event on which all history turns.
But this Easter Sunday I want to reaffirm with Paul, who goes on to say in 1 Cor. 15: 20, "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead."
W.E. Sangster, a great preacher silenced by a progressive illness, wrote to a friend:
It is a terrible thing to be unable to stand in the pulpit on Easter Sunday and say "Christ is risen," but I can think of something much worse. That is to stand in a pulpit on Easter Sunday and not say, "Christ is risen!"
I sometimes wonder what preachers who do not really believe in resurrection (yes, there are some) say in the pulpit on Easter Sunday.
This Easter Sunday, I want to share with you why I believe in the resurrection. I will give you three reasons:
Reason #1: I believe in the resurrection because someone told me about it.
At another church I served, a few days before Easter, an older church member called me, a little worried that we weren't having Sunday School on Easter Sunday. We were holding our children’s Easter party and Easter Egg Hunt during the Sunday School time. "How are the children going to hear the story of Easter?"
I reassured her that we would tell the story during children's time.
But I also hope that church isn't the only place kids will hear the Easter story. Their parents should be telling it too.
But this wise older member realized something important: the story of Easter, the story of the resurrection, will die out if we don't continually tell it from one generation to next.
I don't know who it was who first told me about the resurrection -- maybe my mom (she tended to be the Bible teacher in our home), maybe a Sunday School teacher, maybe a pastor -- but someone did tell me.
We must make sure that the real message of Easter doesn't get lost in the bunnies and the candy and the eggs and the baskets.
Easter all started with the telling of the story. There was no one there to witness the actual resurrection. John says it started with a woman named Mary Magdalene. She went to Jesus' tomb early Sunday morning and found that the stone had already been rolled away. So she ran and told someone that the tomb was empty -- Peter & John.
She stayed there after they left, and she met the risen Christ. Again she went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." If she hadn't told anyone, the Christian faith might have died.
But aren't you glad that she did tell someone, and that they told someone, and they told someone, and on and on, until someone told you?
Who first told you the story of Easter? They may not have given you a long theological explanation. They didn't need to. They were someone you trusted, and you believed them.
I believe in the resurrection mostly because someone I trusted, my mom, my Sunday School teacher, a pastor, told me about it. And we who believe because we've been told, have the responsibility to tell others about it.
Who do you know who needs to hear the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead? Will you tell them?
Reason #2: I believe in the resurrection because it has stood the test of time.
There have been many attempts by skeptics, some of them even claiming to be Christian, to discredit or de-bunk belief in the resurrection. Oftentimes around Easter, there will be a news magazine cover story or a program on the Discovery or History Channel that tries to cast doubt on traditional Christian belief in Jesus being raised from the dead.
Non-believers have theorized that Jesus didn't really die on the cross, but only fainted and was later revived.
Or they say that he really died but that he wasn't really raised from the dead -- his body was stolen, or the resurrection was a myth made up by the disciples, or they were hallucinating when they thought they saw the risen Christ.
But the resurrection has stood up against all of these attacks.
When examined critically, evidence for belief in the resurrection outweighs any so-called evidence against.
We don't have time to go through all arguments, but let me give some examples:
Jesus didn't really die on the cross but only fainted or was drugged and later revived -- that explains the resurrection. Credible medical investigation agrees that Jesus could not have survived the torture he received beforehand and the agony of the crucifixion itself. But if he had somehow survived, he would be so mangled and crippled, how could he have inspired faith in anyone?
The resurrection was only spiritual -- Jesus' body remained in the tomb. Jews considered resurrection to be bodily – it would be a simple matter to check the tomb and see if the body was still there.
Jesus' body was stolen from the tomb by his disciples. The tomb was secured by a huge stone and guards. Would the disciples have been willing to die for a lie?
The first witnesses to the empty tomb were women who were friends or relatives of Jesus, so they are not to be trusted. In fact, in that time women's testimony was not trusted. If the story had been made up, the disciples would have written it to have men coming to the tomb first. They kept in that potentially embarrassing detail.
People who claimed to see the risen Christ were hallucinating or lying. Many of the people who saw the risen Jesus were named specifically (Peter, John, James, the Twelve, Mary Magdalene, etc.) -- their stories could still be checked while they were alive. There were too many to be explained by "mass hysteria." The stories are very early -- too fast to develop into legend or myth.
Add to this the "circumstantial" evidence:
• The disciples were willing to die for their belief that Jesus was alive.
• Many skeptics, like Paul, were converted.
• And the rapid and explosive growth of church, based on faith in the resurrected Christ.
Belief in the resurrection stands up against all doubts and theories thrown up against it. I am convinced there is no other rational explanation for these events except that Jesus was raised from dead.
I believe in the resurrection because it has stood the test if time.
Reason #3: I believe in the resurrection because I have experienced it.
In the end, this is the most telling reason of all. First, someone tells you about it, and you accept it with the faith of a child.
Next, you decide to check out the evidence, and find that despite all doubts and attacks, the resurrection is credible. If you want to read about the quest of one skeptic who set out to disprove the resurrection and ended up believing it, read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
But finally, that leaves the test of experience. You may believe the resurrection rationally in your mind, but the final proof will be experiencing it in your life.
I believe in the truth of the resurrection because I have experienced things in my own life that can only be explained if the resurrection were true and Christ is alive.
• I have had a direct encounter with the living Lord and he has forgiven my sins and made me a new creature and he continues to be the Lord of my life.
• I was called into the ministry at the age of 17 by Jesus Christ.
• I've had specific answers to prayer.
• I have witnessed Christ's healing power at work in bodies, minds, spirits, & relationships.
My experience with the living Christ has been multiplied millions of times over with people all around the world for 2,000 yrs.
Evidence of the resurrection begs us to put it to the experiential test. If you believe, as I do, that Jesus Christ is still alive and active in the world today, then find out by relating to him. Trust him to forgive your sins. Invite him to be the Lord of every part of your life. Talk to him in prayer. Study his life and teachings in scripture. Walk with him every day. Become his servant and disciple as he invites all who believe to do.
If you will do all this, you will believe in the resurrection too. Amen.
Sermon: "The Bucket List"
“The Bucket List”
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
April 5, 2012
Holy Thursday
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I am hearing the term “Bucket List” more often. Maybe since the movie of that title came out a few years ago. It starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. They played two men who escape a cancer ward and set off across country with a wish list of to-dos before they die.
It’s called a “bucket list” because it’s things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”
I’ve thought about making such a list but haven’t yet. There’s a website called “Bucketlist” where people share their lists. You find things like:
• Spend New Year’s Eve at Times Square
• See the Northern Lights
• Go dog-sledding
• Go scuba diving
• Visit a volcano
• Not all are exotic:
o Ride a mattress down the stairs
o Have a paint fight
o Taste fried ice cream
If I had a bucket list, I could have crossed off a few items on our cruise to the Lands of the Bible in November:
• Ride a camel at the Great Pyramids of Giza
• See the Colosseum in Rome
• Walk in the “footsteps” of Paul
Most of mine would be travel or sports related:
• Attend a Super Bowl
• Go to the Masters
• Take a John Wesley tour of England
• Visit Australia and New Zealand
• Play golf at Pebble Beach
• Learn to play the guitar
• Things like that…
We might think we have lots of time to cross items off of our bucket list. But what if you knew you just had a short time to live? What would you want to do?
What if you knew you had less than 24 hours left on earth? How would you want to spend those final hours of your life?
We get to see how Jesus chose to spend his last day on earth. Let’s see what that tells us about him and about us.
Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that on that Thursday night:
• Jesus shared a Passover meal with his disciples.
• He revealed that one of the Twelve was going to betray him into the hands of his enemies.
• He called the bread his body and the cup his blood of the new covenant.
• He told them that whoever would be “great” among them must be a servant.
• He foretold that Peter would deny him.
• They sang and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Then he was arrested.
John tells the story a little differently. He doesn’t have the Passover meal, mainly because Jesus is crucified the day before Passover begins.
Instead, John says that Jesus chose to spend part of his time in his last few hours on earth doing something very unusual, at least to us – he spent it washing his disciples’ feet.
Okay, you have 24 hours left to live. So you …
• Do the laundry.
• Wash the dishes.
• Mop the floors.
• Clean the house.
• Give the dog a bath.
Right. Clearly, Jesus’ priorities are different from ours.
Of all the things Jesus could have done in his final time on earth, why did he choose to get down on his hands and knees and wash his disciples’ dirty feet?
John says that he “knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father.”
He knew Judas was about to betray him.
He knew that Peter would deny him three times before sunrise.
With all of that on his mind, John says, “knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,” Jesus got up, took off his outer robe, took a towel, a pitcher of water, and a basin and began to go around the table, washing the disciples’ feet and then wiping them dry with the towel.
What an extraordinary final gesture! An act of extreme service. Taking the role of a slave. Doing what a common household servant would have done.
When he was finished, he told Simon Peter, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
I’m still not sure I completely understand why Jesus did what he did that night – washing feet – but I think I have some idea, and I think you do too.
I’m not sure we want to understand it, because of what he went on to tell the disciples:
“So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you … If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
If we understand what Jesus did when he washed their feet, then we are supposed to do it too. But if we can plead ignorance, maybe we won’t have to do what servants do. So we’re tempted to remain in the dark.
But when we think about it, we know that the way Jesus chose to spend his final hours on earth is completely consistent with the way he spent his first 33 years on earth – as a servant.
That was his consistent message:
• Whoever wants to be first of all must be last of all and servant of all. (Mark 9:45)
• Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. (Mark 10:43)
• Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant. (Phil. 2:7)
His supreme act of servanthood was dying on the cross on our behalf. He humbly submitted himself to the cruelest form of punishment and execution that we could imagine. Because he was a servant.
When we think about, we really can’t imagine Jesus doing anything with his final earthly moments other than being a servant – and in his day there was no act more emblematic of servanthood than washing someone’s feet. And Jesus washed feet times twelve. He washed Peter’s feet. He washed Judas’ feet. He washed them all.
And all he asks of us is that we put this one item on our own bucket lists. Whatever else we hope to accomplish in the time we have left on earth – wherever we want to go, whatever we want to see or do – just make sure this is on our lists:
“Wash one another’s feet.” Amen.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
April 5, 2012
Holy Thursday
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I am hearing the term “Bucket List” more often. Maybe since the movie of that title came out a few years ago. It starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. They played two men who escape a cancer ward and set off across country with a wish list of to-dos before they die.
It’s called a “bucket list” because it’s things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”
I’ve thought about making such a list but haven’t yet. There’s a website called “Bucketlist” where people share their lists. You find things like:
• Spend New Year’s Eve at Times Square
• See the Northern Lights
• Go dog-sledding
• Go scuba diving
• Visit a volcano
• Not all are exotic:
o Ride a mattress down the stairs
o Have a paint fight
o Taste fried ice cream
If I had a bucket list, I could have crossed off a few items on our cruise to the Lands of the Bible in November:
• Ride a camel at the Great Pyramids of Giza
• See the Colosseum in Rome
• Walk in the “footsteps” of Paul
Most of mine would be travel or sports related:
• Attend a Super Bowl
• Go to the Masters
• Take a John Wesley tour of England
• Visit Australia and New Zealand
• Play golf at Pebble Beach
• Learn to play the guitar
• Things like that…
We might think we have lots of time to cross items off of our bucket list. But what if you knew you just had a short time to live? What would you want to do?
What if you knew you had less than 24 hours left on earth? How would you want to spend those final hours of your life?
We get to see how Jesus chose to spend his last day on earth. Let’s see what that tells us about him and about us.
Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that on that Thursday night:
• Jesus shared a Passover meal with his disciples.
• He revealed that one of the Twelve was going to betray him into the hands of his enemies.
• He called the bread his body and the cup his blood of the new covenant.
• He told them that whoever would be “great” among them must be a servant.
• He foretold that Peter would deny him.
• They sang and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Then he was arrested.
John tells the story a little differently. He doesn’t have the Passover meal, mainly because Jesus is crucified the day before Passover begins.
Instead, John says that Jesus chose to spend part of his time in his last few hours on earth doing something very unusual, at least to us – he spent it washing his disciples’ feet.
Okay, you have 24 hours left to live. So you …
• Do the laundry.
• Wash the dishes.
• Mop the floors.
• Clean the house.
• Give the dog a bath.
Right. Clearly, Jesus’ priorities are different from ours.
Of all the things Jesus could have done in his final time on earth, why did he choose to get down on his hands and knees and wash his disciples’ dirty feet?
John says that he “knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father.”
He knew Judas was about to betray him.
He knew that Peter would deny him three times before sunrise.
With all of that on his mind, John says, “knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,” Jesus got up, took off his outer robe, took a towel, a pitcher of water, and a basin and began to go around the table, washing the disciples’ feet and then wiping them dry with the towel.
What an extraordinary final gesture! An act of extreme service. Taking the role of a slave. Doing what a common household servant would have done.
When he was finished, he told Simon Peter, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
I’m still not sure I completely understand why Jesus did what he did that night – washing feet – but I think I have some idea, and I think you do too.
I’m not sure we want to understand it, because of what he went on to tell the disciples:
“So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you … If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
If we understand what Jesus did when he washed their feet, then we are supposed to do it too. But if we can plead ignorance, maybe we won’t have to do what servants do. So we’re tempted to remain in the dark.
But when we think about it, we know that the way Jesus chose to spend his final hours on earth is completely consistent with the way he spent his first 33 years on earth – as a servant.
That was his consistent message:
• Whoever wants to be first of all must be last of all and servant of all. (Mark 9:45)
• Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. (Mark 10:43)
• Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant. (Phil. 2:7)
His supreme act of servanthood was dying on the cross on our behalf. He humbly submitted himself to the cruelest form of punishment and execution that we could imagine. Because he was a servant.
When we think about, we really can’t imagine Jesus doing anything with his final earthly moments other than being a servant – and in his day there was no act more emblematic of servanthood than washing someone’s feet. And Jesus washed feet times twelve. He washed Peter’s feet. He washed Judas’ feet. He washed them all.
And all he asks of us is that we put this one item on our own bucket lists. Whatever else we hope to accomplish in the time we have left on earth – wherever we want to go, whatever we want to see or do – just make sure this is on our lists:
“Wash one another’s feet.” Amen.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Sermon: "Self-Sacrifice"
LENTEN LESSONS ON LIVING
Self-Sacrifice
(Sixth in the Series)
Mark 15:16-39
April 1, 2012
Palm/Passion Sunday
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
This is an “Easy Button.” You may have seen it in TV commercials for Staples Office Products. In the commercials, just by pressing an Easy Button, all manner of office problems can be solved. It’s sort of like having a magic wand or an office fairy godmother.
This Easy Button even talks. [Press button – “That was easy.”]
Think how great it would be if there really was such a thing as an Easy Button. Think about all the times we could use an Easy Button:
• Final exams and term papers.
• Asking a girl out on a date.
• Cleaning the house and getting the laundry done.
• Paying the bills when there’s more month left than money.
• Raising teenagers.
How about using the Easy Button to fix the economy? Solve the war in Afghanistan? Bring down the price of gasoline? Find a cure for cancer?
As a pastor, there are times when I could really use an Easy Button: writing sermons; getting volunteers; meeting the budget; recruiting new members.
Staples has an Easy Button. But life does not.
The Easy Button says, “That was easy.” Jesus says, “This may hurt. This may be harder than you thought.”
Holy Week does not have an Easy Button, although sometimes we want to act like it does. We want to skip right from Palm Sunday and the celebration of children waving palm branches right to Easter Sunday and the empty tomb and the good news: “Jesus is risen from the dead.”
We want to skip right over Holy Thursday and its theme of servanthood: getting down on our knees, like Jesus did, and washing someone’s feet.
We want to skip right over Good Friday and the darkness and the blood and the Cross, with its reminder of Jesus’ words: “Those who would be my disciples must take up their Cross and follow me.” Who in their right mind would want to take up a cross?
The disciples and others involved in Good Friday tried to use an Easy Button:
• Peter denied that he even knew Jesus to avoid being arrested.
• Judas betrayed Jesus, perhaps to fast-track a revolution against the Romans.
• The other disciples deserted Jesus to avoid looking at the horror of the Cross.
• Pontius Pilate tried to avoid dealing with Jesus, first by offering Barabbas; then by palming him off on Herod; and then by just washing his hands (literally) of the whole business.
• The Jewish Council thought it would be more expedient to sacrifice one man, Jesus, rather than risking the Romans coming down on the whole nation.
Jesus had an “Easy Button” of sorts at his disposal, but he refused to use it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the crowd came with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus, and Judas delivered his fateful kiss, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave. But Jesus quickly squelched an armed response to his arrest by reminding his followers:
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen this way?” (Matt. 26:53-54)
Jesus did not push the Easy Button. Jesus willingly embraced the suffering and death that awaited him on the Cross. It wasn’t easy for him. He prayed in the Garden that if it were God’s will, the cup of suffering pass from his lips. But he submitted himself to God’s will, which was that the Son should die so that the children of God might live.
Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t take the easy way out? Fight his way out with swords? Run away? Deny that he was the Messiah? Let someone else die in his place?
Jesus was the only person who’s ever lived whose sacrificial death could gain the forgiveness of the whole world’s sins, for all time, and achieve for us the gift of eternal life. He was fully human and at the same time fully divine. He was God’s unique Son and Savior of the world. Because he died, we can live.
We might wish sometimes for an Easy Button, but would we really want an Easy Button to escape life’s challenges? Aren’t the times when we’ve grown the most and learned the most the times when we’ve been challenged the most?
Tomorrow night two teams will compete for the NCAA Championship in basketball. 68 teams started the March Madness tournament. Only Kansas and Kentucky remain. Do you think they’d be there if they took the easy way out? There was no Easy Button for their success. There were no shortcuts to the Final Four. They simply outworked, outhustled, outpracticed everyone else. And I’m sure they would say it was worth it.
When my Dad got sick last summer and we knew he only had a matter of weeks left to live, I prayed for an easy way out for him – that he not suffer too much; that he go quickly and that God would ease his pain. I wish I didn’t have to see him struggle for breath in those last few days and not be able to keep anything down.
But I didn’t pray for an easy way out for me. I wanted to walk that final journey with him. I wanted to be there, holding his hand and telling him that I loved him when he drew his last breath. And I was. That experience made me a stronger person.
Suffering and sacrifice are a part of life. We might not like them, but they make us stronger when we allow God to walk us through those times. We come out stronger on the other side.
I like the quote from Ernest Hemingway:
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.”
Thank God Jesus did not use an Easy Button. Thank God that Jesus went all the way to the Cross for us.
Let me offer you a challenge, or maybe an invitation. Don’t use the Easy Button to skip from Palm Sunday to Easter this year. We have two Holy Week services: on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Both are at 6:30 p.m. Please seriously consider coming to either or both of these. When we go to the Upper Room for the Last Supper with Jesus on Holy Thursday and to the Cross with Jesus on Good Friday, we will appreciate Easter Sunday even more. I can’t promise it will be easy. But it will be worth it. Amen.
Self-Sacrifice
(Sixth in the Series)
Mark 15:16-39
April 1, 2012
Palm/Passion Sunday
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
This is an “Easy Button.” You may have seen it in TV commercials for Staples Office Products. In the commercials, just by pressing an Easy Button, all manner of office problems can be solved. It’s sort of like having a magic wand or an office fairy godmother.
This Easy Button even talks. [Press button – “That was easy.”]
Think how great it would be if there really was such a thing as an Easy Button. Think about all the times we could use an Easy Button:
• Final exams and term papers.
• Asking a girl out on a date.
• Cleaning the house and getting the laundry done.
• Paying the bills when there’s more month left than money.
• Raising teenagers.
How about using the Easy Button to fix the economy? Solve the war in Afghanistan? Bring down the price of gasoline? Find a cure for cancer?
As a pastor, there are times when I could really use an Easy Button: writing sermons; getting volunteers; meeting the budget; recruiting new members.
Staples has an Easy Button. But life does not.
The Easy Button says, “That was easy.” Jesus says, “This may hurt. This may be harder than you thought.”
Holy Week does not have an Easy Button, although sometimes we want to act like it does. We want to skip right from Palm Sunday and the celebration of children waving palm branches right to Easter Sunday and the empty tomb and the good news: “Jesus is risen from the dead.”
We want to skip right over Holy Thursday and its theme of servanthood: getting down on our knees, like Jesus did, and washing someone’s feet.
We want to skip right over Good Friday and the darkness and the blood and the Cross, with its reminder of Jesus’ words: “Those who would be my disciples must take up their Cross and follow me.” Who in their right mind would want to take up a cross?
The disciples and others involved in Good Friday tried to use an Easy Button:
• Peter denied that he even knew Jesus to avoid being arrested.
• Judas betrayed Jesus, perhaps to fast-track a revolution against the Romans.
• The other disciples deserted Jesus to avoid looking at the horror of the Cross.
• Pontius Pilate tried to avoid dealing with Jesus, first by offering Barabbas; then by palming him off on Herod; and then by just washing his hands (literally) of the whole business.
• The Jewish Council thought it would be more expedient to sacrifice one man, Jesus, rather than risking the Romans coming down on the whole nation.
Jesus had an “Easy Button” of sorts at his disposal, but he refused to use it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the crowd came with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus, and Judas delivered his fateful kiss, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave. But Jesus quickly squelched an armed response to his arrest by reminding his followers:
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen this way?” (Matt. 26:53-54)
Jesus did not push the Easy Button. Jesus willingly embraced the suffering and death that awaited him on the Cross. It wasn’t easy for him. He prayed in the Garden that if it were God’s will, the cup of suffering pass from his lips. But he submitted himself to God’s will, which was that the Son should die so that the children of God might live.
Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t take the easy way out? Fight his way out with swords? Run away? Deny that he was the Messiah? Let someone else die in his place?
Jesus was the only person who’s ever lived whose sacrificial death could gain the forgiveness of the whole world’s sins, for all time, and achieve for us the gift of eternal life. He was fully human and at the same time fully divine. He was God’s unique Son and Savior of the world. Because he died, we can live.
We might wish sometimes for an Easy Button, but would we really want an Easy Button to escape life’s challenges? Aren’t the times when we’ve grown the most and learned the most the times when we’ve been challenged the most?
Tomorrow night two teams will compete for the NCAA Championship in basketball. 68 teams started the March Madness tournament. Only Kansas and Kentucky remain. Do you think they’d be there if they took the easy way out? There was no Easy Button for their success. There were no shortcuts to the Final Four. They simply outworked, outhustled, outpracticed everyone else. And I’m sure they would say it was worth it.
When my Dad got sick last summer and we knew he only had a matter of weeks left to live, I prayed for an easy way out for him – that he not suffer too much; that he go quickly and that God would ease his pain. I wish I didn’t have to see him struggle for breath in those last few days and not be able to keep anything down.
But I didn’t pray for an easy way out for me. I wanted to walk that final journey with him. I wanted to be there, holding his hand and telling him that I loved him when he drew his last breath. And I was. That experience made me a stronger person.
Suffering and sacrifice are a part of life. We might not like them, but they make us stronger when we allow God to walk us through those times. We come out stronger on the other side.
I like the quote from Ernest Hemingway:
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.”
Thank God Jesus did not use an Easy Button. Thank God that Jesus went all the way to the Cross for us.
Let me offer you a challenge, or maybe an invitation. Don’t use the Easy Button to skip from Palm Sunday to Easter this year. We have two Holy Week services: on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Both are at 6:30 p.m. Please seriously consider coming to either or both of these. When we go to the Upper Room for the Last Supper with Jesus on Holy Thursday and to the Cross with Jesus on Good Friday, we will appreciate Easter Sunday even more. I can’t promise it will be easy. But it will be worth it. Amen.
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