Scripture text: Titus 1:10-16
St. Francis de Sales writes in his book "Finding God’s Will for You":
“The enemy often tries to make us attempt and start many projects so that we will be overwhelmed with too many tasks, and therefore achieve nothing and leave everything unfinished.
Sometimes he even suggests the wish to undertake some excellent work that he foresees we will never accomplish. This is to distract us from the prosecution of some less-excellent work that we would have easily completed. He does not care how many plans and beginnings we make, provided nothing is finished.”
Last week, we took a look at the qualities of leadership in the Church – not in just those who have been elected to some position, but to Christians in general who are called to reach out to those who have yet to come to know our Christ.
This week, we look at the enemies of the Church – not the ones that exist in human form, but the ones that exist and thrive in our own attitudes. The enemy of the Church is not simply sinfulness – it is the thoughts and words and actions that tend to throw up road blocks between us and our mission.
As you know, the 1st century followers of Christ were known as those who were “in the Way”. They were Jewish in a formal sense, but Christian in faith. As the early faithful attempted to learn and follow the teachings of Jesus in their day to day lives, they were constantly being bombarded with condemnations for not adhering to the rituals and personal laws of Judaism. Moralistic laws had never been denounced by Jesus, but He was constantly teaching something new regarding ritual, or the ways we come closer to God. “Unclean” was no longer who you were or what went into your mouth – it was now the things that came out of your life, those things that you said or did, or even thought.
Read Matthew 15:8-11
Jesus taught new ideas regarding how to keep the Sabbath holy. It was no longer about the way you worshiped, it was about why you worshiped! It was no longer what other people saw on the outside of your life, it was what God knew to be true in your heart.
One of the greatest stumbling blocks between people of the Way and other Jews, other than the dietary distinctions, was that of circumcision. Paul wrote (Romans 2:28-29) that it is circumcision of the heart, not the body, that will bring praise to God. But many still held to the old ritualistic laws.
Read Titus 1:10-11
“Enemies” had begun to rise up in the Church - enemies such as Dissention and False Teaching. They held a suffocating grip on the things of the past, and were a denial of the true teachings of Christ.
Paul spends nearly as much time addressing the “enemies” of the church as he does the “blessings”. In Galatians 5:19-21, he lists a number of practices that he sees in opposition to the Christian life. Just a select few include hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy …”
Faith was no longer about advancing your own position – the emphasis had now changed to raising others up and putting the needs of others first. Self centeredness and false pride were supposed to become things of the past.
From Frederick Buechner’s "The Magnificent Defeat" (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985):
The love for equals is a human thing ... of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles.
The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing ... the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world.
The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing ... to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is bewildered by its saints.
And then there is the love for the enemy ... love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer.
This is God's love. It conquers the World.
Love, not only for the Body of Christ, but for all of God’s created, while setting yourself aside in the moment. And when we love with this degree of Christian passion, the differentiation between who is “one of us” and who is “one of them” begins to blur.
Read Titus 1:12-14
Rebuke the false witnesses! Tell those who are advocating for worldly precepts, earthly ways, to come back to Christ’s Way – show them the errors of their ways and help them to return to the true way of the Christian life. For Paul, in his letter to Titus, the teaching that circumcision was still an absolute requirement for God’s people was nothing short of pure evil. But even at that, he didn’t suggest that those “rebellious people” should be sent away. In fact, he wanted them to be corrected through the efforts of the Church, and returned to “sound faith”! Destroy the “evil”, reclaim the “evildoer”!
Read Titus 1:15-16
For those who are following a tact that is leading away from Christ, nothing is pure – or at least they don’t see those things that the church is trying to teach them as pure! Paul even goes so far as to say that these people do not know God! Interesting, isn’t it? After all, if you are teaching things that are in conflict with Christ’s teachings, how can you know Him? If you are taking a path that will advance your own ideas, your own benefits; if it will only serve your own self interests, your own self-importance, then you just may be on the wrong path!
During World War II, General Douglas MacArthur was one of our greatest generals, and was a vital part of our war effort to defeat Japan. His leadership resulted in the deaths of many thousands of Japanese, both military and civilian. However, at the end of the war, he requested the assignment to stay in Japan so he could help to rebuild the nation, to restore hope to the Japanese people. His thoughts were not of punishing the leaders or exacting retribution from the nation, but only of helping the people to find a new and better way of life.
He was pretty much alone in his post-war attitude toward the Japanese people, as most Americans only wanted revenge. Nothing could be too demeaning for the empire.
But General MacArthur knew different. They needed to regain their dignity. They needed to regain a sense of hope. They needed a new strength to go on and rebuild.
-from Charles R. Swindoll, Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity (Nashville: Word
Publishing, 1997), 156.
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34-35
The gospels are full of Jesus’ examples and teachings on how to do this – from His first miracle at the Wedding in Cana, to His last miracle in the Ascension. And we are called to not only take a stand against the un-Christlike attitudes in the church, but to offer correction to those involved.
Mother Teresa:
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find eternity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
As my favorite philosopher (Pogo!) once said “We have met the enemy and they is us.” The enemy is our attitudes, our arrogance, our pride, our self-centeredness, our prejudice, our stubbornness. And we need to help each other to shed that baggage in an attitude of compassion and love for each other.
In Christ, love them anyway.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
“The Church and Her Leaders”
Scripture text: Titus 1:5-9
I want to spend some time today talking about leadership in the church - what it is and what it isn't. The concept of leadership is, of course, as varied as the people who define it. Some see a leader as the one who is chosen to lead, such as the president of an organization or nation, the chair of a board or committee, even the pastor of a church.
Others will say that a leader is defined by their personal attributes - a wise advisor, a gifted orator, respected, admired, powerful, one who stands “head and shoulders” above the crowd.
But scripture tells us a different story. In Matthew 20, we read about the mother of James and John. She went to Jesus and asked that He choose her sons to sit with Him on His throne. She wanted her sons to be seen as great leaders of the Kingdom that is to come. (Matthew 20:20-28)
Jesus gives three responses.
First, He tells her that she doesn’t fully understand what she is asking for. He wants all to know that in order for anyone to be placed in an elevated position in His Kingdom, that person must be clothed in the character of Christ Himself.
Then He says that the choice isn’t His to make, that the Father already knows who will receive these honors. This doesn’t mean that these “chosen” have already lived and ascended, but simply that they are already known to God. For all we know, it could be one of us gathered here this morning! Maybe, maybe not. One day, we will see!
And finally, He tells them all that if one wishes to be great, they must first be a servant to all. This had to be a puzzler for the folks that day. They knew leaders, they had seen them come and go, and they had yet come to know even one of them as a servant. Their own King Herod could better be described as a scoundrel than as a servant. Governor Pilate was arrogant, proud, and evil – he wasn’t even close to being a servant. The Roman centurions were cruel, the Sanhedrin – the church council, if you will – was only concerned with the preservation of order as they had defined it. They were arrogant, not servant hearted. The Pharisees were convinced that they were the only ones who were wise enough to understand and interpret the holy writings. Prideful to a fault!
As a matter of fact, God’s concept of a leader is 180 degrees out of phase from the world’s definition. God’s description of a “leader” is one who is a follower, a disciple, a reflection of Jesus Christ, and is one who leads others into Christ’s glory. And Jesus tells us that if we are to be seen as a leader, as one who is “great”, we must be ready to surrender our life and self to the way of Christ.
Our scripture today is describing, basically, the virtue of a pastor, but I want you to know that the life of a Christian leader can be no different.
Read Titus 1:5-6
An Elder, by definition, is one who has authority. Some churches have a Board of Elders, which is comparable to our Administrative Council, except that every member of the Elders’ Board has a given responsibility, while only some of ours do. In the UMC, an Elder is a fully ordained clergy who is a member of The Annual Conference in full connection. They have rights, responsibilities and privileges that others do not have.
Paul’s letter to Titus also addresses the office of “elder”, but in terms of character, not in terms of office. He begins with a call, not only on the elder, but on his family.
- The man must be blameless! No sin in his life, not even a single question as to his moral character and integrity. We have a pretty decent congregation, but how well do you think any of us, including me, could stand up to that level of scrutiny?
- He could only have one wife! That, I think, is a plus!
- And even his children must believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and can never be seen as unruly. The perfect child? I wonder how many children met that standard even in the 1st century church?
Even the elder’s family was to be above reproach.
Read Titus 1:7
An overseer is generally translated as “bishop”, but in the first century church, the offices of elder and bishop were typically seen as the same thing. In this verse, Paul explains the “blamelessness” of the “leader”:
- not overbearing – not arrogant, not conceited, not domineering
- not quick tempered – we might say “even tempered”. They’re calm and don’t easily “fly off the handle”, not easily given over to anger or rage.
- not given to drunkenness! Temperate, perhaps this even means “not easily intoxicated by the ways of the world”.
- not violent! Not abusive of their power and authority! They don’t use their influence or position to raise themselves up above others.
- not pursuing dishonest gain. They’re not thieves! Not taking for themselves the honor or position or possessions that rightfully belong to others.
I hope that you will all agree that these are admirable traits for everyone in the church, not just the pastor! But Paul hasn’t finished yet – there’s more!
Read Titus 1:8
We move from a list of “do nots” to a list of “dos”.
- be hospitable – be welcoming, not just into your home and life, but into the glory and living of Christ’s church!
- love what is good – loving what is of God, and not what is of the world, not what is evil.
- self controlled – able to stay calm during times of turmoil or temptation.
- upright – firm in the faith, not easily swayed by the storms of life. They’re “on the level”, they are “plumb”.
- holy – most folks aren’t especially comfortable with this descriptive, but we need to remember that holiness isn’t of our own making – it is from and of God, and we simply accept it. It is Sanctification; it is a consecration of our service in the name of Christ.
- disciplined – consistency in our faith and faith practices.
Yesterday, I was at an Emmaus team meeting. We were previewing several talks that would be given on the weekend that is coming up at the end of April. One of the speakers was talking about how we live out our life in the church. He was using a sports analogy, and said that we must listen to, and follow the teaching and example of our “captains”. As I was the only clergy in the room at the time, he looked at me as he delivered this line. When we critiqued the talk, I took exception to the implication. I told the group that all Christians should be “captains” from time to time, and told the speaker that while he was presenting his talk, that he was, in essence, the “captain” of the moment. I don’t think he wanted to be seen in that posture, but everyone agreed, or at least understood.
And every one of you should be a “captain”. Every one of you must be a leader. Every one of you is, from time to time, a pastor! When you bring comfort to a shut in, you are a leader. When you listen to a person who is troubled, you are pasturing. When you teach a Sunday School class, you are their “captain”. When you join a person in prayer, or present yourself as a Christian witness in your actions, or lead another person to Christ, you are being a representative of Christ and a leader of the church.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the position that you may hold, and has everything to do with how and why you serve the Lord.
Read Titus 1:9
A Christian leader must be firmly grounded in the Word of God - trusting in it, believing in it, using it, and sharing it. A Christian leader must take a stand in the Word, and not back down to “opposing thoughts” that come from false perspectives. A Christian leader must present Christ to the world in a truthful and faithful way.
And these expectations must not be exclusive to the role of the clergy!
Read this passage from Titus over again later today, or tomorrow at the latest, and as you do, change the words “elder” or “Bishop” or “Overseer” or “pastor”, or whatever terms may appear in your translation, to “Christian leader”. Use this as the standard against which you measure your own actions. Let it be your plumb line for life.
The only exception that I will offer is the reference to our children. In the first century, children were seen as little more than possessions, and as such, their actions were a direct reflection on the quality and character of their father. Today, we know that children are individuals, and each will respond to life in unique ways. However, I will challenge each of us to be witnesses, not only to the world; to be leaders, not only to the world; to be teachers and examples, not only to the world; but also to our families. Otherwise, how else will they learn about the truth of Christ? They certainly won’t learn it in school!
Titus 1:9 “We must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that we can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” This is the job of a Christian, and the call on a leader.
Say “yes” with your life.
Say “yes” with your heart.
Say “yes” with every ounce of strength and being that you have.
Say “yes” to the truth of Christ.
It is these who will grow the church.
I want to spend some time today talking about leadership in the church - what it is and what it isn't. The concept of leadership is, of course, as varied as the people who define it. Some see a leader as the one who is chosen to lead, such as the president of an organization or nation, the chair of a board or committee, even the pastor of a church.
Others will say that a leader is defined by their personal attributes - a wise advisor, a gifted orator, respected, admired, powerful, one who stands “head and shoulders” above the crowd.
But scripture tells us a different story. In Matthew 20, we read about the mother of James and John. She went to Jesus and asked that He choose her sons to sit with Him on His throne. She wanted her sons to be seen as great leaders of the Kingdom that is to come. (Matthew 20:20-28)
Jesus gives three responses.
First, He tells her that she doesn’t fully understand what she is asking for. He wants all to know that in order for anyone to be placed in an elevated position in His Kingdom, that person must be clothed in the character of Christ Himself.
Then He says that the choice isn’t His to make, that the Father already knows who will receive these honors. This doesn’t mean that these “chosen” have already lived and ascended, but simply that they are already known to God. For all we know, it could be one of us gathered here this morning! Maybe, maybe not. One day, we will see!
And finally, He tells them all that if one wishes to be great, they must first be a servant to all. This had to be a puzzler for the folks that day. They knew leaders, they had seen them come and go, and they had yet come to know even one of them as a servant. Their own King Herod could better be described as a scoundrel than as a servant. Governor Pilate was arrogant, proud, and evil – he wasn’t even close to being a servant. The Roman centurions were cruel, the Sanhedrin – the church council, if you will – was only concerned with the preservation of order as they had defined it. They were arrogant, not servant hearted. The Pharisees were convinced that they were the only ones who were wise enough to understand and interpret the holy writings. Prideful to a fault!
As a matter of fact, God’s concept of a leader is 180 degrees out of phase from the world’s definition. God’s description of a “leader” is one who is a follower, a disciple, a reflection of Jesus Christ, and is one who leads others into Christ’s glory. And Jesus tells us that if we are to be seen as a leader, as one who is “great”, we must be ready to surrender our life and self to the way of Christ.
Our scripture today is describing, basically, the virtue of a pastor, but I want you to know that the life of a Christian leader can be no different.
Read Titus 1:5-6
An Elder, by definition, is one who has authority. Some churches have a Board of Elders, which is comparable to our Administrative Council, except that every member of the Elders’ Board has a given responsibility, while only some of ours do. In the UMC, an Elder is a fully ordained clergy who is a member of The Annual Conference in full connection. They have rights, responsibilities and privileges that others do not have.
Paul’s letter to Titus also addresses the office of “elder”, but in terms of character, not in terms of office. He begins with a call, not only on the elder, but on his family.
- The man must be blameless! No sin in his life, not even a single question as to his moral character and integrity. We have a pretty decent congregation, but how well do you think any of us, including me, could stand up to that level of scrutiny?
- He could only have one wife! That, I think, is a plus!
- And even his children must believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and can never be seen as unruly. The perfect child? I wonder how many children met that standard even in the 1st century church?
Even the elder’s family was to be above reproach.
Read Titus 1:7
An overseer is generally translated as “bishop”, but in the first century church, the offices of elder and bishop were typically seen as the same thing. In this verse, Paul explains the “blamelessness” of the “leader”:
- not overbearing – not arrogant, not conceited, not domineering
- not quick tempered – we might say “even tempered”. They’re calm and don’t easily “fly off the handle”, not easily given over to anger or rage.
- not given to drunkenness! Temperate, perhaps this even means “not easily intoxicated by the ways of the world”.
- not violent! Not abusive of their power and authority! They don’t use their influence or position to raise themselves up above others.
- not pursuing dishonest gain. They’re not thieves! Not taking for themselves the honor or position or possessions that rightfully belong to others.
I hope that you will all agree that these are admirable traits for everyone in the church, not just the pastor! But Paul hasn’t finished yet – there’s more!
Read Titus 1:8
We move from a list of “do nots” to a list of “dos”.
- be hospitable – be welcoming, not just into your home and life, but into the glory and living of Christ’s church!
- love what is good – loving what is of God, and not what is of the world, not what is evil.
- self controlled – able to stay calm during times of turmoil or temptation.
- upright – firm in the faith, not easily swayed by the storms of life. They’re “on the level”, they are “plumb”.
- holy – most folks aren’t especially comfortable with this descriptive, but we need to remember that holiness isn’t of our own making – it is from and of God, and we simply accept it. It is Sanctification; it is a consecration of our service in the name of Christ.
- disciplined – consistency in our faith and faith practices.
Yesterday, I was at an Emmaus team meeting. We were previewing several talks that would be given on the weekend that is coming up at the end of April. One of the speakers was talking about how we live out our life in the church. He was using a sports analogy, and said that we must listen to, and follow the teaching and example of our “captains”. As I was the only clergy in the room at the time, he looked at me as he delivered this line. When we critiqued the talk, I took exception to the implication. I told the group that all Christians should be “captains” from time to time, and told the speaker that while he was presenting his talk, that he was, in essence, the “captain” of the moment. I don’t think he wanted to be seen in that posture, but everyone agreed, or at least understood.
And every one of you should be a “captain”. Every one of you must be a leader. Every one of you is, from time to time, a pastor! When you bring comfort to a shut in, you are a leader. When you listen to a person who is troubled, you are pasturing. When you teach a Sunday School class, you are their “captain”. When you join a person in prayer, or present yourself as a Christian witness in your actions, or lead another person to Christ, you are being a representative of Christ and a leader of the church.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the position that you may hold, and has everything to do with how and why you serve the Lord.
Read Titus 1:9
A Christian leader must be firmly grounded in the Word of God - trusting in it, believing in it, using it, and sharing it. A Christian leader must take a stand in the Word, and not back down to “opposing thoughts” that come from false perspectives. A Christian leader must present Christ to the world in a truthful and faithful way.
And these expectations must not be exclusive to the role of the clergy!
Read this passage from Titus over again later today, or tomorrow at the latest, and as you do, change the words “elder” or “Bishop” or “Overseer” or “pastor”, or whatever terms may appear in your translation, to “Christian leader”. Use this as the standard against which you measure your own actions. Let it be your plumb line for life.
The only exception that I will offer is the reference to our children. In the first century, children were seen as little more than possessions, and as such, their actions were a direct reflection on the quality and character of their father. Today, we know that children are individuals, and each will respond to life in unique ways. However, I will challenge each of us to be witnesses, not only to the world; to be leaders, not only to the world; to be teachers and examples, not only to the world; but also to our families. Otherwise, how else will they learn about the truth of Christ? They certainly won’t learn it in school!
Titus 1:9 “We must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that we can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” This is the job of a Christian, and the call on a leader.
Say “yes” with your life.
Say “yes” with your heart.
Say “yes” with every ounce of strength and being that you have.
Say “yes” to the truth of Christ.
It is these who will grow the church.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
“Hallelujah! I Wonder What Just Happened?”
Scripture Text: Luke 24:1-12
What a terrible week we have just come through, and this one doesn’t seem to be starting out much better. All within 24 hours, Jesus had been arrested, falsely accused of sedition, tried, declared guilty, beaten, crucified and buried. All because the leadership of Judah felt threatened by His teachings! What next? Will they come looking for us? Will we suffer the same fate that Jesus did?
For that 1st century band of followers, Easter didn’t start out all that wonderful, and it was headed downhill from there!
Friday had been a terrible day, and the Sabbath had been anything but worshipful.
Read Luke 24:1-3
And as if the past 3 days weren’t bad enough, now Jesus’ body was missing. Did the soldiers take Him? Was it thieves! You see, the story was still being written, and even though Jesus had told them how it would all end, it hadn’t settled in to their hearts yet. They had yet to discover the glory of this day!
James A. Harnish (Tampa, Florida), in an Easter sermon, tells the story of a little boy who was not exactly happy about going to church on Easter Sunday morning. His new shoes were too tight, his tie pinched his neck and the weather was just too beautiful to be cooped up inside ...
As he sulked in the back seat of the family car, his parents heard him mutter: 'I don't know why we have to go to church on Easter, anyway; they keep telling the same old story and it always comes out the same in the end.'
- Homiletics On Line.
Talk about an Easter contrast! The disciples were terrified, and the little boy was bored. Personally, I think we would be a lot better off if more people were more terrified today, and many more were less bored! It’s far easier to move from fear to overwhelming joy than it is to get there from complacency! We need more emotion in the Church, especially on Easter! And on that first Easter, the women would make that transition, from pain to ecstasy, much sooner than the men would.
Read Luke 24:4-5
Well, maybe the fear isn’t gone quite yet. Can’t you just hear the thoughts of the women, their hearts racing, their knees trembling, their eyes glazed over – “What in the world is happening here? Will nothing ever make sense?”
Imagine coming face to face with, not just one heavenly being, but two!
After all, Mary only needed one angel to tell her that she was going to give birth to the son of God. Granted, it was the archangel Gabriel, but still, only one. The shepherds only needed one angel to tell them that Christ was born – he had quite a choir backing him up, but still, only one delivered the message.
But here were two of the heavenly beings, talking about “looking for the living” inside a grave where only the dead belonged! But at least they were half right – the women were looking for their dead Lord.
But what was that about the living? They were the only ones who were living, and the One they came to minister to was missing!
Read Luke 24:6-8
Raised again! From the dead? Yes, Jesus had told them that! Could He really be alive? Could those strange words that He was always speaking really have been prophesy? Their heads were spinning as reality was beginning to set in. The fears of just a few moments ago - vanished. The agony of Friday - just a memory. The dread that had filled them over the task that had brought them here was turned into an insurmountable joy!
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress includes this famous incident: “Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back. He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a Sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the Cross, his burden loosed from his shoulders, and fell off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by His death.”
Bunyan concludes, “Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on his way singing.”
- Homiletics On Line
The burden that these women had been carrying for three days had fallen away, their sorrow had been lifted, a new life had been breathed into their deathly bodies. They had been Eastered! And in case you may be wondering about the verb “Eastered”, here is the origin.
Walter J. Burghardt writes of a Jesuit poet by the name of Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote a poem in which we read: 'Let him Easter in us.' Let Christ 'Easter' in us. A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season, ... How does Christ Easter in us? In three wondrous ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice.
--Walter J. Burghardt,
Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties
(Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1991), 51.
The women had, indeed, been Eastered, and they would never go back to the despair, the doubt, the hopelessness that held their earth bound lives on Friday.
Read Luke 24:9-12
They had to be bubbling and babbling by the time they arrived at the locked room. Who could blame the men for not understanding what had happened. Would you?
The Body was gone, the angels said that He was risen, the women were bursting at the seams – this should have been a “Hallelujah!” day! But Peter and the others had yet to be Eastered. They would have to wait until later in the day, when they would receive a visit from the risen Christ.
There was no boredom for any of the followers that day or any day after that!
Do we get excited about Easter? Or has the retelling of the same old story, with the same old ending, become commonplace for us? Are we still carrying those old burdens around with us, the ones that fill us with fear of tomorrow? The ones that make us doubt our worth in God’s eyes? The ones that give us a hopeless vision of eternity? The ones that beacon us to question the reality of Immanuel – God with us? The ones that are constantly dragging us backward and refuse to let us go?
The truth is that their hold on us has already been broken, and the only grasp that still exists is our own. As Bunyan wrote, fill your hands with the Cross of the Living Christ, and you will have to let go of the cares that the world imposes on us. And they will roll down, and they will fall into the tomb, and they will be buried in the place that used to bear your name.
Dare to let Christ “Easter” you, and you, too, will never be the same again! And as you cry out “Hallelujah!”, you may wonder “what just happened?” But you’ll cry out “Hallelujah”, just the same.
What a terrible week we have just come through, and this one doesn’t seem to be starting out much better. All within 24 hours, Jesus had been arrested, falsely accused of sedition, tried, declared guilty, beaten, crucified and buried. All because the leadership of Judah felt threatened by His teachings! What next? Will they come looking for us? Will we suffer the same fate that Jesus did?
For that 1st century band of followers, Easter didn’t start out all that wonderful, and it was headed downhill from there!
Friday had been a terrible day, and the Sabbath had been anything but worshipful.
Read Luke 24:1-3
And as if the past 3 days weren’t bad enough, now Jesus’ body was missing. Did the soldiers take Him? Was it thieves! You see, the story was still being written, and even though Jesus had told them how it would all end, it hadn’t settled in to their hearts yet. They had yet to discover the glory of this day!
James A. Harnish (Tampa, Florida), in an Easter sermon, tells the story of a little boy who was not exactly happy about going to church on Easter Sunday morning. His new shoes were too tight, his tie pinched his neck and the weather was just too beautiful to be cooped up inside ...
As he sulked in the back seat of the family car, his parents heard him mutter: 'I don't know why we have to go to church on Easter, anyway; they keep telling the same old story and it always comes out the same in the end.'
- Homiletics On Line.
Talk about an Easter contrast! The disciples were terrified, and the little boy was bored. Personally, I think we would be a lot better off if more people were more terrified today, and many more were less bored! It’s far easier to move from fear to overwhelming joy than it is to get there from complacency! We need more emotion in the Church, especially on Easter! And on that first Easter, the women would make that transition, from pain to ecstasy, much sooner than the men would.
Read Luke 24:4-5
Well, maybe the fear isn’t gone quite yet. Can’t you just hear the thoughts of the women, their hearts racing, their knees trembling, their eyes glazed over – “What in the world is happening here? Will nothing ever make sense?”
Imagine coming face to face with, not just one heavenly being, but two!
After all, Mary only needed one angel to tell her that she was going to give birth to the son of God. Granted, it was the archangel Gabriel, but still, only one. The shepherds only needed one angel to tell them that Christ was born – he had quite a choir backing him up, but still, only one delivered the message.
But here were two of the heavenly beings, talking about “looking for the living” inside a grave where only the dead belonged! But at least they were half right – the women were looking for their dead Lord.
But what was that about the living? They were the only ones who were living, and the One they came to minister to was missing!
Read Luke 24:6-8
Raised again! From the dead? Yes, Jesus had told them that! Could He really be alive? Could those strange words that He was always speaking really have been prophesy? Their heads were spinning as reality was beginning to set in. The fears of just a few moments ago - vanished. The agony of Friday - just a memory. The dread that had filled them over the task that had brought them here was turned into an insurmountable joy!
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress includes this famous incident: “Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back. He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a Sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the Cross, his burden loosed from his shoulders, and fell off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by His death.”
Bunyan concludes, “Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on his way singing.”
- Homiletics On Line
The burden that these women had been carrying for three days had fallen away, their sorrow had been lifted, a new life had been breathed into their deathly bodies. They had been Eastered! And in case you may be wondering about the verb “Eastered”, here is the origin.
Walter J. Burghardt writes of a Jesuit poet by the name of Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote a poem in which we read: 'Let him Easter in us.' Let Christ 'Easter' in us. A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season, ... How does Christ Easter in us? In three wondrous ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice.
--Walter J. Burghardt,
Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties
(Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1991), 51.
The women had, indeed, been Eastered, and they would never go back to the despair, the doubt, the hopelessness that held their earth bound lives on Friday.
Read Luke 24:9-12
They had to be bubbling and babbling by the time they arrived at the locked room. Who could blame the men for not understanding what had happened. Would you?
The Body was gone, the angels said that He was risen, the women were bursting at the seams – this should have been a “Hallelujah!” day! But Peter and the others had yet to be Eastered. They would have to wait until later in the day, when they would receive a visit from the risen Christ.
There was no boredom for any of the followers that day or any day after that!
Do we get excited about Easter? Or has the retelling of the same old story, with the same old ending, become commonplace for us? Are we still carrying those old burdens around with us, the ones that fill us with fear of tomorrow? The ones that make us doubt our worth in God’s eyes? The ones that give us a hopeless vision of eternity? The ones that beacon us to question the reality of Immanuel – God with us? The ones that are constantly dragging us backward and refuse to let us go?
The truth is that their hold on us has already been broken, and the only grasp that still exists is our own. As Bunyan wrote, fill your hands with the Cross of the Living Christ, and you will have to let go of the cares that the world imposes on us. And they will roll down, and they will fall into the tomb, and they will be buried in the place that used to bear your name.
Dare to let Christ “Easter” you, and you, too, will never be the same again! And as you cry out “Hallelujah!”, you may wonder “what just happened?” But you’ll cry out “Hallelujah”, just the same.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
