The Sixth Immortality
Children's sermon
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The narrative of Jesus’ resurrection is a very powerful one -- yet it also can seem so fantastical precisely because it seems to turn our experience of what happens after death on its head. Rise from the grave? It was so beyond the realm of the imaginable that Luke describes the disciples’ initial reaction to the news as “these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” It was only once they saw for themselves that they truly believed. So what happens after we die? And how does Jesus’ resurrection impact our understanding of that question? In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer explores the various stories that humanity has told about death -- and he suggests that the Easter story allows us to perceive death, especially death that comes at the end of a long and full life, as a gift from God. Because we human beings are aware that we are going to die, Dean says, this knowledge gives our lives a sense of urgency, because each days moves us closer to the end of our life. He notes that this also drives us to find purpose in our lives. But most importantly, it gives us the faith to acknowledge that, even though we don’t know what lies on the other side of death, we know that God is there. The Easter story, Dean points out, reminds us that the God who holds us lovingly in life will continue to do so after our deaths -- and because of that assurance, we experience resurrection each day of our lives.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the resurrection, examining the theme of the empty tomb as not only a doorway that Jesus exits, but also as a doorway that we must have the courage to enter in order to experience new life. While we are ordinarily afraid of death and try to avoid it as much as possible, Mary suggests that it is only by confronting it -- by entering into the tomb -- that we can discover that God has already been there and removed all that we are afraid of. And by assuming that mindset, Mary notes, we can experience resurrection and new life every day through entering our lifeless tombs and allowing God to do his work.
The Sixth Immortality
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12
“Mommy, what happens when we die?”
Sooner or later, every parent has to answer that question. Usually it comes in the wake of a death -- a grandparent or another relative, a friend of the family, maybe a beloved pet. But it is inevitable. It’s going to get asked, and a wise parent is prepared for it beforehand.
What happens when we die?
If a child asks it, the answer doesn’t have to be long or complicated. All of the subtle theological and eschatological nuances of the subject need not be covered. The universal, existential yearnings of humankind need not be addressed. The best answer for kids is short, simple, and reassuring.
But what if it’s not a child asking that question?
What if it’s us? What if it’s you or me? Because we do ask it, you know. We ask it all the time. And if we’re honest, we admit to ourselves that we just don’t know -- and not knowing can be scary.
Philosopher and writer Stephen Cave speaks to this existential apprehension in his excellent TED talk on “The Four Stories We Tell Ourselves About Death.” According to Cave, those stories are: “Elixir,” “Resurrection,” “Soul,” and “Legacy.” In a subsequent blog entry he recommends a fifth story that he calls “Wisdom.”
I want to offer a sixth story. I call it “Easter.”
In the News and the Culture
Last week, archeologists announced that they had used new radar technology to discover some heretofore undiscovered rooms in the tomb of King Tut. The rooms contain both organic and inorganic material, leading some to speculate that they may be the burial chambers of Tutankhamun’s famous mother Nefertiti.
With this exciting announcement -- what Egyptian antiquities minister Mamdouh Eldamaty called “the discovery of the century” -- we are reminded that the human impulse to conquer death is at least 3,339 years old. No one prepared for “the next life” like the ancient Egyptians did. Their mythology and their preparations were both elaborate and extensive.
More than three millennia later we are still at it -- still trying to defeat and overcome death.
Stephen Cave tells us of the four universal stories that humankind has told throughout the centuries of our existence.
Elixir
The elixir story is the one wherein we discover or create something that we can do to or put into our bodies that will extend our lives, maybe forever.
The “Fountain of Youth” was an elixir story. Snake oil salesmen and hucksters have played on our fear of death for centuries, selling us potions, spells, talismans, vitamins, and exercise regimens that are all supposed to lengthen our lives.
John Harvey Kellogg -- who along with his brother Will invented granola and corn flakes -- was a medical doctor who ran a sanitarium that touted vegetarianism, exercise, enemas, sexual abstinence, and racial segregation as a path to long life. John, being a doctor, practiced what he preached. Will, an industrialist, not so much. They both died at the age of 91.
Rev. Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister and a fan of abstinence from sex, meat, sugar, alcohol, fat, tobacco, spices, and caffeine. He also believed that people should brush their teeth and bathe daily, a radical notion for its time. Today, he may be best remembered for his promotion of unsifted and coarsely ground wheat flour -- a concoction that was nicknamed “graham flour” and is the main ingredient in graham crackers. He died at the age of 56.
Turn on your television at any time of day and you’ll probably be able to find at least one channel selling products that will make us feel or look younger, stronger, healthier, better. Millions of dollars are spent every year on diet systems, exercise videos and machines, personal trainers, and over-the-counter vitamins -- all in the effort to cheat death.
It doesn’t take long to realize that an elixir which gives us eternal life without eternal youth is of no value. Without the eternal youth to go with it, eternal life will leave us like the Struldbrugs in Gulliver’s Travels, who never die but continue to age until they all eventually become shriveled and senile.
As one observer pointed out, the only thing that all of these salesmen and inventors of life-extending elixirs have in common is that they are all dead.
Resurrection of the Body
Physically returning to life from death is another immortality story, and includes stories of reanimation. In either case, a person who was physically dead is brought back to physical life. Jesus would be included in this category, as would Lazarus.
Other biblical examples of resurrection would include the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, whose son Elijah brought back from death (1 Kings 17); Elisha and the Shunamite’s son (2 Kings 4); the man whose body was tossed into Elijah’s tomb (2 Kings 13)’ the widow of Nain, whose son was raised by Jesus (Luke 7); Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5); Tabitha (known as Dorcas), who was raised by Peter (Acts 9); and Eutychus, who was raised by Paul (Acts 20).
In other religions we would find Dionysus (the Greek god of wine) and his mother Persephone, who were said to have been reborn after dying. In the Hindu religion, both Krishna and Ganesha (the god with the elephant head) are said to have been resurrected from death.
In modern times, this category might include people who have died on the operating table and been brought back to life by medical science after having what they describe as an out-of-body, otherworldly experience of the afterlife.
With the exception of Jesus (and some mythical beings), all of these eventually died and were not raised a second time. While they may have cheated death once, it eventually caught up with them and immortality was not their lot.
Finally, in science we find this hope of or belief in resurrection lodged in the dubious practice of cryonics -- which proposes to freeze the body (or at least the head) of the deceased in the hope of thawing it out and reviving it at some time in the future. As yet, however, these hopes remain untested.
Eternal Soul
A belief shared by many religions is that of the eternal soul, which is often considered synonymous with spirit. It is the belief that there is a non-corporeal essence that lives in every being and continues to live after the death of the body.
It should be pointed out that this is not what our ancient Jewish ancestors believed about the “soul,” which for them was a way of speaking about the entire person -- physical, mental, and spiritual. A soul was, for the most part, considered to be a complete person in all respects.
The division of a person into body and spirit was by and large a Greek notion. It was this Greek understanding of the soul -- that which enlivens the body and leaves when the body dies -- that became popular in western Christian culture and continues in many American minds today.
In most religious thought, the soul resides in the body as spirit and floats away when the body dies. In the Christian religion, the soul then goes to reside in another location -- heaven or hell -- where, unburdened by a body, it continues to live for eternity.
In some religions the soul leaves the body at death and goes to reside in another body that has been determined by the behavior of the soul in the previous life. This reincarnating process continues until the soul reaches its final resting place, or in some religions it simply disappears into oblivion or non-being. It is this notion of a soul that leaves and lives on in paradise that allows suicide bombers to sacrifice their lives in acts of terrorism and missionaries to offer their lives in spreading the gospel.
We find this same essential belief in science fiction, wherein the idea of soul is replaced with the idea of consciousness. In these stories the person’s consciousness is captured and downloaded into a computer, where it continues to live on, disembodied, until a new human body can be found for it.
Unfortunately, none of this is provable in the objective, scientific sense. These things are all matters of belief and faith.
Legacy
This fourth kind of immortality is the simplest. In it, we live on not in heaven or in another body, but in the hearts and minds of other people and in the memories, lessons, and achievements which we have left to humankind. If we have not contributed to all of humankind, then we at least live on in the hearts and minds of our progeny -- our children and grandchildren.
The unsatisfying part of this notion is that memories fade. As Woody Allen said, “I don’t want to live forever in the lives of men; I want to live forever in my apartment.” Even the physical monuments we leave behind eventually erode and disappear. Percy Bysshe Shelley addressed the futility of legacy in his poem “Ozymandias,” wherein a traveler finds an ancient ruin in the desert:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Wisdom
Philosopher Stephen Cave offers a fifth story.
His advice is to simply stop trying to find immortality, and instead come to terms with its opposite, mortality -- to accept and be reconciled to the fact that we are finite beings, that we are going to die.
He allows that this is not easy to do, but suggests that we also accept that immortality is “not all it’s cracked up to be” anyhow. Besides, it would make for an increasingly crowded, desperate, and uncomfortable planet, would it not?
He also suggests that we make a conscious decision to not fear death. This is possible, he says, because death is not part of our human experience. As Epicurus wrote, “While we are, death is not; when death is come, we are not. Death is, thus, of no concern either to the living or to the dead.”
The final step in this acceptance of and embracing of mortality, Cave says, is to “cultivate those virtues that help us to appreciate the time we have rather than worry about it being finite.” That means focusing on the present or on other people, and learning to live with a sense of gratitude.
According to Cave: “We shouldn’t waste our time worrying about our time being limited, but should rather, as the Greek Epicurean Phiodemus put it, ‘receive each additional moment of time in a manner appropriate to its value; as if one were having an incredible stroke of luck.’ ”
And while that is good advice, as far as it goes, I want to offer a sixth possibility. I want to offer a way of looking at mortality and immortality, of life and death, that I think is offered by the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In the Scripture and In the Pulpit (The Sixth Immortality)
You no doubt recall Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ.
It was the story of the last hours of Jesus’ life, told through the eyes of Gibson’s extreme, fundamentalist Catholic upbringing -- and the film’s primary focus was on pain, brutality, and suffering.
Mel Gibson’s personal forte in moviemaking has always been violence, and in this outing his cup ranneth over. He did not just depict the violence that befell Jesus in his final hours; he turned it into a grotesque caricature.
Scripture does not say how many lashes Jesus received, but most scholars believe that it would have been the customary 40 lashes less one as determined by both Roman and Jewish law. Gibson gave him closer to 120. Blood and pain saturated every scene of the film, until finally, after two hours of torture and suffering, Jesus died and the entire audience breathed a huge sigh of relief.
As I read the scripture lesson for Good Friday the year the movie was released, it occurred to me that maybe, without meaning to, Mel Gibson had hit on something, a truth that is present in the story of the Passion and Easter that we have been missing. And that truth is that death is one of God’s good gifts to humankind.
Let me explain.
I do not believe that God has a plan for every moment in our lives. I believe the God offers us tremendous latitude in determining the directions of our own lives. We are given decisions to make and consequences that follow from those decisions, consequences from which we are not given immunity. To a great extent, God has given us an ever-evolving universe and the privilege of participating in our own evolution, of determining the direction it will take.
But I also believe that God has a broad, general plan for us, or maybe it’s an intention, a direction that our lives are to follow -- and that plan looks something like this: we are born, we live, we grow, we learn, we produce and contribute, we love and are loved, we grow old, and at the end of our lives we die.
That is God’s plan for us, and it is a good plan.
Death is the last gift of life -- not the deaths that come in the midst of life, of course, but those that come at the end of life. Those earlier deaths are tragic, and are not at all part of God’s plan for us. They are all too often the result of human intervention or ignorance or even evil. They are the deaths that cut life shorter than it was intended to be.
But death at the end of life is a gift. Sometimes it’s difficult, sometimes it’s painful -- but it is a gift. It is what C.S. Lewis called one of God’s “severe mercies.” Those of us who have been present at the deathbeds of the aged or those who are suffering from hideously painful disease or injury know this to be the case.
We are mortal, and our mortality is a gift of God.
And not only are we mortal, we are aware of our mortality. Of all the creatures on earth, we may be the only ones that have this sentience, this self-awareness. And this awareness of our impending death gives our lives a sense of urgency. It is what drives us to set and achieve goals. It is what compels us to live with purpose and productivity. It gives each day, each second of each day, a sweetness that we might not otherwise experience.
Our awareness of our own mortality and death as a gift of God makes the resurrection of Jesus more than one historic event that happened once upon a time. It is an event that has been repeated over and over again throughout two millennia in the lives of Christians. It is an event that we re-enact daily.
For in that awareness, we can experience resurrection each day of our lives -- and live out the faith that even though we do not know what lies on the other side of death, we know that God is there... and that is enough for us. The God who held us lovingly in this life will continue to do so in the next. And in that assurance, all fear of death is banished and we experience resurrection -- that is, we experience Easter every day of our lives.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 24:1-12
The story of Jesus’ death ends with his friends having an enforced rest -- a break before they can rush to the tomb. “On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment” are the closing words of chapter 23 of Luke. “But,” begins chapter 24. In the days when these stories were told (instead of written), the “but” would have followed right on the heels of the day of rest. The lectionary divides the reading, so we miss the abrupt stop in the action for the sabbath, and the sense of hurry as soon as the women can head for the tomb.
Ready with the spice they have prepared, the women are expecting a closed tomb and a dead body. Brian Stoffregen notes that this is both a duty and a privilege of family members, and “they are coming to do what was good and right and proper for corpse. It is part of their devotion to Jesus. Malina and Rohrbaugh (Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels) write, first concerning Joseph (23:50-56): ‘In the Roman world, providing proper burial was one of the important obligations of contractual friendship. Throughout the Mediterranean world it was one of the strongest obligations of family members. That Joseph of Arimathea undertakes the obligation here indicates that he considered himself a member of Jesus’ surrogate family group’ [p. 409]. Then, briefly concerning the women in our text: ‘Taking spices to a tomb is a gesture of family members.’ ”
Finding the stone rolled away, they go into the tomb.
This is the gift that Easter gives us as well. In the light of the resurrection, we too are empowered to enter the tombs we find, and to find that everything has changed. We have our own lifeless places in need of the change Jesus brings. Our tombs are the places where our feelings grow dead, and our abilities diminish. Our tombs are the places where we are captive to fear, and can’t seem to move forward. Our tombs are all the dead places where we settle for distraction over purpose, or “okay” over joyful. Our tombs are the expectations of family and the prejudices of society. Our tombs come in familiar forms -- addiction, abuse, financial stress, and worry about the future, among others.
When we have the courage to enter the tomb, following in the footsteps of Jesus’ earliest friends, we find that nothing is what we expected. Entering the tomb takes courage. The women are there for a necessary, but sad, task. They’re expecting to play a part in the ritual of death, and instead they become evangelists of new life.
The same happens for us when we have the courage to step into the tomb. We expect death, and find new life. We draw upon the transforming power of God to find that death is no more.
Believing this takes another kind of courage.
It would have been easy for the women to go back and not say anything. As it is, their story is taken as “an idle tale.” The only thing they have to claim as evidence is the word of the mysterious men in white, and the memory of the things Jesus said. No wonder this seems foolish to the rest of the group. In Luke’s version of the story, only Peter jumps up and runs to see if the story is true. Does Peter do the running because he’s impetuous, as always? Or does Peter have a more desperate need for hope than any of the others? It’s easy to imagine that he has spent the sabbath day in a state of shame-filled agony, revisiting in his mind the scene in the high priest’s courtyard. He can hear his own voice deny Jesus, and hear the cock crow again and again. Peter has been in a different kind of tomb, one of regret and grief.
It takes courage for the women to tell the story, and courage for Peter to dare to hope that it’s true. It takes courage for us to dare to believe in God’s transforming power. The presidential election has revealed the deep strains of racism and sexism that still exist in America. There are new terror attacks in Brussels. Even the Easter bunny can’t be trusted to behave. And yet there’s always more, when God is at work. Easter invites us to run toward hope like Peter does, and to follow the women in sharing the story. We are invited to step into every place of death we can find, and see that God has already been there. This idle tale is our Easter answer to all of the world’s tombs.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
What the Resurrection Reveals
In the latter years of his life, priest and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen set out to explore the meaning of death. Nouwen’s essays in Our Greatest Gift(HarperCollins, 1994) collect various strands of his thoughts on death and dying in one volume.
Nouwen writes: “The real question before our death, then, is not, ‘How much can I still accomplish, or how much influence can I still exert,’ but ‘How can I live so that I can continue to be fruitful when I am no longer here among my family and friends?’ That question shifts our attention from doing to being. Our doing brings success, but our being bears fruit.”
He notes that each of us, like Christ, dies not as some sort of “sweet, sentimental event.” Instead dying “is a great struggle” where we surrender our lives completely. Jesus surrendered himself completely to God’s care, which Nouwen calls “trusting in the catcher.” “To care for the dying is to say, ‘Don’t be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don’t try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.”
Nouwen expands on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15, emphasizing that these verses affirm God’s fullest expression of love offered in Jesus Christ:
The resurrection does not solve our problems about dying and death. It is not the happy ending to our life’s struggle, nor is it the big surprise that god has kept in store for us. No, the resurrection is the expression of God’s faithfulness to Jesus and to all God’s children. Through the resurrection, God has said to Jesus, “You are indeed my beloved Son, and my love is everlasting,” and to us God has said, “You are indeed my beloved children, and my love is everlasting.” The resurrection is God’s way of revealing to us nothing that beloves to God will ever go to waste. (Our Greatest Gift, p. 109)
*****
John 20:1-18
Easter Beginnings
Easter begins with a 5k run in John, and not a victorious organ prelude. As the two disciples sprint toward the tomb, Mary stands in the distance, filled with grief and lament. The two experiences -- breathless awe and bereaved lament -- characterize both the disciples and John’s movement from death to resurrection. Lament is not only the language of grief, it is also the foundational grammar of resurrection.
After her son Todd was murdered on his 21st birthday, poet Ann Weems -- who died last week at age 81 -- wrote a series of contemporary laments which explored her own journey of grief. Weems’ raw grief and anger at God is rooted in the experience of scripture. If Mary had words for her grief, doubtless they would sound like these:
Is it not enough
that he is dead?
That there is nothing
I can do
to change what is?
Must I spend each night
revisiting the unlit
corridors of death?
Like the psalmist, like Mary, Weems yearned for God’s presence. “O my God, you are hope,” she declares, “You take the bonds of death and break them into pieces of life. The demons of the night cower and hide from the brilliance of your presence. You alone can banish the night and create the sweet stream of morning’s light. There is none who can stop you, for you are the God of light and the light of my soul” (“Lament Psalm Sixteen,” from Psalms of Lament [Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995]).
*****
John 20:1-18
Letting Go
Quite often, hospice workers will suggest that families help patients prepare for death by saying good-bye, giving them permission to die. Such gestures are similar to Jesus’ instructions to Mary (“Do not hold on to me”) and can be helpful in providing a time of comfort, healing, and assurance as death approaches. One family, whose mother had previously been prone to getting up in the middle of night confused and asking for dinner, followed hospice’s instructions. As their mother declined, they kept vigil. At one point, when she had been in a deep sleep for nearly 20 hours, the family presumed death was near. Her daughter leaned in and whispered, “It’s okay, Mom. You can go be with God. We will miss you.” Suddenly her mother’s eyes opened. Completely coherent, the woman said, “Not at four in the morning, you won’t!”
*****
John 20:1-18
Moving Forward
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary president Theodore Wardlow notes that Easter begins with Mary trying to come to grips with Jesus’ death. Like our own cemetery experiences, Mary discovers there’s nothing at Jesus’ tomb to hold. She wants him back -- much the way we want our loved ones back. “But when the resurrected Jesus reveals himself to her, she learns that he is back not just to validate a past but, more profoundly, to usher in a promise. Easter is not about going back and having something to hold. It is rather about going forward, with nothing to hold -- except the contours of a new kingdom coming in” (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Lenten devotional, April 5, 2015).
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Acts 10:34-43
There is a new app called Timelooper that allows users to experience key moments in London history with just a smartphone and a cardboard headset. The app shows you what these moments looked like in their original setting, without tourists. It truly provides a “you are there” experience.” The company’s co-founder, Yigit Yigiter, said: “Nothing replaces the experience of being on site, but you don’t always know what the stories are about those sites.” With Timelooper you can know the story behind the historical site where you stand.
Application: Peter was a witness to the resurrection event, which made it easy for him to share his testimony. Would it not be wonderful for Timelooper to allow us the same experience? Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Timelooper co-founder Andrew Feinberg notes about his company’s “virtual reality” app: “When we take you back in time, you actually see the historically accurate representation” of the event. With Timelooper you can know the story’s actual history behind the historical site where you stand.
Application: Peter was a witness to the Resurrection event, which made it easy for him to share his testimony. Would it not be wonderful for Timelooper to allow us the same experience? Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Virtual reality (VR) is the latest development in the film industry. With a headset worn in the movie theater, VR allows you to see the blades of grass and get so close to an actor that you can feel their breath. In fact, VR has become so realistic that viewers often miss seeing the movie’s plot. It has been discovered that before a plot line can be introduced, 40 seconds must be allowed for viewers to become oriented to the scene.
Application: How powerful our testimony of the resurrection would be if we had Peter’s “you are there” experience. Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction. But if you think about, we were there with the conviction that comes with the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Kathleen Parker, a native of South Carolina and a columnist for the Washington Post, has a special admiration for noted South Carolina author Pat Conroy. Conroy recently died, and Parker reflected on the life of her beloved author. Parker noted that soon after starring in the movie The Prince of Tides (based on Conroy’s book of the same title), actor Nick Nolte was named by People magazine as the “Sexiest Man Alive.” But Parker contended that Conroy was truly the sexiest man alive, because he penned the masterful and sexy words that Nolte only repeated in the film. Parker wrote, “It was Conroy, after all, who had crafted the sentences so sensuously lush and true that they begged to be read aloud.”
Application: It was the masterful words of Peter that allowed non-observers of the resurrection event to become believers. We too must witness with such passion.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
John Legend is the executive producer of the new drama series Underground, which tells the story of the Underground Railroad -- the vast network that allowed Southern slaves to escape north to freedom. Regarding the show, Legend said: “I’m excited by the idea of bringing this undertold story to life.”
Application: It is our calling, like that of Peter, to bring the undertold story of the resurrection to life.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Jordan Spieth is recognized as the world’s best golfer today, chasing the Grand Slam last year by winning the Masters and the U.S. Open as well as winning the FedEx Cup. He has also had the most lucrative season in the history of golf last year with $22 million in prize money. Yet his stern nature on the golf course masks a man who is has a light sense of humor. With his national recognition, Spieth is aware of his place in the news and especially on social media. He said of his new position in golf: “How great it is to have fans? How great it is to be able to influence people in such a positive way? Why wouldn’t you want to flip the switch?” For Spieth, flipping the switch means appearing less dour while playing golf, yet still remaining competitive.
Application: When we witness to the resurrection, we must be sure to do so with sense of joy.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Charles Spurgeon -- one of the most recognized preachers in England whose influence crossed the ocean to America -- gave a sermon on New Year’s resolutions on January 1, 1893. Spurgeon, who was Baptist, preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for 38 years. In his New Year’s sermon he said: “It is bliss to praise God so that our very thoughts praise him, not by effort, but as flowers pour out their perfume.” Let me repeat that again: “It is bliss to praise God so that our very thoughts praise him, not by effort, but as flowers pour out their perfume.”
Application: Peter preached with such sincerity on the empty tomb that he witnessed that his words were “but as flowers pour[ing] out their perfume.” It is such devotion and sincerity that must be conveyed in our witness to the resurrection.
*****
Luke 24:1-12
The new drama series Underground tells the story of the Underground Railroad and the vast network that allowed Southern slaves to escape north to freedom. Musician John Legend, the program’s executive producer, says: You want to be dramatically powerful but also honest to the time period.... There’s really so much intrigue in the truth.”
Application: The ladies who discovered the empty tomb were able to dramatically express themselves, but never faltered from being truthful; thus, the power of their witness. We must remain truthful in our witness of the resurrection, but we should never be hesitant in expressing the drama of it.
*****
Isaiah 65:17-25
Ben Winters is a best-selling author of crime fiction novels. He is noted for allowing current events to influence his stories. This is most evident in his latest publication Underground Airlines, which is about a black bounty hunter who rides through the poor neighborhoods of Indianapolis alongside a white police officer. Winters said of his writing, “When you’re writing a book, you’re not in an isolation chamber.”
Application: When Isaiah presented his message, he addressed the people of Israel in their current situation. So too when we witness; we must address the present and current needs of those who have gathered to listen to us.
*****
Isaiah 65:17-25
In a Bizarro comic, a scene from an airport check-in line is depicted. On one side of the guard cord there is a distinguished businessman standing alone as he presents his boarding pass to the attendant. The sign over his line reads “Valid Customers.” On the other side of the blue cord is a very long line of people waiting to board the aircraft. The sign over this line reads “Worthless Riffraff.”
Application: The good news presented by Isaiah is that none of us are worthless riffraff.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our strength and our might.
People: God has become our salvation.
Leader: There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous.
People: This is the gate of God; the righteous shall enter through it.
Leader: This is the day that God has made.
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
OR
Leader: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Leader: Christ comes to each of us and offers us new life.
People: We long to meet the Risen Christ today.
Leader: The Christ is among us today and every day.
People: With God’s help, we will seek the Christ every day.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Easter People, Raise Your Voices”
found in:
UMH: 304
(Although this hymn appears only in the United Methodist Hymnal among the hymnals I cite, it’s a wonderful hymn that fits very well with this week’s main article. If you do not have a UMH but do have CCLI, you may want to take advantage of it.)
“He Lives”
found in:
UMH: 310
AAHH: 275
NNBH: 119
CH: 226
W&P: 302
“Christ Is Alive”
found in:
UMH: 318
H82: 182
PH: 108
LBW: 363
ELA: 389
W&P: 312
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
“Every Time I Feel the Spirit”
found in:
UMH: 404
PH: 315
AAHH: 325
NNBH: 485
NCH: 282
CH: 592
W&P: 481
STLT: 208
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 540
H82: 524
PH: 441
NNBH: 302
NCH: 312
CH: 274
LBW: 368
W&P: 549
AMEC: 515, 517
“Sing Unto the Lord a New Song”
found in:
CCB: 16
“Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”
found in:
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who made us mortal: Grant us the wisdom to make every moment a time of new life, as we find your direction for our lives through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you have created us to be your people. You have made us mortal, and we forget that even death is a gift from you. Help us to use our mortality to reflect on the meaning of our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our unreasonable fear of death.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us as mortal beings who must face death, and yet we fear it so much that we often fail to face it. We try to avoid it or cover it over. We even refuse to use the term “death” and talk of someone “crossing over,” being lost to us, or other seemingly gentler terms. We view death as our enemy instead of seeing it as that which gives real meaning to our lives. Instead of seeing it as the final release into your love, we see it as the enemy. Help us to remember that Jesus has shown us death is only the door to eternal life. Amen.
Leader: God holds us in this life and in whatever is beyond it.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for only you are the eternal one. Whatever life we have beyond this one is a gift from you.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us as mortal beings who must face death, and yet we fear it so much that we often fail to face it. We try to avoid it or cover it over. We even refuse to use the term “death” and talk of someone “crossing over,” being lost to us, or other seemingly gentler terms. We view death as our enemy instead of seeing it as that which gives real meaning to our lives. Instead of seeing it as the final release into your love, we see it as the enemy. Help us to remember that Jesus has shown us death is only the door to eternal life.
Thank you for all the blessings of this life, including death. Thank you for those like St. Francis who could sing of even death as being kind. Thank you for the gift of meaning which is given to our mortal lives.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who are grieving the death of loved ones and those facing their own death. Help us to be your reassuring presence to them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children using the imagery of the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly (making sure to distinguish between the appearance that the caterpillar dies and Jesus actually dying). The caterpillar doesn’t know what lies beyond the little tomb he weaves, but he does what he needs to do. He ends up a beautiful butterfly. Jesus entered the tomb and emerged a new and glorious being.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Idle Tale
by Elaine M. Ward
Luke 24:1-12
The small, furry, green caterpillar ate its way up the stalk of grass. Slowly, silently it munched its way. The man on the hill watched the caterpillar. For the first time that day he was alone. The man sat silently, thinking and watching the caterpillar.
What was this strong, silent man thinking as he watched the caterpillar? Who was he? From where had he come? Like the caterpillar, where was he going? What was he meant to do? These were the man’s thoughts as he sat watching the caterpillar eat, doing what the caterpillar was meant to do.
Some people live quietly, seeking God’s will. This man was impatient. Ever since his baptism by John, he had asked God what he must do. As he watched the caterpillar eat, he remembered that soon it would spin its cocoon and die. This was why it was eating the green leaves. Then the man knew. He knew what he would do. He slowly left the hill.
The city was crowded with people because it was a great holiday. There was much to see and do. The people went to the temple and to the marketplace. Some of the people even went to the hill where the criminals were hung on heavy, rough crosses. This year there would be three of them. This year the people who visited the hill were especially curious, for one of the criminals to be hung was the loving, rebel preacher, the carpenter from Nazareth.
The people shouted when they saw him dragging his cross behind him. “Save yourself, preacher! Remember, you are God’s son!” they mocked. The man did not reply. He had come to die. Soon it would be over. He remembered the last time he was on that hill, watching the small caterpillar doing what it must do, the day he had decided to do what he must do. Today there was no caterpillar to watch. Today he was dragging a cross on which he would die. The man, however, was not afraid. He was not bitter or discouraged, for he knew that God was with him. That day the man died on the hill called Calvary.
Later that night they took his body from the cross, and wrapped it in soft white sheets like a cocoon and put it in a tomb. A few days later, when a friend of the man went to the tomb, the white sheets lay on the ground, for the man’s body was no longer there. The woman wondered and began to cry. “Why are you crying?” asked a voice behind her. The woman turned, for she thought she recognized the voice. She thought she recognized the man, but he was different, and on his shoulder rested a small, white butterfly.
Talk together: What does the story say to you? Some call it foolish, an “idle tale.” For others it is the “good news of God,” the hope by which they live, a glorious, wonderful truth.
In our sacred story for today, even Jesus’ disciples could not believe that he was again alive. It seemed to them “an idle tale.” As they lived its truth, they discovered it was a “dream come true.”
Prayer: Dear God, as we experience your love in life, help us know we will experience that same love in death. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 27, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the resurrection, examining the theme of the empty tomb as not only a doorway that Jesus exits, but also as a doorway that we must have the courage to enter in order to experience new life. While we are ordinarily afraid of death and try to avoid it as much as possible, Mary suggests that it is only by confronting it -- by entering into the tomb -- that we can discover that God has already been there and removed all that we are afraid of. And by assuming that mindset, Mary notes, we can experience resurrection and new life every day through entering our lifeless tombs and allowing God to do his work.
The Sixth Immortality
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12
“Mommy, what happens when we die?”
Sooner or later, every parent has to answer that question. Usually it comes in the wake of a death -- a grandparent or another relative, a friend of the family, maybe a beloved pet. But it is inevitable. It’s going to get asked, and a wise parent is prepared for it beforehand.
What happens when we die?
If a child asks it, the answer doesn’t have to be long or complicated. All of the subtle theological and eschatological nuances of the subject need not be covered. The universal, existential yearnings of humankind need not be addressed. The best answer for kids is short, simple, and reassuring.
But what if it’s not a child asking that question?
What if it’s us? What if it’s you or me? Because we do ask it, you know. We ask it all the time. And if we’re honest, we admit to ourselves that we just don’t know -- and not knowing can be scary.
Philosopher and writer Stephen Cave speaks to this existential apprehension in his excellent TED talk on “The Four Stories We Tell Ourselves About Death.” According to Cave, those stories are: “Elixir,” “Resurrection,” “Soul,” and “Legacy.” In a subsequent blog entry he recommends a fifth story that he calls “Wisdom.”
I want to offer a sixth story. I call it “Easter.”
In the News and the Culture
Last week, archeologists announced that they had used new radar technology to discover some heretofore undiscovered rooms in the tomb of King Tut. The rooms contain both organic and inorganic material, leading some to speculate that they may be the burial chambers of Tutankhamun’s famous mother Nefertiti.
With this exciting announcement -- what Egyptian antiquities minister Mamdouh Eldamaty called “the discovery of the century” -- we are reminded that the human impulse to conquer death is at least 3,339 years old. No one prepared for “the next life” like the ancient Egyptians did. Their mythology and their preparations were both elaborate and extensive.
More than three millennia later we are still at it -- still trying to defeat and overcome death.
Stephen Cave tells us of the four universal stories that humankind has told throughout the centuries of our existence.
Elixir
The elixir story is the one wherein we discover or create something that we can do to or put into our bodies that will extend our lives, maybe forever.
The “Fountain of Youth” was an elixir story. Snake oil salesmen and hucksters have played on our fear of death for centuries, selling us potions, spells, talismans, vitamins, and exercise regimens that are all supposed to lengthen our lives.
John Harvey Kellogg -- who along with his brother Will invented granola and corn flakes -- was a medical doctor who ran a sanitarium that touted vegetarianism, exercise, enemas, sexual abstinence, and racial segregation as a path to long life. John, being a doctor, practiced what he preached. Will, an industrialist, not so much. They both died at the age of 91.
Rev. Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister and a fan of abstinence from sex, meat, sugar, alcohol, fat, tobacco, spices, and caffeine. He also believed that people should brush their teeth and bathe daily, a radical notion for its time. Today, he may be best remembered for his promotion of unsifted and coarsely ground wheat flour -- a concoction that was nicknamed “graham flour” and is the main ingredient in graham crackers. He died at the age of 56.
Turn on your television at any time of day and you’ll probably be able to find at least one channel selling products that will make us feel or look younger, stronger, healthier, better. Millions of dollars are spent every year on diet systems, exercise videos and machines, personal trainers, and over-the-counter vitamins -- all in the effort to cheat death.
It doesn’t take long to realize that an elixir which gives us eternal life without eternal youth is of no value. Without the eternal youth to go with it, eternal life will leave us like the Struldbrugs in Gulliver’s Travels, who never die but continue to age until they all eventually become shriveled and senile.
As one observer pointed out, the only thing that all of these salesmen and inventors of life-extending elixirs have in common is that they are all dead.
Resurrection of the Body
Physically returning to life from death is another immortality story, and includes stories of reanimation. In either case, a person who was physically dead is brought back to physical life. Jesus would be included in this category, as would Lazarus.
Other biblical examples of resurrection would include the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, whose son Elijah brought back from death (1 Kings 17); Elisha and the Shunamite’s son (2 Kings 4); the man whose body was tossed into Elijah’s tomb (2 Kings 13)’ the widow of Nain, whose son was raised by Jesus (Luke 7); Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5); Tabitha (known as Dorcas), who was raised by Peter (Acts 9); and Eutychus, who was raised by Paul (Acts 20).
In other religions we would find Dionysus (the Greek god of wine) and his mother Persephone, who were said to have been reborn after dying. In the Hindu religion, both Krishna and Ganesha (the god with the elephant head) are said to have been resurrected from death.
In modern times, this category might include people who have died on the operating table and been brought back to life by medical science after having what they describe as an out-of-body, otherworldly experience of the afterlife.
With the exception of Jesus (and some mythical beings), all of these eventually died and were not raised a second time. While they may have cheated death once, it eventually caught up with them and immortality was not their lot.
Finally, in science we find this hope of or belief in resurrection lodged in the dubious practice of cryonics -- which proposes to freeze the body (or at least the head) of the deceased in the hope of thawing it out and reviving it at some time in the future. As yet, however, these hopes remain untested.
Eternal Soul
A belief shared by many religions is that of the eternal soul, which is often considered synonymous with spirit. It is the belief that there is a non-corporeal essence that lives in every being and continues to live after the death of the body.
It should be pointed out that this is not what our ancient Jewish ancestors believed about the “soul,” which for them was a way of speaking about the entire person -- physical, mental, and spiritual. A soul was, for the most part, considered to be a complete person in all respects.
The division of a person into body and spirit was by and large a Greek notion. It was this Greek understanding of the soul -- that which enlivens the body and leaves when the body dies -- that became popular in western Christian culture and continues in many American minds today.
In most religious thought, the soul resides in the body as spirit and floats away when the body dies. In the Christian religion, the soul then goes to reside in another location -- heaven or hell -- where, unburdened by a body, it continues to live for eternity.
In some religions the soul leaves the body at death and goes to reside in another body that has been determined by the behavior of the soul in the previous life. This reincarnating process continues until the soul reaches its final resting place, or in some religions it simply disappears into oblivion or non-being. It is this notion of a soul that leaves and lives on in paradise that allows suicide bombers to sacrifice their lives in acts of terrorism and missionaries to offer their lives in spreading the gospel.
We find this same essential belief in science fiction, wherein the idea of soul is replaced with the idea of consciousness. In these stories the person’s consciousness is captured and downloaded into a computer, where it continues to live on, disembodied, until a new human body can be found for it.
Unfortunately, none of this is provable in the objective, scientific sense. These things are all matters of belief and faith.
Legacy
This fourth kind of immortality is the simplest. In it, we live on not in heaven or in another body, but in the hearts and minds of other people and in the memories, lessons, and achievements which we have left to humankind. If we have not contributed to all of humankind, then we at least live on in the hearts and minds of our progeny -- our children and grandchildren.
The unsatisfying part of this notion is that memories fade. As Woody Allen said, “I don’t want to live forever in the lives of men; I want to live forever in my apartment.” Even the physical monuments we leave behind eventually erode and disappear. Percy Bysshe Shelley addressed the futility of legacy in his poem “Ozymandias,” wherein a traveler finds an ancient ruin in the desert:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Wisdom
Philosopher Stephen Cave offers a fifth story.
His advice is to simply stop trying to find immortality, and instead come to terms with its opposite, mortality -- to accept and be reconciled to the fact that we are finite beings, that we are going to die.
He allows that this is not easy to do, but suggests that we also accept that immortality is “not all it’s cracked up to be” anyhow. Besides, it would make for an increasingly crowded, desperate, and uncomfortable planet, would it not?
He also suggests that we make a conscious decision to not fear death. This is possible, he says, because death is not part of our human experience. As Epicurus wrote, “While we are, death is not; when death is come, we are not. Death is, thus, of no concern either to the living or to the dead.”
The final step in this acceptance of and embracing of mortality, Cave says, is to “cultivate those virtues that help us to appreciate the time we have rather than worry about it being finite.” That means focusing on the present or on other people, and learning to live with a sense of gratitude.
According to Cave: “We shouldn’t waste our time worrying about our time being limited, but should rather, as the Greek Epicurean Phiodemus put it, ‘receive each additional moment of time in a manner appropriate to its value; as if one were having an incredible stroke of luck.’ ”
And while that is good advice, as far as it goes, I want to offer a sixth possibility. I want to offer a way of looking at mortality and immortality, of life and death, that I think is offered by the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In the Scripture and In the Pulpit (The Sixth Immortality)
You no doubt recall Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ.
It was the story of the last hours of Jesus’ life, told through the eyes of Gibson’s extreme, fundamentalist Catholic upbringing -- and the film’s primary focus was on pain, brutality, and suffering.
Mel Gibson’s personal forte in moviemaking has always been violence, and in this outing his cup ranneth over. He did not just depict the violence that befell Jesus in his final hours; he turned it into a grotesque caricature.
Scripture does not say how many lashes Jesus received, but most scholars believe that it would have been the customary 40 lashes less one as determined by both Roman and Jewish law. Gibson gave him closer to 120. Blood and pain saturated every scene of the film, until finally, after two hours of torture and suffering, Jesus died and the entire audience breathed a huge sigh of relief.
As I read the scripture lesson for Good Friday the year the movie was released, it occurred to me that maybe, without meaning to, Mel Gibson had hit on something, a truth that is present in the story of the Passion and Easter that we have been missing. And that truth is that death is one of God’s good gifts to humankind.
Let me explain.
I do not believe that God has a plan for every moment in our lives. I believe the God offers us tremendous latitude in determining the directions of our own lives. We are given decisions to make and consequences that follow from those decisions, consequences from which we are not given immunity. To a great extent, God has given us an ever-evolving universe and the privilege of participating in our own evolution, of determining the direction it will take.
But I also believe that God has a broad, general plan for us, or maybe it’s an intention, a direction that our lives are to follow -- and that plan looks something like this: we are born, we live, we grow, we learn, we produce and contribute, we love and are loved, we grow old, and at the end of our lives we die.
That is God’s plan for us, and it is a good plan.
Death is the last gift of life -- not the deaths that come in the midst of life, of course, but those that come at the end of life. Those earlier deaths are tragic, and are not at all part of God’s plan for us. They are all too often the result of human intervention or ignorance or even evil. They are the deaths that cut life shorter than it was intended to be.
But death at the end of life is a gift. Sometimes it’s difficult, sometimes it’s painful -- but it is a gift. It is what C.S. Lewis called one of God’s “severe mercies.” Those of us who have been present at the deathbeds of the aged or those who are suffering from hideously painful disease or injury know this to be the case.
We are mortal, and our mortality is a gift of God.
And not only are we mortal, we are aware of our mortality. Of all the creatures on earth, we may be the only ones that have this sentience, this self-awareness. And this awareness of our impending death gives our lives a sense of urgency. It is what drives us to set and achieve goals. It is what compels us to live with purpose and productivity. It gives each day, each second of each day, a sweetness that we might not otherwise experience.
Our awareness of our own mortality and death as a gift of God makes the resurrection of Jesus more than one historic event that happened once upon a time. It is an event that has been repeated over and over again throughout two millennia in the lives of Christians. It is an event that we re-enact daily.
For in that awareness, we can experience resurrection each day of our lives -- and live out the faith that even though we do not know what lies on the other side of death, we know that God is there... and that is enough for us. The God who held us lovingly in this life will continue to do so in the next. And in that assurance, all fear of death is banished and we experience resurrection -- that is, we experience Easter every day of our lives.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 24:1-12
The story of Jesus’ death ends with his friends having an enforced rest -- a break before they can rush to the tomb. “On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment” are the closing words of chapter 23 of Luke. “But,” begins chapter 24. In the days when these stories were told (instead of written), the “but” would have followed right on the heels of the day of rest. The lectionary divides the reading, so we miss the abrupt stop in the action for the sabbath, and the sense of hurry as soon as the women can head for the tomb.
Ready with the spice they have prepared, the women are expecting a closed tomb and a dead body. Brian Stoffregen notes that this is both a duty and a privilege of family members, and “they are coming to do what was good and right and proper for corpse. It is part of their devotion to Jesus. Malina and Rohrbaugh (Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels) write, first concerning Joseph (23:50-56): ‘In the Roman world, providing proper burial was one of the important obligations of contractual friendship. Throughout the Mediterranean world it was one of the strongest obligations of family members. That Joseph of Arimathea undertakes the obligation here indicates that he considered himself a member of Jesus’ surrogate family group’ [p. 409]. Then, briefly concerning the women in our text: ‘Taking spices to a tomb is a gesture of family members.’ ”
Finding the stone rolled away, they go into the tomb.
This is the gift that Easter gives us as well. In the light of the resurrection, we too are empowered to enter the tombs we find, and to find that everything has changed. We have our own lifeless places in need of the change Jesus brings. Our tombs are the places where our feelings grow dead, and our abilities diminish. Our tombs are the places where we are captive to fear, and can’t seem to move forward. Our tombs are all the dead places where we settle for distraction over purpose, or “okay” over joyful. Our tombs are the expectations of family and the prejudices of society. Our tombs come in familiar forms -- addiction, abuse, financial stress, and worry about the future, among others.
When we have the courage to enter the tomb, following in the footsteps of Jesus’ earliest friends, we find that nothing is what we expected. Entering the tomb takes courage. The women are there for a necessary, but sad, task. They’re expecting to play a part in the ritual of death, and instead they become evangelists of new life.
The same happens for us when we have the courage to step into the tomb. We expect death, and find new life. We draw upon the transforming power of God to find that death is no more.
Believing this takes another kind of courage.
It would have been easy for the women to go back and not say anything. As it is, their story is taken as “an idle tale.” The only thing they have to claim as evidence is the word of the mysterious men in white, and the memory of the things Jesus said. No wonder this seems foolish to the rest of the group. In Luke’s version of the story, only Peter jumps up and runs to see if the story is true. Does Peter do the running because he’s impetuous, as always? Or does Peter have a more desperate need for hope than any of the others? It’s easy to imagine that he has spent the sabbath day in a state of shame-filled agony, revisiting in his mind the scene in the high priest’s courtyard. He can hear his own voice deny Jesus, and hear the cock crow again and again. Peter has been in a different kind of tomb, one of regret and grief.
It takes courage for the women to tell the story, and courage for Peter to dare to hope that it’s true. It takes courage for us to dare to believe in God’s transforming power. The presidential election has revealed the deep strains of racism and sexism that still exist in America. There are new terror attacks in Brussels. Even the Easter bunny can’t be trusted to behave. And yet there’s always more, when God is at work. Easter invites us to run toward hope like Peter does, and to follow the women in sharing the story. We are invited to step into every place of death we can find, and see that God has already been there. This idle tale is our Easter answer to all of the world’s tombs.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
What the Resurrection Reveals
In the latter years of his life, priest and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen set out to explore the meaning of death. Nouwen’s essays in Our Greatest Gift(HarperCollins, 1994) collect various strands of his thoughts on death and dying in one volume.
Nouwen writes: “The real question before our death, then, is not, ‘How much can I still accomplish, or how much influence can I still exert,’ but ‘How can I live so that I can continue to be fruitful when I am no longer here among my family and friends?’ That question shifts our attention from doing to being. Our doing brings success, but our being bears fruit.”
He notes that each of us, like Christ, dies not as some sort of “sweet, sentimental event.” Instead dying “is a great struggle” where we surrender our lives completely. Jesus surrendered himself completely to God’s care, which Nouwen calls “trusting in the catcher.” “To care for the dying is to say, ‘Don’t be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don’t try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.”
Nouwen expands on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15, emphasizing that these verses affirm God’s fullest expression of love offered in Jesus Christ:
The resurrection does not solve our problems about dying and death. It is not the happy ending to our life’s struggle, nor is it the big surprise that god has kept in store for us. No, the resurrection is the expression of God’s faithfulness to Jesus and to all God’s children. Through the resurrection, God has said to Jesus, “You are indeed my beloved Son, and my love is everlasting,” and to us God has said, “You are indeed my beloved children, and my love is everlasting.” The resurrection is God’s way of revealing to us nothing that beloves to God will ever go to waste. (Our Greatest Gift, p. 109)
*****
John 20:1-18
Easter Beginnings
Easter begins with a 5k run in John, and not a victorious organ prelude. As the two disciples sprint toward the tomb, Mary stands in the distance, filled with grief and lament. The two experiences -- breathless awe and bereaved lament -- characterize both the disciples and John’s movement from death to resurrection. Lament is not only the language of grief, it is also the foundational grammar of resurrection.
After her son Todd was murdered on his 21st birthday, poet Ann Weems -- who died last week at age 81 -- wrote a series of contemporary laments which explored her own journey of grief. Weems’ raw grief and anger at God is rooted in the experience of scripture. If Mary had words for her grief, doubtless they would sound like these:
Is it not enough
that he is dead?
That there is nothing
I can do
to change what is?
Must I spend each night
revisiting the unlit
corridors of death?
Like the psalmist, like Mary, Weems yearned for God’s presence. “O my God, you are hope,” she declares, “You take the bonds of death and break them into pieces of life. The demons of the night cower and hide from the brilliance of your presence. You alone can banish the night and create the sweet stream of morning’s light. There is none who can stop you, for you are the God of light and the light of my soul” (“Lament Psalm Sixteen,” from Psalms of Lament [Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995]).
*****
John 20:1-18
Letting Go
Quite often, hospice workers will suggest that families help patients prepare for death by saying good-bye, giving them permission to die. Such gestures are similar to Jesus’ instructions to Mary (“Do not hold on to me”) and can be helpful in providing a time of comfort, healing, and assurance as death approaches. One family, whose mother had previously been prone to getting up in the middle of night confused and asking for dinner, followed hospice’s instructions. As their mother declined, they kept vigil. At one point, when she had been in a deep sleep for nearly 20 hours, the family presumed death was near. Her daughter leaned in and whispered, “It’s okay, Mom. You can go be with God. We will miss you.” Suddenly her mother’s eyes opened. Completely coherent, the woman said, “Not at four in the morning, you won’t!”
*****
John 20:1-18
Moving Forward
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary president Theodore Wardlow notes that Easter begins with Mary trying to come to grips with Jesus’ death. Like our own cemetery experiences, Mary discovers there’s nothing at Jesus’ tomb to hold. She wants him back -- much the way we want our loved ones back. “But when the resurrected Jesus reveals himself to her, she learns that he is back not just to validate a past but, more profoundly, to usher in a promise. Easter is not about going back and having something to hold. It is rather about going forward, with nothing to hold -- except the contours of a new kingdom coming in” (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Lenten devotional, April 5, 2015).
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Acts 10:34-43
There is a new app called Timelooper that allows users to experience key moments in London history with just a smartphone and a cardboard headset. The app shows you what these moments looked like in their original setting, without tourists. It truly provides a “you are there” experience.” The company’s co-founder, Yigit Yigiter, said: “Nothing replaces the experience of being on site, but you don’t always know what the stories are about those sites.” With Timelooper you can know the story behind the historical site where you stand.
Application: Peter was a witness to the resurrection event, which made it easy for him to share his testimony. Would it not be wonderful for Timelooper to allow us the same experience? Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Timelooper co-founder Andrew Feinberg notes about his company’s “virtual reality” app: “When we take you back in time, you actually see the historically accurate representation” of the event. With Timelooper you can know the story’s actual history behind the historical site where you stand.
Application: Peter was a witness to the Resurrection event, which made it easy for him to share his testimony. Would it not be wonderful for Timelooper to allow us the same experience? Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Virtual reality (VR) is the latest development in the film industry. With a headset worn in the movie theater, VR allows you to see the blades of grass and get so close to an actor that you can feel their breath. In fact, VR has become so realistic that viewers often miss seeing the movie’s plot. It has been discovered that before a plot line can be introduced, 40 seconds must be allowed for viewers to become oriented to the scene.
Application: How powerful our testimony of the resurrection would be if we had Peter’s “you are there” experience. Instead, we must depend on the sincerity of our personal conviction. But if you think about, we were there with the conviction that comes with the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Kathleen Parker, a native of South Carolina and a columnist for the Washington Post, has a special admiration for noted South Carolina author Pat Conroy. Conroy recently died, and Parker reflected on the life of her beloved author. Parker noted that soon after starring in the movie The Prince of Tides (based on Conroy’s book of the same title), actor Nick Nolte was named by People magazine as the “Sexiest Man Alive.” But Parker contended that Conroy was truly the sexiest man alive, because he penned the masterful and sexy words that Nolte only repeated in the film. Parker wrote, “It was Conroy, after all, who had crafted the sentences so sensuously lush and true that they begged to be read aloud.”
Application: It was the masterful words of Peter that allowed non-observers of the resurrection event to become believers. We too must witness with such passion.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
John Legend is the executive producer of the new drama series Underground, which tells the story of the Underground Railroad -- the vast network that allowed Southern slaves to escape north to freedom. Regarding the show, Legend said: “I’m excited by the idea of bringing this undertold story to life.”
Application: It is our calling, like that of Peter, to bring the undertold story of the resurrection to life.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Jordan Spieth is recognized as the world’s best golfer today, chasing the Grand Slam last year by winning the Masters and the U.S. Open as well as winning the FedEx Cup. He has also had the most lucrative season in the history of golf last year with $22 million in prize money. Yet his stern nature on the golf course masks a man who is has a light sense of humor. With his national recognition, Spieth is aware of his place in the news and especially on social media. He said of his new position in golf: “How great it is to have fans? How great it is to be able to influence people in such a positive way? Why wouldn’t you want to flip the switch?” For Spieth, flipping the switch means appearing less dour while playing golf, yet still remaining competitive.
Application: When we witness to the resurrection, we must be sure to do so with sense of joy.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
Charles Spurgeon -- one of the most recognized preachers in England whose influence crossed the ocean to America -- gave a sermon on New Year’s resolutions on January 1, 1893. Spurgeon, who was Baptist, preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for 38 years. In his New Year’s sermon he said: “It is bliss to praise God so that our very thoughts praise him, not by effort, but as flowers pour out their perfume.” Let me repeat that again: “It is bliss to praise God so that our very thoughts praise him, not by effort, but as flowers pour out their perfume.”
Application: Peter preached with such sincerity on the empty tomb that he witnessed that his words were “but as flowers pour[ing] out their perfume.” It is such devotion and sincerity that must be conveyed in our witness to the resurrection.
*****
Luke 24:1-12
The new drama series Underground tells the story of the Underground Railroad and the vast network that allowed Southern slaves to escape north to freedom. Musician John Legend, the program’s executive producer, says: You want to be dramatically powerful but also honest to the time period.... There’s really so much intrigue in the truth.”
Application: The ladies who discovered the empty tomb were able to dramatically express themselves, but never faltered from being truthful; thus, the power of their witness. We must remain truthful in our witness of the resurrection, but we should never be hesitant in expressing the drama of it.
*****
Isaiah 65:17-25
Ben Winters is a best-selling author of crime fiction novels. He is noted for allowing current events to influence his stories. This is most evident in his latest publication Underground Airlines, which is about a black bounty hunter who rides through the poor neighborhoods of Indianapolis alongside a white police officer. Winters said of his writing, “When you’re writing a book, you’re not in an isolation chamber.”
Application: When Isaiah presented his message, he addressed the people of Israel in their current situation. So too when we witness; we must address the present and current needs of those who have gathered to listen to us.
*****
Isaiah 65:17-25
In a Bizarro comic, a scene from an airport check-in line is depicted. On one side of the guard cord there is a distinguished businessman standing alone as he presents his boarding pass to the attendant. The sign over his line reads “Valid Customers.” On the other side of the blue cord is a very long line of people waiting to board the aircraft. The sign over this line reads “Worthless Riffraff.”
Application: The good news presented by Isaiah is that none of us are worthless riffraff.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our strength and our might.
People: God has become our salvation.
Leader: There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous.
People: This is the gate of God; the righteous shall enter through it.
Leader: This is the day that God has made.
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
OR
Leader: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Leader: Christ comes to each of us and offers us new life.
People: We long to meet the Risen Christ today.
Leader: The Christ is among us today and every day.
People: With God’s help, we will seek the Christ every day.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Easter People, Raise Your Voices”
found in:
UMH: 304
(Although this hymn appears only in the United Methodist Hymnal among the hymnals I cite, it’s a wonderful hymn that fits very well with this week’s main article. If you do not have a UMH but do have CCLI, you may want to take advantage of it.)
“He Lives”
found in:
UMH: 310
AAHH: 275
NNBH: 119
CH: 226
W&P: 302
“Christ Is Alive”
found in:
UMH: 318
H82: 182
PH: 108
LBW: 363
ELA: 389
W&P: 312
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
“Every Time I Feel the Spirit”
found in:
UMH: 404
PH: 315
AAHH: 325
NNBH: 485
NCH: 282
CH: 592
W&P: 481
STLT: 208
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 540
H82: 524
PH: 441
NNBH: 302
NCH: 312
CH: 274
LBW: 368
W&P: 549
AMEC: 515, 517
“Sing Unto the Lord a New Song”
found in:
CCB: 16
“Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”
found in:
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who made us mortal: Grant us the wisdom to make every moment a time of new life, as we find your direction for our lives through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you have created us to be your people. You have made us mortal, and we forget that even death is a gift from you. Help us to use our mortality to reflect on the meaning of our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our unreasonable fear of death.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us as mortal beings who must face death, and yet we fear it so much that we often fail to face it. We try to avoid it or cover it over. We even refuse to use the term “death” and talk of someone “crossing over,” being lost to us, or other seemingly gentler terms. We view death as our enemy instead of seeing it as that which gives real meaning to our lives. Instead of seeing it as the final release into your love, we see it as the enemy. Help us to remember that Jesus has shown us death is only the door to eternal life. Amen.
Leader: God holds us in this life and in whatever is beyond it.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for only you are the eternal one. Whatever life we have beyond this one is a gift from you.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us as mortal beings who must face death, and yet we fear it so much that we often fail to face it. We try to avoid it or cover it over. We even refuse to use the term “death” and talk of someone “crossing over,” being lost to us, or other seemingly gentler terms. We view death as our enemy instead of seeing it as that which gives real meaning to our lives. Instead of seeing it as the final release into your love, we see it as the enemy. Help us to remember that Jesus has shown us death is only the door to eternal life.
Thank you for all the blessings of this life, including death. Thank you for those like St. Francis who could sing of even death as being kind. Thank you for the gift of meaning which is given to our mortal lives.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who are grieving the death of loved ones and those facing their own death. Help us to be your reassuring presence to them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children using the imagery of the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly (making sure to distinguish between the appearance that the caterpillar dies and Jesus actually dying). The caterpillar doesn’t know what lies beyond the little tomb he weaves, but he does what he needs to do. He ends up a beautiful butterfly. Jesus entered the tomb and emerged a new and glorious being.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Idle Tale
by Elaine M. Ward
Luke 24:1-12
The small, furry, green caterpillar ate its way up the stalk of grass. Slowly, silently it munched its way. The man on the hill watched the caterpillar. For the first time that day he was alone. The man sat silently, thinking and watching the caterpillar.
What was this strong, silent man thinking as he watched the caterpillar? Who was he? From where had he come? Like the caterpillar, where was he going? What was he meant to do? These were the man’s thoughts as he sat watching the caterpillar eat, doing what the caterpillar was meant to do.
Some people live quietly, seeking God’s will. This man was impatient. Ever since his baptism by John, he had asked God what he must do. As he watched the caterpillar eat, he remembered that soon it would spin its cocoon and die. This was why it was eating the green leaves. Then the man knew. He knew what he would do. He slowly left the hill.
The city was crowded with people because it was a great holiday. There was much to see and do. The people went to the temple and to the marketplace. Some of the people even went to the hill where the criminals were hung on heavy, rough crosses. This year there would be three of them. This year the people who visited the hill were especially curious, for one of the criminals to be hung was the loving, rebel preacher, the carpenter from Nazareth.
The people shouted when they saw him dragging his cross behind him. “Save yourself, preacher! Remember, you are God’s son!” they mocked. The man did not reply. He had come to die. Soon it would be over. He remembered the last time he was on that hill, watching the small caterpillar doing what it must do, the day he had decided to do what he must do. Today there was no caterpillar to watch. Today he was dragging a cross on which he would die. The man, however, was not afraid. He was not bitter or discouraged, for he knew that God was with him. That day the man died on the hill called Calvary.
Later that night they took his body from the cross, and wrapped it in soft white sheets like a cocoon and put it in a tomb. A few days later, when a friend of the man went to the tomb, the white sheets lay on the ground, for the man’s body was no longer there. The woman wondered and began to cry. “Why are you crying?” asked a voice behind her. The woman turned, for she thought she recognized the voice. She thought she recognized the man, but he was different, and on his shoulder rested a small, white butterfly.
Talk together: What does the story say to you? Some call it foolish, an “idle tale.” For others it is the “good news of God,” the hope by which they live, a glorious, wonderful truth.
In our sacred story for today, even Jesus’ disciples could not believe that he was again alive. It seemed to them “an idle tale.” As they lived its truth, they discovered it was a “dream come true.”
Prayer: Dear God, as we experience your love in life, help us know we will experience that same love in death. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 27, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
