The Paradox Of Death
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
The motion picture Patton, produced in 1970, won eight academy awards, including one for George C. Scott as best actor, in his portrayal of the famous American World War II army general. The film opens in a rather odd manner. Patton, in full military regalia, stands atop a platform; he is addressing his troops before they enter battle. In the course of his comments he states, "Some people say it is glorious to die for your country. But I say that the objective of war is to make the other guy die for his country." That simple statement says something very profound about what we as a society think of death. We see it as something that is to be shunned and avoided; it is dishonorable to die. Certainly anyone in a normal situation wants to live and desires that all friends and loved ones remain healthy and active. Still, for the Christian, one's attitude toward death must be different. We have been given life by God for the ultimate purpose to return to our Creator. We are on a journey which leads to God, but one can only arrive at the final destination through death.
Lent is a journey which in many ways simulates our whole life path, from birth to death. We began this season on Ash Wednesday when we received the sign of ashes, which not only spoke of our mortality but also of the journey that we entered. During this season we have gone to the desert with Jesus to be tested by Satan with the great temptations which have haunted humans for ages -- power, wealth, and prestige. We next went to a high mountain, with Jesus, Peter, James, and John, and we saw the Lord transfigured. It was a momentary external transformation, but what did that miraculous event in Jesus' life do to transform us on the inside? We have walked beside Jesus in the heat of the day and the cool of the evening, experiencing along the way his triumphs and his difficulties. Now we enter the final part of the journey, a road that leads to death, but also to resurrection and eternal life.
We cannot experience the joy of Easter without first passing through the suffering of Good Friday. Today's first lesson from the prophet Isaiah, one of the famous "suffering servant" passages, demonstrates clearly the need to pass through death in order to find life. The servant does not try to avoid the humiliation and indignation which is his lot in life. The servant refuses to be rebellious, but rather willingly allows others to strike and spit upon him, all the while listening to insults. In the end God will vindicate him; God will bring him to victory.
It is only through such an attitude that finds promise, possibility, and even victory in the midst of pain, suffering, and humiliation that we can find any way to negotiate our world with all its vicissitudes, hurdles, and obstacles. Still, we might rightly ask why the world suffers. Why do pain, problems, and suffering exist in such abundance? We all believe that God is all good, all love, full of compassion, and all powerful. This is how we define God; we know this is true. Thus, the question bears repeating: Why does our world suffer? Why do wars exist and people die in innocence? Why do people in positions of public trust commit acts that cause others not only to lose faith in the individual, but in the system as well? Why do people fight one another when the only question between them is the color of their skin, their political preference, or religious belief?
One answer to these challenging questions is personal choice, our free will to say yes or no to God at any time in any way. Søren Kierkegaard, the famous nineteenth century existentialist philosopher and theologian, once wrote, "Faith is a matter of choice, our personal decision in finding God." This personal decision, our free will, is why the world suffers. It is free will that allows the drunk to drive and kill others. It is free will that allows people in public service to break the law and thus lower the integrity of the system. It is free will that places certain members and groups in society on the fringe and does not allow them to participate. Free will moves us closer to or further from God. As Kierkegaard wrote, it is our decision; faith is our choice.
It is free choice that allows the suffering servant to lay down his dignity and ultimately his life for others. The Lord was able to find promise where no hope was present and to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. His attitude toward death was anything but shameful. On the human level Jesus most assuredly was fearful of his death, but his faith and confidence in his Father were so great that he could go forward with complete assurance that his fear would be conquered, pain would be transformed to joy, and death would lead to eternal life. Thus, to die was the ultimate good, for it produced so much for so many. Jesus, the suffering servant, today enters Jerusalem in triumph. He is the one who will eat dinner with his disciples and then willingly choose death for the freedom and salvation of sinful humanity. He was an innocent victim of the hatred of human beings. But through the transformation of hatred, Jesus will rise and bring all people for all time the possibility of salvation.
Jesus' journey to death and resurrection must give us hope. It is a hope, born in difficulty, which says, despite the paradox, that life can only come from death. If we are willing to continue the Lenten journey with Jesus to the end; if we will walk with him -- then we too will find good through evil, triumph through defeat, and life through death. Let us, therefore, continue our walk with Jesus; let us stay close to him and in the process find life without end!
Lent is a journey which in many ways simulates our whole life path, from birth to death. We began this season on Ash Wednesday when we received the sign of ashes, which not only spoke of our mortality but also of the journey that we entered. During this season we have gone to the desert with Jesus to be tested by Satan with the great temptations which have haunted humans for ages -- power, wealth, and prestige. We next went to a high mountain, with Jesus, Peter, James, and John, and we saw the Lord transfigured. It was a momentary external transformation, but what did that miraculous event in Jesus' life do to transform us on the inside? We have walked beside Jesus in the heat of the day and the cool of the evening, experiencing along the way his triumphs and his difficulties. Now we enter the final part of the journey, a road that leads to death, but also to resurrection and eternal life.
We cannot experience the joy of Easter without first passing through the suffering of Good Friday. Today's first lesson from the prophet Isaiah, one of the famous "suffering servant" passages, demonstrates clearly the need to pass through death in order to find life. The servant does not try to avoid the humiliation and indignation which is his lot in life. The servant refuses to be rebellious, but rather willingly allows others to strike and spit upon him, all the while listening to insults. In the end God will vindicate him; God will bring him to victory.
It is only through such an attitude that finds promise, possibility, and even victory in the midst of pain, suffering, and humiliation that we can find any way to negotiate our world with all its vicissitudes, hurdles, and obstacles. Still, we might rightly ask why the world suffers. Why do pain, problems, and suffering exist in such abundance? We all believe that God is all good, all love, full of compassion, and all powerful. This is how we define God; we know this is true. Thus, the question bears repeating: Why does our world suffer? Why do wars exist and people die in innocence? Why do people in positions of public trust commit acts that cause others not only to lose faith in the individual, but in the system as well? Why do people fight one another when the only question between them is the color of their skin, their political preference, or religious belief?
One answer to these challenging questions is personal choice, our free will to say yes or no to God at any time in any way. Søren Kierkegaard, the famous nineteenth century existentialist philosopher and theologian, once wrote, "Faith is a matter of choice, our personal decision in finding God." This personal decision, our free will, is why the world suffers. It is free will that allows the drunk to drive and kill others. It is free will that allows people in public service to break the law and thus lower the integrity of the system. It is free will that places certain members and groups in society on the fringe and does not allow them to participate. Free will moves us closer to or further from God. As Kierkegaard wrote, it is our decision; faith is our choice.
It is free choice that allows the suffering servant to lay down his dignity and ultimately his life for others. The Lord was able to find promise where no hope was present and to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. His attitude toward death was anything but shameful. On the human level Jesus most assuredly was fearful of his death, but his faith and confidence in his Father were so great that he could go forward with complete assurance that his fear would be conquered, pain would be transformed to joy, and death would lead to eternal life. Thus, to die was the ultimate good, for it produced so much for so many. Jesus, the suffering servant, today enters Jerusalem in triumph. He is the one who will eat dinner with his disciples and then willingly choose death for the freedom and salvation of sinful humanity. He was an innocent victim of the hatred of human beings. But through the transformation of hatred, Jesus will rise and bring all people for all time the possibility of salvation.
Jesus' journey to death and resurrection must give us hope. It is a hope, born in difficulty, which says, despite the paradox, that life can only come from death. If we are willing to continue the Lenten journey with Jesus to the end; if we will walk with him -- then we too will find good through evil, triumph through defeat, and life through death. Let us, therefore, continue our walk with Jesus; let us stay close to him and in the process find life without end!
