Those We Have Hurt Will Be Healed
Sermon
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
For a sexual abuser
Those We Have Hurt Will Be Healed
Psalm 103:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:17-22
(I preached this sermon for a man I had never met. Throughout the sermon I referred to him as Mr. X. His daughters had come to me before the funeral to tell me that he had sexually molested both of them when they were young. They asked if I could preach a sermon that acknowledged his imperfections without anyone in the congregation knowing any of the details. This sermon was my attempt to do that.)
Paul's words here sound strange to our ears. He says, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19 NRSV). That is a remarkable statement, because Christians receive many blessings from God in this life. We experience the peace that the Holy Spirit creates within us. We feel the love God showers on us in so many ways. We simply can enjoy the world that God has created.
We know that Mr. X enjoyed the life he was granted from God. He enjoyed bowling and golf. He enjoyed his civic activities and spending time with friends. In light of the joy he received in this life, would it be so awful if there were no resurrection? Wouldn't the life Mr. X has led and enjoyed be enough? Is Paul right that we are to be pitied without the resurrection?
Maybe part of what Paul means is that it would be a tragedy if this life were all that we had. If our enjoyment of life, and the relationship we have with Christ were to end at death that would be tragic. If death could separate us from Christ and from the love of God that would be tragic.
Paul may say that Christians should be pitied if there is to be no resurrection because our experience of God in this life is incomplete. We experience God's presence, but only partially. God always remains somewhat distant. At the darkest periods of our lives, God may seem too distant. As Paul says elsewhere in this letter, "for now we see in a mirror, dimly ..." (1 Corinthians 13:12a NRSV). Only in the resurrection will we see, know, and experience God fully. It would be a tragedy if we never experienced God fully.
I think Paul also would say that we are to be pitied if there is no resurrection because in this life we never fully overcome our sins. Did you hear what the psalmist said? He wanted all that was within him to praise the Lord (cf. Psalm 103:1). That's the hard part: getting all of who we are to praise God. Some part of us always holds back. We all have our dark corners and our secret sins. If there will be no resurrection, we never will have the chance to experience existence without those sins hanging over us and controlling us. If there is to be no resurrection we never experience true victory over sin. In the resurrection we will be judged for what we have done, but we also will experience God's healing grace to redeem those parts of ourselves that did not praise or honor God. The psalmist says that God knows our weaknesses and our need for grace (cf. Psalm 103:8-14). Our sins bring us guilt, hurt other people, and harm our relationships. In the resurrection we will be healed and cleansed of our sins. Those we have hurt will be healed as well. In the resurrection we finally can be the good people, purified and redeemed, that God intended us to be.
Along with the entire New Testament, Paul assures us that Christ has indeed conquered death and that the resurrection awaits us. We receive a resurrection body, imperishable and eternal. Our resurrection bodies are not subject to pain, illness, weakness, or death. May Mr. X's family take comfort in this promise of resurrection. May Paul's words bring healing for your grief. May you take heart in Paul's assurance that beyond this life is the resurrection and the dominion of God, where we experience true communion with God, where we are healed of our sins and faults, and where we can be who God intended us to be. God has given us life as a gift, and God holds our life and our death in the divine hands. Glory be to God. Amen.
-- Charles L. Aaron
Those We Have Hurt Will Be Healed
Psalm 103:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:17-22
(I preached this sermon for a man I had never met. Throughout the sermon I referred to him as Mr. X. His daughters had come to me before the funeral to tell me that he had sexually molested both of them when they were young. They asked if I could preach a sermon that acknowledged his imperfections without anyone in the congregation knowing any of the details. This sermon was my attempt to do that.)
Paul's words here sound strange to our ears. He says, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19 NRSV). That is a remarkable statement, because Christians receive many blessings from God in this life. We experience the peace that the Holy Spirit creates within us. We feel the love God showers on us in so many ways. We simply can enjoy the world that God has created.
We know that Mr. X enjoyed the life he was granted from God. He enjoyed bowling and golf. He enjoyed his civic activities and spending time with friends. In light of the joy he received in this life, would it be so awful if there were no resurrection? Wouldn't the life Mr. X has led and enjoyed be enough? Is Paul right that we are to be pitied without the resurrection?
Maybe part of what Paul means is that it would be a tragedy if this life were all that we had. If our enjoyment of life, and the relationship we have with Christ were to end at death that would be tragic. If death could separate us from Christ and from the love of God that would be tragic.
Paul may say that Christians should be pitied if there is to be no resurrection because our experience of God in this life is incomplete. We experience God's presence, but only partially. God always remains somewhat distant. At the darkest periods of our lives, God may seem too distant. As Paul says elsewhere in this letter, "for now we see in a mirror, dimly ..." (1 Corinthians 13:12a NRSV). Only in the resurrection will we see, know, and experience God fully. It would be a tragedy if we never experienced God fully.
I think Paul also would say that we are to be pitied if there is no resurrection because in this life we never fully overcome our sins. Did you hear what the psalmist said? He wanted all that was within him to praise the Lord (cf. Psalm 103:1). That's the hard part: getting all of who we are to praise God. Some part of us always holds back. We all have our dark corners and our secret sins. If there will be no resurrection, we never will have the chance to experience existence without those sins hanging over us and controlling us. If there is to be no resurrection we never experience true victory over sin. In the resurrection we will be judged for what we have done, but we also will experience God's healing grace to redeem those parts of ourselves that did not praise or honor God. The psalmist says that God knows our weaknesses and our need for grace (cf. Psalm 103:8-14). Our sins bring us guilt, hurt other people, and harm our relationships. In the resurrection we will be healed and cleansed of our sins. Those we have hurt will be healed as well. In the resurrection we finally can be the good people, purified and redeemed, that God intended us to be.
Along with the entire New Testament, Paul assures us that Christ has indeed conquered death and that the resurrection awaits us. We receive a resurrection body, imperishable and eternal. Our resurrection bodies are not subject to pain, illness, weakness, or death. May Mr. X's family take comfort in this promise of resurrection. May Paul's words bring healing for your grief. May you take heart in Paul's assurance that beyond this life is the resurrection and the dominion of God, where we experience true communion with God, where we are healed of our sins and faults, and where we can be who God intended us to be. God has given us life as a gift, and God holds our life and our death in the divine hands. Glory be to God. Amen.
-- Charles L. Aaron
