3-31

GOD’S GREAT YES! TO LIFE

John 20:1-18  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 3/31/24

Rev. Paul Wrightman

 

 

EVEN GRANTED THAT JESUS’ TOMB WAS REALLY EMPTY,

A COMPELLING QUESTION KEEPS COMING UP. ​​ 

 

I’VE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES,

AND THE QUESTION IS THIS:

 

HOW​​ CAN SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED NEARLY

TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO​​ IMPACT​​ MY LIFE​​ TODAY? ​​ (REPEAT)

 

THIS QUESTION IS MOST OFTEN ASKED CONCERNING

WHAT TOOK PLACE ON GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER SUNDAY.

 

WHEN ASKED ABOUT GOOD FRIDAY,

THIS QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE​​ CROSS.

 

DID SOMETHING ACTUALLY OCCUR ON THAT FRIDAY WE CALL GOOD

WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT A REAL RECONCILIATION,

A REAL AT-ONE-MENT BETWEEN US AND GOD?

 

IF​​ JESUS REALLY​​ IS​​ THE HUMAN FACE OF GOD,

THEN​​ SOMETHING OF​​ UNIVERSAL​​ SIGNIFICANCE

HAPPENED ON THE CROSS,

 

NAMELY, AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S HEALING​​ LOVE

THAT​​ BURST​​ THE​​ BONDS​​ OF​​ TIME.

 

SINCE IT WAS​​ GODS​​ LOVE, AND THEREFORE​​ ETERNAL,

 

THIS LOVE WORKED ITS WAY​​ BACKWARDS

TO THE​​ VERY​​ BEGINNINGS​​ OF THE HUMAN RACE.

 

THIS EMBODIMENT, THIS INCARNATION OF GOD’S LOVE,

SINCE IT WAS​​ GODS​​ LOVE, AND THEREFORE​​ ETERNAL,

 

ALSO WORKED ITS WAY​​ FORWARDS,

ENCOMPASSING THE TWO MILLENIA SINCE THAT EVENT,

EMBRACING ALL HUMAN BEINGS SINCE THAT TIME,

INCLUDING​​ US, AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL​​ FOLLOW​​ US.

 

IF​​ JESUS REALLY​​ IS​​ THE​​ HUMAN​​ FACE OF​​ GOD,

THEN​​ GOD’S ETERNAL HEALING LOVE​​ 

BECAME SO FOCUSED ON THE CROSS

 

THAT IT BROKE THE BONDS OF TIME,

 

FILLING​​ TIME FOR​​ ALL​​ TIME

WITH GOD’S RECONCILING, HEALING, COMPASSIONATE​​ LOVE.

 

JESUS’ DEATH ON THE CROSS

IS GOD’S WAY OF TELLING EACH PERSON ON THIS PLANET –

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE –

 

THERE IS​​ NOTHING​​ YOU CAN DO

THAT WOULD MAKE ME LOVE YOU LESS. ​​ (REPEAT)

 

IN A​​ SIMILAR​​ WAY, THE QUESTION –

 

HOW​​ CAN SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED

NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO IMPACT​​ MY​​ LIFE​​ TODAY​​ –

 

WHEN ASKED IN REGARD TO JESUS’ RESURRECTION ON EASTER,

 

CAN BE ANSWERED IN THE​​ AFFIRMATIVE.

 

IF​​ JESUS REALLY IS THE HUMAN FACE OF​​ GOD,

THEN​​ THE RESURRECTION CAN BE UNDERSTOOD

 

NOT​​ ONLY​​ AS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED

ON THAT FIRST EASTER MORNING

NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO,

 

BUT AS SOMETHING THAT ALSO HAS IMPLICATIONS

BOTH BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS IN TIME –

 

NAMELY, THE FACT THAT GOD HAS ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL-TIME

BROKEN​​ THE RULE OF​​ DEATH​​ IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.

 

IN A VERY REAL SENSE, THE​​ RESURRECTION

IS​​ GODS​​ AFFIRMATION OF WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE​​ CROSS.

 

THE RESURRECTION IS GOD’S PERSONAL “YES!”

TO THE RECONCILING​​ LOVE WHICH JESUS EMBODIED

ON GOOD FRIDAY.

 

THE RESURRECTION IS THE SPILLING OVER, AS IT WERE,​​ 

OF GOD’S INVINCIBLE LOVE INTO THE REALM OF DEATH ITSELF.

 

GOD LOVES EACH OF US SO MUCH THAT GOD DECIDED, AS IT WERE,

TO​​ OVER-RULE​​ THE POWER OF DEATH

BY​​ OVERCOMING​​ DEATH WITH THE POWER OF​​ LIFE-GIVING​​ LOVE.

 

IF​​ A​​ LOVING GOD REALLY DID RAISE JESUS FROM THE DEAD,

AND DEATH CAN’T TOUCH HIM EVER AGAIN,

 

THIS MEANS THAT JESUS IS JUST AS ALIVE​​ NOW

AS HE WAS WHEN HE WALKED THIS EARTH.

 

ANOTHER QUESTION I GET ASKED IS:

 

HOW CAN THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT OF EASTER POSSIBLY BE​​ TRUE?

WHAT​​ EVIDENCE​​ IS THERE THAT IT IS NOT MERELY

WISHFUL THINKING?

 

TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION I WOULD TURN TO A​​ PARALLEL​​ EXAMPLE.

 

UNTIL 1873 THE CITY OF TROY AS DESCRIBED IN HOMER’S​​ ILIAD

WAS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY CONSIDERED TO BE​​ 

A MYTHICAL CITY HOSTING A MYTHICAL WAR.

 

HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN WAS ONE OF A VERY FEW WHO DISAGREED.

HE BELIEVED THAT A CLOSE READING OF THE TEXT

NOT ONLY POINTED TO A REAL WAR,

BUT TO​​ THE​​ REAL LOCATION OF A REAL CITY.

 

SO IN 1871, ARMED ONLY WITH A COPY OF THE​​ ILIAD​​ AND A SHOVEL,

HE SET OUT TO FIND THE REMAINS​​ 

OF THIS SUPPOSEDLY NON-EXISTENT CITY.

 

TWO YEARS LATER, BASED ON​​ CLUES IN HOMER’S TEXT,

HE DID, INDEED, FIND THE REMAINS OF AN ANCIENT CITY.

 

AMONG THE ARTIFACTS UNEARTHED,

MANY DEFINITIVELY ESTABLISHED THAT FACT​​ 

THAT THIS WAS, INDEED, THE TROY WRITTEN ABOUT

IN THE​​ ILIAD.

 

READING ABOUT HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN’S DISCOVERY

IS LIKE READING A GOOD DETECTIVE NOVEL.

 

ONE​​ CLUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ENOUGH,

BUT​​ MANY​​ CLUES, TAKEN TOGETHER, BEGIN TO ADD UP,

AND POINT TO A SPECIFIC CONCLUSION.

 

A QUESTION FOR US ON THIS EASTER SUNDAY IS:

 

ARE THERE CLUES IN THE BIBLICAL TEXT ITSELF​​ 

THAT POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF​​ 

ACCEPTING EASTER AS SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

 

I THINK THAT THERE ARE. ​​ LET ME EXPLORE A FEW OF THESE.

 

FIRST CLUE:​​ THE RAWNESS AND EYEWITNESS DETAILS

OF THE RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS STAND OUT​​ 

AS SOMETHING UNIQUE IN ANCIENT LITERATURE.

 

SECOND CLUE:​​ IT IS A COMMONPLACE THAT THERE ARE PLENTY​​ 

OF OTHER RESURRECTION STORIES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD.

 

BUT ALL THE REST OF THEM ARE VERY​​ VAGUE​​ AND VERY​​ GENERAL,

AND TAKE PLACE IN THE SIGNIFICANT,

BUT NON-HISTORICAL WORLD OF​​ MYTH.

 

AS YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF, TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING

IS NOT THE LANGUAGE OF MYTH,

 

BUT LANGUAGE STRETCHED TO ITS LIMITS

IN ITS ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE AN INEXPLICABLE SIGHT

(THE GRAVE-CLOTHES STILL IN THEIR FOLDS, LIKE A MUMMY,

BUT NO BODY WITHIN)

 

AND A NUMINOUS ENCOUNTER BETWEEN MARY​​ 

AND THE RISEN JESUS.

 

THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE THIS

IN ALL OF ANCIENT LITERATURE.

 

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE ODDITY

OF THESE DETAILS UNLESS THEY WERE THE RAW,

UNADORNED ACCOUNTS OF WHAT PEOPLE

ACTUALLY SAW AND HEARD.

 

THIRD CLUE:​​ REMEMBER THAT SCIENCE FICTION WAS NOT INVENTED

AS A FORM OF LITERATURE UNTIL THE 1800’S.

 

FOURTH CLUE:​​ THE FACT THAT​​ WOMEN​​ ARE THE FIRST AND FOREMOST​​ WITNESSES TO THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION​​ 

IS FANTASTICAL BEYOND BELIEF​​ IF THE STORY IS A MADE-UP ONE.

​​ 

GIVEN WOMEN’S THIRD-RATE STATUS

IN THE CULTURE AT THE TIME,

AND​​ THE FACT THAT THEY WERE CONSIDERED TOO INFERIOR

TO SERVE AS WITNESSES IN COURT,

 

THE​​ SURPRISE​​ THAT ALL FOUR GOSPELS UNABASHEDLY

PLACE THE WOMEN WITNESSES IN FIRST PLACE

STRONGLY TESTIFIES TO THE ACCURACY OF THEIR TESTIMONY.

 

FIFTH CLUE:​​ WHEN ST. PAUL WRITES ABOUT THE RESURRECTION

IN HIS FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS,

HE MENTIONS THAT JESUS APPEARED​​ 

TO MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED OF HIS FOLLOWERS​​ 

AT THE SAME TIME, MOST OF WHOM ARE STILL ALIVE.  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ​​ (1​​ Corinthians 15:6)

 

HE MENTIONS THIS SO THAT THOSE WHO ARE SCEPTICAL

CAN TALK TO ONE OR MORE OF THESE PEOPLE FOR THEMSELVES,

AND CHECK OUT THE​​ TRUTH​​ OF THEIR STORY.

 

SIXTH​​ CLUE:​​ MUCH TO MY SURPRISE,

I’VE DISCOVERED ANOTHER​​ CLUE

TO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION, AT LEAST PERSONALLY.

 

THIS CLUE​​ HAS TO DO WITH THE WORK​​ 

THAT I’VE BEEN DOING CONCERNING THE OVERWHELMING

AMOUNT OF​​ VIOLENCE​​ IN THE BIBLE.

 

I’LL PUT IT THIS WAY:

 

FINALLY, I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION

BECAUSE, AT LEAST FOR ME, NOTHING ELSE EVEN​​ BEGINS

TO EXPLAIN THE FACT THAT THE RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS OF JESUS

ARE THE​​ ONLY​​ PLACE IN THE​​ ENTIRE​​ BIBLE​​ THAT ARE TOTALLY​​ FREE

FROM​​ HUMAN​​ VIOLENCE​​ PROJECTED​​ ONTO​​ GOD.

 

TO MY WAY OF THINKING,​​ 

AN OVERWHELMINGLY​​ VIOLENT​​ HUMANITY​​ 

COULD​​ NEVER​​ HAVE​​ INVENTED

A TOTALLY​​ NONVIOLENT GENRE OF LITERATURE,

WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS ARE.

 

FOR ME, THE WRITERS OF THE GOSPELS

HAD​​ TO BE DESCRIBING EVENTS AND APPEARANCES

THAT REALLY TOOK PLACE,

 

BECAUSE​​ ON​​ THEIR​​ OWN​​ THEY WOULD HAVE​​ REVERTED​​ 

TO A​​ VIOLENT​​ UNDERSTANDING OF GOD,

 

AS EACH GOSPEL WRITER DOES, IN FACT, DO

IN VARIOUS PLACES IN THEIR TELLING OF THE GOSPEL.

 

BUT​​ NONE​​ REVERTS TO VIOLENCE​​ 

IN THE​​ RESURRECTION​​ ACCOUNTS,​​ 

 

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE​​ IDEAL​​ PLACE

FOR THEM TO​​ CORRECT​​ THE SUFFERING SERVANT MODEL

OF MESSIAH WHICH THEY​​ DIDNT​​ LIKE,

 

WITH THE TRIUMPHALISM OF A VICTORIOUS WARRIOR-KING,

WHICH THEY​​ DID​​ LIKE, AND WHICH​​ WE FIND​​ 

IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION.

 

TO MY WAY OF THINKING,

MATTHEW, AND FOR THAT MATTER,

THE OTHER GOSPEL WRITERS,

PROJECT THEIR​​ OWN​​ VIOLENCE ONTO JESUS AT TIMES.

 

NOT SO, HOWEVER, WITH THE​​ RESURRECTION​​ ACCOUNTS,

WHERE JESUS CONSISTENTLY SAYS THINGS LIKE

“DO NOT BE AFRAID,” “PEACE BE WITH YOU,”

“COME AND HAVE BREAKFAST,”

AND “I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU.”

 

SOMETHING​​ NEW​​ WAS HAPPENING HERE.

 

THE GOSPEL WRITERS WERE DESCRIBING SOMETHING

TOTALLY​​ UNPRECEDENTED:

 

NAMELY, A PERSON, THE PERSON OF​​ JESUS,

WHO AFTER HIS OWN VIOLENT DEATH

EXHIBITED​​ NO​​ DESIRE TO​​ GET​​ EVEN,

NO​​ DESIRE FOR​​ REVENGE,​​ 

NO​​ VIOLENCE​​ WHATSOEVER.

 

THIS, I VENTURE, SIMPLY​​ COULD​​ NOT​​ BE

THE PRODUCT OF​​ HUMAN​​ INVENTION,

BUT​​ HAD​​ TO​​ BE​​ A​​ WHOLE​​ NEW​​ CHAPTER

IN THE HISTORY OF GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANKIND.

 

THE EARLIEST CHURCH “GOT IT,” SO TO SPEAK,​​ 

AND LIVED OUT OF THE REALITY OF THE RISEN JESUS

BEING THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.

 

ANOTHER QUESTION I’M OFTEN ASKED IS:

 

“IF EASTER IS SO ALL-IMPORTANT,

THEN WHY IS IT THAT THE​​ CRUCIFIX

AND NOT AN IMAGE OF THE​​ RISEN​​ JESUS

IS OVERWHELMINGLY THE MOST POPULAR

SYMBOL OF CHRISTIANITY?

 

IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID THE CHURCH​​ LOSE​​ EASTER IN ITS ART?

 

IN THEIR GROUND-BREAKING BOOK

SAVING PARADISE: HOW CHRISTIANITY TRADED LOVE OF THE WORLD

FOR CRUCIFIXION AND EMPIRE,

 

RITA NAKASHIMA BROCK AND REBECCA ANN PARKER

DETAIL THEIR FASCINATING FIVE-YEAR INVESTIGATION

OF EARLY CHRISTIAN ART.

 

AS FEMINIST THEOLOGIANS, THEY WERE DETERMINED

TO TRACK DOWN THE FIRST OCCURRENCE

OF THE CRUCIFIXION IN ART,

AND ITS INHERENT MESSAGE OF BLOODY ATONEMENT –

THAT GOD REQUIRED THE DEATH OF JESUS​​ 

TO LET US OFF THE HOOK.

 

BROCK AND PARKER ASSUMED THAT THE IMAGE

OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS HAPPENENED VERY​​ EARLY

IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY.

 

THEY​​ VISITED THE CATACOMBS OUTSIDE ROME,

TAKING FOR GRANTED THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD FIND THERE

NUMEROUS REPRESENTATIONS OF JESUS’​​ DEATH.

 

THEY FOUND​​ INSTEAD​​ MULTIPLE IMAGES

OF GOD​​ RESCUING​​ AND​​ HEALING​​ PEOPLE,

PEOPLE LIKE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, JONAH, DANIEL, LAZARUS.

 

THEY FOUND​​ NO​​ PAINTING OF JESUS ON THE CROSS.

 

BY FAR THE MOST PREVALENT IMAGE OF JESUS

WAS JESUS AS A VERY-MUCH-STILL-ALIVE​​ GOOD SHEPHERD.

 

PARKER AND BROCK SUMMARIZE THEIR TIME

IN THE ROMAN CATACOMBS AS FOLLOWS:

 

“WE COULD NOT FIND A​​ DEAD​​ JESUS, NOT EVEN ONE.

 

IT WAS JUST AS THE ANGEL HAD SAID

TO THE WOMEN LOOKING FOR JESUS AT HIS TOMB,

“WHY DO YOU LOOK FOR THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD?”

(Luke 24:5) ​​ “HE IS NOT HERE.” ​​ (Mark 16:6)

 

THEY GO ON TO DESCRIBE THEIR ARTISTIC ADVENTURES

LOOKING FOR IMAGES OF CRUCIFIXION

IN EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ALL OVER EUROPE

AND FINDING –​​ NOT​​ ONE.

 

WHAT THEY​​ DID​​ FIND WAS​​ SURPRISING.

 

FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CHURCH OF ST. APOLLINARE NUOVO

IN RAVENNA, ITALY, A CHURCH BUILT IN THE 500’S,

THEY CAME ACROSS THIRTEEN PANELS, SCENES FROM HOLY WEEK.

 

“AT PANEL TEN,” BROCK AND PARKER WRITE,

“WE ENCOUNTERED SIMON OF CYRENE CARRYING THE CROSS

FOR JESUS TO GOLGOTHA.

 

WE​​ EXPECTED​​ TO SEE THE​​ CRUCIFIXION​​ ON PANEL ELEVEN.

 

INSTEAD, WE WERE CONFRONTED BY AN ANGEL

WHO SAT BEFORE A TOMB. . .

 

THE REMAINING PANELS SHOWED THE​​ RISEN​​ CHRIST

VISITING HIS FOLLOWERS IN THE STORIES OF DOUBTING THOMAS

AND THE ROAD TO EMMAUS.” ​​ (End Quote)

 

WHAT THEY FOUND – OR, MORE ACCURATELY, DID​​ NOT​​ FIND

AT ST. APOLLINARE IN RAVENNA PROVED TO BE A​​ PATTERN.

 

IN​​ ALL​​ EARLY CHRISTIAN PORTRAYALS OF JESUS,

THERE WAS AN EMPHASIS ON THE​​ RISEN​​ CHRIST;

WITH​​ NO​​ DEPICTIONS OF THE CRUCIFIXION.

 

THEY OFTEN DISCOVERED THE RISEN JESUS

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF​​ PARADISE​​ –

NOT PARADISE​​ LOST, BUT PARADISE​​ FOUND.

 

AND EVEN MORE ASTONISHING,​​ THIS​​ PARADISE

WAS NOT THE PARADISE OF​​ HEAVEN,

 

THE PARADISE OF A​​ FUTURE​​ LIFE,

BUT THE​​ PRESENT​​ PARADISE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD​​ ON​​ EARTH.

 

WE HAVE MOVING SCENES OF DISPARATE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

DRINKING OUT OF THE SAME STREAM –

WITH THE RISEN CHRIST​​ IN​​ THEIR​​ MIDST.

 

THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN ART

PUSHED BROCK AND PARKER TO BEGIN THEIR BOOK

WITH THE AMAZING STATEMENT THAT​​ 

 

“IT TOOK JESUS A THOUSAND YEARS TO DIE.

 

IMAGES OF HIS CORPSE DID NOT APPEAR IN CHURCHES

UNTIL THE TENTH CENTURY.”

 

WHAT​​ HAPPENED?

 

WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT SO-CALLED “CHRISTIAN” HISTORY

WAS BECOMING DARKER AND DARKER,

MORE AND MORE VIOLENT, WITH A PROGRESSIVE EMPHASIS

ON​​ DEATH​​ OVER​​ LIFE.

 

ANSELM’S DOCTRINE OF BLOODY ATONEMENT –

CHRIST​​ HAD​​ TO​​ DIE​​ FOR OUR SINS –

SOON BECAME THE STANDARD OPERATING THEOLOGY

OF THE CHRISTIAN WEST.

 

HOW BEST TO PORTRAY IN ART

THIS NEW THEOLOGY THAT CHRIST HAD TO DIE FOR OUR SINS?

 

YOU GUESSED IT – PAINT THE​​ CRUCIFIXION,

INTODUCE THE CRUCIFIX BOTH ON ALTARS IN CHURCHES

AND AS JEWELRY FOR PEOPLE TO WEAR AROUND THEIR NECKS.

 

BY THE 1100’S THE CRUCIFIXION HAD BECOME

THE MOST POPULAR SUBJECT IN CHRISTIAN ART,

AND HAS REMAINED SO EVER SINCE.

 

CONNECTING THE DOTS, ONE CAN SEE A​​ CAUSAL​​ RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE CHURCH’S EMBRACE OF THE VIOLENT DOCTRINE

OF BLOODY ATONEMENT AND THE CHURCH’S OWN

INCREASING EMBRACE OF VIOLENCE –

 

THINK OF THE CRUSADES AND THE INQUISITION HERE.

 

THIS EMPHASIS ON JESUS’ VIOLENT DEATH SOON ECLIPSED

THE EARLY CHURCH’S EMPHASIS ON JESUS’ RESURRECTION.

 

AND AS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION​​ RECEDES,

SO DOES THE CHURCH’S COMMITMENT TO ACTUALLY​​ LIVE​​ OUT

JESUS’ TEACHINGS IN HIS VISION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

 

WHY BOTHER, WHEN ALL YOU HAVE TO DO

IS TO BELIEVE THE RIGHT THINGS​​ ABOUT​​ JESUS

AS DEFINED BY THE IMPERIAL CHURCH?

 

SECOND-HAND​​ FAITH LEADS TO SECOND-HAND RELIGION,

AND SECOND-HAND RELIGION HAS LITTLE POWER TO TRANSFORM

EITHER US OR OUR WORLD.

 

MANY RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS TODAY,

VERY MUCH INCLUDING ROMAN CATHOLICS

AND MAINLINE PROTESTANTS,

 

ARE EMPHASIZING MEETING CHRIST IN THE​​ PRESENT,​​ 

AND ALLOWING OUR LIVES TO BE TRANSFORMED BY HIM

IN THE HERE-AND-NOW.

 

THIS IS BASICALLY A​​ RETURN​​ TO EARLY CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY,

WITH ITS EMPHASIS​​ ON JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD,

WHO WANTS TO BLESS US IN​​ THIS​​ LIFE,

AND NOT SIMPLY IN THE​​ HEREAFTER.

 

IF WE KNOW THE RISEN JESUS NOW,

WE CAN BE LIKE WINSTON CHURCHILL.

 

THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION I USED AT BILL DANIEL’S

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE, AND I’D LIKE TO REPEAT IT

TO END TODAY’S EASTER SERMON.

 

WINSTON CHURCHILL PLANNED HIS OWN FUNERAL,

WHICH TOOK PLACE IN ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL IN LONDON.

 

HE INCLUDED MANY OF THE GREAT HYMNS OF THE CHURCH

AND USED THE ELOQUENT ANGLICAN LITURGY.

 

AT CHURCHILL’S DIRECTION, A BUGLER,

POSITIONED HIGH IN THE DOME OF ST. PAUL’S,

INTONED, AFTER THE BENEDICTION, THE SOUND OF “TAPS,”

THE UNIVERSAL SIGNAL THAT SAYS THE DAY IS​​ OVER.

 

BUT THEN CAME A DRAMATIC TURN.

 

AS CHURCHILL ALSO INSTRUCTED, AFTER “TAPS” WAS FINISHED,

ANOTHER BUGLER, PLACED ON THE OTHER SIDE​​ 

OF THE GREAT DOME, PLAYED THE NOTES OF “REVILLE” –

IT’S TIME TO​​ GET​​ UP.

 

WINSTON CHURCHILL HAD EMBRACED JESUS’ RESURRECTION

IN HIS OWN LIFE SO POWERFULLY

THAT HE WAS ABLE TO END HIS FUNERAL

 

NOT WITH THE SORROWFUL SOUND OF “TAPS,”

 

BUT WITH THE JOYFUL SOUND OF “REVILLE.”

 

CHIST IS RISEN. ​​ CHRIST IS RISEN, INDEED!”

 

AMEN AND AMEN.

 

 

 

 

Independent and United Church of Christ