Easter Sermon (Luke 24.1-12)

 “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

To be sure, this is a challenging question at the best of times. And these women are not experiencing the best of times. The women are at a tomb – and not just any tomb, the tomb of the man they loved. The man they trusted in. The man they expected to offer them freedom from the oppressive regime that was painfully restrictive. The man who promised them a new life, one worth living, one worth celebrating.

They were at his tomb. He was dead – as were their hopes.

The women were there to undertake the difficult task of preparing the body; of seeing, touching, cleaning, anointing. This act would make very real and inescapable the undeniable truth that he had died, violently, publicly, horribly.

They were at his tomb. He was dead. This had been verified.

The women were there at first light – they likely had not slept well, if at all. They were likely there before breakfast, needing to complete their task as quickly and quietly as possible so as not to draw the attention of the Roman guards. They were hoping that their work would not be interrupted, or undone, or forbidden by the authorities that had caused his death. They were hoping that they would be able to complete their task without facing their own punishment.

They were at his tomb. He was dead – but his memory deserved the respect and the tradition.

And so they were at his tomb. But He was not.

The Gospel tells us that the women were perplexed at this. I think this is an understatement – they would have been going through a number of scenarios and emotions as they considered where the body had been taken, and what they should do next.

Is it any wonder, then, that when they encounter God’s messengers, that they cannot recognise them for who they are, but rather see them as regular men, whose clothes happen to be dazzling? Any one of us, I’d wager, would be overwhelmed by all this, especially when it happened so quickly. Any one of us would bow our faces to the ground. Any one of us would struggle to comprehend what was happening around us. Any one of us would be challenged and confused by the simple yet serious question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

 The interaction takes the women back into their history, into their experiences. It takes them into a new reality whereby the promises of Jesus are no longer just words offered once, but assurances of eternity available to all who believe. They bring back to mind those affirmations that the earthly death is not a permanent status, but just the beginning of a new reality, a new life with God. They remember his words, and they believe – they know that Jesus is alive, that He has Risen! They know that the world has changed forever in an amazing way: it wasn’t seen, or heard, but the proof is there. The women now see the world in a new way that celebrates that promise of new life, and they cannot help but be changed – empowered – inspired by it. It’s no wonder they return from the tomb quoting Jesus’ words and telling everyone they can find. This is good news – this is great news – this is life.

This is what we gather to celebrate today – this Easter Sunday, this Easter season. The promise fulfilled of new and eternal life – with God, in the Kingdom. Halleluia!

But before we get there, we are called to live the promise of this new life, in the here and the now. In this world, at this time. We of faith trust that this life is ours, that we catch glimpses of it as it breaks through into this world. And from time to time, we go looking for that life. Yet sometimes, we look in exactly the opposite direction. And so I ask you to consider: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

We, all of us, from time to time are caught spending time among the dead. There are things in our lives that are dead, yet we return to them over and over again.

We have relationships that are stagnant, that are unhealthy, that inflict pain.

We take part in activities that hinder growth, that deny joy, that prevent nurturing.

We have habits that restrict us, that are unsustainable, that restrain our spirit.

These are the things in our lives which are dead, yet to which we return time and again. These are the things in our lives that we do because we always have done, or we have idly perceived as acceptable, or those that we are too afraid to confront. These are the dead, and we know that we will not find the living among them. These are the dead where we will not find the living – where we will not find the risen Christ.

 

And so I invite us this Easter to stop spending time amongst the dead. I invite us to embrace our faith and use that to change our perspectives. Let’s adjust our mindsets in such a way that we focus on the living – on the very real presence of Christ in our lives. Let’s take time to be amazed and surprised and overwhelmed by the power of Christ to overcome the dead things in our lives. Let’s take the risk and engage in the difficult tasks of breaking free from old patterns.

May we reinvigorate relationships to be life-giving, grace-filled, and healing.

May we put our energy into activities that nourish us, bring us true and deep-rooted joy, and inspire development.

May we be willing to change our habits so that they empower us, support us, and free us.

May we truly recognise that the Risen Christ is a reality right now for all of us – that He is offering us – US! – new joys, new possibilities, new strength to meet the challenges ahead. May we celebrate that new life is being promised NOW. The NOW is all the same to God, from the creation of the first human to the end of earthly time: as Meister Eckhart assures us “all are the same in God, and there is only one NOW.” We are being promised new life of the risen Christ now.

So let’s remember the words of Jesus, like the women at the tomb.

Let’s leave the tomb behind and tell everyone we can find about the power of the risen Christ in our own lives.

Let’s not be discouraged by those who think our faith to be an idle tale.

Let’s be like Peter – willing to run to the tomb and see it empty, and to know what that means, and to be amazed by it.

Let’s live in the timeless promises of the now, in the greatness of the grace being promised to each and every one of us. Let’s live in the truth that he is not here – he is risen. Alleluia!

Lent 5/St Pat's

   Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today we all celebrate being Irish – after all, “Everyone’s Irish on March 17!” is advertised year-round (I have a photo of this slogan from a permanent fixture in the Guinness StoreHouse in Dublin). It’s a day that has come to mean a party – Irish Stew, beverage-flavoured confections (Bailey’s fudge, Guinness cupcakes, etc.), and talking with a fake brogue while wearing something (or everything!) green. It’s a day of parades and parties, of sports matches and Irish pride. And these celebrations happen all over the world – Montreal has a famous parade, Chicago dyes its river green, the green lights illuminate the Sydney Opera House and Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Pisa’s Leaning Tower and South Africa’s Table Mountain and Dubai’s Burj Al Arab (and MANY other structures!), Montserrat (and Newfoundland and Labrador) declare a public holiday, celebrations last throughout March in Japan and Switzerland. The day was even celebrated on the International Space Station by in 2011 when Catherine Coleman wore green and displayed her Irish flutes; we’re waiting for Cmdr Chris Hadfield to tweet how they’ll celebrate this year!

   The history available of the person of St. Patrick is quite interesting. Yes, he’s Ireland’s (primary) patronal saint, alongside Brigid and Columba. He was a slave in Ireland, escaped to England, and returned to the Emerald Isle as an ordained missionary, later being consecrated Bishop there. Tales have him using the shamrock to teach about the Trinity, credit him with the absence of snakes (despite evidence that there were not snakes in post-glacial Ireland, though possibly referring to the serpent symbolism of the native Druids). He is connected to two styles of crosses (pattée and saltire), his stick grew into a living ash tree, he spoke with ancient Irish ancestors to promote Christianity. A bell removed from his grave 60 years after his death has been enshrined and can still be seen in the National Museum of Ireland. Though never formally canonised by a Pope, he is known around the world as a saint, and numerous churches are named after him.

   It’s interesting to me to see so many people get so excited about this day, given that it is a religious feast day. It seems to me that people get excited about this day despite that fact that it is a religious feast. In asking some folks last year why they were celebrating St. Patrick, I got some ‘enlightening’ responses: “He got the snakes of the island, didn’t he?” and “he found a 4-leaf clover” and (a rather slurred) “who cares, it’s a party!” It seems to me that the average “Irish for a day!” party-goer really isn’t interested in the history so much as the present reality and the joy that they are getting from it.

   Perhaps this is a trend for us church-folks to take notice of – people aren’t necessarily keen to learn all the history of the church all at once, if at all. I think people who want to come to church are more interested in the ways that the church is active in the world now rather than focusing just on what happened in our history. Please know: I am by no means suggesting that we ignore our history and traditions. Rather I think that we should be aware of them as we engage with the world in contemporary and meaningful ways. I think we’re challenged to take the lessons that we have learned from our history and apply them into our modern culture. Lessons such as those from St. Patrick’s life: the growth of faith in the midst of negative circumstances, the commitment to evangelism despite adversity, the bravery to answer the call to ministry, the empowerment of others to exercise their own ministry.

   It seems a bit crazy, I know. It seems a bit illogical and irrational to think that we can shift out of how we’ve always done things into new ways of going out and proclaiming the good news. I seriously doubt that we would be able to go into a pub today and start preaching the Gospel in a way that would be heard, in a way that would effectively bring people to Christ. Not because the people in a pub aren’t ready to hear it, but because we’re not crazy enough to know how to speak it, how to proclaim it. If we are going to go out into the world and deliver a message, it has to be in a way that people are going to hear it. It has to have meaning not just to us but to the people we’re speaking to. Which means we may be challenged to go a little bit outside the box.

   Maybe people will come to hear of Christ in our words – there are great storytellers out there who are able to interact with folks and share stories in such a way that you can’t help but be intrigued, inspired, impressed. Think about the letters of Paul. THAT man is a storyteller! That man could write a letter that had so much meaning to the community that they saved it – he worked his ministry through his words, through the detailing of his own story and experiences and conversion to faith.

   Maybe people will come to know Christ by our actions – there are opportunities out there for us to love, in irrational and illogical ways. Ways like visiting the infirm, helping a stranger on the street, feeding the hungry. My friend Mike told me a story this week of an experience in the urban church he serves – they provide a free bag lunch to anyone who needs it on alternating Saturdays. They do so in the space of the church – guests are not just picking up a bag at the doorway, but invited into the warmth of the church proper; some take their bags from the chancel steps and go, others stay in the pews for a cup of coffee or bowl of soup. One guest recently told Mike that, after his residential school experience, he would never again set foot in a church. But since he saw that there was good happening in that church, he might come back. That’s the sharing of good news, through action. That’s the good news that Martha exhibited in today’s gospel when she served the people around the table. That’s the good news that Mary exhibited when she anointed Jesus’ feet. They were both crazy enough to ignore what societal norms would call for, and do what they found to be right to serve the Christ that they loved. They were both crazy enough to demonstrate the emotional, ridiculous, illogical love to someone who would benefit from it.

   That’s the type of love we’re challenged to today. There are still people around us who need to see, hear, or experience love. There are people around us who cannot even begin to believe that they are worthy of love – and there are people around us today who are just waiting for us to be crazy enough to move in a different direction from what we’ve always done into new ways of living out the Gospel. Maybe we’re called to be storytellers, maybe we’re called to be serving in the background, maybe we’re called to action to respond to the poor that are always with us. Whatever we do, however we do it, however crazy it may seem, if it’s based in the love of Christ then it IS the ministry of the chosen.

   So let’s go out there and be crazy. Let’s live in the spirit of St Patrick who endured despite adversity; in the confidence of Isaiah who declares God’s intention to do a new thing; in the service of and to our Lord whether it’s what we’re used to or not, whether it’s comfortable or not. Let’s go into the world like Patrick, or Paul, or Mary and Martha - willing to be irrational and emotional and illogical – because sometimes you have to be a little crazy to change the world.