Easter Sunday - Risen and Still Rising <–- Audio file link - A sermon based upon Matthew 28:1-10
Good morning and welcome to the resurrection! I’ve you’ve not been with us all week, you’ve missed the celebration of a remarkable life in Jesus on Palm Sunday. On Maundy Thursday we heard the call of Jesus to be servants to one another and make deeper relationships with one another even in the midst of difficulty. Good Friday, watched in horror as those in religious and political power used their authority to have him brutalized and killed. And Yesterday, we sat vigil in prayer grieving and still reeling from the horror. And this morning at sunrise, we greeted the empty tomb where we saw that Christ seeks to involve us in his resurrection and does so with grace and compassion.
But now, we are in the thick of it all. Jesus is risen. Mary and Mary have the task of telling others. And Jesus even comes to them personally to tell them that he will come to them in Galilee. In each of the Gospels, this story unfolds slightly differently but they all have certain things in common. Christ promises to reveal himself again and does.
So, what do we make of all this? I think the first thing that must be said is that we have a hard time making sense of resurrection. It’s no wonder people both inside and outside of the church fight over whether it’s a myth or real event or even a hoax. But not understanding isn’t the real problem here.
What I think what bears scrutiny is why is it we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around resurrection? If we could understand, we wouldn’t have such difficulty figuring out what it means to our faith. And I’m not talking about skeptics. I’m talking about people of earnest faith who believe that the resurrection is a gift from God to all people. And I am willing to bet that most of us in this room have a hard time with it in some way or we have at some point.
We have a hard time with it because it’s so often beyond our common experience. I mean we struggle to conquer the little habits and “lesser sins” in our lives so how can we truly connect to a story of a risen Christ who crushed sin and suffering? We try. We try a lot and we work hard to make sense of it but at the end of the day, we find ourselves struggling with the same old flaws and sorrows. So, if Jesus was raised as a triumph over death and suffering, why do we struggle so much to experience it ourselves?
And that’s where we’ll start today. This morning in the sunrise service, we looked at how Christ approaches us in resurrection. We said that even when we don’t understand or can’t recognize Christ in our midst, Christ is faithful and reaches to us, and calls us forward with grace and compassion. But it’s just still so hard to see him and internalize what he has to offer.
Maybe that’s just it. Maybe we don’t understand what he’s offering for us to receive it. Maybe we need to expand our understanding of what resurrection is if we’re going to experience it more fully and with less doubt and despair.
So what is resurrection? Well, it is a raising of a body from the dead. The bible offers many stories of such events. But it’s more than just that. In Jesus’ case, it’s the raising and being made whole after being violated and brutalized by those in power. Jesus’ death and resurrection is an event of triumph and says that those who would try to squash the truth and life cannot succeed! The truth and life found in God’s love are so abundant that they live on and on and on.
So another thing we need to hear about resurrection in Christ is that it’s ongoing. Now, ongoing can mean different things. It can mean that something changed and that change still holds or it could also mean that something started changing and the process of change is still happening. I raise this distinction because I think it has bearing on why we have such a hard time internalizing Christ’s resurrection and what that ongoing resurrection means in our own lives.
I think the tension between Christ’s resurrection and our own difficulty understanding it is because Christ’s resurrection is one where something changed and it will always be that way for him. However, because we still live in the brokenness of the world, our experience of resurrection is one where a change starts to take hold in our lives but it’s a process that doesn’t come to completion until we’re fully in God’s loving arms.
So, what am I getting at? Well, I think it means that when we look upon the raised Christ, we really should be in awe because what has happened and is still happening in him is amazing and beyond our reach to fully comprehend in this time and place. We only catch glimpses of it through the body of Christ in the world. The reason the body of Christ functions with such mystery and wonder and beauty is because it’s purity is beyond our reach even though we participate in it as we are.
But this also means that we are a people both fully redeemed and still being refined. We are in the process of resurrection and it’s an ongoing venture that takes time and work. Our savior serves as a model while we’re fast at work trying to put the pieces together.
In the reformed tradition, we say that we are always both “being and becoming.” I always liked that phrase. It says that we are God’s beloved children as we are and more than adequate yet we have far more we could become here and now if we’ll be open to the pathway of resurrection.
But what does this really mean to us? Well, I suspect that we are our own barriers to experiencing resurrection more than anything else. Because we are not experiencing the one time miraculous event of Jesus but rather a process of resurrection, we don’t see the bigger picture of what is going on in our lives. We lose patience or faith or energy or hope. And, simply put I think we have to have grace and love for ourselves here and now just like God does. And if we have grace and love for ourselves and others, we’ll hear the calling to grow further in the body of Christ and continue becoming that fully resurrected spirit in Christ.
But what does it really mean? It means that we all have those places we struggle, those flaws that haunt us. We all have wounds from experiences that have not healed and continue to make us vulnerable to reacting out of pain and fear. Those are the things we must have grace and compassion for in ourselves. God already does. But do we?
When we struggle with depression or other ailments of the mind and spirit, how gentle are we with ourselves? When the pain and fear that illness bring takes hold on us, do we stay open to the love that the body of Christ offers? When our security is threatened, do we keep our hearts open? When lose someone, do we let ourselves be vulnerable? When we fall on our face over and over and over again with the same struggle whether it’s dishonoring our body or having a self-centered spirit, do we keep looking to God or do we condemn ourselves, denying our value and worth in God’s eyes. And when the unknown is in our midst, do we stop to see if it might be Christ or do we look away in fear?
Do you want to know what Christ’s ongoing resurrection looks like? Ongoing resurrection is the person who bears the pain of an abusive past or maybe even the present and still gets up with hope that healing can happen. Resurrection is the person with cancer who says I’ll not go through this alone because the healing I find in those who love me equals or exceeds the healing I get from these treatments. Resurrection is the family that keeps growing and changing and dealing with everything that comes up because being a family is hard and takes daily renewal. Resurrection is the person who loses a loved one and honors the love they shared by carrying that love forward and sharing it with others.
Do you want to see the face of resurrection? Look around this room. Look at the faces of people around you. Look at this group of people who have lost several pastors in 10 years and been betrayed and wounded yet you still come here with faith and hope in the living Christ. Hope that healing will be yours. And faith that it’s not the pastor that makes this church, but the people. That, my friends is resurrection lived. It’s lived in a process that has ups and downs but new life woven into every part of it.
Sisters and brothers, resurrection is loving and hoping and living in the face of the brokenness. It is knowing that the risen Christ will keep working through and around us. It is being both redeemed and still being refined, being and becoming. Each and every day, we are taking part in the process of resurrection and new life
As we go from here celebrating our risen Lord, may we also seek and take part in the ways Christ is healing our lives into resurrected glory. May we claim God’s love and healing so that we can experience it. And may we live the resurrection each and every day. Amen.
Showing posts with label resurrection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resurrection. Show all posts
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Sunrise - Why Are You Weeping?
Easter A Sunrise - Why Are You Weeping? – A sermon based upon John 20:1-18
Good morning and welcome to Easter sunrise service. We’ve made it through Holy Week where we’ve seen Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem, him sharing in humble service and fellowship with his disciples, Christ being betrayed and brutally put to death. But now we’re here. We have made it to see our risen Christ! And not only is our Gospel passage one of that event, this Gospel account is one of the most moving accounts of the empty tomb. Reading this story always makes me aware of just how frightened and bewildered Mary Magdalene must have been that morning.
And it’s because of her experience that we congregate so early on this day. There’s something special about gathering at dawn that helps us take in what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene when she found an empty tomb on that sacred morning. So again, welcome! And welcome to the resurrection!
Sometime back when I started praying and thinking about what themes we needed to connect with during Holy Week, I never had any doubt that resurrection was where we needed to be today. Oh, I know there are lots of directions pastors can go with the Easter story and each year seems to call for something different. But this year, it felt like God kept whispering the word resurrection to my heart and mind.
So, even though it may seem obvious, that’s where we’re going this morning. In this sunrise service, we’re going briefly reflect on what this story is telling us about how we experience Christ and the resurrection. In the later services, the sermon will focus on what is resurrection and living the ongoing resurrection. So, I hope to see you there.
Well, let’s talk about what happened that morning. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb presumably to grieve or care for the body. But when she arrives, she finds no one. Jesus is gone. She was dumfounded by what was going on so she went to get the disciples. They didn’t know either. In Mary’s grief, she stayed at the tomb weeping. This is when Jesus spoke to her but she didn’t recognize him. Then he called her by name and she did. Jesus told her the truth of his resurrection and then she went to share it with the disciples.
This seems like a fantastic story in part because we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around what happened that morning. And they had a hard time too. What this resurrection meant would not become clear to them for some time to come. So all we have are the circumstances and the reactions. But I think those tell us something about resurrection too. And if we can deal with the jarring reality Mary encountered that morning, maybe we’ll be ready to deal with what the resurrection really means for us later.
So, I think the first thing we need to recognize about encountering resurrection is that when we’re in the throes of sorrow or some other overwhelming emotion, we have a hard time recognizing Christ in our midst. Mary Magdalene was there seeking someone she was close to and thought his body had been violated and stolen. She was absolutely grief stricken when Jesus first spoke to her so it’s no wonder she didn’t recognize him. But even though Mary didn’t recognize him, he still reached out with a question of caring and concern. “Why are you weeping?”
Let’s think of our own lives. When we’re at our lowest, how often do we not recognize the compassionate hand of the Body of Christ when it reaches out to us? I venture to say, more than we probably realize. Yet, that hand keeps reaching out to us even when we don’t see it. So, I think God’s message to us is the same as Jesus’ message to Mary. God is faithful even when we can’t see it and has abundant grace for us in those times.
The next thing I think we can learn about encountering resurrection is that we have to be open to what is being revealed to us. Mary suddenly recognized Jesus when he called her by name. Before she recognized him, she was so overwhelmed that Jesus could have continued to talk to her but she would not have really heard him. But by speaking her name, something so personal, he connected with her and she could take in what Jesus had to share.
I think our lives are the same way. Like I said before, the body of Christ reaches out to us and reaches out to us but sometimes we don’t or can’t recognize it. But God is intentional to speak to us. When God’s message isn’t getting through, God seeks to find what will connect with us personally so that we recognize and are able to hear. Take for example, struggling with illness. Pain and suffering can be overwhelming and even though there are people around us trying to help, we have a hard time receiving that help or recognizing that it’s there. But sooner or later, if we don’t completely succumb to the pain, that just right phrase or that just right moment comes to us that opens our eyes and then we can see God in our midst again.
The third thing I think we should recognize about encountering resurrection is that once we get our bearings and have recognized Christ in our midst, we must act. Resurrection is an action and one that we participate in. When Jesus finished talking with Mary, she went forward to tell others. And in the coming weeks, we’ll see that this going forward turns into a movement. It’s a movement that demonstrates the body of Christ alive in the world… resurrection in our midst.
So, I’ve pointed to three things from this passage about encountering resurrection. 1) Christ is faithful to us even when we don’t recognize him in our midst. 2) Christ reaches out to us in ways that connect personally so that we can recognize him. And 3) recognizing and hearing Christ calls us and connects us to the workings of Christ. So, why did I point these out?
I did so because this morning, we’re looking at an empty tomb and don’t always know what to make of it. Sometimes we’re doubtful. Sometimes, we don’t understand. Sometimes, we can’t see. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway with grace and compassion.
I shared this because we each need resurrection in our own lives yet often become trapped by sorrow and pain. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway.
I pointed to these things because resurrection is not just a one-time event. Christ comes to us each day with compassion, just as he did Mary, and says, “Why are you weeping?” There are moments and moments and moments that Christ takes what is dead and fills it with new life. Yet we struggle to see where it came from or how we can participate in it. And that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reaches to us and call us forward anyway.
Sisters and Brothers, He is risen! We don’t say he has risen or did rise as if it was an event of the past. We say he IS risen because it is timeless. We may not know what to make of it yet, but something amazing has happened and will keep happening if we but hear his voice in those resurrection moments.
I hope you’ll stay around for a later service where we’ll look at what this resurrection is and how we can proclaim it each and every day. Amen.
Good morning and welcome to Easter sunrise service. We’ve made it through Holy Week where we’ve seen Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem, him sharing in humble service and fellowship with his disciples, Christ being betrayed and brutally put to death. But now we’re here. We have made it to see our risen Christ! And not only is our Gospel passage one of that event, this Gospel account is one of the most moving accounts of the empty tomb. Reading this story always makes me aware of just how frightened and bewildered Mary Magdalene must have been that morning.
And it’s because of her experience that we congregate so early on this day. There’s something special about gathering at dawn that helps us take in what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene when she found an empty tomb on that sacred morning. So again, welcome! And welcome to the resurrection!
Sometime back when I started praying and thinking about what themes we needed to connect with during Holy Week, I never had any doubt that resurrection was where we needed to be today. Oh, I know there are lots of directions pastors can go with the Easter story and each year seems to call for something different. But this year, it felt like God kept whispering the word resurrection to my heart and mind.
So, even though it may seem obvious, that’s where we’re going this morning. In this sunrise service, we’re going briefly reflect on what this story is telling us about how we experience Christ and the resurrection. In the later services, the sermon will focus on what is resurrection and living the ongoing resurrection. So, I hope to see you there.
Well, let’s talk about what happened that morning. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb presumably to grieve or care for the body. But when she arrives, she finds no one. Jesus is gone. She was dumfounded by what was going on so she went to get the disciples. They didn’t know either. In Mary’s grief, she stayed at the tomb weeping. This is when Jesus spoke to her but she didn’t recognize him. Then he called her by name and she did. Jesus told her the truth of his resurrection and then she went to share it with the disciples.
This seems like a fantastic story in part because we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around what happened that morning. And they had a hard time too. What this resurrection meant would not become clear to them for some time to come. So all we have are the circumstances and the reactions. But I think those tell us something about resurrection too. And if we can deal with the jarring reality Mary encountered that morning, maybe we’ll be ready to deal with what the resurrection really means for us later.
So, I think the first thing we need to recognize about encountering resurrection is that when we’re in the throes of sorrow or some other overwhelming emotion, we have a hard time recognizing Christ in our midst. Mary Magdalene was there seeking someone she was close to and thought his body had been violated and stolen. She was absolutely grief stricken when Jesus first spoke to her so it’s no wonder she didn’t recognize him. But even though Mary didn’t recognize him, he still reached out with a question of caring and concern. “Why are you weeping?”
Let’s think of our own lives. When we’re at our lowest, how often do we not recognize the compassionate hand of the Body of Christ when it reaches out to us? I venture to say, more than we probably realize. Yet, that hand keeps reaching out to us even when we don’t see it. So, I think God’s message to us is the same as Jesus’ message to Mary. God is faithful even when we can’t see it and has abundant grace for us in those times.
The next thing I think we can learn about encountering resurrection is that we have to be open to what is being revealed to us. Mary suddenly recognized Jesus when he called her by name. Before she recognized him, she was so overwhelmed that Jesus could have continued to talk to her but she would not have really heard him. But by speaking her name, something so personal, he connected with her and she could take in what Jesus had to share.
I think our lives are the same way. Like I said before, the body of Christ reaches out to us and reaches out to us but sometimes we don’t or can’t recognize it. But God is intentional to speak to us. When God’s message isn’t getting through, God seeks to find what will connect with us personally so that we recognize and are able to hear. Take for example, struggling with illness. Pain and suffering can be overwhelming and even though there are people around us trying to help, we have a hard time receiving that help or recognizing that it’s there. But sooner or later, if we don’t completely succumb to the pain, that just right phrase or that just right moment comes to us that opens our eyes and then we can see God in our midst again.
The third thing I think we should recognize about encountering resurrection is that once we get our bearings and have recognized Christ in our midst, we must act. Resurrection is an action and one that we participate in. When Jesus finished talking with Mary, she went forward to tell others. And in the coming weeks, we’ll see that this going forward turns into a movement. It’s a movement that demonstrates the body of Christ alive in the world… resurrection in our midst.
So, I’ve pointed to three things from this passage about encountering resurrection. 1) Christ is faithful to us even when we don’t recognize him in our midst. 2) Christ reaches out to us in ways that connect personally so that we can recognize him. And 3) recognizing and hearing Christ calls us and connects us to the workings of Christ. So, why did I point these out?
I did so because this morning, we’re looking at an empty tomb and don’t always know what to make of it. Sometimes we’re doubtful. Sometimes, we don’t understand. Sometimes, we can’t see. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway with grace and compassion.
I shared this because we each need resurrection in our own lives yet often become trapped by sorrow and pain. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway.
I pointed to these things because resurrection is not just a one-time event. Christ comes to us each day with compassion, just as he did Mary, and says, “Why are you weeping?” There are moments and moments and moments that Christ takes what is dead and fills it with new life. Yet we struggle to see where it came from or how we can participate in it. And that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reaches to us and call us forward anyway.
Sisters and Brothers, He is risen! We don’t say he has risen or did rise as if it was an event of the past. We say he IS risen because it is timeless. We may not know what to make of it yet, but something amazing has happened and will keep happening if we but hear his voice in those resurrection moments.
I hope you’ll stay around for a later service where we’ll look at what this resurrection is and how we can proclaim it each and every day. Amen.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Called to Faith
Sermon basued upon Daniel 12: 1-13. <-- Audio file of sermon.
Good morning. As always it’s a pleasure to be here with you and this week is no exception. You see, worship is one of those spaces where we come and intentionally yet humbly try to watch for God. We catch glimpses of God in music, prayers, the Word, the space, one another, and many indescribable moments. We also catch glimpses of what God wants for us… healing, love, sanctuary, justice, celebration, peace... wholeness, if you will.
I raise this issue about worship not because today’s sermon is about worship but because I think the rich and multi-layered way we experience worship is similar to the rich way we can experience today’s reading from the book of Daniel. You see, this week we continue our look at apocalyptic literary texts from the bible with one that in some ways is the most difficult passage we’ll look at. It’s difficult in several ways but also rich with meaning. But we’re going to try to go from the big picture and zero in on a core piece of meaning.
If you should ever decide to read the book of Daniel, I suggest you do so with an ancient Persian and Babylonian history book one side and a good biblical commentary at your other side while sipping on a big cup of humility. I’m not saying that this book is out of reach for everyday people. I’m saying that the more you engage it, the more it will show you… sort of like worship. So let me start off by sharing with you some of why this is such a complicated text and then we’ll move into figuring out what beauty emerges from its complexity.
First off, if you were following along in your pew bibles, you may have noticed that today’s Daniel text is the last chapter of the book. Daniel is not a very large book and this is a passage that draws to a close a series of stories and visions. I say “series of” because in fact, this book was not written all at one time. When we, the modern reader pick up this book, we see a nicely put together chronicles of a man named Daniel broken into chapters and verses. In reality, the original texts that we pull this from are a combination of scrolls that draw upon the experiences and folklore of the Jewish people while they were in exile. To make matters more interesting, some of those scrolls are in Hebrew while others are in Aramaic. So, we add language issues on top of the historical issues of putting together a book that cuts across time.
Now, all this may not seem important when we read either the book or today’s individual text but it is. It’s important because it means that when we look to interpret the symbols and the stories, we should be even more diligent in our study and care with what we learn. Wars have been started in the name of what people believed this book was telling them. Wars have been started because they were too sure of their own knowledge that they forgot to faithfully watch for what God wanted to reveal.
And this is the key point I believe God has for us today. Our calling is to faith, not knowledge. It is from genuine faith that we see what is important and then grow into knowledge and wisdom that is purposeful and transcending. But even more core, faith is sometimes all we have… and that is more than good enough.
Okay, so with that long introduction, let’s jump into this scripture text more fully. Chapter 12 is really the end to a longer vision that Daniel is sharing that started in Chapter 10. Like I said before, Daniel and the Jewish people are living in exile. This is a time where they are being terribly mistreated. They aren’t being mistreated necessarily because of their religious beliefs, though there is that too. But more broadly, they’re being victimized because the dictator like leadership is concerned only with conquering more lands and more people. All commoners were subject to oppression and the whims of the royals, not just the Jews.
So these stories that called upon folk heroes like the angelic Michael and Gabriel were a source of hope and comfort to the Jewish people that the suffering they felt would not be the last word. And that’s where we break into this story. The conclusion of this great battle where God’s justice triumphs over these worldly rulers is a time to pause and take it all in. And what happens when Daniel pauses in this vision? He sees resurrection and new life.
Now at this point you might be thinking, “how is it that Pastor Lavender sees this as being about faith? Sounds more like last week’s sermon of God’s triumph and the Lamb’s victory.” Well, it is… but it’s not. This vision was shared with people who would not know that victory during their lifetime. They would continue to know suffering and abuse. So, if we have a promise of victory but we aren’t there yet, we’re left to be faithful in the meantime.
Let’s reread part of this passage. Verses 1-4 read,
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’
What do we see here? Well, first of all, in a broken world of fear and pride, people are going to suffer. The whole of the book of Daniel is about good, everyday people suffering even when they try to do the right thing. Now we don’t live the wretched lives of the people in exile that starved to death and were held in slave labor but we do know about other ways to suffer, don’t we? Think about your own life. What about times of intense grief and loneliness or fear and uncertainty? We’ve all had them. And we’ll continue to have them. Look around this room or at your friends and family. Unimaginable tragedy strikes without care or concern for how good and faithful we are.
But to the suffering Jews and to us today, this passage offers hope. It offers a vision of deliverance. It offers the first biblical reference to resurrection. Now resurrection is one of those words that sometimes our modern mind doesn’t know what to do with. It’s a word that’s been abused and twisted at times. It’s a word that offers comfort and hope at other times. But what is it?
Well, I spent a lot of time this week reading about resurrection. The Nicene Creed, The Apostles Creed, The Scots Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism… every historical and constitutional document in the reformed Christian tradition refers to resurrection. But by and large, they refer to the resurrection of Christ and its meaning for the life of the church and for us as individuals. Not as much is said about the idea of resurrection and deliverance for the people of God.
But where did I find more information on resurrection? In texts about funerals. We, as a people of faith believe that something happens after we’re dead that does or will transcend death. Our faith heritage is not usually very specific about what that looks like because we just don’t have much biblical guidance one way or another. But we are clear that death is not the last word.
But much like I said of last week’s text, I’m not willing to tell those who are suffering that they have to wait for the hereafter for deliverance and I don’t think Daniel was either.
Resurrection is something that happens in ways we are not always aware of in the midst of it. For the people of Daniel’s time and the generations in exile that read these scrolls, they took heart in the way they passed on parts of themselves, their heritage, and their faith. I say this because of verse 3. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” This verse is referring to victory found in sharing of ourselves with others, an act of faith.
In the bible, wisdom is never about knowledge or facts. Wisdom is about faithfulness and diligence. People without much knowledge are referred to as wise because they seek more than they speak. They are humble with knowledge and desire understanding over convincing others of their rightness. The wise are also those who remember and hold to the journey that has brought them here and will carry them forward. So when this verse says the “wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky” it’s referring to those who faithfully seek to take part in God’s victory. And that faithfulness will help them lead others to righteousness.
So here we are, back where we started. We’re called to faith. Our hope in resurrection both in the afterlife and now is wrapped up in this faith. For Daniel and his people, their faith was all they had left. It told them of their history, their hope for the future, and sustained them in this time of trial. It was everything to them. And just like the people who read Daniel’s stories found hope in their time, we must ask what is it our faith means to us in this time?
Well, we read from Hebrews 11 today that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” That means that faith is that quiet utterance from within that tells us our hopes are not in vain and that we are not delusional but in fact visionary. So when I ask, what is it our faith means to us, I intend that more as something we should go from here and chew on. What are the hopes that well up in us? What things not seen do we believe in? What beliefs make us better people, more Christ-like? What does our faith compel us to do? What do we even think faith is?
When I am back with you on February 6th, we’ll look at one last apocalyptic text and flesh out what some of these questions of faith look like for us as a community of believers. But in the meantime, let us humbly ponder these questions of what is faith and God’s calling to faithfulness, looking for glimpses of God along the way. And let us do so with assuredness that faith is sufficient and it is our calling. Amen.
Good morning. As always it’s a pleasure to be here with you and this week is no exception. You see, worship is one of those spaces where we come and intentionally yet humbly try to watch for God. We catch glimpses of God in music, prayers, the Word, the space, one another, and many indescribable moments. We also catch glimpses of what God wants for us… healing, love, sanctuary, justice, celebration, peace... wholeness, if you will.
I raise this issue about worship not because today’s sermon is about worship but because I think the rich and multi-layered way we experience worship is similar to the rich way we can experience today’s reading from the book of Daniel. You see, this week we continue our look at apocalyptic literary texts from the bible with one that in some ways is the most difficult passage we’ll look at. It’s difficult in several ways but also rich with meaning. But we’re going to try to go from the big picture and zero in on a core piece of meaning.
If you should ever decide to read the book of Daniel, I suggest you do so with an ancient Persian and Babylonian history book one side and a good biblical commentary at your other side while sipping on a big cup of humility. I’m not saying that this book is out of reach for everyday people. I’m saying that the more you engage it, the more it will show you… sort of like worship. So let me start off by sharing with you some of why this is such a complicated text and then we’ll move into figuring out what beauty emerges from its complexity.
First off, if you were following along in your pew bibles, you may have noticed that today’s Daniel text is the last chapter of the book. Daniel is not a very large book and this is a passage that draws to a close a series of stories and visions. I say “series of” because in fact, this book was not written all at one time. When we, the modern reader pick up this book, we see a nicely put together chronicles of a man named Daniel broken into chapters and verses. In reality, the original texts that we pull this from are a combination of scrolls that draw upon the experiences and folklore of the Jewish people while they were in exile. To make matters more interesting, some of those scrolls are in Hebrew while others are in Aramaic. So, we add language issues on top of the historical issues of putting together a book that cuts across time.
Now, all this may not seem important when we read either the book or today’s individual text but it is. It’s important because it means that when we look to interpret the symbols and the stories, we should be even more diligent in our study and care with what we learn. Wars have been started in the name of what people believed this book was telling them. Wars have been started because they were too sure of their own knowledge that they forgot to faithfully watch for what God wanted to reveal.
And this is the key point I believe God has for us today. Our calling is to faith, not knowledge. It is from genuine faith that we see what is important and then grow into knowledge and wisdom that is purposeful and transcending. But even more core, faith is sometimes all we have… and that is more than good enough.
Okay, so with that long introduction, let’s jump into this scripture text more fully. Chapter 12 is really the end to a longer vision that Daniel is sharing that started in Chapter 10. Like I said before, Daniel and the Jewish people are living in exile. This is a time where they are being terribly mistreated. They aren’t being mistreated necessarily because of their religious beliefs, though there is that too. But more broadly, they’re being victimized because the dictator like leadership is concerned only with conquering more lands and more people. All commoners were subject to oppression and the whims of the royals, not just the Jews.
So these stories that called upon folk heroes like the angelic Michael and Gabriel were a source of hope and comfort to the Jewish people that the suffering they felt would not be the last word. And that’s where we break into this story. The conclusion of this great battle where God’s justice triumphs over these worldly rulers is a time to pause and take it all in. And what happens when Daniel pauses in this vision? He sees resurrection and new life.
Now at this point you might be thinking, “how is it that Pastor Lavender sees this as being about faith? Sounds more like last week’s sermon of God’s triumph and the Lamb’s victory.” Well, it is… but it’s not. This vision was shared with people who would not know that victory during their lifetime. They would continue to know suffering and abuse. So, if we have a promise of victory but we aren’t there yet, we’re left to be faithful in the meantime.
Let’s reread part of this passage. Verses 1-4 read,
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’
What do we see here? Well, first of all, in a broken world of fear and pride, people are going to suffer. The whole of the book of Daniel is about good, everyday people suffering even when they try to do the right thing. Now we don’t live the wretched lives of the people in exile that starved to death and were held in slave labor but we do know about other ways to suffer, don’t we? Think about your own life. What about times of intense grief and loneliness or fear and uncertainty? We’ve all had them. And we’ll continue to have them. Look around this room or at your friends and family. Unimaginable tragedy strikes without care or concern for how good and faithful we are.
But to the suffering Jews and to us today, this passage offers hope. It offers a vision of deliverance. It offers the first biblical reference to resurrection. Now resurrection is one of those words that sometimes our modern mind doesn’t know what to do with. It’s a word that’s been abused and twisted at times. It’s a word that offers comfort and hope at other times. But what is it?
Well, I spent a lot of time this week reading about resurrection. The Nicene Creed, The Apostles Creed, The Scots Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism… every historical and constitutional document in the reformed Christian tradition refers to resurrection. But by and large, they refer to the resurrection of Christ and its meaning for the life of the church and for us as individuals. Not as much is said about the idea of resurrection and deliverance for the people of God.
But where did I find more information on resurrection? In texts about funerals. We, as a people of faith believe that something happens after we’re dead that does or will transcend death. Our faith heritage is not usually very specific about what that looks like because we just don’t have much biblical guidance one way or another. But we are clear that death is not the last word.
But much like I said of last week’s text, I’m not willing to tell those who are suffering that they have to wait for the hereafter for deliverance and I don’t think Daniel was either.
Resurrection is something that happens in ways we are not always aware of in the midst of it. For the people of Daniel’s time and the generations in exile that read these scrolls, they took heart in the way they passed on parts of themselves, their heritage, and their faith. I say this because of verse 3. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” This verse is referring to victory found in sharing of ourselves with others, an act of faith.
In the bible, wisdom is never about knowledge or facts. Wisdom is about faithfulness and diligence. People without much knowledge are referred to as wise because they seek more than they speak. They are humble with knowledge and desire understanding over convincing others of their rightness. The wise are also those who remember and hold to the journey that has brought them here and will carry them forward. So when this verse says the “wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky” it’s referring to those who faithfully seek to take part in God’s victory. And that faithfulness will help them lead others to righteousness.
So here we are, back where we started. We’re called to faith. Our hope in resurrection both in the afterlife and now is wrapped up in this faith. For Daniel and his people, their faith was all they had left. It told them of their history, their hope for the future, and sustained them in this time of trial. It was everything to them. And just like the people who read Daniel’s stories found hope in their time, we must ask what is it our faith means to us in this time?
Well, we read from Hebrews 11 today that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” That means that faith is that quiet utterance from within that tells us our hopes are not in vain and that we are not delusional but in fact visionary. So when I ask, what is it our faith means to us, I intend that more as something we should go from here and chew on. What are the hopes that well up in us? What things not seen do we believe in? What beliefs make us better people, more Christ-like? What does our faith compel us to do? What do we even think faith is?
When I am back with you on February 6th, we’ll look at one last apocalyptic text and flesh out what some of these questions of faith look like for us as a community of believers. But in the meantime, let us humbly ponder these questions of what is faith and God’s calling to faithfulness, looking for glimpses of God along the way. And let us do so with assuredness that faith is sufficient and it is our calling. Amen.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Resurrection... Now and Always
As a Christian I've struggled to make the resurrection meaningful and real. Even as a cancer survivor, it does not always seem to make sense. But resurrection is not about mere survival. Resurrection is about transformation, thriving, and a lived life beyond our previous imagination. May we all experience resurrection now and always.
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