“He is Risen, and So Shall We” 2013

Luke 24:1-12 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 12-22

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 12-22

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. 3For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. 12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

During seminary I served as a hospital chaplain in Richmond,

where a delightful, 90-year-old retired school teacher

checked in for a relatively simple procedure;

…but something went wrong that extended her stay.

Then while recovering from that, she had a minor stroke,

followed by a heart attack and then a number of falls.

And just few days in the hospital stretched into several months

and during her extended stay, we became good friends.

I dropped by her room for a visit one evening,

and when I went in, she wasn’t there, her bed was stripped,

and seeing that her room was empty, I assumed the worst.

Visibly shaken, by what I thought was the death of a dear friend,

a nurse noticed and told me, she was moved to another floor.

I remember that it took me a moment or so to process my relief,

and to realize that my friend was still very much alive.

When I read Luke’s account of the Easter story,

it reminds me of my response to that empty hospital room…

… and I can well imagine why the women that morning

were so perplexed and shocked by the empty tomb.

According to Luke,

these women had traveled with Jesus and the disciples

from Galilee and along their journey to Jerusalem.

They had heard his teaching, they saw his miracles,

and witnessed

the awful & brutal events of Good Friday.

They watched Jesus suffer and die on the cross,

when they pierced his side with a spear, the mockery,

when his bloody beaten corpse was taken down to bury

and was placed and sealed inside a borrowed tomb.

After what must have been an agonizing Sabbath wait on Saturday,

early Sunday morning the women came with their spices

to anoint his body according to their burial custom.

We can imagine how troubled,

and how confused they were when they saw that empty tomb.

As the story continues, vs. 4-9

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

We may be so familiar with these words of the Easter story,

that they don’t register anymore,

and so we miss the power and mystery of that moment,

the shock of hearing, “He is not here, but has risen.”

He’s alive? How can that be, how could that happen?

Resurrection was not exactly a commonplace occurrence,

and though reminded of what Jesus had told them earlier,

it’s not too surprising that to the disciples

it seemed just an idle and unbelievable tale.

The rest of Luke, and the endings of two other Gospels

each describe appearances of Jesus after the resurrection,

various appearances that did convince his disciples …

… but the resurrection remains a mystery, an unknown

that does not fit our sense of empirical scientific evidence

or as something we can readily explain or understand.

According to Scripture, after the resurrection,

some people recognized Jesus right away, and others did not.

Thomas recognized Jesus alive by his wounds still visible.

The Lord walked to Emmaus, and ate bread and fish,

yet he could also pass through a locked door,

and at other times, even suddenly vanish.

No one was taking any pictures at the resurrection,

and there is no YouTube for us to download and study.

It remains a sacred mystery beyond and outside

our life-experiences or any rational explanation.

It was that same issue, the mystery of the resurrection

that the Apostle Paul was writing about to the Corinthians.

Paul had preached the Good News, which they received

and accepted that Jesus had been raised from the dead. vs. 3-4

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.

But the Corinthians were doubting the truth of resurrection,

and so Paul challenges them,

“how can you believe in Jesus, but not in resurrection?

I remember listening to a preacher on the radio one time,

who began his sermon by promising

that he would irrefutably prove the resurrection.

I was disappointed when he finished,

because if I had not already believed,

the evidence he offered would not have convinced me…

… irrefutable proof is generally not how a person comes to faith.

That’s probably why Paul doesn’t try to prove the resurrection,

but rather,

his focus is on why the resurrection matters,

and why it is so critical to our Christian faith.

Paul’s point is that if there is no resurrection,

and if the corpse of Jesus is still buried somewhere,

then our Christian faith is false and meaningless.

If God did not really raise Jesus from the grave,

then the Gospel we proclaim opposes the truth of God,

and our sins still separate us from the grace of God.

Of course no resurrection also means

that there is no hope for our loved ones who have died,

nor any hope for us beyond the limits of this mortal life,

and that Jesus was just some famous guy in history

who taught and told parables that really mean nothing.

Take away the promise and hope of the resurrection,

the Christian martyrs, or all who ever sacrifice for faith…

… what does it matter, if nothing lasts beyond the grave.

Our belief in resurrection

is the fundamental foundation of our Christian faith.

To be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ by faith,

is to accept and believe resurrection of the dead is true,

as Paul declares and explains that hope in vs. 20-22

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

Though I cannot explain

the resurrection of Jesus Christ in scientific terms,

and I do not fully understand the details or the process,

I absolutely believe Jesus arose, for by my experience à

I know that having an authentic relationship with Jesus

wonderfully enriches life and changes how we live…

… and so I trust God’s promise that I will be resurrected someday.

If this one mortal life is it, if it’s really all there is,

and our end of life is forever to decompose in the grave,

then this life has very little purpose or meaning,

for once we are dead, then nothing really matters.

Justice, compassion, sacrifice, forgiveness, mercy, even love,

all of the truths and values that Jesus taught and lived,

becomes a pointless waste and meaningless,

if indeed nothing survives beyond the grave,

if there really is no resurrection of the dead.

But when we encounter God, God’s gracious love in our world,

then we can know by the experience of faith

that Jesus is risen from the dead

that our faith is not false or in vain, à

and that there is more than just this mortal life.

As I have grown deeper and more deliberate

in studying the Bible, my prayer life, & caring relationships,

the more I perceive God’s presence at work in the world,

and the more my life

is defined by hope, and trust in God’s promises.

How does the promise of resurrection make a real difference?

This week I saw a family struggle mightily

and deal with the hard disappointment of a child in trouble.

Their resurrection faith was stretched and tested,

but they are trusting and relying on the Lord

to carry them through their painful ordeal

and to bring things to a place of peace.

Another family had to let go of a very dear loved one,

and I saw their faith and hope in God’s promises

shine brightly through their sadness, grief and tears.

Their confident trust in the promise of future resurrection

is giving them strength to endure the hurt and loss of today.

How does the promise of resurrection make a real difference?

By that grace, we are called and empowered to live

beyond ourselves and our immediate circumstances,

knowing that we are not alone in our struggles,

but our risen Lord is with us always

to strengthen, to guide and sustain usà

as we await the fulfillment of the promised resurrection…

… and the resurrection of Jesus is our guarantee

our hope that we too shall live beyond the grave.

Indeed, He is risen.

He lives, and so shall we; thanks be to God. Amen.