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April 15, 2001 LECTIONARY
READINGS Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah
65:17-25 The Underlined / Linked
Scriptures above will take you to [ Read this week's texts at the Vanderbilt Divinity On-Line Library ] Use your browser's back button to return "Idle
Tales ~ A Matter of Perspective" If I were to ask the question, "What is today?" -- I have little doubt what most of you would answer. Today is ?? (Cup your hand to your ear and let them respond) "Easter Sunday!" I wonder if I would get a different answer if I were to ask my question this way, "What is April 15th?" -- there is a good chance some of you would have a different answer. It might go something like, "Normally April 15th is the deadline for filing taxes! But - since it is a Sunday, we have one more day to get the taxes in." No need to raise you hand, but are there any people here who will be spending some of their Sunday afternoon or evening finishing those taxes up? So today is... all a matter of perspective. For we Christians, today is the central celebration of our life as the Body of Christ. This is the glorious day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ - the day when all reality took on a new meaning through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It has been said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. But for those of us who have embraced the Lordship of Jesus Christ, this is the most glorious day of all. Death is not only not the only sure thing - it is no longer a life defeating reality at all! *** Our gospel reading from Luke today is a story of how some women who were very close to Jesus went to the tomb on resurrection morning. They expected to minister to the cold, dead body of their friend Jesus and approached the task with great sorrow. They were still in mourning because everything that meant anything to them had been taken away when Jesus was murdered by Roman soldiers at the behest of a spiteful crowd and misguided religious leaders. He was gone. And just like it is for many folks in our time, so it was back then in the Roman province of Judea -- the only sure things were death and taxes. Death was capricious and taxes were burdensome in the extreme. You recall that one of the worst things that could be said about a person was that he was a tax collector. Indeed one of the charges against Jesus was that he befriended "sinners and tax collectors." Can you wrap your mind around the perspective here? It is a perspective of death and gloom and sorrow. A perspective that might makes right, good men die young and justice is a figment of the imagination. A life defeating perspective. *** Then everything changes. All known reality is changed as the dawn of victory over death comes through in the words of strangers. Words that, if true, can turn a life defeating perspective into a life giving one. "He is not here, but has risen." If this experience of the women who came to complete the burial of Christ is true then everything has changed. They began the day with the expectation of returning to their old lives without the hope and joy he had brought to them. But - if Jesus is risen, then not only is Jesus alive, but everything Jesus had to say about life and death is true and all the power of Rome is as nothing compared to the power of God. IF it is true. And that's a big "IF." It could have been a grief induced group hallucination of some kind. Or perhaps they simply could not accept his death and were in some form of denial. For those of us who have lost someone we loved dearly, there are those moments, not long after they are gone, that we can wonder about our sanity. We are sure they are present with us somehow. I can remember that when my father died, it took an entire year to come to terms with a world without my father in it. In my head I knew he was gone, but in my heart and soul he was still around. Could it be that Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna and the other women were just too vulnerable to the emotions of the day and the presence of a couple of gardeners who said he wasn't here simply to get rid of them. "What did you say?" Mary Magdalene says through her tears. "He is not here?" "No, he isn't," One of the gardener says. If this was all some kind of pipe dream everything gets mixed up and as the conversation goes on, the words about Jesus' trial and crucifixion all run together in an auditory blur. Could such a thing be? The apostles will think so - at first. But, Mary had it right. This was no wishful thinking. "He is risen!" Mary exclaims. This is something that will turn the world upside down. And the women run to tell the apostles about something that will bring a whole new perspective to their lives. A life giving, death defying, victorious perspective on living that has the power to change the world. *** IF! If it is true. If this is not some huge likely story. Sometimes perspective is such a very hard thing to change. If the women who went to the tomb were despondent, the apostles were devastated. Peter had pointed out to Jesus that he and his fellow apostles had given up everything to follow Jesus and Jesus promised them victory:
Now, in the aftermath of Jesus' execution, not only were there no thrones for the apostles, they were hiding in fear of their own lives. It was hard to figure. It didn't make any sense - except that this had been one tough blow and they would probably never get over it. A life defeating, discouraging perspective. When the women came running with the news that Jesus had been raised, they were dismissed by the apostles. Their strange story seemed like an "idle tale." The meaning of the words "idle tale" can best be expressed by saying, "The apostles did not believe the women. Their story seemed like some fantastic, exaggerated story." *** Perspective can be hard to change. Jerry Norton (not his real name) was a thirty seven year old young man on the fast track to stardom in his Chicago based company. He was the father of two children and husband of a wonderful woman. Jerry was a nice guy, but a driven guy. He worked day and night, ate too much, slept too little and drank too much. He burned the proverbial candle at both ends. (Trying to light it in the middle as well!) He had a heart attack which he barely survived and found himself in the coronary care unit of the hospital. Six days into his cardiac rehabilitation program, his doctor came to his room to find Jerry dictating a letter to his secretary and giving her a list of phone calls to make and appointments to schedule. The doctor summoned Jerry's wife, children and the hospital chaplain and then read the riot act to his patient. Didn't he know what he was doing to himself and his family? Didn't he know better than to eat wrong, drink too much, go without sleep and never get any exercise? Do you know something? Knowledge was not the problem. Jerry's response to his doctor, his family and the chaplain was a repentant, "Yes, I know." A change in perspective comes from more than knowledge, it comes from the knowledge translating into experience. You might say that Jerry treated his knowledge about priorities in living as so many "idle tales." Did Jerry ever get it? I don't know, the chaplain who told the story lost track of Jerry after he was discharged from the hospital along with his promise to make some serious changes in his life. Those changes would come only if he also changed his perspective on life. It would take some soul searching and deep seated action in his life perspective. *** The Easter message is the most powerful message ever proclaimed. It can bring about the most wonderful change in perspective. It is a life giving message. But the message must be translated from knowledge into action before it can work it's wonderful power in our lives. There is a great conclusion to our gospel reading today. How our world might have been radically different if the story ended with the apostle's rejection of the women's message. "...{the women's} words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." Then a critical word. "But!" "But 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." [v.12] The heart of the Easter story - not only for Peter's life - but for our lives, is action and amazement. Pete "got up," and when he discovered that that Jesus had escaped the grave along with the cloths he had been wrapped in, he went home amazed. That amazement is the heart of worship. Resurrection is a wonderful, powerful, amazing and mysterious event. It is so much more than a simple fact of historical knowledge. We can have all the knowledge of the resurrection there is to have and yet, without the worshipful amazement of encountering the mystery of the Risen Christ in our soul, resurrection is "out there." When we worship, it is "in here." Do you remember the words of the church throughout the ages when Easter finally dawns and the people greet each other? "The Lord is risen!" Someone says. "He is risen indeed!" Is the joyful response. How different it would be if it went this way: "The Lord is Risen!" Someone says. "Yes, that is true." Comes the response. The response would acknowledge the knowledge of the resurrection as factual, but it would leave us flat. This is no idle tale we come together to celebrate today. It is a brand new day, a glorious refreshing of our hearts, a proclamation of new hope and new life. Join as we embrace the good news. "Christ is risen!" (and the people respond) "He is risen indeed!"
Discussion and Reflection on the Texts The links above in the listing of lectionary texts will provide perspective and notes on the texts. There are some general reflections on the whole issue of approaching the Easter texts that are important to a worshipful celebration of the joy of the reality and power behind the texts. Each of the resurrection accounts makes up the wonder of the whole mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his presence in the midst of his people. Thought the world does not see and indeed may consider the whole resurrection theme as did the apostles when they first heard the words of the women as an, "Idle tale." The beauty of the individual resurrection accounts come together to form the most wonderful kaleidoscope - a mural of incredible beauty. If too much effort is applied to the texts to squeeze the whole mural into a linear, hour by hour or moment by moment account in order to construct a timeline - we are apt to wind up with an account devoid of the mystery, wonder and worship of those who encountered Christ after his crucifixion. There is no such thing as one account being "correct" and another "incorrect" or "missing pieces" of the story that would put everyone in the right place at the right time. If one were to take a kaleidoscope apart in order to separate out the individual images for scrutiny - the whole would be lost. An approach to the texts would be to open our spirit to the proclamation of this one pericope through these particular people. The women are transformed from hopelessness to wonder and expectation. Peter is compelled by hope against hope that the "idle tale" might have some bit of hope and he returns home amazed. (Ready for worship) A Call To Worship Leader: Christ is
Risen!
A Prayer of Confession Almighty God, who destroyed sin and death by the glorious resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned and strayed far from your holy love. We have not loved you with the whole of our being and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In the light of your glorious presence we humbly bow before you and ask for your mercy and forgiveness through the redemption won for us in Jesus Christ. Amen. Assurance of Pardon May the Lord have mercy upon us and forgive us all our sins through Jesus Christ our Lord and give us strength for all goodness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. A Prayer of Thanksgiving O gracious God of power and might, we celebrate with joy the glorious resurrection of your son Jesus Christ and the victory of sin and death he has won. On this day of great celebration, we give thanks that with you there is forgiveness of sin and healing of our spirits. Your love and grace to us are beyond our ability to comprehend. You love as no human being could ever love. Your forgiveness even goes to the extent of forgetting our sin. You give us a fresh new beginning with each morning and the promise of joy in our living day by day. We praise you for those times you open our hearts to your grace, our eyes to the beauty of your creation and our ears to the gentle call of your voice within. We pray today that you would give us an increase in our ability to see your presence all around us and a heart to embrace the peace you intend for our living. Thank you O gracious God for calling us together in the Body of Christ to rejoice in your presence and feast our spirits on your eternal word. Bind us together in heart and voice that we might declare your praise and thus become the people you have formed for yourself. Amen. All
glory and honor and praise belong to you O Lord our God, in the name
A Prayer of Dedication O Holy God and Savior of us all,
we stand before you in glorious A Benediction O people of the Lord, you have
been raised with Christ! Go from
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