24 April 2016 St. Athanasius Lutheran
Church
Easter 5
Vienna, VA
Life in the Midst of
Death
Text: John
16:12-22; Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-7
[After a very arduous week and countless hours in the
hospital, enjoy this encore presentation of a sermon from 2010, with very few
and minor modifications . . . ]
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! [He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!] Alleluia.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God
our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
We prayed in the Collect
of the Day earlier that among the many changes of this world may our hearts
be fixed where true joys are found.
To be sure, there are
many changes in this world that effect
us everyday. Changes to your health or the health of a family member can turn your life
upside down. Changes made by our government often have a profound influence on
our lives. The loss of a job, or divorce, or unexpected expenses make us
concerned about the future. Moving to a new and strange place where you have to
figure out where everything you need is, and make new
friends, and find a new church is never easy at best, and is often quite
difficult. And how many other changes could you list? Changes, which as the
collect suggests, can rob us of the joy of our Lord and the joy of the life He
has given us.
But among the many
changes of this world that effect
us, there is one change above all others most difficult to bear, and
that is death. The death of a parent, the death of a spouse, the death of a
child, the death of a good friend, even death on a massive scale, like we see
with terrorism and natural disasters. All those other changes I mentioned
earlier are difficult, but at least can be dealt with in time. But death is
final. Death robs us of the companionship and community God has given to us and
blessed us with. Death is not just
a part of life,
as some would have us think today. Death was never part of Gods
plan for us, but an intrusion into the life that He has given. The intrusion of sin. For death is sin made visible. Sin doesnt just result in a bruised ego or a
bruised arm, but with a body in a casket. It is the very opposite of Gods let
there be,
and there was. And so we should not be comfortable with death. We should
hate it. And the truth is, that no matter how prepared
you think you are for death, you never really are.
Among
the many changes of this world. The disciples had
experienced many changes. Following Jesus for three years, they had seen things
they had never dreamed of - things wonderful and challenging and confusing all
at the same time. They had left homes and jobs and families and entered upon a
new life. But there was now one more change they would face; the one above all
others most difficult to bear: death. The death of
their Lord Jesus. It would be a difficult time. Jesus had told them that
this day was coming, but the crucifixion - seeing Jesus hung on the wood of the
cross - would shake them to the core. For this was not just the death of a man
or a friend, but the death of the One who taught with an authority never before
heard, who healed diseases, who expelled demons, who cleansed lepers, who
forgave sins, who raised the dead, and whom Peter had confessed as the
Christ, the Son of the living God! To see this Jesus die would be far more
than the grief of death - it was the end. The line
across the page of their story. What more was left for them now? Nothing. Jesus death is their death.
This Jesus knew, and so
in the words of the Gospel that we heard earlier from John, Jesus is speaking
to His disciples about this change. To prepare them.
For soon He will be taken from them - arrested, convicted, and crucified. A
little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you
will see me. But they dont
understand what He is talking about. They would not see Him. They would see
Him. But if we will see Him, how can He be going away? And if Jesus is going
away, how shall we see Him? It must be one or the other, but not both. It cant
be both. How can it be both?
Their minds were
swimming, for their minds did not yet have room for the destruction of death
and the resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus would bruise
the serpents
head with His heel! It would take the work of the Spirit to enable them to
understand. When the Spirit of truth
comes, Jesus said, he
will guide you into all the truth.
Until then, they would see the empty tomb and wonder and doubt and disbelieve.
Death they knew. Could they know life?
That is what we
need to know - the disciples, you, me, all people.
Death we know. Death is our reality. People die, animals die, computers
die, cars die, friendships die, marriages die. And you can do death by
yourself.
. . . But life is quite different. You cannot give yourself
life. Life is a gift. Life comes only from another life. A woman, Jesus says,
gives birth to a child, giving life to another. And in that there is pain and
anguish - of division, of separation - but then the joy of life. So too will it
be with Jesus. The pain and anguish of the division and separation of Good
Friday will give way to the joy and life of Easter. Jesus will be the
firstborn from the dead, that from His life we receive the gift of life.
For life is only from life. And so from Jesus life
comes our life. And no ordinary life this, but a life that
will never end.
And so Jesus must first
go away and be seen no more. There will be the pain and anguish, the division
and separation of the cross. But then they will see Him again, in the life and
joy of the resurrection. And while the first will seem too much to bear, it is
the second that will bring a joy even greater. Which is why, I suppose, we
remember Good Friday but one day, and celebrate Easter for 50! Death will have
its day - for all of us. But the life we receive from Jesus will last forever.
And thats
really what we need to learn - the disciples, you, me,
all people. We need to learn how to
live. How to live this life. Which sounds
funny, doesnt it? For doesnt life and living just come
naturally? Well, no. Just as we need to teach our children how to live, so we
need to learn how to live this life. This life of Christ.
To stop looking for life in things that die, and learn how to be born anew each
day, into the life of Christ. To realize that baptized into Christ, you are -
as God told Peter - no longer common, but clean. You may look
common, average, like everybody else out there in the world; working for a
living and trying your best. But baptized into Christ you are not common -
you are a child of God. A treasured child. A loved child. Now matter who you
were or what you were, now you are different. For the Holy Spirit fell on you in those waters. Your sins
were forgiven in those waters. You were given a new life in those waters. How
can anyone, given such gifts and adopted by God, be common anymore? Or live common anymore?
Thats
what God was teaching Peter in the reading from Acts that we heard. Can
Gentiles become Christians? Can the dirty become clean? Can outcasts become
children of God? If we look at them and who they are (or if we look at
ourselves and who we are), who knows what answer we will come up with. But
if we look at the cross and the empty tomb and the power and love of God, there
will be no doubt. Yes, Gentiles can. Yes, the dirty can. Yes, the outcasts can.
Yes, the sinners and tax collectors and prostitutes can. Yes, heathen and
atheists and Muslims can - and yes, even folks like you and me, can. For look
not at the sinner, but at the One who came down from
heaven to make all things new and clean. Is there any sin greater
than His cross? Is there any death greater than His resurrection? Absolutely not. And so this new life is for all people. The life of Christ. Life in Christ. And so yes, to
the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.
And
so also to you and me. Whatever death you
are facing in your life right now, it cannot win. It cannot win. It has
already been defeated. And so for us there is life. The life
of forgiveness, not of grudges and anger. The life of
love, not of hatred and revenge. The life of joy and
peace, not of worry and anxiety. Can we live such a life? Can we know
such a life? That our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found? It
sounds too good to be true.
But true it is. As true as the empty tomb. And this life is yours - not
because youve done it, but because the
life of Christ and His death and resurrection is given to you. Life from life. It is given by the Spirit, whom Jesus had
promised to send, and who would, as Jesus said, take what is mine and
declare it to you. Which means when the words of Jesus are declared to
you, the Spirit gives you what they say. They are not just words, or empty
words, but words filled with the Spirit and life. And so when it is declared to
you, I forgive you all your sins, the Spirit gives you what those words
say. And when it is declared to you, Take, eat, this is My
body; Take, drink, this is My blood, the Spirit gives you what those words
say. And the forgiveness, life, and salvation of Jesus are yours. You are
filled with Him. He is alive in you. That your sorrow be turned to joy. A joy that no one can take away from you.
You will see me,
Jesus said. And they did, those disciples. And you see
Him, even now. You see Him here, in His gifts. You see Him out there, in the
least of those who need your help. You see Him by faith, the Spirit giving you
ears to hear and eyes to see. Not to live a life that ends in death; but to
live a life that not even death can end. Can we live such a life? Can we know
such a life? That our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found?
Sometimes, perhaps, it
seems that the answer is no. The troubles too many, the
problems too much, the struggles too mighty, and the joys of life too fleeting.
But the good news of Easter is that there is a peace and joy that surpasses
that of this world, and anything this world can give. The
peace and joy of the life of Christ, of life which can never be taken away.
Not by anything this world and its devil can dish out. It is the joy and peace
not of having everything go right, but a joy and peace even when they dont.
For
we too, as children of God, are going to the Father. In
Christ, in fact, we are already there. But like Christ, one day our tombs will
be empty, when the Word of God once again does what it says, calls our bodies
from the grave, and death will be no more. It
cannot win. Oh, satan
will tell you that death has won when youre standing at the grave
of a loved one. Your feelings will tell you that death has won when your life
is falling apart. You may think that death is going to win when your own body
begins to fail. But it is not so. These are only the birth pains to a new life. A new life that you have even now, and live even now.
And so the line across
the page of your story has been erased. Forgiven. Done away with. Now, there is no end, there is no bottom,
there is no period, end of story. No! Jesus has turned the page to a
new life. It
is done! He said. And His words are
trustworthy and true. He has conquered,
and we are made sons of God. Jesus death is
our death, for He died for our sins; and now His life is our life. He has
made all things new, life from life! Even you, even now. For Christ is risen!
[He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]
In the Name of the Father,
and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.