It was late on a
Friday that he died, and then there was Saturday. Have you ever
wondered how the disciples must have felt the day after their leader
Jesus had been crucified? It must have been a horrible experience. They
had left their jobs, the only way they knew to make a living; they had
left their homes and their families and had staked their lives on the
belief that Jesus was God’s messenger- maybe even the Messiah. For three years, they had been his
fellow workers. More than any other humans, they had observed Jesus at
work, seen the ones he met and heard him tell his stories, even
observed the miracles that had taken place. They had been the object of
many of his teachings, and they were privy to some of the momentous
decisions that Jesus had made; most of which they did not understand.
When Jesus told them he was going to
go to Jerusalem, they were opposed. They knew the authorities were
opposed to Jesus' way of believing and teaching and they knew there
would probably be trouble. Still, they followed, because they clung to
the idea that he was the one who would usher in the kingdom of God, as
they understood that concept.
None of that happened. The ideas and beliefs that they held had been
shattered. They were stunned that the trial took place, shocked by the
accusations that were hurled at Jesus and the venom that was part of
the mass reaction. They hated the cowardice of the government, and even
though they too went away in fear, they were disappointed at the
fickleness of the crowd. Even though they were not present, they were
heartbroken by the crucifixion.
Mostly, they were afraid. They were
afraid for their own lives, afraid for their future and afraid that
they had wasted the last three years. Most of them were huddled
together in a boarded-up house, hoping they would not be found. None of them was present when Mary
Magdelene and the other women went to the tomb. They were not there
when the women found the tomb empty. They tacitly agreed with the women
that someone must have stolen the body. It just had to have been a
horrible time in their existence. Nothing is more difficult to deal
with than having your hopes dashed.
The sad thing is, this is the way a
large proportion of our society lives. Underneath the façade of
fun and confidence is the underlying fear of meaninglessness. Talk with
many people today, and beyond their families and their jobs there is a
feeling of hopelessness.
When I was a college student studying literature, one of the authors to
which we were exposed was Albert Camus, who wrote a book called the
“Myth of Sisyphus.” Camus concluded that we live in an absurd world,
and the greatest question we face is the question of suicide. Camus compared us with the mythical
Sisyphus, doomed forever to push a huge boulder up a steep hill,
knowing that just when he was about to get it to the top, it would slip
and roll down to the bottom, and Sisyphus would start the process all
over again. The best we can hope for in such a hopeless situation, he
concluded, was an act of courage that enables us to continue the
struggle. Camus himself was killed in a sports car accident while still
a young man.
That may have been how the followers
of Jesus felt the Saturday following his death. And in truth, the
Christian religion would have faded into the dust of history if the
story had ended there. If
Saturday had been the end, there would be very little hope. But, as we
know, the story did not end there. The good news of the Christian faith
is that God cares, cares enough not only to enter into the human
experience, but also to reveal himself through Jesus the Christ.
He informs us that faith in God survives death, and therefore life is
not absurd. It has meaning because it has a future. On Saturday the
disciples felt that the end was near, and certainly their part in his
ministry was over. On Sunday, they saw an empty tomb; before the day
was over, they experienced a risen Lord, and their faith was renewed to
a level never seen before. Their new task was made for them; how do we tell people that Jesus is alive
and can be experienced in the lives of believers?
That remains the primary task of the Church: not only to tell people
that Jesus is alive, but also to show them he is alive and incarnate
within the lives of people and the body called the Church. I would
maintain that this task is even more basic than feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked and promoting justice among the hurting. It is more
basic,ecause unless the Christian really believes that Jesus is
alivewithin the lives of all, whether they believe at this moment or
not, there will not be the conviction to carry out these great and
necessary causes. If
life is absurd, why should people care for others? Why is justice an
important aspect of a civil society if there is no hope? If joy is not
greater than despair, and life greater than death, does it matter if we
assist others? If the myth of Sisyphus is correct, then why not be a
hedonist, and eat drink and be merry because tomorrow we may die.
But the testimony is that the
resurrection did happen, and
because it did, we can experience resurrection experiences in our day
also. That’s why we labor in Christ’s name, because in our actions and
in our teachings we want to be the bearers of hope. That’s why the
Christian faith is more than words, it is deeds brought about by love
which responds to the love that the giver has already received. Left alone, life offers little hope.
It is propelled by selfishness. Evil is a reality. A great deal happens
that defies our logical explanation. We may destroy our world by
selfishly ignoring the balance that nature requires. We may blow
ourselves into extinction in the pursuit of more and more power, but
the true believer in Jesus knows that it doesn’t have to be that way.
The writer of John takes our feelings,
and places them right in the mouth of Thomas. Somehow, Jesus
appears in that boarded-up house, saying “Peace be with you”. Ten of
them experienced that reality. Thomas was not present. Instead of being
with his colleagues, he was alone mourning the great loss that had
occurred. While that is an honourable way to mourn, it is also selfish.
Thomas had cut himself off from the fellowship of the others. That is
one reason why we speak of Church attendance. Even if you feel it is
not necessary, others of the fellowship need your presence to help
fulfill their needs. “Thomas”,
they said, “we have seen the Lord”. “Don’t put me on” said Thomas; “I
will not believe that unless I can put my fingers in the wounds of his
hand and my hand in the hole in his side.” Amazingly, John continues
the story, and has Jesus appearing a second time when Thomas is
present. “OK Thomas, here’s your chance.” Whatever happened, Thomas was
humbled, and said, “My Lord and My God”. That is the first time that
particular linking of words occurs in the Bible. Jesus said to him,
“you believe because you have seen; blessed are those who have not
seen, yet believe.”
For centuries people have attempted to
explain the manner of the resurrection. It is a fruitless task. How it
occurred is of little consequence, because it all requires a leap of
faith. For me, the greatest proof of the resurrection is what occurred
within the lives of the disciples and what happens within the lives of
believers today. Something fantastic happened within the lives of the
disciples between the crucifixion and Pentecost. The cowardly, cowering
disciples became fearless proclaimers of the faith. Nothing! not public
ridicule, not scholarly dissent, not imprisonment, not even death,
nothing could diminish their enthusiasm.
A second area of confirmation is the
New Testament. The entire collection of writings has as their impetus
the resurrection. One writer has said that the “the New Testament
does not explain the resurrection, it is explained by the
resurrection.” Because of the resurrection, transformation can and does
take place. For Paul, the message was simply too great for just one
group of people. The message of new life, overcoming obstacles and
living triumphantly, applied to all people. And so Paul set out
to present the faith in just that manner. From the gospels through the
epistles, from the history of the early Church through the apocalyptic
message of Revelation, the witness is similar. In Christ, you can have
new life. You can be transformed from whatever it is that holds you
back, and you can be victorious over whatever the world has to give you.
And then there is the testimony of the
Christian Church. It is now almost 2000 years old and though it is
battered and bruised, it remains the world’s largest volunteer agency;
it commands the participation of millions around the world. God
knows, we have done almost everything wrong. We have fought wars over
aspects of the faith. We have divided ourselves to the point that even
fellowship is denied by sister congregations. There are denominations that will
not allow believers from a different persuasion to participate in the
Lord’s supper. The Church has marginalized people during its history,
created differing schools for training of people in a specific
doctrinal position. And we have hoarded billions of dollars in
elaborate architectural monuments, often at the expense of the very
people who seek to worship. The list goes on.
Yet the Church is still the place
where one will most likely encounter the living spirit of God. It is
the Church that will challenge your thinking, and try to get you to
think beyond a Sunday school faith, which is great for children but is
not fulfilling to adults. Look at the hundreds of people who have gone
through this Church's Sunday Schools and ask yourself, why are they not
here today? To be sure, many have moved away, but not all. In the last
census, over 1000 people in the Squamish area said they were affiliated
with this United Church.
Where are they? How have we failed?
Every Church faces great challenges,
just as we do. Is this the best location for this Church? What type of
ministry should be our trademark? What happens when our seniors are
gone? Can we minister to a downtown group, meet their needs and still
be a growing fellowship? You know the questions, we’ve been talking
about them for months, if not years, and this will continue.
When we turn to the roots of our
faith, when we seek the direction of God in fervent and ardent prayer,
we are left with one great answer over and over again. That answer is
yes! We are Easter people. If Christ is the heart of our
life as a fellowship, and we launch out to minister in his name, then a
myriad of possibilities appear and they all say yes! That’s what makes
the specific decision so difficult. There is so much we can do if we
are willing to follow Christ, if we are willing to be enthusiastic
first of all about our faith and then about ourselves as a fellowship. We have to be captured by a dream of
serving the resurrected Christ that is so big it demands our
participation, our financial generosity, and our willingness to work in
the venture cooperatively, even when our pet project is rejected. When
that spirit is really here, Squamish United Church will be the talk of
the entire community.
John writes that Jesus said to them
"As the father has sent me, so I send you." (Jn. 20:21)
Folks, that’s us. When you signed up to be a Christian, there was no
concept of aging out. Nothing in any Christian vows says, when you have
served so many years, you can rest and say "I’ve done my duty." That’s
not the way it works.
Just when you and I are getting old, the statisticians tell us that the
fastest growing sector of our population is the over 65s. The over 65s
are the greatest potential of Church growth that exists. Just
when we get set to live quietly in our retirement, we hear of Churches
who negotiate contracts for senior housing or community service; and
the worship space is in the same building as the service space. The
owners of the building pay the bills, and allow the services to
continue, because the ministry goes on for the good of the area or in
some instances the world.
That’s an example, and there are many
more. And all it takes is people who have been grasped by the
power of the resurrected Christ, and are willing to say "We can do it!"
With Christ’s inspiration and presence, we can do it! And then,
another miracle happens; in the doing comes salvation, and suddenly the
dry bones come to life. And older people seem to get younger, because
they are captured by a dream; gripped by a reality. That is
resurrection religion.
The next step is, younger people step
in and say, we can help also. This place is coming alive. J.H.
McKeithen said, “Can God redeem the most horrible experiences
imaginable? Only those who put their hands into the hand of God, and
walk through them with God are able to discover the truth. We all have
doubts. We have to decide to live with our doubts or succumb to our
doubts.”
We have some big decisions to make
right here in Squamish, and the quicker we make them in the spirit of
Christ the better we will be. Like Ezekiel’s metaphor, these dry bones
can come to life, right here in downtown Squamish. “We have seen the Lord”, said the
disciples. “We know Jesus is for real: so much so that we believe he is
alive”. “I doubt it”, said Thomas. “Until I touch his hands and thrust
my hand in his side, I will not believe it.” “Blessed are those who have not seen
yet believe”, said Jesus
The movement of Jesus' followers was
not very large. They had just seen their leader executed on a cruel
cross and their hopes were dashed. "What are we going to do? How can we
survive?" they said, as they wandered about like dead men. But resurrection occurs.
Dispirited, dejected people can become people filled with
enthusiasm. "Praise the Lord, Christ has risen" they cried. He lives, and because he lives you
and I too can live. And in very short order, the followers of Jesus
were far greater in number than they had ever been when he was
physically present.
I don’t know what future there is for
this Church, but I know for sure there is one. I know that if we truly
believe in our Lord, and truly believe in the reality of resurrection,
there is a future out there that is greater than our past. Some
things, you see, have to be believed before they can be seen.