So, for those of you who have come as casual observers today, just passing by, hear this: Believe It and You Will See It. If you have come with great needs in your life, believe that solutions can be found, and they will appear. If you have come with everything you have ever wanted but now have discovered that everything you have ever wanted isn’t enough, then know this, that in Christ meaning and purpose, life and love can be found!
The Easter narratives are fascinating in that it was at the most unlikely of places and to the most unlikely of people that Jesus appeared. Easter. You would think that he would, for greatest impact, have appeared to Herrod or Pilot or before the Sanhedrin —"Hello, Hello—maybe we need to talk." He did not appear to Herrod, or Pilot or before the Sanhedrin. There were no angels in the sky singing angelic choruses, no kings from afar bearing gifts, nothing unusual at all, just a greeting, a conversation, an appearance and then he’s was gone. The most ordinary of events: a private dinner, two men walking along a deserted road, a woman weeping in a garden, some fishermen working a lake, a small group of people at a meal behind locked doors.
It was in the most unlikely of places to the most unlikely of people that he appeared:
They had once believed and the seeds of hope had in their winter of despair not been lost forever. The seeds germinated in the mystery of the darkness after the crucifixion and burial in Joseph of Arimathea’s borrowed tomb and much to their surprise and joy, he appeared.
The Resurrection of Jesus lies at the epicenter of the transformation of the disciples. They were disappointed, frightened men and women, yet believers, and the Resurrection changed their lives forever.
The eleven men, who had deserted him at his trial, became willing to occupy a martyr’s grave to tell their unusual story. Mary held on to love and hope and came to the graveyard to conclude the last rites of burial, and her presence paid off for it was to her that he first appeared. This band of unreliable followers became fearless evangelists. Peter who denied he ever knew him in Herrod’s courtyard, proclaimed him boldly before the Roman centurians in the jail in Rome. Thomas who had more doubts than all of the disciples put together. No wonder Mark’s account of the Resurrection ends with the observation: "They were amazed and perplexed!"
Believe that life is good and life becomes good. Believe that life in America is like living in a promised land and dreams will start to come true. Believe that the lame walk, the sick are healed, the dead are raised and you will begin to see miracles take place. Believe in yourself as a person created in the image of God. Created by the Creator to be a creator yourself and you will begin to see some unusual things happen. Believe it and you will see it.
I ask myself, "Why do I believe?" I who resemble doubting Thomas more than any other disciple in my skepticism and slowness to accept what cannot be proven beyond doubt. To see it is to believe it is my basic nature. If it doesn’t pass the test of human reason, it will seldom pass. But the evidence of the Resurrection has transformed my life and yours. On Easter Sunday I put my doubts on a shelf and cherish the mystery of this miracle day, which has transformed the world in which I chose to live.
There is the evidence of the Church of the miracle of the Resurrection —hundreds of millions who believe and deal most creatively with life because they believe in the Resurrection. The only adequate explanation of the whiplash change in the previously cowardly, unstable disciples was the experience of the resurrection which transformed their lives forever.
C.H. Dodd writes of the belief in the Resurrection: "It is not a belief that grew up within the church, it is the belief around which the church itself grew up."
The Resurrected Jesus said to Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Here he had reference to us. Today throughout the world on this Day of days, there will be 122 million Roman Catholic believers who will sing the Resurrection songs. Today there will be 70 million Methodists around the world and the number is growing by 1 million more each year who will affirm "I believe in the resurrection and the life everlasting." Today hundreds of millions of the most unlikely of persons in the most unlikely of places will gather in worship to celebrate our great belief in the Resurrection. Our lives will be different this week because we believe and have participated in this event of divine worship! A Christian is a healthy human being because he believes. He or she gives more to life than they ever take. They bless and are blessed. They give and are given unto. Christians have hope and confidence and faith because they believe in Jesus who was dead and yet lives in our hearts and in the world. Believe it and you will see it.
We live in a world where there are many who do not believe. It is hard for me to accept the fact that there are those in the world who hate other people because they are different from them: a different color, a different ethnic heritage, come from a different country, worship at a different church in a different way, and who act on such narrow, restricting, detrimental beliefs. In Africa and Ireland, in Palestine and Kosovo, in the north and in the south, in our own neighborhood and families, there are those who chose to hate rather than love, chose to hurt rather than heal, chose to kill rather than help.
But we are Easter people and we believe in love as a way of life and we believe that miracles happen and that people change and we will not give up hope.
First of all, we believe in the Resurrection because of the evidence of the Church. And secondly, we are believers, because at the deepest of all levels, we want the Easter story to be true. Faith grows out of a subsoil of yearning and searching, of longing and working. There is something primal in every human being that has stood beside a loved one in death which cries out against the power of death’s destructive influence. Not unlike Mary of Magdala, we have all cried, Give him life, Give him life."
Above all else I want Easter to be true because of its promise that someday I will see my brother and father again. That I will see my father-in-law, my grandmother and grandfather and my friends who have departed this life. I want as deeply as you do to see the words death and irreversible abolished for ever.
If this great desire were all, Easter would be little more than a fairytale but you have the evidence, the overwhelming evidence of the Church and Christian people everywhere who believe and who live the belief that when you believe in God, Miracles take place. Yes, Believe and you will see things happen in your life. When Godly beliefs fill your mind and heart, you will see great things happen in your life. And the next millennium will belong to those who believe.
You will want to remember as this scripture is read who Peter was: He was a disciple, one of the original twelve. He was the first to affirm that Jesus was the Messiah. The Savior. He was one of the first to experience the empty tomb. It was Peter who outran the other disciples to get to the tomb to see if the testimony of the women was true. Remember, he had been a fisherman, and even after experiencing the empty tomb, he had returned to his fish nets. He was the one who had denied his knowledge of Jesus but it was to Peter that Jesus appeared after the resurrection offering forgiveness and responsibility to lead the church.
And although the Apostle Paul would be the apologist or interpreter of the faith through his writings of his many letters, yet Peter does have two letters in the New Testament which I am reading devotionally during this Easter month and the lectionary scriptures for the month, come from Peter's writings. Hear his words: By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
1. Springtime is nature's clear message to us of the renewal of the earth. Springtime has not ceased to occur since the primordial beginnings of time as we have known it. The Daffodils are the first harbingers of spring. And this year the dogwoods and azaleas come with such dazzling beauty so quickly after Christmas.
You will not stop springtime. You will not turn back the stirrings of the earth. The Robins have come back once again!
The birds sing a more melodious song whether we hear it or not, in springtime. This past weekend, I sat out in our backyard on Saturday preparing my mind and heart for our Easter Worship. I held a small recorder in my hand and spoke into it reading from my carefully prepared manuscript of the Easter sermon which I had hammered out on my computer. I will most often do this each week, so as to protect you. The sermon you hear on Sunday morning I have already listened to with a critical ear at least twice on Friday or Saturday. Well on Easter weekend, I spoke into the mike and recorded the words and the phone rang and soon I was on the way to the hospital. On the way I played the recording and was amazed for I could hardly hear the words because of the overpowering sound of the voices of the birds singing their hearts out. And I had been so busy, that I had not even heard them, until I played back the recording. The birds of the air and the plants of the earth tell us of resurrection.
This past year Jane and I visited the "butterfly house" at Callaway Gardens. Thousands of different species of butterflies were kept in such a creative environment. I read with fascination the story of the monarch butterfly that would migrate to South America. The story of their migration was this. The exact butterfly that would start to fly South, would in a few months die in route but their offspring would continue and then die and then their offspring would continue and so on it would go until the monarch would return to the exact same location once again in the warm months. The same location and the same family of butterflies but seven generations later. The butterfly that returned had never seen this old familiar place, but he returns to the place of his ancestors in resurrection beauty. Don't ask me how it happens, just appreciate with me the miracle of the migrating butterfly, seven generations later who comes back to a place he has never been.
2. And the birth of children in our families have brought such joy and evidence of the resurrection. Last Sunday as we celebrated Easter, there were so many young families who were present with their new babies. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman here on Sunday and she had just given birth to her baby on Wednesday. No I said to myself, that couldn't be, but I asked someone and they said "sure enough, it is her and her new baby." And there is in our fellowship 29 families who have brought their children to the altar for Baptism.
The very week, in which a church member died, his great grandchild was born, and his family wondered about the mystery of the message of this child. Two weeks after my brother was dead and buried, a grandchild with his name was born. Mere coincidences, sure. These babies would be born had they not died. Sure. Nevertheless, a mysterious testimony of the Resurrection--a subtle sign of new life.
3.The stock market has given evidence of new life in its aggressive run through the 10,000 figure. Some of you are amazed with your own personnel wealth just now because of the new life in the marketplace. Be grateful for these unusual evidences of new life. And always remember: "Of those who receive much, much will be expected."
4. And there is the evidence of the Church.
In Russia, in China and in Pensacola. The church continues to grow. We have been blessed with a caring community in which to live and grow. The Methodist movement this year worldwide has grown by more than a million new converts to the point today that Methodists number 70 million members today.
We have new Christians in our fellowship who are persons who have decided to turn their life over to Jesus and his ways and are discovering a whole new way of looking at things and an entirely new perspective on things and people.
A close friend who attended all of the Lenten services, the service of darkness on Holy Thursday and then the glorious Easter celebration of the Resurrection, said to me: "For years I missed out on this--wasted years." Now I'm not sure about the years being wasted, for God has his own timing, but the point is there is evidence of new life in our church and many of you are discovering it.
5. We look for evidences of the resurrection—and the Holy Scriptures are filled with stories of the resurrection as is the daily newspaper.
For example: This past week Yogi Berra returned to Yankee Stadium to pitch out the first baseball of the season in the old historical stadium. It was the first time he has returned in 14 years since he was fired after only 16 games as the Yankee Manager in l985 by George Steinbrenner. Berra wasn't the first to be fired by Steinbrenner, nor the last. But this year Steinbrenner apologized to Berra and the feud was apparently settled and he returned. Easter is about new opportunities, old grudges being buried and new relationships being initiated, new beginnings, new possibilities.
We need Easter. Yogi Berra needed Easter, another chance, a second beginning, a new season. And so do many of you--in your work attitude, in your relationship with family, in your love relationship, in your relationship with God.
Jesus Christ is new life for those who are open to his ways. The Apostle Peter who denied his Lord three times, was met by Jesus beside the Galilean Sea and was forgiven 3 times? Do you love me? Jesus asked three times! Erasing with each stroke the sin of denial, the past, the sin of yesterday. Thus he could now write: "by his great mercy, he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading."
There are certain roads that are infamous in the Easter narratives because of the events that took place on them. The Damascus Road where Paul met the living Christ. This encounter, changed his life forever. And there was "The Emmaus Road" where two nameless disciples met Jesus perceiving him to be a stranger?
Next week you will have the opportunity to hear Dr. James Fleming, Biblical archeologist and scholar of the history of the Mideast. I was privileged in the 80's to study under Dr. Fleming at the Biblical Institute at Tanturs in Jerusalem. One day he lectured as we walked from Bethany six miles outside of Jerusalem to the old city. We retraced the route Jesus would have taken on Palm Sunday and each day during the last fatal day of his life.
We had taken fieldtrips similar to this one each day for the week and I asked him, "Where is Emasus?" And he responded: As a Biblical archeologist he had found no evidence of a city which dated to the time of Jesus, although a number of tourist spots had appeared in recent years with the name Emasus. So Fleming observed Emasus is nowhere, but Emasus is everywhere". For Jesus appears to be with us if we are at home or in church, in Kosovo or Cairo, in Pensacola or Peoria.
Our ability to know Jesus, to experience him, to see him, is God's
work. He comes to us as one unknown and reveals himself to us in the toils of
everyday, in the journey of life. We don't always see him or perceive him at
first, but he has promised never to leave us alone and so far as I can
determine, he has never failed to keep his promise. "Never failed me,
YET!"
Among the many promises of Jesus, I
take comfort in these three:
1. "I will be with you."
2. "I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am
there you may be also."
3. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I will
be there."
Emasus is nowhere -Emasus is everywhere.
Not long ago, I lost my glasses. Now losing one's glasses is as frustrating as losing one's car keys or one's wallet, which is easy for most us to accomplish on any day of the week. But the problem with losing your glasses is even more complicated for you can't see to find them. So how do you look for your glasses when you can't see? I looked in the bedroom, I felt on my desk, in the bathroom, on the hearth beside the favorite chair, and I couldn't find them anywhere for I couldn't see them even if I had known where to look. Jane was not home and she is my best bet for finding the things I lose and usually my last hope. Well as I in frustration, looked for my glasses I passed by a large mirror and just glanced at the reflection and much to my surprise, discovered my glasses pushed back up on the top of my head. I had wasted a large portion of the morning looking for what I already had.
Later as I laughed at my foolishness, it occurred to me that it is not an uncommon ailment of our age to go running off in search of something which we already have in our possession. How many have jumped jobs in a desire to find "greener pastures" Or have moved from one family to another in search for love or fulfillment or something which was missing. How many have jumped from one church to another, or one city to another,--when all they ever wanted was present in possibility where they first began. Are you looking for something you already have?
Among the many lessons which the Emasus Road Story teaches us, the clearest is that God will appear in the midst of our life where we are. You don't have to go off to some secluded mountain retreat. You don't have to read a special book which costs $32.95. You don't have to pray in a certain way or even behave in a certain way. You don't even have to tithe, go to Church every Sunday, read the Bible, or be kind to your neighbor, although all of these things will create an environment and an awareness that you will not miss His appearance when He does come.
Most folks' problem with God is that they just miss His appearances. Some are like Adam in the Garden who have done something they know they should not have been doing. And when God walks in the Garden, they are hiding for fear of being confronted with the reality of their betrayal or their foolish disobedience to the best that should have been. They are oblivious to his healing presence because they are not paying attention. He comes to us as one unknown and we miss it.
As we travel the Emmaus Road today, he comes to us like a stranger who brings peace and grace the likes of which we have never known. Let us be open and receptive, alert and sensitive, less we miss His appearance.
In closing, let me share with you this story:
There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God.
He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. He turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile yet.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God. You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God. You know what, he's much younger than I expected."
Story by: Julie A. Manham
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright ©1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Patty Hansen
In the center window of the entrance of our sanctuary, there has been the shepherd window, which has stood watch over the entrance of the sanctuary and the backs of our people for 90 years. It is a stained glass depiction of Jesus as "The Good Shepherd" and now it is gone. Temporarily it is gone, we hope until the stained glass is returned just after the first of May. But for now it is gone and has been gone for three months. I have greatly missed it for it stands just over the heads of those who sit on the first floor of the sanctuary and it reminds me of a truth, which keeps me in the profession that I have chosen as a life work.
It proclaims in word picture the Biblical perspective of God's relationship to his people and Jesus' role as "The Good Shepherd". This particular window was dedicated to the good memory of Rev. C. B. DuBose, who served as pastor here in the four years of 1878-1882. Rev. DuBose served the Pensacola community when Yellow Fever ran rampant, claiming the lives of so many in the low lying areas during the summer months. One summer Rev. DuBose carried his family to higher grounds north of Pensacola and returned to carry out his pastoral duties for the sick and dying. He himself was struck with the fever and died in the summer of 1882. The shepherd was gone.
Perhaps we have little knowledge of sheep and shepherd except for our knowledge of the Bible lands and stories. In the l980's I was privileged to study in Jerusalem with Dr. James Fleming. One day while we were walking beside the Sea of Galilee, I noticed what I assumed was an unattended flock of mixed sheep and goats. Fleming had talked about the Shepherd dimension of the character of God and had one morning said that no flock of sheep is ever left unattended and so I had looked all week as we moved back and forth across the lands of the Bible for an unattended flock and here beside the sea of Galilee I though I had found one. As I approached the outer edge of the flock, all of a sudden from behind a big boulder or massive rock stepped the shepherd. It startled and frightened me for two reasons: One, the shepherd was a girl and secondly, she had fire in her eyes. I smiled and in good Southern fashion said "How you doing?" As I backed away. The point - the shepherd was there for the flock! Ever present! Ever watchful! Watching over the unsuspecting lambs and guarding against evil.
I. There is a great need in all of us to have someone who shepherds us. One looks out for us and will shear us when we need shearing and will pat us on the head when we need patting. A mother or father or brother or sister, a teacher, a pastor, an honest colleague or friend who genuinely cares about us and will watch out for us even when we are not around.
II. Perhaps this is why God is depicted as the Good Shepherd in both the 23rd Psalm and in John 10:11-18. As God the creator is our shepherd, so also are we called to the responsibility for which we have this great need. As we need a shepherd, so are we called to be shepherds.
We live in an imperfect world and there is such a crying need for good shepherds. Where were the shepherds in Colorado this past week as children killed children? These kids were building bombs and purchasing guns and building up this rage to shoot and kill. There were signs? Where were the shepherds? Where were the parents? Where were the pastors?
Let us claim the opportunity that will be ours this week to shepherd those who are around us. As God is our shepherd, it becomes our privilege to shepherd others.
Perhaps a worthy goal for us all is to reflect this week the shepherd nature of the Creator. As God is our shepherd, so we are to be shepherds for someone else this week.
Prayer: Almighty God, you brought light and life from gloom and death by raising Christ our Savior. The petty kingdoms of this world have been vanquished and all has been gathered into your gracious rule. Teach us that there is no place so despairing, no wound so deep, no life so broken that your healing mercy cannot bring hope and healing.
Even now, our risen shepherd guides us to the safety of the fold and leads us in freedom and joy to the places of peace, nourishment, and rest. Enable us to trust him and no other, to discern the sound of his voice among all the lesser voices that call us, and to follow in his paths all the days of our lives. Amen.