In our scripture for this morning, Paul speaks of some of God's greatest gifts: "And you who were once dead through your sins, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, following the desires of body and mind, But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God."
Later the Apostle would write: "Once you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise." And Peter would join the chorus saying: "Once you were nobody, but now you are God's own children. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation."
Enjoy the music of the choir, the brightness of the day, and the support of friends. Yesterday, those of us who were struggling to run 3.1 miles were a bit intimidated by these Navy cadets and officers who ran steady 9 minute miles, some in steel-toe leather boots. But a couple of the cadets had to drop out, either due to an injury or over-heating. And each time when one pulled up and started to walk, one of the stronger soldiers would pull up with him so that he or she would not be alone. I felt that it was a beautiful illustration of the church in action. Let one of our people fall and a church brother or sister will pull out of rank and stay with him or her until they are stronger. That's when we are at our best. If you have fallen and someone has stayed back to be with you, then be grateful. If you are strong, look around out of your strength and be sure you are not leaving a weaker brother or sister, or God forbid, a child behind.
Some years ago, Harold Rose, a member of our Board of Trustees, stirring around in the basemen of the church discovered the remains of the l890 chandelier, which graced the second of our three buildings in our 179 year history. He cleaned and polished and rewired and together, with the assistance of Jimmy Crook, designed a pulley arrangement and hung the chandelier here in the sanctuary. You had nothing to do with this chandelier, but you can enjoy it.
Harold always enjoyed telling me the story of the church, which had this big debate over whether or not to put a new chandelier in their sanctuary. After much debate, which had gone on far to long, this older member stood up and said: "I think I've heard enough about this. We don't need a chandelier in this church. If we had one nobody could spell it and even if we had one, no one who could play it. What I think is, we don't need a chandelier, we need more light in the sanctuary."
Every day list three things for which you are grateful to God and write them down and post them on your refrigerator for you to see and enjoy. Each day say "thank you" to someone and each week write at least one "thank you" letter to someone who has done something very special for you or for your family or for the church or for the community. I don't know a single soul who does not like a thank you letter. Now don't feel you have to go out and buy a $3.95 Hallmark card, just a note will do. And don't mail a printed deal with only your name. At least pin a short sentence to let the person you are writing to know why you are thinking of them and thankful for them.
From the beginning of time, God wanted a people, made in his image who would reflect his very nature, in the very complicated world that he had called into being. His people would be like a light to the nations, a holy priesthood, that would abide by his rules given very carefully in the 10 Commandments, and would reflect his loving nature. The problem was that like anybody's children, God's children would have a mind of their own, and sadly enough would from time to time neglect obedience to the way of God and break one after another of the commandments. Rather than being like lights in the dark world, they would be dark spots and something of an embarrassment to the Heavenly Father. This took place when Moses was the leader of Israel in the wilderness. And again when the Kings, Saul and David ruled the people. The people would accommodate themselves to the culture in which they lived and you couldn't tell God's people from anyone else. And this did not please the Creator.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and Judah, the Southern Kingdom teetered on the brink of destruction. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to this Southern Kingdom of Judah when he was 20 years old. He could see "the handwriting on the wall." If the people did not repent of their sin and be obedient to the best that they knew, they would fall and great would be their destruction. This was around the year 627 BC. Jeremiah at times would have to be like the old prophets of Amos and Micah, who in essence said to the people: "Because of your sin, and disobedience, God will judge you." My Old Testament professor used to say of the prophets of doom, they would tell the people: "You think it is bad now, well cheer up brother, the worst is yet to come." Jeremiah would be the prophet of Judah for 50 years and at times he would speak of God's impending judgment, but Jeremiah wasn't so glad about it.
Jeremiah reminds me of the Methodist minister whom a congregation asked the Bishop to move. The reason given was that he always preached on God's judgment because of the sin of the people. He was not averse to telling the people they were on the fast tract to Hell, unless they changed their ways. The Bishop knowing the congregation well, did move the minister, but he appointed another minister who would tell them the same thing, but with more fire in his eyes. After 6 months, the Bishop visited the church and the people spoke of how much they loved their new minister. The Bishop asked: "But I know him to be one who is quick to tell you of God's judgment. Why do you like him but didn't like the other one?" To which they replied: "It is true this minister tells us we are going to Hell, but he doesn't seem to be so glad about it."
Jeremiah was not glad about it, but he was not averse to pointing out the faults of God's people. He was always the prophet who never lost hope. I like to read Jeremiah for like him, we must never lose hope.
One of the high water marks of God's grace in the Old Testament, and certainly in Jeremiah's writings, is found in the scripture read this morning: (Jeremiah 31:31-34) "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
Now with this background, hear the good news: God, through the life teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit has fulfilled his promise to Jeremiah. Even to this day, God is writing on our hearts his law:
1. Love not hate is our way On the new statue which graces our columbarium area, where the remains of Ruth Braden were placed this week, is a new bronze statue on a granite block on which is engraved: "To love is to know God". The statue is a gift of memorial to Powers McLeod.
You are a people who will love, for God is love.
As I look back on a challenging life, as all our lives are challenging, I personally become aware of disease which claimed the lives of family members, and a senseless accident in which I was hit by a dysfunctional driver. In one case you could hate and be angry at life for making room for disease, and in the other you could hate and be angry at another human being who did a dastardly deed. But hate and anger does not allow for the healing of the human spirit. Only love. And sometimes it has to have forgiveness, and often times the awareness that we don't understand all of life's crazy events.
This I know: To love is to know God, for God is love and when we are at our best, we love.
2. Daily Prayer and Weekly Worship and the Giving of the Tithe keeps us in the center of the Will of the Creator.
Sometimes I worry about some of our church members who do not keep our spiritual disciplines. How can you stay focused on God's will when the disciplines are not your practice? These Lenten disciplines have very practical implications, but they also have ultimate, eternal results. Keep our disciplines, may God write them on your heart.
One of tragedies that has hit our community is the recent loss of Grover and Sandra Robinson. Grover's grandparents Grover and Ina Robinson were members of our church family. His grandfather, was a greeter at the door of the sanctuary every Sunday, and served until his death in the 70's as treasurer of the church. These were faithful church members. Ina's daughter, Ina Margaret Lynn, is still in our church. Around October, Ina Robinson would call the church and ask about her church pledge. She would ask if it was paid up and the way she asked was cute: "Check and see that my fire insurance is paid up." Strangely enough she died in a fire in l981 from smoke inhalation. One never knows, but all of us need to make sure our fire insurance is paid up through the spiritual disciplines.
3. Greatness is found in service for us.
4. Salvation can come through Suffering for us.
The way of the cross of Jesus, teaches us that through sacrifice and suffering, purpose can be found in life, and life eternal experienced. Get caught up in something greater than yourself and you will not count the cost of sacrifice. But if you are focused on yourself, and the things of this earth, everything will have a price tag and every question is how does this effect me. And frankly, in the grand scheme of things, you are not so very important.
We are committed to the cross because it symbolizes God's love. We are not afraid to sacrifice, because ultimately nothing is more important than knowing and being obedient to God. As a matter of fact, I am most in tune with Jesus when I intentionally sacrifice something, time, money, etc. for someone else or for a cause greater than myself.
Sacrifice and cross commitment is not a desired way for most in our world. We live in "a get society" and "don't ask me to sacrifice anything." Jesse Ventura, the interesting governor of the state of Minnesota, has written a book entitled "Ain't Got Time to Bleed". In other words, don't ask him to sacrifice. David Letterman said of Jesse Ventura "He is the best governor of any state in the union that the World Wrestling Association has ever produced." Obviously the people of the world are like Jesse Ventura who, "Ain't Got time to Bleed", but we, as God's people have learned to give ourselves to one another. We have learned the redemptive value of bleeding through Jesus' example.
In summary: We will sacrifice, we will love, we will observe the spiritual disciplines, we will chose the pathway of service to greatness, we will go to the cross, we will abide by these laws.
God Wants You. When I was a young teenager, Our government had the military draft that was slowly giving way to a volunteer army, so the government was becoming very aggressive in advertising for young men to join the army. Ads which pictured Uncle Sam in his red white and blue outfit glared out at you with a pointed finger saying: "Uncle Sam Wants You."
It was an appeal for patriotism and a sincere recognition that the nation needed its young men. If I were to best capture my emotions on this Palm Sunday celebration of confirmation, it would be to say that "God Wants You". He wants your mind, your energy, your commitment, He wants you to be used in the work of His Kingdom. He wants your heart and all the gifts. When I held some of you in my arms and baptized you now 11 years ago, I prayed that God would keep evil from you and that he would use you all the days of your life in the work of His Kingdom. But now you are growing up and you have a mind of your own, and you will have to make a choice to be of service to God. There are a lot of competing voices for your life and some will be very tempting.
On the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, he did so symbolically riding on the back of a donkey, as had the earlier Kings of Israel. When I get to heaven, one of the first people I want to talk with will be the guy who owned the donkey on which Jesus rode.
I don't know his name or what he looks like, I only know one thing about him and that was what he gave: He gave his donkey to Jesus, which seems to me from a perspective of 2000 years a pretty significant gift.
Matthew records Jesus saying to the disciples:" Go to the town near the city. When you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them and he will send them at once."
I. When I get to heaven, I want to ask the donkey owner a number of questions: How did you know? How did you know that it was Jesus who needed a donkey? Did you have a vision? Did someone secretly tell you? How did it feel to say sure, take my donkey and her foal? How did it feel to know that Jesus, the son of God, rode on the back of the animal who lived in your barn? Did you have any idea, really, who Jesus was? Did you know how important this would be?
These are some of the questions I want one day to ask. One of the reasons I want to ask these questions, is because sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don't want to give it because I don't know for sure. There are other times when I know God wants me to give something and I don't want to give it because I'm just selfish. And then there are other times when I know that God wants me to give something and I obey my feelings and feel so very honored that a gift of mine would be used to help God in his work. And then there are times when I wonder if my little deeds given today will make a difference in the long haul. Confusing isn't it? If I'm confused, I wonder how you must sometimes feel at the beginning of your adolescent years.
We all have these haunting questions about what we ought to do in life. Has God given me something that he wants me to use for him and his glory? Do I have anything of real importance like the man who owned the donkey. The answer is yes.
II. There is something in each of our lives, which if given back to God, could like the donkey, help in God's ultimate plan. Maybe you can sing, or work a computer, or hug or encourage someone or teach or organize things, or write a check, or make a call.
Whatever, that's your donkey. And The Lord has need of him. It could be that God wants to use your gift to enter some new city, some new territory, another heart. And the question for you and for me is do we let him have him? Do we give our donkey?
God has given each of you something that can be used in His work and you would never have been given it unless God had a plan for you to use it. The question today is will you give it?
III. This guy who gave Jesus the donkey so long ago, is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God. The Bible has quite a gallery of donkey-givers. I'll bet in heaven there will be a museum to honor God's uncommon use of common things: David's slingshot, Samson's jawbone, and Moses staff, Mary's perfume, the wooden manger out of which animals ate their oats and a King was born, Peter's fish net, and the wood of a heavy Roman cross beam.
I don't know if these items will be in some heavenly museum. Probably not; but of this I am sure of one thing-the people who used them will be - David, who used a slingshot on a giant - Moses, who lifted the shepherd's staff over the sea - Mary, who anointed and soothed Jesus' feet and lifted his heart - Peter, although he had his limitations, who became a fisher of men, - the widow who gave her only penny - and the man who owned the donkey.
IV. You may do great things. You may be a healing surgeon. You may be a marine biologist or a vet, or you may build great bridges. You may be a preacher of God's truth. You may float a new IPO and become very wealthy. You may be the mayor of our city, governor of the state or maybe even President of these United States. Or maybe you will just quietly be a good citizen, pay your taxes, and be a good steward of what God has given you and say, yes, when he asks you to use it for him. Good stewards view what is theirs as His and make it and themselves available whenever he might need it; like the man who owned the donkey.
God has given each of you something that can be used in His work and you would never have been given it unless God had a plan for you to use it. You would never have seen the light of day in your creation, unless the Creator had not needed you. Consider the planets of the Universe, the plants and animals of the earth, and all the varied people who walk the land. God intricately and magnificently, created them all and he created you. The question today is - will you give it willingly to be used by God?
God uses common gifts to do uncommon things. God uses tiny seeds to reap great harvests. It is on the backs of donkeys, not chariots-just simple donkeys that he rides day after day.
V. Today if you are real quiet and still, you could very likely hear a mysterious Voice from the beyond, listen…
If you are a parent, it may be that you will hear that voice say, "I have need of your child." If you are kneeling at this altar you may hear the voice say, "I need you to accomplish the work of my Kingdom." We all have a donkey that has come to us. But how we use him in our lifetime is the issue before us on this Palm Sunday. Some day 2000 years from now, maybe someone, somewhere, will think about you and be thankful for you and for how quickly you responded when God said, "I need your donkey. I need you."
Wouldn't it be something, if when you get to heaven, you'll see right beside David's sling and Moses' shepherd rod and the donkey's rope, something that you gave for God to use in your life-time.
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Death Is No Longer On This Street
Mark 16:1-8
We gather at the entrance of our sanctuary this Easter morning, as the disciples of old gathered at the entrance of the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where the body of Jesus had been placed on Friday.
We have this year tasted the bitter drink of death in our families and know the depression and devastation of losing those we have loved. We long for a word from the empty tomb. A message of hope and encouragement, of victory and resurrection, and today as you listen with ears of faith, you will hear the music of the resurrection and new life. Jesus had been placed in the tomb and covered in white linen wrappings on Friday evening. There he lay until Sunday morning…
This year, the church because of an expanding program has once again purchased land around our church and are in the process of closing on our purchase of the old Fisher Pou Funeral Home property. Someone jokingly asked if we were trying to handle everything from the cradle to the grave, and the answer is yes. The church should be vitally involved in every dimension of our lives from the cradle to the grave, not just occasionally, once or twice a year, but every week and at every significant step of our journey.
Well to set your mind at ease, we are not going into the funeral home business; but, we do hope to better proclaim to the community that Wright Street is on the Street of Life. No death here! No more death on this street! We don't bury them, we raise them.
While I visited the Funeral Home recently, I noticed a catalogue from a casket company in Dallas. Interesting, in a sick sort of way. They have introduced what they call the "art casket". Apparently no longer must the discriminating consumer choose merely between a traditional wooden box or a boring bronze coffin. This company will tailor make your casket to reflect your unique personality.
If you are a golfer, they have their "Fairway to Heaven" model. Other models have a beach scene, a view of New York City skyline, mountains. If you work for the post office, there is one designed like a postal package, which says in bold red letters "Return to Sender." Now I hope I am not giving any of you any ideas, but the concept is intriguing, isn't it. Here is a way to make a unique "final statement". I have visited the ancient remains in Egypt of the Pharos with their unique caskets of gold, and stone and beautiful lacquered cedar wood.
If you want to worry about something, don't worry about how you will be clothed when you die. Be worried about how you will be clothed in your life? Will you be clothed in a meaningful life? Will you be clothed in a forgiven life? Will you be found in an empowered life? Will you be found in a life of integrity? Eternal life doesn't have to do with length of life, but depth of life. Deep meaning. Deep peace. Deep Joy.
Here's the point to our questionable culture which values things of little ultimate value, like our glorification of death through casket selection, comes the simple message of Easter, "He is not here. He is alive. He is not in a grave." No casket can contain him. . . Enter the tomb of this sanctuary today and you will hear God's people singing resurrection hymns, not mourning their dead. Here you will experience warm laughter and love. There's no longer any funeral home on this street. Death no longer lives on this street.
Enter our sanctuary any time this year and you will not see tears, you will hear laughter. You will not find death here. To death we say, "be off of our street, you have been dealt with through Jesus' death and resurrection. "He is alive. He is alive. He is alive. Now and forever more. And death, we are done with you!"
We have lost to death 26 persons since we last gathered here for the Easter celebration and many of the family members of those who have died this year will be in worship today to celebrate Jesus' Resurrection and their loved one's new life.
Paul once wrote: "We do not grieve as those who have no hope. Jesus was raised from the dead; and, it will be the same for those who die in Jesus, God will bring them to be with him.".
Only a few short days ago, Ruth Braden died. For years she supervised the preparation of the Easter Breakfast. Years ago, on this busy day, one of our kitchen crew tells the story that they happened up on Ruth in the ladies rest room and Ruth was looking at herself in the mirror. Hair was askew, no make up, dark circles under her eyes, food from a dozen recipes on her apron and clothes, and Ruth had this disgusted look reflected back at her in the mirror. And she said: "Look at me, I'm a mess." Then she said, "I think I'm going to buy a new apron."
On Easter, God gives us a new apron. A new life. A new confidence. Thanks be unto God, He is not dead, He is alive, Thanks be unto God, our loved ones are not dead, they are alive forever more.
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I'll Be Right Back
I Thessalonians 4:13-14
"We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like those who have no hope . We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus; God will bring them with him." (I Thessalonians 4:13-14)
For years, Ed McMahon was the barker for the Johnny Carson Late Night TV show, which didn't improve itself with his retirement and Jay Leno's appearance, For years, Ed would say "Here's Johnny" and before an ad came on the show, Johnny would say: "I'll be right back" and sure enough, He came right back!
The Easter story could very well be viewed in the light of those same code words: "I'll be right back and sure enough, He came right back."
Jesus prepared the disciples for his death and for his resurrection; but, they refused to hear him. The disciples had what my wife says I occasionally have, "selected hearing." That is, I hear what I want to hear. The disciples refused to hear that Jesus would die and as a result they also missed "I'll be right back." One wonders today if he isn't trying to prepare us for a confident life of Easter faith, free of fear and filled with meaning and integrity. But we, like the first disciples refuse to hear him.
Before Jesus' death he had given many a clue that death was coming, but that it could not and would not overcome him. He had said to the disciples:
"I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly." "I am the way, the truth and the life".
"I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me though he dies, yet shall he live; and, whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die."
All the gospels tell us that after Peter's confession in Galilee, that Jesus was the "Christ," "Messiah," the "Saviour," the Lord set his mind toward Jerusalem. It was the center of religious and political and military power of the MidEast. Jesus knew that nothing but conflict, confrontation, and death would await him. Mark writes: "And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again." In essence he said: "I will be Right Back". But the disciples refused to hear anything after "I will be die."
The Easter stories tell of his fulfillment of his promise: He appeared (Mark 9:12) To Mary in the garden. To the two disciples on the Emmaus Road. To the eleven disciples in the Upper Room "And he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed." I told you I would be right back, and Here I am…What else did I tell you, that you do not believe?
Do you remember that I told you to pray and believe that when you pray, things happen.? That I told you to not be anxious, but to trust. That I told you that you must be the servant of all. That I told you to love one another, to not repay evil for evil, that I told you that blessed are the peacemakers. That I told you "All things are possible for him who believes" That unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you did not believe me about the Resurrection, when I said I would die and after three days rise from the dead, then what else did I say that you not believe. Give me somebody who believes to work with here!!!
Recently, while preparing to preach in a setting far from home, I had the strange experience of sitting in a hotel room looking directly into a wall mirror while sitting at a desk working on my sermon. The entire wall was one gigantic mirror and every time I looked up, there was this man looking back at me while I was writing in my notebook. Finally I just stopped when the stranger finally got my attention and I just stared back. At first I couldn't grasp the fact that this was actually me reflected in the mirror. It was one of those out of body experiences. I remember saying to myself: "Who's that old man who is using my face place?" His hair is silver and not much of it, he's a shade over weight but still good looking, the skin is wrinkling a bit, who's that old man using my body?
Then as I dealt with the awareness that the aging process takes place in all of us, I remembered again Jesus' statement: "You must become childlike" Jesus never said that we were to be childish, immature, undisciplined, or uneducated. No, here he was referring to a child's ability to be accepting, believing, loving, watching and waiting for things to happen of which we have no previous experience and little power to control. Inside of me there is a child who is ageless and unchanging, no beginning nor end, an eternalness where life and death, beginnings and endings are meaningless.
So also, heaven is not a place with boundaries or borders, no perimeters or precincts. Rather, it represents the fact that we are creatures, which transcend such delineation or demarcations. There is inside of us, this ageless child who believes and who watches and waits for the next big surprise. This invisible, ageless child who is always at peace, always loving and accepting, just watching, just allowing, hanging out and waiting for the next big surprise.
Part of our problem is that we have just grown up to fast and in some cases, we have become hard and brittle, hateful and mean. We know more about remembering past hurts than about watching for new possibilities. And once again Easter has come and is a problem rather than a moment of ecstasy. Let today the child within you accept in faith that we like Christ will be raised from the dead.
That's what Paul said to the Thessalonians when he wrote: "We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like those who have no hope . We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus; God will bring them with him."
Let me summarize this quickly, for children of all ages on Easter, don't have a long attention span:
Jesus had said: "I'll be right back" and sure enough, "He came right back" and it will be the same for you, when you live and die in Jesus!
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The X Factor
John 20:19-31
Easter's great truth communicates a varied message, among which is this one: "You do not have to do it yourself, God will do it for you." Or "When you can no longer do what you need to do, God will be there for you." Or "Just on this side or the other side of exhaustion, God will step in". Or "The whole world does not rise or fall by your energy, God alone has that authority and power."
In reading the Easter story in today's scriptures, you realize that Jesus came from beyond locked doors into the midst of his devastated disciples. He was raised from the dead by a power far greater than anything the disciples had ever seen in their own lives. In algebraic equations, the "X" Factor is the mysterious, unknown factor which when known, makes the equation work out. Only by deductive reasoning to discover the X Factor, can you reach a conclusion, which will ever make sense.
There is no way to get from the ragtag gang of disheartened, disillusioned, fearful disciples of Jesus crouching behind locked doors to the great apostles who preached, witnessed, suffered and died, unless you recognize the "X" Factor. Some unknown that intruded in among them and radically changed them and their world. That "X Factor", that unknown event we believe to be the Easter Resurrection.
For thousands of years people have said things like: "There's within you a divine spark that must be ignited and allowed to glow." Therein is hope-the spark within. This attitude develops into an attitude of "no one can help you but you yourself." This is seen fully developed in our attitude "God helps those who help themselves."
Recently, Jane and I enjoyed the Julia Roberts movie "Erin Brockovich" in which the popular actress plays an overwhelmed divorced mother of three children without a job, trying to make it in life. She does make it big and becomes very successful by her creativity, determination, and insistence on helping a group of people who have been poisoned by the run-off discharges of chemicals of an industry focused on profits rather than the needs of its neighbors. Now Erin's language leaves a great deal to be desired, as we don't talk like that. It's not cute, it's not right, and it's not funny. But that being said: Having enjoyed the movie and the hope that things do work out for those who do right, and that justice can be achieved in our court system. The missing ingredient in the movie and in "Erin's" life is the recognition of the God beyond who intervenes. Your success is not only the result of your effort, it is a gift.
History and personal experience teaches us that the spark within, or the inner desire or drive, or human creativity or capacity is sometimes simply not enough. It is at that point that we have to consider the X Factor, which recognizes that there is something that comes from beyond us which, is our ultimate hope. Yes God is within, but the greater truth is the Easter truth, that our God is also transcendent, or beyond us and will come to us from beyond. God is not so intertwined in our inner being that He becomes overwhelmed by our inner mess as we do, as did the disciples. They were hiding behind locked doors, when Jesus came from outside into their midst.
This X Factor has significant implications for each of us:
1. First, This Easter truth is important to us for it relieves us of always having to look within ourselves for hope. Yes, we are strong and capable, God has made us that way, but more important, just this side of personal exhaustion or sometimes on the other side of exhaustion, like in our death, God comes to us, from beyond us, as he came to the first disciples and stood among them on the shores of Galilee, on the road to Emmaus, in the Garden, in the Upper Room through locked doors. He comes to us, from beyond us.
We experienced vicariously by the TV. news a week ago the capture of Elias Gonzalez….a young 6 year old, Cuban born child whose mother died in trying to escape from Cube by boat. Negotiations to deliver the child from relatives in Miami, formally of Cuba, back into the hands of his father broke down although in our nation the parent has a legal right to custody of their children. Finally when reason no longer worked and it increasingly became a political issue, the 6-year-old was captured by INS Agents, who broke down the front door of his Miami relatives.
…It was a classic case where a law from beyond a given situation had to impose itself and step in and straighten out one royal mess. I wish that we had a stronger world confederation, which once we hoped the U.N. would become, that could step in and impose a higher law when human rights are violated in a given nation. I wish it was that easy as we found recently in Kosovo that nothing is easy in this world of conflicting human personalities and racial diversity.
My heart broke as I imagined the emotions of a 6 year old boy who is swept up from a deep sleep by strangers and placed on a helicopter, and then a jet being flown as for as he could understand to "God knows where."
We have made this child bigger than life. He unfortunately lost his mother through drowning and then he got caught up in the Cuban/Castro/USA historical conflict and, I am afraid it is not over yet. But let's place this in perspective. We are a nation of law and order. May our concern for all the children be as acute as our concern for this one child.
Every single day, 35, 000 children under the age of six die, every day. They die because they do not have enough water, basic medical care, and food and this does not include the children suffering from abuse or neglect. No one can even guess this number. Most of these children could be saved on any day with just a tiny portion of what we spend on military and police budgets or what we Americans spend on pet foods. God save the children!
Some of us work very hard, some give money to the church and other organizations to try to do something at least for a child. We have our church programs, which involves 300 children. We have LEP that involves 115 children. And the new program Noah's Ark, which has now come on line because of our Claim the Dream contributions will grow in the fall to 75 - 100 children. But most people simply tune out to the needs of the children thinking, "After all, what can one person do?"
But for those of us who are involved, we know that there is far more needs out there than we can answer. To us the Easter message comes as Good news.
Easter tells is that in confronting the evils of this world, it is not all up to us. In the final analysis, someone has to come from outside into our mess, to straighten things out. The Risen Christ is the X Factor who comes to make things work out as they are suppose to work out. The first implication of the Easter Resurrection is that it teaches us that life's outcomes do not rest on our shoulders alone.
2. Secondly, This Easter truth of the "X Factor" means that our hope is based not upon us or what we can do, but our confidence is based upon God and what God has done in the resurrection of Jesus and what he is yet going to do through His Holy Spirit. The God beyond us is the X Factor.
Psalm "The Lord is my strength and my redeemer. It is the Lord who made the heaven and Earth……."Lean not unto your own understanding, "The Lord is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble…The Lord is my shepherd. Do you place your whole trust in God's grace?
3. Thirdly, This Easter truth invites us to participate in the resurrection but to no longer shoulder the full responsibility for the whole world. For businessmen who carry a heavy load. For mother's who are overwhelmed. For brothers and sisters who are sandwiched between their aging parents and their young children and are at your wits end, for teachers and social workers, the Easter message is it is not left up totally to you to figure it out. The answer will ultimately come from beyond you.
Summary: I have often used the poem "Christ has no hands but our hands to do his work today", but the poem is heretical in the light of the Easter Faith. The forces of evil tried to end the life and work of Christ and on the cross they thought they had accomplished just that, in spite of the disciples strong personal desire or their drawn swords. But over and beyond the abilities of the weakened disciples, Jesus was raised from the dead. God will not be defeated by the work of our hands or by the lack of the work of our hands. God is not dependent upon us for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Our hands may join with the hands of Christ and we will enjoy our participation, but our hands will not replace his hands. Ultimately, it will be God's hands that will make things right and that will welcome us into the mysterious beyond.