Jesus
has finally come to the crucial moment in his work in this world. He has shared with his disciples exactly what
will come: how he will be turned over to the Elders and the Pharisees and will
be killed, but on the third day will rise again. He continues to tell them this story as they
go through Galilee, but they don’t understand what he is saying. How could they? That is information that is too difficult for
them to comprehend, and indeed it is difficult for all of us to understand
also. I’ve never seen a
resurrection. I have presided at a lot
of funerals where I wish that I could simply snap my fingers and bring back the
person who had died and give them back to their grieving families; but I never
could do that. All that I have to offer
is the story that Jesus not only told his disciples, but lived out in
truth. Our Lord rose from the dead on
the third day and walked among us once again.
That isn’t much comfort for someone
who has just experienced the death of a loved one. Grief is certain and difficult. It involves tears and sometimes deep
despair. We need each other when this
happens. We need the comfort of
community to know that we are still loved and cared for even when the worst has
happened. Many of you have been through
this in one way or another and have had friends and neighbors come to your aid
with care and comfort.
I had a dear woman in my
congregation whose husband died after a very long illness. She was showered with casseroles from friends
and neighbors. When I visited her, she
asked me what she was supposed to do with all of that food. I told her to eat what she could, give away
what was possible and to thank everyone for their kindness. She was comforted by that and got through
that time and went on with her life. Those
casseroles were helpful and each of them was an expression of hope for
her. Sometimes we think that we can’t do
much at times like that; but the truth is that something simple like giving
food can amount to a great deal.
In Mark’s story of the disciples and
Jesus going through Galilee, the Lord notices that the disciples have been
talking to each other on the journey. He
asks them what they were talking about and they were silent because what they
had been doing was arguing about which of them is the greatest. Jesus sat them down and told them that
whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all. He then put a child in their midst and said: Whoever
welcomes a child like this, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the
one who sent me. In other words,
our humility leads us into the arms of God.
I think that in our concern for power and success, we forget the role
that humility plays in our standing before God.
It appears to me that his disciples got this important message.
I am very impressed with what
happened to Jesus’ followers after the resurrection. They went on with their ministries, lived out
their lives in full and certain knowledge that their risen Lord walked beside
them. All of them, except John, were killed
for their faith. But they all knew that
what awaited them was a joyful reunion with the Lord that they loved so dearly.
And with all of those who have gone
before them. I don’t think that we always know that. Mostly, I think that we look upon death as an
ending, not a beginning.
But the reason for our faith is
certainty; certainty in a very uncertain world, the certainty that our Lord has
given us with his resurrection. What we
all know about this life is that it will end.
None of us get out of this alive, is the old saw; but maybe we do. Maybe the resurrection is the promise that
God gives to us by way of the life of Jesus the Christ. It is a simple thing really, the knowledge
that we will not die but live again. And
the truth of it is that the power to make that happen comes not from us, but from
the God who loves us.
I was deeply moved by the picture of
the young boy who drowned in the Middle East as a refugee fleeing the terrible war
in Syria being held by his father. Here is
the possibility given to us to welcome children in the name of God. Those refugees are not simply Europe’s crisis; this
situation belongs to all of us. It is essential
that we find ways to help those beleaguered people out of the mess that we have
some responsibility for creating. When we
are able to do that, we will be welcoming our Lord into our midst and in that way
be a means to allow God a presence in our lives. I know that is what Jesus was teaching
with his life, a life of humility and greatness. We
don’t need our military industrial complex to do this; all that it takes is our resolve
to be kind and gentle and to receive those who have no homes at all. That would please our God and be the way for us
to show the world the kindness in our hearts.
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