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 Many of the things we take for granted as unique to our Christian faith are not so unique after all...

Daring to Dream Again: Believe that with God all things are possible - John 20: 24-31 - April 8, 2007 - Cicero United Methodist Church - Everett J. Bassett

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            Many of the things we take for granted as unique to our Christian faith are not so unique after all. If you look at some of the other religions of the world, there are others that talk about the miraculous birth of their key leader -- Virgin Births and magnificent stars in the sky, and so on. There are other faiths that see their founders as great healers, and great teachers. There are other founders of other religions who taught the Golden Rule, and encouraged compassion for the poor, and treating one another with love. There are others religions whose founding leaders were killed unjustly.

            What is unique is what we are doing this morning. This claim that three days after death, Jesus was raised, is what separates us Christians in the most profound way from most other religious people in this world. The apostle Paul, the first of the New Testament writers, put it like this: "... if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Easter is what makes us who we are as people of faith.

            That being the case, it's a good thing we have such a firm grasp of what it all means, right? Well... that would be nice. Except we don't, really. From the very first Easter itself, Christians have struggled to understand what it means. We can see this clearly in the Bible. If you read through the four accounts of Jesus' life - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - you'll notice that there is a pretty good understanding of the last 24 hours of his life. All of them talk about how he had a last supper with his disciples, went to pray in the garden, was arrested, tried before Pontius Pilate, was mocked, and died on the cross. A few details are different, but that basic story is pretty much consistent.

            When it gets to Easter, suddenly the story goes allover the place. All four accounts are different. It's as if, after this wonderful thing happened, the stories built with a life of their own. And everybody searched for the Easter that made sense to them.  I think we're still doing that. I'd like to illustrate that with a story about a Passion play I read about that didn't quite go the way it was supposed to.

            It took place in a little village church, where they were depicting the crucifixion of Jesus as part of their Holy Week services. In this particular church, there weren't many young people to choose from to play Jesus - but there was a big, tough farmhand. And the preacher had something on him, so, even though he wasn't much for church, he played Jesus - and he carried the cross down the aisle. There was a middle-aged merchant - a little man in size, and not too popular in the town. He played the part of the crowd. And so he followed the cross down the aisle, mocking and poking Jesus with a reed, and shouting, "Crucify him!" Noticeably, Jesus was getting more and more annoyed at this little man who kept mocking him and poking him.

            So, when Jesus was in the front of the church with his arms outstretched, the merchant was really getting into his part, and the farmhand was clearly gradually losing his. Finally, the youth who was playing the thief said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus responded to him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." And then he looked at the little guy who had been poking him and said, in a voice only slightly softer, "And I'll be back to take care of you after the Resurrection!"

            I think that hidden in that story is the Easter many people want - I would call it the Hollywood Easter - or the revenge Easter. The hero is down and out - maybe it's Spiderman; maybe it's Indiana Jones, maybe it's Rocky Balboa. They're punching the lights out of him. He's down for the count. Hollywood loves this story. Jesus was mocked and poked and beaten and scorned, and he was hung on a cross and killed.

            But then he turned the tables. And just like a Hollywood hero, he overcame the tomb, and now he's back, and watch out. All those people who treated him wrong - all those people who do the evil things in the world - well, they may have had the upper hand before - but after the Resurrection, he's back to take care of business. For many people, Easter is about vindication, and that's one kind of confusion about Easter.

            There are others. There is the Superficial Easter, or maybe you could say the Chocolate Easter. This is about people who celebrate Easter, but without any depth of feeling toward Jesus. It takes in the whole commercial enterprise that thrives around Easter. One little girl said on a television show, "I like Easter because the Easter bunny came back to life." That's not too far off from what it means to a lot of people. Or maybe it does have something to do with Jesus, but only in the most mocking and ridiculous way. Have you been watching the news accounts about the life-size replica of Jesus made out of chocolate? That might be this year's symbol of the Superficial Easter. There's a lot of that mocking of Jesus still around.

            There's also a lot of what you might call the Scientific Easter - the people who are trying to find proof, one way or the other. Some of this comes from great devotion - people who have deep faith in the risen Christ, and wish they could find a way to convince others that they should also have this faith. So, they latch on to something like the Shroud of Turin. If they can just prove that that is the actual shroud that covered Jesus, then Easter must be true. For centuries, people have been looking for that kind of proof of the Resurrection.

            Others look for scientific proof in order to disprove Easter. We have yet another attempt this year. You probably heard about it. A scientist has found an ossuary, or a box for bones, that he believes contains the remains of Jesus and his family, including, the claim goes, his children. If those are Jesus' bones in there, the thinking goes, then Easter must be a hoax. In the most bizarre twist, James Cameron, the Hollywood director, came out with a statement saying he has examined the bones, and believes they are truly the bones of Jesus. I can only imagine that archaeologists around the world are so thankful that such an expert has come along to set them straight. Of course, the claim is ridiculous. There is no way to prove whose bones those are.

            But this is just one more way that people are struggling with the idea of Easter. Is it Jesus coming back to turn the table on his persecutors? Is it chocolate and bunnies, and Easter bonnets, and not much more? Is it scientifically reliable? Can we believe it enough to stake our faith and our life upon it? Don't we all want to know that?

            I have three words from the Easter stories that I'd like to lift up today. They are going to seem naively simple. But the simple things are the best, aren't they? And it may be that the reason Easter is in a state of confusion is that we look beyond these simple truths.

            First of all, Trust your heart. Sounds too simple, but listen: The Gospel of Luke tells us that two men were traveling along the road to Emmaeus, talking about the death of Jesus, when suddenly he was walking beside him. For a long time, they didn't know who he was, and when they finally realized, he was gone. And they said, "Weren't our hearts burning within us when he talked with us... ?" Whatever else Easter may be, it was first and foremost an event of the heart. That's probably why it's so hard to pin down.

            Here is one of the moments in my life that cuts through the confusion about Easter for me: I was in Jerusalem, standing in the Church of the Resurrection, one of the two sites that claim to be the tomb of Jesus. In order to go into the tomb, you have to stand in line for almost an hour; then you climb down into this small place, and spend a few moments, and then make room for the next people. There was a retired pastor from Detroit in our group. He had some trouble getting around, but he was taking the trip of a lifetime for him and his wife. He stood in line for a few minutes, but then he moved away and sat off to the side. Some of us went over, and said we could try to get him moved up in the line. And he said No. He said he realized that he didn't need to see inside that tomb; he already knew what was down there. Nothing. He knew that because Jesus had been living in his heart for over seventy years.

            Even in this scientific age, when everything demands proof, I believe we all know in our hearts that there is something worth everything that cannot be proven or disproven by a box of bones or a test in a laboratory. That's where Easter is. Aren't we here today because of something speaking inside us? Trust your heart.

            The second word is closely related: Feel the wounds. In the scripture lesson we read for today, Thomas is doubtful that Jesus is Risen. He will not believe it, he says, until he puts his fingers where the nails were, and into the side where the spear went. And Jesus says, "Thomas, give me your hand. Feel my wounds."

            This is where the Hollywood Easter gets it all wrong. It really looks to me like Jesus is not coming back to exact retribution on his persecutors. Yes, he has won a victory over evil. Yes, he is walking around with triumphant power. But the marks he carries around with him are the wounds that love put there. The farmhand Jesus in the Passion play grew weary of the mocking and poking of his tormentor; but the real Jesus held compassion and mercy in his heart until the end. He was wounded out of love for us. It was unconditional, forgiving love, to a depth that the world has never seen before or since. That has not changed. Jesus says, give me your hand. Feel the wounds. This is the love that makes all the difference in your life. All the difference in the world. The question Easter asks is, how are you going to respond to that love?

            And that leads to one more word from the Easter stories: Feed my lambs. In his last conversation with the disciples in John, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, and each time, when Peter responds that he truly does love Jesus, Jesus says, then feed my lambs. In other words, carry the message out into the world, where the children of God are hurting and suffering. Feed them with the literal food and shelter and comfort they need. But feed them also with hope and grace, and the knowledge that, thanks to the power of the Risen Christ, anything is possible -- they can dare to dream again.

            If you have been around here the last few weeks, you know that is the theme of our 50-Day Adventure, and that today is Day 50 - the day we celebrate all the possibilities that God makes possible in our lives. We have followed the dream step by step over the last Sundays, as we have put aside the pain of the past, as we have learned to notice God in everyday life, as we have focused on the power of prayer, as we have confronted the prejudices of our hearts, as we have tried to grasp God's heart for the world, as we have stepped out of our comfort zones, and, today, as we recognize that with the God of Easter, all things are possible.

            I believe that we come here this morning with powerful dreams that have not been realized. They have been lying dormant, waiting for some rekindling of possibility. I believe we are looking today at that rekindling. I believe a God of compassion and power has spoken again, and wants you and me to listen to questions that will make new and wonderful things possible. What is your heart telling you God wants you to do? What do the wounds of Christ's love stir up in you? What hopeful message will you carry to God's hungry lambs? When all is said and done, the answer to those questions are what Easter is about for you. And therein lies God's beautiful vision for your life. When you walk out of here today, do you dare to dream with God today?