A sermon for Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019
Trinity Episcopal Church of Morrisania, Bronx, New York
“They remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”
Today is the day of the Resurrection. We celebrate that God has raised Jesus, the Lord of Life, from the dead. In Jesus’ resurrection, death has been defeated, and it is established that the real truth and essence of this world is life—life eternal and life present.
We live in a world where many focus on death. Some even believe that death is the real and final reality, while others use the threat or fear of death to gain power and use it over others. The Gospel is not happy talk or wishful thinking. Every account of Jesus’ resurrection includes a portion like this, where Jesus’ followers are confused, doubtful, and depressed.
Christ is risen and those apostles were depressed!
The women told them…
And these guys in charge just—didn’t believe them.
“You know women … they just tell idle tales. Us men are serious, we’re busy being depressed and discouraged.”
But God had raised Jesus from the dead. Peter… he was confused enough about the whole thing that he went to check out the tomb… and there, where the body had been laid were the cloths that Jesus had been wrapped in, but no body was in them. It hadn’t been unwrapped and taken someplace else—it was just not there.
In our church, it’s possible to be discouraged and depressed. It’s possible to think that things aren’t as good as they used to be. We see sacred spaces catch fire and burn down—the great Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France or small historically black churches attacked by an arsonist in Louisiana—and we grieve, but not only grieve but start to tell ourselves a story of decay and defeat—you hear things about “decline of Western Civilization” or some such.
However, as much as we may grieve losses or face difficulties, the truth is NOT that death is winning and everything is falling apart. The truth is that all things are transitory, but the love of God remains forever. Death may do its worst, but Christ is risen from the dead. Here in this church, Christ is alive. I have experienced Christ’s healing love here. I’m willing to bet, so have some of you. Think and remember. … … Think of a time you have experienced God’s love in this place. Think of who has been here. Maybe someone in need of compassion or healing. Perhaps someone who listened to your story, or shared a prayer or music with you. Think of all the children in this place: They will be the leaders of the church and the Christians of the rest of this century. Yes. Death is a real thing, but in Jesus, God has defeated death and brought eternal life. There is no longer time to fear or to moan and feel sorry for ourselves. God has given us the priceless gift…his Son who brings us life, right here, the shining reality in the midst of all those other realities.
I am a realist. I’m pretty pragmatic. And I’ve lived a few years and watched what passes for management and leadership in this world of ours. There is nothing hard-headed or realistic about cynicism or selfishness. People may use negativity and fear, and gain some sort of relative success by scaring other people and lording it over them, but they don’t build anything that has permanent value or live in real abundant life. A realistic approach to this world requires the courage to hear the truth and live in compassion. A successful life is not one of fantasies fulfilled and self-indulgence; success is life in the Resurrection from the Dead in Jesus Christ. Realistically, we see the love of God in our children; our sisters and brothers. Realistically, we know that joy in life comes from a generous life of compassion, giving credit to God who has not abandoned us.
In our lesson from First Corinthians, St. Paul says,
“In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being.”
We know Jesus, and the hard fact is: he is alive. The cynics, the power mongers, and the fearful are wrong—Jesus’ courage in compassion, his truthfulness despite the powerful, his generosity in his entire life have been vindicated. Our fearfulness and selfishness may distract us and make it look like death is the human fate, but in Jesus’ resurrection, we see true humanity, the humanity that God has created in us, the image of God in which we can live.
It is here and now that we live in this hope, not in some nostalgic past time or fantasy future. You know that God is here, and you know that because God loves you. It is in this real world that Christ is risen. It is in this world that we rejoice with the joyful and have compassion with those who suffer. Here in this place. At Trinity Episcopal Church of Morrisania—of Morrisania, since it was first a village in the heights above New York City; of Morrisania, when some urged the congregation to move to better-off neighborhoods; of Morrisania, when the city wanted to take the land for its own purposes. Trinity stayed here in Morrisania, joyfully and courageously serving and providing spiritual guidance, through boom and bust in the fortunes of its neighborhood. The resurrection of Christ has been proclaimed here all that time and it continues.
“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating,” God says in the prophet Isaiah, “for I am about create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.” God rejoices in you and creates hope right here, right now. God is building this place and we have received the benefit. The hope is of new creation, based on the love of God that we know here. For Christ is risen from the dead! We live in his life, we are his body and his compassion in this place. Death no longer is the victor, Christ is alive and with him, so are we.
Alleluia. Christ is Risen.
The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!
Observations 