Sermon preached by The Rev. Richard Lampert
Easter II
John 20 (1-18) 19-31
Living In His Resurrection- It’s not so much that we take it on, but rather that it (He) takes us on!!
So said one of my great Episcopal Church heroes, Bishop John Coburn of Massachusetts when I rediscovered his words:“Living In His Resurrection-It’s not so much that we take it on ,but rather that it (He-Christ) takes us on!!”But, what does it mean? How can we,“live in The Resurrection? Is it something about not going it alone, but instead letting God’s Holy Spirit carry us?
I thought about 2009 Easter Images: Easter Vigil-beautiful liturgy and music, Dylan and Isabel shouting, “I do!”, happy smiles and tears; Easter Day-majestic choirs and organ, “Christus Vinchant, Christus Reingnat, Christus Impérat”, Nakita, our young Russian woman security guard saying with teary eyes that she liked Redeemer because it is like her childhood Russian Orthodox Church, 9:00 communicants trying to get out and 11:00 o’clockers unable to get in, home commun-ions with a Spanish family expecting a baby boy on Monday. My family; 2 young grandaughters!
Then I remembered, Fr. Robert E. Terwilliger, in 1973 Director of Trinity Institute (study/ conference center for clergy) & professor at The NYC General Theological Seminary, who wrote a book entitled Christian Believing. It was the first in a new adult Christian education study series written for, “the average lay person”and one of the clearest basic theology books I know. In the chapter on “Experiencing The Resurrection”, Fr.Terwilliger makes some candid statements like:
*Christian believing is an action, something we do because of what the Holy
Spirit does in us. We are pulled along, dragged along!*
* In our Western Church, we have developed “an upside-down pattern”with a tre-
mendous emphasis on The Passion and Crucifixion, but then somehow we lose the great joy of the 50 Days of Eastertide. The festival is never fully celebrated!*
* Fr. Terwilliger talks about the beauty and meaning of the Liturgy in the Eastern Orthodox Church (much like Redeemer) where, “….. the resurrection is an actuality; not merely an event in the past, but an experience which we enter into.”*
Are we beginning now to find some clues about how to, “live into Christ’s resurrection?”
Maybe, today’s Gospel (John 20) provides some more answers, but we may also find new surprises.There are three sections: (a) vv. 1-18, on the first day of the week, the empty tomb- Mary Magdalene-Jesus (“Rabboni”); (b) vv. 19-23 that same evening, the disciples behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews”, Jesus says “Peace be with you!”plus the Commissioning gift of The Holy Spirit ; (c) vv. 24-31 a week later, the story of doubting Thomas. Watchfully reading, we discover the chapter’s main idea is not “Peace be with you!”nor “Doubting Thomas”, but is found in verse 31-“But these (words) are written that you may believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”Revisiting Bishop Coburn’s words, we ask ourselves again how can we truly believe and live in (into) His resurrection? Is it possible that a renewed faith will generate new beliefs which then will create new life within us?
Now just a little bit more! The Church teaches that the primary evidences for the Ressur-rection of Christ are three: (1)the dramatic, drastic and rapid changes which came over the apostles & the early church; (2) generations upon generations of life-giving experiences of death and new resur-rections; and (3) above all, our own personal experiences and feelings and then knowing The Risen Christ in our lives. One last time, let’s listen to Bishop John Coburn’s Words: “The very heart of the Christian Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…. A new dimension comes into our lives causing us to live differently….It appeared to Paul and it now appears to us….That new dimension is living love and doing truth- being in Christ, obeying, living with Him. It’s not so much a reality that we take on, it takes us on….we who repudiate our desire to always get our own way- are by faith and then belief made partakers of His resurrection….To live in Christ’s Spirit is a heavenly promise, but it is also a present reality to be lived now….What’s im-portant is that we we ever strive to live into the Resurrected Spirit -New Life of the crucified and risen Christ today!”
“ !Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus impérat!”
Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!