For Those Who Missed Easter

Sermon-Year B-3Easter-April 26, 2009
The Cloud of Unknowing,
"O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen.
This sermon is for those who missed Easter. Not everyone could be in church on Easter morning. Easter came and some folks missed it. It always happens. You have some place else you needed to be. Or someone had claims on your time. There were things going on in your life, or you were waiting for something. Or maybe you were here and you saw everyone else singing, laughing, saying Alleluia-and you didn’t feel it. Maybe you came to church, heard the story, sang the hymns, but your mind was a million miles away. Your life felt heavy and distracted, and no matter what everyone around you seemed to be feeling-you just weren’t there. This sermon is for those who missed Easter.
Nikos Kazantzakis', the man who wrote “Zorba the Greek” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” had a character who exclaimed, "God forgive me . . . this year . . . I have not felt Christ rise."
And that character is not alone. I don’t know which is the greater problem-those who haven’t heard the story of the Resurrection-or those who heard it-but haven’t felt it. It’s like you are standing at the window looking in at everyone else.
In today’s story, Jesus appears to his disciples. It’s still the Sunday of the Resurrection, it’s still Easter. These men had been with Jesus for 3 years, had talked with him, eaten with him, lived with him. Listen to what it says about them when they see Jesus: 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? …41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering,…”
These are the people who were closest to Jesus. If they have so much trouble with the resurrection, with Easter, what hope is there for us, 2000 years late? Standing at the gospel window looking in? What hope is there for us on=2 0Easter morning, ever feeling it, or believing it, or holding on to the Resurrection?
The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy who inspired me and preached a sermon once on the people who missed Easter, and he said this: Jesus appeared to a woman who intended to anoint his dead body. She did not have the slightest suspicion that Jesus might be alive. Jesus appeared to two despondent travelers worn out because of their grief. (the story of Cleopas and companion on the way to Emmaus) They were not looking for Jesus, only trying to pick up the pieces of a shattered faith and carry on without Jesus. So unexpectant of the resurrection were the disciples of Jesus that when Jesus walked into their midst, some thought he was a ghost and others refused to believe what they saw. None of the resurrection appearances of Jesus were marked by dramatic settings or regal greetings. Jesus was mistaken for a gardener [a ghost and a stranger]. He showed up on a dusty road. He walked along a shoreline watching his disciples fish. It wasn’t dramatic, it wasn’t extraordinary. It was always in the normal day to day times and events. While disciples were fishing, or walking, or talking, or having dinner.
For instance, in a reading you’ve heard before (the one leading up to this one) Jesus broke bread with his followers-before they believed him. Last week Thomas had to see the Risen Jesus before he believed in Easter. In today’s gospel Jesus had to eat fish with them before they believed him. What does that tell you about the Resurrection? Even to those who were close, even to those who knew, Easter was hard to believe, Resurrection was a stretch for them. Even to those who were there, many missed Easter. What does this tell you about?
This is what I hear-the Resurrection is never real, until it happens in the commonplace. J esus being raised from the dead doesn’t feel genuine, until we are in the normal, everyday routine of life. Jesus never seems risen, the moment never feels different, the sacred doesn’t hit us-until it breaks into our everyday life.
When you’re a young pastor, the Old pastors sometimes will tell you certain tricks of the trade. One of them is this, when you go into a home where the grief and confusion are overwhelming-ask if the coffeepot is on. Get people to put their feet back on the ground, help them to focus back on the routines life.
Jesus meets with disbelief and skepticism among his closest friends, people who think they’re seeing a ghost- so what does he say, “Have you anything here to eat?”
This sermon is for thos e who missed Easter. Karl Barth, perhaps the greatest theologian of the 20the century, used to teach his theology students that there was only one question that would bring people to worship week after week. That question, “Is it true?” Is it true Jesus rose? Is it true that death is overcome? Is it true that life is changed, not ended?. “Is what we are hearing true?”
Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Sometimes, everyone else seems to get it-and then there’s us. And we’re waiting, or we’re distracted, or we’re looking the wrong way, and we think to ourselves, “everyone else was here on Easter-but me.” Over and over all the Resurrection stories are about the people closest to Jesus didn’t expect him, didn’t recognize him, and didn’t believe it was really him. Why do you think they included these stories in the Bible? Why do you think Luke (this morning) the evangelist writes this story down that certainly doesn’t flatter Jesus’ disciples?
Maybe he’s trying to help you and I. Jesus doesn’t appear in the spectacular moments. He comes during the normal and routine moments of the day. Jesus doesn’t look like Jesus. We often don’t recognize him, or identify him when we see him. Even when he comes, even when we see him-much of the time we won’t believe it’s him. It’s hard for us, just like them, to be convinced.
As I said, this sermon is for those who missed Easter. If you are having trouble feeling the Resurrection, it’s ok. So did the disciples. Go back to the normal habits and routine activities of your day. Look around you. A stranger, someone unexpected will be breaking into your life soon. In a very ordinary, commonplace way. ; Notice them. Recognize them. And wait for Christ to rise.
"I can't say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." Daniel Boone