Sermon: Easter II (A)
Sunday 16th April 2023
St Anne’s, Wrenthorpe
Now is the time of Transformation!
Right here….today…..God’s hope for His Creation…..
And it happens through us….
Even on Low Sunday!
But how…?
Now, I make no apologies for repeatedly using the themes of Hope, Discipleship and transformation when preaching.
Until the Spirit shows me otherwise, I shall endeavour to build on these concepts that we might learn together….
And Easter is the gift that literally keeps on giving when it comes to Hope, Discipleship and transformation… thanks be to God!
Last week, in his Easter message, our brother David spoke of how we are transformed in Jesus for the lives God wants for us.
A few weeks previously, I spoke about Jesus raising Lazarus – a moment of transformation for all concerned, especially Lazarus!
Now, we have even more wonderful visual scenes in our scripture – Jesus appears from nowhere – revealing Himself to the Disciples that remain.
John is clear in setting the scene:
- It is the first day of the week – which often represents the beginning of new life – and a renewed cycle in their lives….
- The doors are locked….. and yet, here He is….
- They are hiding away from the Jews….. filled with a fear that imprisons them more than any door!
- Jesus brings PEACE – His peace that he promised them….
- …and then He says it again: Peace be with you… AND … Receive the Holy Spirit…!
What a complete turnaround for this group of friends who had hoped for so much and yet just couldn’t see how it all came together after Jesus was killed.
We don’t know how they responded to the Good News brought by Mary Magdalene, that she had seen the Risen Lord…
What did they think?
What did they believe, in the days since His tomb was found to be empty?
And now here He is – in their midst – overcoming the security of the locked door, and the imprisonment of their fears…
Here is Jesus – bringing Peace, the Holy Spirit … and His physical self…..for them to see.
And then more…. They are to forgive sins….. a blessing only God can confer… yet Jesus gives them the Spirit and His blessing to do so, in the name of God!
Wow!
However.
Thomas was not there. I truly want to know where he was, and what he was doing when all of the other momentous stuff was happening, yet that is not mentioned, strangely enough!
On his return, the others tell Thomas all about the incredible visit of Jesus….
And his response?
“Nope! I don’t believe it.”
“Fake News!”
“I need proof…”
A week later and here is Jesus again….
And yes, Thomas sees and believes….
Thomas calls Jesus “God”.
In this moment the narrative of John has come ‘full circle’ – from the Prologue: “In the beginning was the Word…. and the Word was God….”
To this moment where Thomas can see and believe…..
God is present to heal and restore everything…
So how can we speak about Resurrection now – two thousand years after the event?
We can make it real – a fact of life and death, in the hear and now…
You don’t need me to tell you how to “see” the wonders of God’s creation, do you?
Perhaps like me, you are blessed with a garden – someplace where you can see those small changes through the year – especially now as more and more green appears and the birds are building nests and the promise of life is all around.
Again, I make no apologies for wanting to be poetic and enthusiastic about Springtime….!
I might not be a poet, but I see the changes – the small yet dynamic movements – from dark to light – from death to life – from failure to hope;
Personally, I think that our use of language – certain religious words – can distort the possibilities that we might show to others.
Some Christians might “use” the word Resurrection in an single-use scenario – “its what happened to Jesus, a long time ago, and no I can’t explain it and don’t want to, thank you very much! You just have to believe and all will be fine – it’s what we do!”
Unless we broaden our usage of the word, we might miss many opportunities to help others to see the difference that Jesus made as the Christ that shrugged off the apparent finality of death…
I looked for some common language about Resurrection, in places that might seem reliable, for us as Anglicans – for example.
Now please pay attention, for In the Book of Common Prayer, the Fourth of the Thirty Nine Articles of Faith says this:
“CHRIST did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man’s nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day.”
Ok, so there us much there that we would expect to find in our ancient yet authorised liturgical text.
I looked for more, the Church of England website…. But there was nothing that an enquiring mind could engage with, apart from – “it’s what Christians believe in”.
Ok, I think I was looking for trouble by seeking such a simplistic route….
And no, we wouldn’t send someone seeking God to the Thirty Nine Articles as a starting place!
I think what I hoped to find were examples and signposts – where we can start a good conversation about how we live and grow as Disciples of the Resurrection.
I did find the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Easter Sermon of considerable interest and hope.
He spoke with passion about the Resurrection, which is Good News in itself!
The Resurrection, he says, is greater than all of the actions that seek to subvert and oppress God’s Creation – brutality, injustice, cruelty and oppression will all fail against the power of God;
How “From the finality of death, a new beginning was made in the empty tomb….” and that because of the resurrection of Jesus, Christians claim a turning point for the whole of Creation, always and everywhere”.
For without the resurrection, there are simply endings – with no transformation – then or now!
Consider Peter – without the resurrection, there would be no forgiveness and ultimately, no Church;
Consider Mary Magdalene – without the First Apostle would she have been mentioned, or had the value and prominence she deserved – her brokenness and love for Jesus, in the Messenger who says, “I have seen the Lord”.
And Paul – for he only knew the Risen Christ – without his transformation from Saul….. would his zeal and power have ever been used for good?
And ourselves, today – would we be here?
And there is the opportunity we might seek….
To speak with hope of how the Resurrection of Jesus has changed the world….
Of how the resurrection is present in all who have chosen life and the path to God….
Of how all life is constantly changing and transforming, all of the time….
Do our transformations…. Our life changes… our choices…. Do they bear witness to the Risen Christ?
In the words of the Franciscan theologian, Richard Rohr:
“Jesus’ first incarnate life, his passing over into death, and his resurrection into the ongoing Christ life is the model for the entire pattern of creation.”
For as Thomas saw and believed…. And yet Jesus foresaw the faith we might dare to have.
Do we dare to have faith in the Resurrection in all of us?
Not everyone is able to see such hope….we can encourage and offer ourselves as an example!
We cannot all see and live the same way….we share in difference which is transformative!
But we can choose…. Mostly…. We can choose life…
And its down to us, to look up…
What will we see?
If Resurrection can show us that death – of any kind – is not an ending….
If in daring to believe that God is so much more than we can see in this world….
If in hoping that faith will lead us to some kind of ‘new life’……
We just might glimpse something special….
Our own transformation…..
Amen.
Image: He Qui – Résurrection