Rev. Kevin M. Pleas

Matthew 28:1-15a

Easter, March 23, 2008

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A story is told of an American scientist, who once visited the offices of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen. He was amazed to find that over Bohr’s desk was a horseshoe, securely nailed to the wall, with the open end pointed up in the approved manner (so it would catch the good luck and not let it spill out). The American said with a nervous laugh, “Surely, Professor Bohr, you don't believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you? After all, as a scientist....” Bohr chuckled, “I believe no such thing, my good friend; not at all. I am scarcely likely to believe in such superstitious nonsense. However, I am told that a horseshoe will bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not.” (Bits & Pieces, September 17, 1992, p. 6)

I like that story. It says something to me about human nature. Even the most rational of us, it seems, aren’t necessarily opposed to hedging our bets. Part of what I enjoy about the story, is that I know full well that every year there are people who come to church on Easter Sunday who, if we’re being honest, would probably say that, where superstitious nonsense is concerned, the resurrection ranks right up there with horseshoes. Across the country and around the world, there are more people in church on Easter than at any other time of the year. And there’s no doubt in my mind that some of those people, not anyone here of course, come not so much because they believe, but because the resurrection just might bring a little good luck whether they believe it or not.

I don’t mean to be offensive. People come to church for all kinds of reasons and I’m always glad when they do. I want you to know that belief is not a prerequisite for your being here today, or ever for that matter. I believe that we are all, every one of us, on a spiritual journey. And I trust that, at this particular moment, wherever you happen to be on your journey is exactly where you need to be.

I’ve been having a wonderful conversation with my son James about this lately. He’s in the process of trying to sort out what he believes. I think he appreciates that I respect where he is in his journey and don’t try to force feed him my own beliefs. Like a lot of people these days, he has some real problems with religion. Growing up as my son, he’s had a chance to get a behind the scenes look at the church, and unfortunately, we don’t always live up to our best intentions. But I’ve tried to encourage him not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

One way to think of religion, I’ve told him, is that it is simply the story we tell. It is our way of making sense out of human life. It is how we answer the great questions: Who are we? Why are we here? What should we do with our time? What is our place in the universe? Why do we suffer? People, human beings, all of us, need answers to these questions. It’s not just the poets and philosophers that are wondering. We all need to know even if we’re not always aware of it. We all have something built into us that drives us to make sense out of our lives and the fact is we don’t do well when things start feeling meaningless. We need our lives to be meaningful.

From that standpoint, the Christian story is simply one way, our way, of understanding what life means. Who are we? We are children of God. Why are we here? To work out our salvation with fear and trembling. What should we do with our time? Love one another. What is our place in the universe? A little lower than the angels. Why do we suffer? That question isn’t quite so easily answered. We suffer for a variety of reasons. But according to the story of our faith, our suffering is never a sign of abandonment. It is a time of trial that prepares us for, what Paul called, “an eternal weight of glory.” How do we know this? Because of the resurrection. The resurrection is that part of our Christian story that promises that the meaningfulness of our lives will never end. Death can not overcome it. We will last forever in the love of God.

But is it true? Is it real? Or is the resurrection just some superstitious nonsense like the luck of horseshoes? It’s funny, but that always seems to be the question we get hung up on. Well, this morning, this Easter Sunday, March 23rd, 2008, I’m going to give you the definitive answer for the truth of the resurrection, from my own experience. Are you ready? Here it is. Yes, the resurrection is true, spiritually. It is true philosophically. It is true psychologically. It is true poetically and artistically and emotionally, metaphorically and mythologically. It is true, religiously. But all people ever seem to care about is, is it true literally.

Let me tell you something. For me, literally is the least interesting, and as far as I’m concerned, the least important dimension of the truth of the resurrection. The fact is, the evidence we have for the resurrection would not stand up in court. But what some people don’t seem to understand is, it doesn’t matter. It’s not about evidence. It never has been. It’s about faith. It’s about making sense of your life. It’s about whether or not you believe the Christian story; whether you believe that in all the ways that truly matter, Jesus has risen and is going on ahead of us to prepare the way. It’s about whether or not you find, in faith, satisfactory answers for the great questions of your life. It’s about whether or nor your heart is open to the possibility, that behind the so called “facts” of the gospel stories, lies a truth that we call the living Spirit of Christ. That’s what it’s about.

I came across a video clip on the internet just the other day that showed people doing an archeological exploration of some of the tombs they’ve been finding near Jerusalem. One guy said he thinks it’s only a matter of time before they stumble on evidence that Jesus never did rise from the grave. Another one said that Christians around the world pin their faith on the literal truth of the resurrection and that faith would come crashing to earth if or when they made such a discovery. Well, I just have one response to that. NO! These are the kind of statements people make about religion when they don’t have a lot of understanding of human nature. I’m sure, if new evidence arises, that people would have to wrestle with how it affects their faith, and I’m sure some would decide to give it up. But in the end, there is such a huge number of people who would say that they’ve experienced the truth of the resurrection personally, that the new so called evidence wouldn’t trouble their faith much at all.

I’m one of those people. I have personally experienced what I understand to be the truth of the resurrection. I believe in the living Spirit of Christ. The Christian story is, for me, an essential part of the truth that shapes my life and ministry. It is a meaningful framework that helps me understand and answer my life’s great questions. Can I prove it? Is it literally true? I am convinced that these are questions that cannot be answered except in the eyes of faith. And in and through my faith, what I know is, I experience the reality of the living Christ Spirit, who gives shape and meaning to my life, and that’s what I care about.

There’s an interesting story that’s been bumping around for awhile that illustrates what I mean. It comes from a man named Andrew Wyermann. He writes:

I remember the witness of Bishop Lajos Ordass of the Lutheran Church in Hungary to a small group gathered at the Lutheran World Federation assembly in Minneapolis in 1957. As bishop, he protested the Communist regime’s confiscation of church schools and was imprisoned for twenty months. Later he was under arrest for six years. He was a tall stately man, and I can still see his ashen face as he quietly told his story.

“They placed me in solitary confinement. It was a tiny cell, perhaps six feet by eight feet, with no windows, and soundproofed. They hoped to break down my resistance by isolating me from all sensory perceptions. They thought I was alone. They were wrong. The risen Christ was present in that room, and in communion with him I was able to prevail.”

Could he prove it? Was it literally true? Could the presence of the risen Christ in that cell have been weighed and measured? Who knows. Who cares? What is certain, what we know to be literally true, is that the bishop believed that Christ was risen and present, and that belief may well have saved his life.

Like I said, I don’t know where any one of you might be on your spiritual journey. But on this bright Easter morning, I would invite you to consider that maybe whether or not the resurrection is literally true isn’t the most helpful question you could be asking. As St. Augustine once said, “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that you may believe. Rather, seek to believe that you may understand.”

I hope you have a wonderful Easter. Christ is risen indeed!

Amen