Sermons for the Month
Yeah…But…He's Alive!
DATE: April 8th, 2007
SERVICE: The Resurrection of Our Lord
TEXT: Luke 24:1-12“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Has anyone here ever had a case of the "Yeah, buts"? Don't look so confused; I'm sure you know what I mean. The "Yeah, buts" can be very annoying. Someone says, "It's a beautiful day (obviously, this happens sometime in June, not April), let's go on a picnic. Wouldn't that be fun?" And the other person hems and haws and bit and then says, "Yeah…but…getting all the food ready is such a hassle, and the ants find you no matter where you set up, and besides, the last time we went on a picnic I ate too much watermelon and threw up." "OK, then", the first person says, a bit disappointed, "Maybe a picnic isn't a good idea. Why don't we take a nice drive in the country and try out that new restaurant in Wooster. I hear the yeast rolls make a meal in themselves. That's a better idea, isn't it? " And what do you suppose the response is? "Yeah, but, gas is $2.50 a gallon now, and we might spend all that money only to wait to be seated, and besides, who knows if the baker washed his hands before kneading that bread." Now the first person is getting exasperated. "Well, why don't we grill at home? You would like that, wouldn't you?" And then comes the predictable response, "Yeah…but…the grill hasn't been cleaned since you burned the ribs on it last fall, and it takes forever for the meat to get done, and besides the neighbors might see us outside and try to be friendly." That, my friends, is the annoyingly negative side of the "yeah, buts". However, there is a positive side too, and that's the new insight I discovered in today's often read Gospel lesson. Remember that during this Holy Week we've been on a spiritual retreat, looking for what's new in that which is familiar. This is what I discovered about the account of the resurrection in the Gospel of Luke; the word "but" is used six times in 12 verses. (1) And, all but one is positive, as if to say, "You may think this is a GRIM situation, but you haven't heard the whole story." So, let's take a look at those six conjunctions. The Gospel lesson begins with the word "But". "BUT on the first day of the week, at early dawn…." The last thing we knew Joseph of Arimathea had asked for the bruised and bloody body of Jesus that hung limply on the cross. He wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb as the women watched. They then waited during the Sabbath which began on Friday at sundown and continued until the same time on Saturday. It was a time of overwhelming sadness, BUT Sunday was a new day. The women went to the tomb with spices and ointments, expecting to face the unpleasant task of preparing a body that had been lying there since Friday evening for its permanent entombment. BUT when they went in they did not find the body. The expected stench of death was not in the air. What was there, appearing out of nowhere, was two men. Now what might one expect from such dazzling beings? Would God's wrath come upon them, would a proclamation of judgment be made? The women groveled in fear BUT the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" No doubt these words confused them. What did they mean? The answer came loud and clear, his body had not been misplaced or stolen. It's true, "He is no here", BUT (that's because he) has risen." Then the women remembered that Jesus had said this would be the case, that in the face of death he would live. We come, then, to the fifth "but", the negative one. In excitement the women proclaimed the Good News of the resurrection to the apostles. "BUT these words seemed to them and idle tale, and they did not believe them." I'm tempted to be critical of those men, but, it was an extraordinary story of a miraculous event that they were asked to believe without the benefit of seeing dazzling heavenly beings. There was some glimmer of credibility in it or they all would have stayed in hiding, shaking their heads at those gullible women. "BUT Peter got up and ran to the tomb…" and was amazed because maybe, just maybe, the Jesus story was not over after all. Instead of shutting down faith the "yeah, buts" of the Gospel of Luke say that Good Friday is just one day, Easter is forever. Our faith helps us to face the negative "yeah, buts" that challenge us. You know what I mean, don't you? Someone says, "You are looking well today," and the response is, "Yeah, but, my best friend is seriously ill, or my credit cards are maxed out, or my spouse and I are on different wave lengths, or I'm so overwhelmed by the suffering in the world. Yeah, but, my life is not what I hoped it would be." To that the Gospel writer would say, "Yeah, but, Jesus is with us." Or as one writer put it, "But…if Jesus really rose from the dead, then that means he is loose in the world with power to raise us up from whatever is dragging us down…." (2) That's wonderful, BUT it's not the end of the story. The even bigger positive "Yeah, but" is, "Yeah," he died, "BUT he's alive," and promises that we too will experience life in the face of death. Today, especially, that's what we enthusiastically proclaim. I like a story I read written by a pastor about the "terrible joy" of preparing the youth to lead the sunrise service on Easter. He ended a frustrating practice early and hoped that they would not embarrass themselves or their families by not being prepared. Like Pontius Pilate he washed his hands of the situation. Well, on Easter morning there were twice as many people as usual at the early service, much to the pastor's dismay. He prayed for it to be over quickly. At the appointed time everyone seemed to be in their places and the "lead off" youth was at the pulpit. He was one of the youngest members of the group and was in charge of the Easter greeting. As the lights came up, he yelled at the top of his squeaking, high boy-soprano voice, "Christ is risen!" Laughter bellowed from the members of the congregation because they did not expect that first sound. Quiet again he continued, "Christ is risen". Finally people began to hear the muffled sounds of the youth up in front who were responding with the ancient Easter greeting, "He is risen indeed." It was a quiet opening, but the words were exchanged. BUT the youth leader was not satisfied. He yelled again, "Christ is risen!" and he did it over and over again until the congregation's voice became louder and more enthusiastic. Finally, at the last, the sound was so thundering between the speaker and the smiling faces of the worshipers that it could have rolled the stone away. (3) Every Easter we proclaim that same greeting; it reminds us that - indeed - there is reason to celebrate. The negative "yeah, buts" have been drowned out by one that is especially positive. So someone asks, "Did Jesus suffer and die?" and the answer is loud and clear, "Yeah, BUT, he's alive!" and that's only the beginning of a long list of "yeah…buts".
AMEN
(1) "Living by the Word: Unnatural Event" by Theodore J. Wardlaw, The Christian Century, March 20, 2007, pg. 19.
(2) Same as above.
(3) Lent 2007: Bound for Golgotha by Randy Cross, 2006 by Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN., pgs. 57-58.