Lakewood United Church of Christ

Sermon Easter Sunrise 4.16.17

“From Fear to Courage”

Date: Easter Sunrise April 16, 2017
Scripture: Luke 24:1-12
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

We are told that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them made their way to the burial place of the body of Jesus. The women are not only afraid, but we are told that they were “terrified.”

Some think the women may have been afraid for their safety. Their beloved teacher, Jesus, had just been killed. Were their lives in danger? Would the soldiers guarding the tomb arrest them?

When a traitor or a rebel was involved in an armed attack on the Roman Empire, the leader and all the followers were killed. In the case of Jesus, only Jesus was killed. His followers were left alone. So we know that his challenge to the authorities was not violent, and his followers were not at risk of being put to death.

We are also told that the women stayed with Jesus during the crucifixion, unlike the men who fled. In Matthew we read: “Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” (Matt. 27:55-56) If the women were wanted by the law, they could have been arrested at the cross. And they weren’t.

Yet we are told the women were afraid. The women were coming to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with herbs and spices. They were there to carry out the proper burial rites. Even the Romans had respect for the dead. And these were women. No one much cared what they did. The woman were afraid but probably not for their personal safety. It doesn’t appear they were risking their lives by going to the grave to tend to the body of Jesus.

And yet they were afraid; not just grief-stricken and distraught but terrified.

Why were they afraid? Maybe they were afraid that it all was meaningless. That what they had experienced with Jesus was over. That everything would just go back to the old normal. I think they were afraid about the future. They had left home, family, social ties, religious community, to be part of this new experimental movement led by Jesus. The commitment and devotion were all-encompassing. Was it all over? What were they to do? How were they to go on?

It had been so intense. So strong. They had been so sure. And now? Were they afraid because their hopes had been shattered? Were they utterly despairing of the future?

In the story, the women go and tell the other disciples of their experience at the tomb. They tell the disciples that the presence of Jesus is still with them. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Matt. 27:5) It’s not over. But their story is labeled an “idle tale.” Their witness is not taken seriously. Why should they bother? We can imagine that they are afraid – of being laughed at, mocked, ridiculed, ineffectual and ignored.

So, it takes courage for these women to face their fears. To examine their hearts. And then to find the courage within themselves to proceed. The way the resurrection stories are told, if it were not for the courage of the women, going and telling, we might not be here this morning or any Sunday morning. They were very brave making a witness for their truth, for an alternative reality, for a different future for themselves and for the world. They trusted their experience and overcame their fears.

We need the inspiration of these women. We live in fearful times. We know what it is to be afraid. Our faith is calling us to be witnesses to the alternative reality shown to us by Jesus; to live not for ourselves but for the common good. We are needed to embody and enact the commonwealth of God. We are needed to speak the truth of love, compassion, and justice. Our voices are needed to confront greed, ignorance, hatred, fear, lust for power, violence, and self absorption, just as Jesus did. Like the women, we need to speak out in spite of the resistance we encounter. And that takes courage. We need to be brave and take risks so that the realm of heaven may be experienced among us, here on Earth, as it was by the women who went to the tomb.

This morning we reflect on the Easter pilgrimage from fear to courage and new life. We think about our call to share our experience of Jesus. Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.

Mozart’s Requiem at SPC, Monday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.

The combined choruses of St. Petersburg College and a chamber orchestra comprised of SPC faculty and friends, under the direction of SPC Interim Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Matt Caine, will present Mozart’s Requiem in memory of Jason Miller.

The life of prolific composer and musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart tragically ended just shy of his 36th birthday, leaving others to come after him and complete his unfinished Requiem. Composer and locally-known musician Jason Miller, an alumnus of the music and theatre departments of St. Petersburg College, died in a tragic automobile accident in December 2016 at the age of 36.

We, the musicians of SPC join together in this performance of Mozart’s Requiem to help our community mourn the passing of our beloved friend and, by doing so, in some small way seek to complete some of his life’s unfinished work in much the same way that composers completed Mozart’s unfinished Requiem.

4/2/17 Podcast: “Dead Again” Rev. Kim Wells

3/26/17 Podcast: “Water is Life” Rev. Kim Wells

Sermon 4.2.17 "Dead Again"

Scripture Lesson: Ezekiel 37:1-14

A pile of dry bones. That’s about as absolute as you can get. Dead. No life. Over and done. Final. That’s the scene we are given in Ezekiel.

These bones indicate the death not only of individual people but of a society. Of the people of Israel. Of the Temple and worship in Jerusalem. Of the monarchy. It’s all over. Brought down by super power politics in a military defeat. The result of ethnic nationalism and idolatry manifested in violent crime and oppressive economics. Kind of sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The people of Israel, those that are still alive, anyway, have been driven from their homes, their land, and scattered. It is the end of the world as they knew it.

A pile of dry bones. The story makes sure to get the message across by telling us that the bones were “very dry.” No life. No hope. No future.

In the story the prophet is asked by God, “Can these bones live?” We can imagine Ezekiel thinking, “What kind of a question is that? Of course a pile of dry bones scattered out here in the wilderness cannot live.” Then trying to think of a diplomatic way to parlay the question. Ah, toss it back to God. “Can these bones live?” “You know.” Whew. Dodged that one!

The next thing we know, the prophet is instructed to prophesy over the bones. Again, can’t you hear the little voice in the prophet’s head: “Why are you doing this? This is ridiculous. This is absurd. Talking to dead, dry bones all in heap in the middle of nowhere.” But the prophet follows instructions. And – “. . . suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. . . and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them.”

We are told of the bodies but they are not animated. There is no breath in them. So, reminiscent of Genesis, in this re-creation story, we are told of the breath entering the bodies: “Thus says the Sovereign God: ‘Come from the four winds, O Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live’ . . . and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.”

Ezekiel and the people of Israel who are left get the message. Don’t limit God. Don’t presume to think that you know the power of God. God is more powerful than the Empire that annihilated Israel. God is more powerful than fear. God is more powerful than death. God is more powerful than all the evil we can imagine.

And the story tells us, in graphic terms, that God is free. What the people have or have not done does not control God. However Israel got to the point of defeat and exile, God is going to do what God is going to do. God is completely free. No limitations. No constraints.

Like the people of Israel in the story from Ezekiel, we too, face death on many fronts. We face the death of our bodies, the end of our span on Earth. We face the death of loved ones. On top of that we are confronted with the death of our familiar lifestyle and assumptions. Our society is stressed to breaking. We live in a culture of violence. We see the inequities of our economic arrangements. We see the erosion of the commonly held values of honesty, decency, and civility. People around the globe, including within the United States, are forced to flee violence, famine, and changing environmental conditions facing the end of their world as they knew it. There is the looming collapse of the natural world as we know it. It may not be in our lifetime, but our grandchildren or great grand children will face a very different reality.

But Ezekiel tells us that in the mysterious power and freedom of God, there is the possibility of new life. Whatever the circumstances. There is a power in the universe, call it God, call it love, call it Oneness, call it Life, that is stronger than anything we can dish up.

This Lenten season, as we think about migrating closer to God, to our center, to the heart of the universe, we must remember that we are talking about mystery, freedom, and power that we do not control; that cannot be domesticated to suit our cultural proclivities, our sensibilities, and our assumptions.

God is not restricted and limited to what is in the Bible or to what the church has said about God.

We are reminded of a bigger God – a God not just of the US. Not just of capitalism. Not just of Christianity. Those are strong influences that shape our identity. But in God, those are small considerations. Our tradition shows us a God always powerful and free to do something new that is life giving and life affirming. Newness, beyond our imagination is possible. Not limited by our small sights.

To move closer to God, don’t hang on. Let go.

God, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow – yes! Powerful and free! Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.