Easter 2

This Monday is set aside in honor of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., so before we take a look at today’s readings I’d ask us to take a moment to remember Dr. King and give thanks for his ministry.  In the 1950s and 60s Dr. King was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement.  If you’re old enough, you remember that as a difficult time for many in our country, fighting racial injustice and discrimination so ingrained in our society.   

Dr. King had a heart for the oppressed and the courage to stand for what is right.  At age thirty-five he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – he was the youngest man, second American, and the third black man to be so honored.  His life was ended by assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis , Tennessee where he went to help lead sanitation workers in  protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions.

My sermon today is not all about Martin Luther King, Jr., but his life and message are examples of living out the Resurrection hope offered us by Christ, and remembering him leads us into today’s lessons.  It surely does.  The readings this morning proclaim the Resurrection and what it can mean to you and me.

Our first reading from Acts takes place on day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the Church.  Those present were overcome with what was going on and didn’t know what to make of things.   But Peter steps up and explains that all that had happened was part of God’s plan and that God raised Jesus up, freeing him from death; it was impossible for death to hold him in its power. 

To the early Church the Resurrection was all important.  William Barclay writes: “We must remember this - without the Resurrection there would have been no Christian Church at all. When Jesus’ disciples preached the centrality of the Resurrection they were arguing from experience.  After the cross they were bewildered, broken men, with their dream gone and their lives shattered.  It was the Resurrection which changed all that and turned them from cowards into heroes.”

Peter is an obvious example.  Days before he had denied Christ publicly.  After the crucifixion he was hiding with the other disciples behind closed doors out of fear.  But now after the Resurrection he is standing before the crowd in Jerusalem proclaiming Jesus to all who would listen.

So it is for us today.  It’s only because of the Resurrection we can gather here this morning knowing that Jesus is with us.  It’s through the Resurrection that we are assured forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life.  St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.  If for this life only we have hoped for Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (Chapter 15: 17-20).

We need not fear death – we too will follow Christ and one day be raised to be with him forever.  And Jesus gives us freedom and a holy strength to follow in his steps: to love one another,  to forgive each other and ourselves, to work for justice and peace, to serve others and offer to the world hope and new life that can be found only in Jesus. 

Our second reading from 1 Peter is part of a letter sent to Christians in exile, scattered in different countries and suffering persecution for their faith.  Our reading presents the Resurrection as the link between present faith and future hope, through which God’s people are able to face the trials and persecutions that come our way.

Remembering Dr. King again, he certainly suffered persecution living out his faith in Christ, working to end discrimination and abuse aimed at people because of the color of their skin.  In April 1963 he led a non-violent march for civil rights in Birmingham , Alabama , at that time one of the most segregated cities United States , known for discrimination and brutality toward the black population.  As a result, he was arrested and jailed for “parading without a permit.”

Adding to that, even clergymen from around Alabama wrote in the Birmingham paper, criticizing what he was doing.  Dr. King responded by writing a letter known today as the “Letter From A Birmingham Jail”.  It was a powerful and eloquent letter, defending his cause and actions and explaining the moral imperative for all Christians to work for justice.  From his letter I’d like to share a small piece he wrote about the early Church’s model of ministry.

He wrote, “There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed.  In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded ideas and principles of popular opinion, it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.  Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being ‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators’.  But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were ‘a colony of heaven’, called to obey God rather than man.  Small in number, they were big in commitment.  They were too God intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.”

Perhaps Resurrection living has a lot to do with being “God intoxicated”.  Have you and I allowed ourselves to be immersed in the life changing love of God?  If we have, what difference has it made?  If we have not, how could our lives be different if we did?  These are good Easter questions, Resurrection questions for us to consider.

Lastly, the Gospel Lesson tells about Jesus and his disciples, especially Thomas.   Even though Thomas is portrayed initially here as a doubter we know from earlier in John’s Gospel that he had faith in Jesus – he was committed to him.  So how could he hesitate to believe now?

A thought:  I’ve read, and I’m sure shared with you before, that perhaps the opposite of faith is not really doubt or unbelief; rather, the opposite of faith can be seen as apathy, to not care.  Regardless of Thomas’s take on things at the moment he was not apathetic, he cared deeply.  He remained engaged in the process of working out his faith, and Jesus honored that. 

In Thomas’s words I don’t hear as much intellectual questioning as I do words from the heart, words of crisis and pain, someone grieving deeply.  In any case, he needed help that only Jesus could give.  He needed hope, he needed Resurrection life.  And Jesus didn’t disappoint him.

You and I have difficult and painful times too.  But whatever we wrestle with God loves us and nothing can separate us from his care.  At the beginning of the day and at the end of the day there is Resurrection life for us.  That is our sure hope and promise in Christ.

Of course, like Thomas, you and I can have doubts and struggles in our faith too.  And as with Thomas, God loves us none the less.   At the same time, we don’t have to be perennial doubters, never thinking we can know God and the Gospel truth in our hearts.  Remember, Jesus talked about becoming as a child to enter the Kingdom of God .  There is much we simply have to take on faith and trust.

I read a story this past week.  It seems a kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing.  She would occasionally walk around the room to see each child’s work.  As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.  The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”  The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”  Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute”.  The faith of a child - a precious thing.

I’d like to end this morning by mentioning Dr. King one more time.  He gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” sermon on April 3, 1968 , the day before he was assassinated.  In his sermon he talked about his purpose in traveling to Memphis, about the importance of helping those he came to speak on behalf of, on the opportunity at that point in time to help make America a better nation.  And he also talked about the high level of security provided for him on this trip and threats that had been made against him personally.  His speech ended with these words I share with you this morning:

“Well, I don’t know what will happen to me now.  We’ve got some difficult days ahead.   But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountain top and I don’t mind.  Like anybody, I would like to have a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I’m not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God’s will, and He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.  And I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything.  I’m not fearing any man.  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

Dr. King knew the one who was raised from the dead.  He had seen the Promised Land.   

And he knew that this kind of gift from God must translate into serving others.  The power of the Resurrected Christ enabled Dr. King to look beyond himself and sacrifice for others, to do things he could not do in his own strength.

So it is for you and me.  In our own strength we can’t be the kind of people we want to be, live the kind of life God desires for us, or serve others as we must.  But in the Resurrected Christ all things are possible.  This morning may you and I commit once again to Jesus, the author of our salvation, the one who loves us more than we can imagine, now and always.  Amen.