Sermons

Christ is risen. Alleluia! This is a day of affirmation for some, confusion for others, and disbelief of still others at what nonsense passes for history for many Christians. Wherever you stand on the merits of this day, I hope this morning to offer everyone something that we can all believe in. 

But before there is grace there is usually trouble that instigates our desire to look for something more and, for me, trouble lies with a narrow Christian response to Jesus' resurrection story. Paul's letter to the Romans gets me thinking about it, and Patricia, my significant other and spiritual muse, helped me figure out the rest although she doesn't know it.

Before I get there, however, let me provide a little background. When we left off a couple of weeks ago with Paul's letter to the deeply divided Roman churches, Paul has put the self-righteous Jewish Christians in their place on the same level with the late-to-the-party Gentiles. He argues that the traditions of the Jews do not have to be followed to be a Christian. In other words, pagans don't have to do what Jews do in order to be Christians.

Paul takes a stand that faith not the laws of Jewish tradition is the path to a righteous life, or a life of which God approves. I added my observation that there simply is not enough time to teach the Gentiles all the rules before Jesus will come again.

Time is of the essence with Paul. This is something that must constantly be kept in mind when reading Paul's letters. Paul believes that Jesus is coming back maybe as soon as tomorrow.

After giving the "nuts and bolts" of the argument, Paul follows with an example that the Jews will respect - the father of their nation - Abraham. It is the faith of the earthly father of Israel that Paul uses to strengthen his argument.

To those in Rome who argue for keeping the Jewish traditions, Paul says Abraham's faith is the path to the life of which the Jewish/Christian god approves not the traditions and certainly not the 'sign' of faith, circumcision. Abraham's faith comes first, not the tradition. The Lord enters into covenant with Abraham, says Paul, not because of what he does (works won't cut it) but because of what he believes. Abraham believes the Lord will do what the Lord says. It is really very simple.

Paul moves in chapter four from this faith of Abraham to the faith that the follower of Jesus must have, whether Jew or Gentile, to get him into the new Kingdom that Jesus is bringing to earth very soon, maybe tomorrow.

Jesus' resurrection is the seal, for Paul, on Jesus' message that an unjust social world is turning round right very soon. Jesus' resurrection is a 'sign', for Paul, that God has the power to make good on Jesus' "end of the world" promises. Paul obviously believes a lot but then if we are to believe more of Paul's story Paul has seen and heard a lot as well - like a vision on a road to Damascus that turns his life around from persecuting Christians to giving everything up to save them.

If this "Damascus road" story in some significant way happened then Paul is writing from the place of faith through a life-changing personal experience. This seems significant to me. Could it be (I confess that I believe so) that a misunderstanding of the nature of this faith leads to a narrow Christian response to Jesus' resurrection story troubling to many present-day Christians?

Patricia is visiting from New York City. Monday afternoon we take an enjoyable drive north as far as Palmer when the issue of food arises. Well, honestly, it is my issue more than hers - a lot more than hers. Anyway, we stop at this quirky place called the "Noisy Goose." I won't tell you how it gets the name; let's just say there are a number of ways that you can become one. Aside from this, there are a number of quirky posters about with pithy to cheeky to snarky messages, i.e. take a leap of faith without a parachute.

As I begin to write this sermon, I realize that this sounds to me like a fair description of the narrow Christian response to Jesus' resurrection story. It is certainly the sense of 'faith' of the unknown author of Hebrews - "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (He. 11.1) - which St. Augustine picks up and promotes in the formative days of the Christian church.

But does this sense of 'faith' have a biblical root aside much maligned Hebrews, which barely makes it into the New Testament canon anyway? Some may argue this is what Paul does, but I don't believe so. I don't believe that we are asked to take a leap of faith without a parachute, and I don't believe that Paul has this understanding of faith either. Paul believes that Jesus is resurrected. Whether he is right or wrong (he is wrong about more than a few things in his letters), there is no indication that Paul comes to this conclusion as a leap of faith without a parachute.

Paul as a good Jew knows well the example he chooses has a faith built on something more than blind superstition. Paul understands that the faith of Abram is really more about faithfulness in what Abram knows from personal experience. Abram seems to have a family history with this God. Abram is not surprised when this God shows up in his dreams; he is surprised by what he tells him but not that the Lord appears. Abram seems to have seen and heard enough to always take the next step with this God.

When now Abraham gets to that place where the Lord has told him to sacrifice his only legitimate heir, Isaac; Abraham has seen and heard enough to know that the Lord will take care of matters. He doesn't know how but he has seen this God at work. He made a covenant with this God and the Lord rewarded his faith with a male child borne by his elderly (and to this point) barren wife. He has seen and heard enough to believe that God will provide a substitute sacrifice before the moment he sacrifices his only male child.

Abraham's faith is faithfulness in what he has seen and heard that is sufficient for him to take, at least, one more step of trust in where this God takes him or what this God will provide. As Paul puts it, "No distrust made [Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what [the Lord] had promised."

Paul has personal experience himself of this sort of faith that really is faithfulness. Paul's "Damascus road" experience turns his life completely around as he sets out to grow the Christian family he tried to stamp out. Each step of faithfulness by Paul leads to a growing trust in Jesus' Father for the next steps beyond Paul's sight.

Paul writes in chapter four of the faith of the father of Israel, Abraham, but his thoughts are very much on what the God of Abraham does through Jesus. It is Jesus that models the life to which Paul calls his listeners - Jew and Gentile of his day - and by extension us as we listen in.

Faithfulness as faith is a simple and yet outrageous standard. "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." Jesus' prayer of faith is not a leap without a parachute but a prayer of faithfulness from a platform of what has been seen and heard already.

Resurrection doesn't just happen at anytime for anyone. It is not a bolt out of the blue. For Paul, even the power of God that enables Jesus' resurrection requires Jesus' faithfulness. It doesn't just happen. Divine power sufficient to raise Jesus requires of Jesus faithfulness to the point of his death. It is a way of saying that resurrection is not painless. It may cost us something, and maybe a lot. Still it is the trust to surrender our wills, to say "yes" come what may to God, which will lead us to the best of our lives.

Without faithfulness, resurrection will raise nothing more than a faint hope of what will never be, but with faithfulness in the God who promises resurrection, as the Psalmist writes, even at "the farthest limits of the sea," the wildest hopes of our imagination, there is hope based on what we have already seen and heard. It really does not make a difference whether the resurrection of the Easter story happened or not; its truth is sufficient to save us - faithful step by faithful step.

This is how I see Christian faith on Easter morning. Amen.