Easter 2011 Sermon

John A. Baldwin

Easter 2011

Journalist and author Hunter Thompson once said,  "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"

I love this quote, because I believe it is a brave, bold and audacious affirmation of love for life, and faith in what lies beyond it. Those who hesitate, equivocate, hold back, or live cautiously and timidly will miss much of life's zest and adventure. Those who live their lives in fear and trembling, will likewise approach their death with dread and terror. Do we not envy at some level those who die pursuing their passion, be it on the golf course, on the rock face of a mountain, or on the journey of a lifetime, while we inwardly feel so very sad for those who never follow their hearts.

One thing that may be said about Jesus of Nazareth is that on the cross Jesus died, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, "It is finished!" He expended every ounce of his being, loved lavishly, gave with abandon, and never looked back with regret on anything he said or did in pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven. The portrait the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John paint of Jesus, is that of a man who experienced the heights and depths of human living to their very fullest extent.

When Jesus' body was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb, it was not a pretty sight. It was beaten and bruised all over, covered with blood, a pitiful sight from which all but the hard-hearted would avert their eyes. It should come as no surprise that Mary Magdalene, in the early morning hours near the tomb, did not recognize Jesus. She still had vividly in her mind's eye the broken body of Jesus on the cross, depleted, spent, totally used up. But now, here before her is a strong, robust, and vital human being. Had to be the gardener! Who else would be skulking about in the garden so early in the day. 

In that brief interval between night time on top of Golgotha and dawn on the first day of the week, something mysterious, powerful, awesome had happened to the body of Jesus. It has been infused with Resurrection power, revitalized and restored. Mary's eyes are jolted open by the sound of his voice. She recognizes instantly the man she, and all the other disciples, had come to love and cherish.

In the days that followed, Jesus made numerous appearances to the other disciples, startling them, lifting their spirits to new heights of awe and wonder, and empowering them to devote the rest of their lives to spreading the Good News of Jesus' Resurrection. What made it "Good News" for these men and women was not simply that one man had somehow cheated the Grim Reaper, but that they had experienced up close the renewing power of Resurrection energy. Nothing convinces me more thoroughly of the reality of the Resurrection than the transformation that occurred in the lives of the disciples. They changed from pitiable, terrified, defeated people into bold proclaimers of the Gospel, ultimately traveling to the ends of the earth to share their experiences, many of them dying martyrs' deaths along the way. Their fear of death miraculously seems to have vanished, replaced by a deep and firm faith that in Jesus of Nazareth, the divine has come to dwell among us, and life will forever be very, very different.

I see at work in Peter, Paul, and many others of faith down through the centuries, very little interest in arriving safely at death in a pretty and well preserved body. Rather they are engaged in skidding in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" Is this not faith at work? ........emboldened by a deep-seated belief in the reality and power of the Resurrection......not just for one man, way back when, but for all who love God with passion.

What does this suggest to us across the centuries? How should we be expending our energy in our journey from birth to the grave, and beyond? If we only have one life to live, what a shame to live it in fear and timidity! What a waste not to fully use our gifts and talents to create things of beauty! What sadness not to share generously with others the spark of the divine within our hearts and souls! How tragic, if as we end our days, we look back over our life and say, I wish I hadn't spent the majority of it on things that really don't matter to me at all.

Let's look again Jesus Christ who, I believe, displays for us what living a vital, authentic human life is all about. In Jesus, we see no self-centered, narcissistic, selfishness at all. He lavishly poured out his love on others from little children.....to sinners, prostitutes and tax-collectors... to lepers, epileptics, and the demon-possessed......even to his enemies from the cross. Even his criticism of the scribes and Pharisees, which may sound harsh to us from a long distance removed in time, was intended I believe to redirect their zealous piety away from rules and regulations to matters of the heart, and therefore did not come out of anger or malice, but out of a deep concern for their lives and souls.

Jesus didn't waste his time on things that were trivial and unimportant. He expended his energy on waking people up to what is essential in living life to its fullest. His Sermon on the Mount is filled with this wisdom: "Blessed are the merciful"; "Blessed are the peacemakers"; "You are the salt of the earth"; "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven"; "You cannot serve God and money"; "Do not be anxious about your life"; "Judge not that you be not judged"; "Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find". The Sermon on the Mount gathers the nuggets of Jesus' teaching together and we see revealed within it the wisdom of a man closely in synch with the heart of God.

There is no better way of judging, I believe, whether how we are expending our time, talent and energy is fruitful, authentic and life-giving than to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do? Would he be harboring resentment and anger towards others? Would he be giving himself negative messages about his gifts and abilities? Would he be allowing fear and anxiety to get the upper hand?

When I die, I too want to be able to say "Wow, what a ride" ......But not because I've plumbed the ocean depths in scuba gear, bungi-jumped off a tall bridge, made a hole in one, or been to the uttermost parts of the Earth...thrilling as all that might be. Rather I'd like to be able to say "What a Ride" because I've loved deeply; because I've been fully present and involved in significant moments in the lives of those I care about; because I've courageously expressed wisdom I've received through the years; because I've not held back from making a difference in the world around me.

How about you? What do you need to do, or be, in order to be able to shout out with joy, "Wow, what a ride" when God calls you home?