[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter Sunday

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Apr 23, 2011 7:39 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter Sunday


Dear Friends,



Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “Living Easter Power in a Good Friday

World” and deals with the Gospel (John 20: 1-18). Here it is:



Happy Easter on this glorious day of our Lord’s resurrection!  Lent is

done and Easter is here!  It seems like just yesterday we were getting

our Lenten ashes.  Did you hear about the little boy who asked his

pastor what “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” meant?  “Ah!” said the

pastor.  It means we all come from dust and we all go to dust.”

“Well,” said the child, “you’d better get over to my house right away

and look under my bed, because there’s someone there who’s either

coming or going!”



We are all aware of how atrociously painful Jesus’ last days were,

but- if you think about it, his friends had also lived in crisis.  Did

you notice how the Gospel of John tells us about the awful reality

Mary Magdalene experienced as she struggled to move from Good Friday

tragedy to Easter Sunday delight?  The entire week had been

unbelievably bad for all of Jesus’ friends- actually going from

terrible to worse.  They’d watched everyone turn against him; with

even his disciples leaving him to face his worst times alone. They saw

the trial, the beatings, the mocking, the torture, his execution, and

his burial.  Worse yet, because the Sabbath was approaching, they

couldn’t even give Jesus a proper burial- he had to be just quickly

placed in the grave and locked in with a huge stone.  Early Sunday

morning, Mary went to see the body of Jesus.  The scripture didn’t say

why, maybe she went to anoint the body as the other women did.  Maybe

she just couldn’t sleep.  Whatever- when she got there, the stone was

rolled away and the body was gone- only the grave clothes were there-

carefully folded and placed on the floor.  Mary assumed that the body

had been moved, so she started to cry. Everything seemed hopeless, but

then Jesus called her name and Easter was the new reality.



That’s what happened- Jesus is alive, but what’s it to you?   Let’s be

honest with each other.  Really- what difference does it make in your

life as you struggle to pay your bills, help the people you love get

along, avoid trouble, and get a little joy out of life.  The answer to

this question presented itself again the day before yesterday at the

very end of our Good Friday service.  Twenty-nine of us (at one time

or another throughout the three hours) sat around the cross and kept

vigil, as you would in a hospital room while you waited for the death

of a loved one.  As we did the Stations of the Cross and the Good

Friday prayer book liturgy, we counted down the minutes.  At ten

seconds to three o’clock, we started counting: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,

3, 2, 1, 0- and shouted “It is accomplished!” because that’s what

Jesus said.  He didn’t say, “It’s over.”  He said, “ACCOMPLISHED!”  So

I ask you, what’s accomplished?  I can answer in two words REGIME

CHANGE!  Eight years ago (and many deaths later), President Bush

announced the start of the Iraq war.  “Shock and awe” followed, with

war planes and bombs all over Iraq- like a wild video game- but it was

real!  It wasn’t long before Saddam Hussein’s forces fell and we took

over- a regime change!  That’s what the Good Friday/Easter Sunday

events accomplished- regime change.  The entire universe was reclaimed

from the forces of chaos, destruction, and evil; heaven had been

claimed, and the forces of God and good and life had won.  God is in

charge.



How do you claim this regime change?  Well, first of all- have you

accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  If not- don’t wait!  Do it

now!  Tell me when you come up to the altar at Communion time, and we

can take care of that today.



But say you accepted Jesus years ago.  My question to you today then

is- are you living as if God and good and life are in charge; or are

you living as if evil and death are in charge?  Are you living a Good

Friday life or an Easter life?  Are you on the winning side, or are

you on the losing side, and how can you tell?

12.	Good Friday life- the perspective is defense; Easter life- the

perspective is offense!

13.	Good Friday life- I don’t get mad; I get even!  Easter life- drop

it; don’t let hatred poison your spirit; give the problem to God and

leave it there (i.e. God says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay- and

God does a much better job than we ever could and can even get

spiritual growth in the lives of our enemies.).

14.	Good Friday life- hate your enemy!  Easter life- forgive and love

your enemy (i.e. Christian love- want what’s best for him or her).

15.	Good Friday life – you only go around once in life so get all you

can get (and forget about everyone else)!  Easter life- everything I

have is a gift from God and there’s more than enough to go around, so

share.

16.	Good Friday life- I can’t take it!  I’ve got to have something

(alcohol, TV, drugs, nicotine, food, etc.) to make it through another

day!  Easter life- God can get you through anything!

17.	Good Friday life- my time and money and family and material things

are my own!  Easter life- everything I have is a gift from God to be

used to make my life and the lives of God’s other children better.

18.	Good Friday life- I can’t!  Easter life- if it’s God’s will, I

can!

19.	Good Friday life- I only associate with “my kind.”  Easter life-

the ground is level at the foot at the cross.

20.	Good Friday life- no one has a claim on me!  Easter life- reach

out and touch.

21.	Good Friday life- it’s the hair (or clothes or car or intelligence

or house) that counts!  Easter life- it’s the life that counts!.

22.	Good Friday life- when you’re dead, you’re dead!  Easter life-

Jesus is the firstfruit; so death is new birth into heaven.



So, are you on the winning side?  If not, why not get there!  Wishing

won’t do it.  Living in the past won’t do it.  Making a decision to

live as Jesus’ Easter people will.  In his book Teaching the Elephant

to Dance, James Belasco describes how trainers shackle young elephants

with heavy chains to deeply embedded stakes. In that way the elephant

learns to stay in its place. Older, powerful elephants never try to

leave—even though they have the strength to pull the stake and walk

away. Their conditioning has limited their movements. With only a

small metal bracelet around their foot attached to nothing, they stand

in place. The stakes are actually gone!



Don’t let your past determine your future!  Get rid of everything that

works to hold you back.  The future belongs to God and you.  Think

BIG!  If you can conceive it, and God wants you to do it, the sky’s

the limit; and the Risen Christ can give you the power to overcome!



For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American

wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:

http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .



Blessed preaching.

Judy Boli

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Saginaw, Michigan




 
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