Arisen Again: The Meaning of Resurrection Myths. (Version 2a) A Sunday service led by the Reverend Michael Walker, Interim Minister

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1 Arisen Again: The Meaning of Resurrection Myths (Version 2a) A Sunday service led by the Reverend Michael Walker, Interim Minister Presented on Easter Sunday March 27, 2016, at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

2 CALL TO WORSHIP (by Diego Valeri & Rev. M. Walker) 1 You who have an eye for miracles regard the bud now appearing on the bare branch of the fragile you tree. It s a mere dot, a nothing. But already it s a flower, already a fruit, already its on death and resurrection. And so it is this day we see the buds and blooms that have appeared all around us and we rejoice! For the beauty of this spring day and for the community with which we share it, we light our flaming chalice this morning. May it ever be so and blessed be you all! 1 SLT #625: An Eye for Miracles, Diego Valeri OFFERING Let s do something a little bit different today, instead of one of my usual speeches about offerings. I would like to invite up the Chair of our Stewardship Team, Ed Sykes. [Ed s Testimonial] [Back to me...] If you are here for the first time, we invite you to let the offering basket pass you by, because you are our honored guest. And if you have made this your spiritual home, we thank you for your continuing generosity. Every month, we also collect donations during the Offering to support a worthy cause. This month, our March 27, 2016 Page 2 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

3 Share-the-Plate Recipient is. If you are writing a check, please specify on the Memo line whether this is for your Pledge, an offering to UCH, or for the Share-the-Plate recipient. Thank you, all, for your generosity. This morning s offering will now be received. March 27, 2016 Page 3 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

4 Arisen Again: The Meaning of Resurrection Myths Reverend Michael Walker HOMILY #1 As we experiment with multigenerational worship, I m breaking up my usual sermon into three smaller homilies today. I m going to tell you some stories, resurrection myths, and probably not the one you are expecting. Even so... Happy Easter! Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming beautifully, the sun is more often to be seen in the sky and the grayness of winter is slowly receding. So, happy spring and happy Easter. In our culture, we often honor Easter as a time of new beginnings, and for some, a promise of eternal life guaranteed by their Lord. The term, easter, comes from the ancient Germanic word, Eostre or Ostara, which celebrated the coming of their goddess of the dawn, springtime, dew on the grass and new growth. (Sara told us this story earlier.) After winter, in which so much has died off, the rebirth of vegetation in the spring was a cause for celebration, especially in the northern cultures. From the beginning, Easter has been related to resurrection. Also, throughout history and in many cultures, there have been other stories of resurrection, and I d like to look at these through the archetypal lens of Carl Jung. March 27, 2016 Page 4 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

5 Archetypes are recurring patterns, the basic elements of cultural stories around the world. We tend to refer to those cultural stories as myths, myth being the Greek word for story. The more recent connotation of myth as a story-that-is-untrue is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word. Any story told to explain a culture s understanding of a concept is a myth, and today, we are exploring myths of resurrection, with the intention to return to the present and explore how the archetype of resurrection can have meaning in one s own life. Speaking of Jung s understanding of resurrection, Dr. Jenna Lilla has written: 2 Carl Jung contemplates the archetype of rebirth 2 Dr. Jenna Lilla. Carl Jung: on rebirth, resurrection, metempsychosis on Path of the Soul website. and resurrection. It is through metaphorical experiences of death and rebirth that we come to know what is essential within us. [...]... Resurrection means a reestablishment of human existence after death. A new element enters here: that of the change, transmutation, or transformation of one s being. The change may be [...] that the resurrected being is a different one; or [...] that only the general conditions of existence have changed, as when one finds oneself in a different place or in a body which is differently constituted. It may be a carnal body, as in the Christian assumption that this body will be resurrected. On a higher level, the process is no longer understood in a gross material sense; it is March 27, 2016 Page 5 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

6 assumed that the resurrection of the dead is the raising up of the... subtle body,... Here, Dr. Lilla points out that Jung describes the concept of resurrection, first, as a metaphor for the transformation of one s being, changing oneself in some fundamental way; it also illuminates our lives, allowing us to see ourselves at the most basic or essential level. Secondarily, the quote describes resurrection as a literal raising of the dead, but quickly shifts to looking at that in a soul-sense, which is how I would understand the term, subtle body, which is raised up. When we come to the next homily, I will share some stories, mythographies of resurrection found in many different cultures; mythography being the description and analysis of a cultural story. The most common form of resurrection myth relates to the seasons and agriculture. Stories about agricultural rebirth are most prevalent in regions with very distinct seasons, and even more so if the seasons are different to an extreme, such as arid regions in which the growing season is relatively short. For example, the Sumerian-descended cultures of the Near East, including Babylon, Assyria and Akkad, had a god called Tammuz or Dumuzi. He was the consort of the goddess Inanna or Ishtar, depending on which culture we are discussing. There are several versions to their story, which is a romance for the ages. In one version, Tammuz dies and enters the underworld. Being a vegetation god in the Near East, this marks the March 27, 2016 Page 6 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

7 beginning of the searing summer heat and the death of many plants, including crops. His wife, Inanna, descends into the underworld to rescue Tammuz, but Inanna s sister, the goddess of death does not wish to release him. But, they strike a bargain, by which Tammuz will spend half of every year in the underworld, and half in the waking world, which of course aligns with the annual, agricultural cycle of Sumeria. brought Persephone to the underworld for the winter half of the year, during which time Demeter grieves and thrashes the heavens and sends storms down upon the earth. But, then, for the summer half of the year, Demeter has convinced Hades to reluctantly part from his beloved for a time and so Persephone spends the summer half of the year in the sunshine of the world with her mother, and the crops grow well and all are happy. In the next homily, we will explore a different kind Some may recognize a similarity to a better known of resurrection myth. myth from ancient Greece. Change the genders of the gods involved, and we find Hades, god of the underworld, has fallen in love with beautiful Persephone. The goddess of agriculture in Greek myth is Demeter, mother of Persephone. The story goes that Hades has March 27, 2016 Page 7 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

8 HOMILY #2 Being proficient in magic, Isis brought Osiris back to life, and they returned to Egypt to rule together. The oldest known story of resurrection comes from Egypt, and it is a story of jealousy. In some versions, Osiris is the son of Ra and a king among gods, and beloved of Isis. He brought civilization and prosperity to the Nile River valley. His brother, Set, was jealous of Osiris, who seemed to have it all a kingdom and wealth, a wife and a life filled with love. In a fit of jealous rage, Set killed his brother and locked his body in a box (which became the inspiration for Egyptian sarcophagi), and threw it in the river. It was swept away by the Nile, out into the sea. Isis went searching for her husband, and found the box with his body on the shores Seeing that he would lose what he had gained by killing his brother, Set killed Osiris again. And now the story turns gruesome. This time, Set chopped his brother s body into many pieces and distributed them throughout the world. Refusing to give up, Isis wandered the world, collecting the pieces of her husband s body. Touched by her devotion, the other gods resurrected Osiris again, and made him king of the underworld and the afterlife. It was later that the myths of this resurrected god were tied to the flooding and receding of the Nile, and the agricultural cycles of Egypt, connecting this story with the previous ones. of a far away land, that we would now call Lebanon. March 27, 2016 Page 8 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

9 Another act of jealousy also led to the death and resurrection of a Hindu god in India. The elephantheaded god, Ganesha, is one of the most recognizable gods of the old world, whose worship has continued through to the present day. One version of his story describes Ganesha as a love-child of the goddess and queen, Parvati. While this may not have been a virgin birth, per se, Ganesha is not known to have a father, in this version of the myth. However, he was Parvati s little darling, her beloved child. Also, Parvati was annoyed with her husband, the god of transformation and king of the world, Shiva. So, she set Ganesha as a guard at the door of her chambers. The dutiful son, he would let no one enter, not even his mother s husband. Shiva, jealous of this child, not his son, who had the love and attention of his own wife, killed Ganesha in a fit of jealousy. Of course, Parvati was furious and inconsolable. To make amends, Shiva promised to resurrect Ganesha. He had only to put a head on his shoulders and breathe life back into him. But, still jealous and a bit spiteful, Shiva place the head of an elephant on Ganesha s body. Once he had resurrected the boy, Parvati was grateful better to be elephant-headed than dead, I suppose. In a further show of supposed magnanimity, the king Shiva made Ganesha, not a prince, but put in him in charge of all the King s servants. The charismatic boygod, Ganesha prevails though, as one with such a likable personality that he drew many gods and people to him; he became very beloved. Shiva eventually had to March 27, 2016 Page 9 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

10 concede the Ganesha was a prince among gods. summary of the life of Krishna says: 3 According to the Mahabharata, [a] Hindu epic, There was another among the Vedic and Hindu deities of ancient India that has a story about a different sort of resurrection. This is a story of an avatar, the earthly manifestation of a god. Shiva s brother, Vishnu was the god for the preservation of the universe and king among gods in heaven. In one story about Vishnu, he wanted to learn more about the people of earth and what happens in their lives. So, he caused his soul to be borne into a human body, and was called Krishna while he was on the earth. He lived a full life, with adventures and teachings for those who would follow him. One Krishna is an incarnation of the god Vishnu. The form of Krishna allowed the god to better understand his creation and interact with his people. After many adventures, wars, and explorations of the nature of the universe, Krishna attends a festival. At this festival conflict breaks out and Krishna retires to a wood to meditate. While he is contemplating under a tree, a hunter mistakes him for a deer and fatally wounds him with an arrow. Krishna dies and his body burned, but, being a god, he does not decay and instead ascends to heaven. 3 March 27, 2016 Page 10 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

11 Many religions have stories of gods walking among humans, dying and being resurrected and returning to heaven. Besides Krishna, another was the Germanic father-god, Odin, as well as the one you probably were thinking of, the Semitic Son of God named Yeshua. We will hear Yeshua s story in the next homily. March 27, 2016 Page 11 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

12 HOMILY #3 Jew, and apprenticed to his step-father as a carpenter. The story of Jesus has provided Christians with several Yeshua brings us back to Easter, as it is celebrated in western culture. Yeshua, or Jesus, was said to be the son of the God of the Jews, sent to earth to live among people and save them from damnation, by living as a role model for others as to how God wished them to live their lives. For some, during his life, that was an unbelievable claim. For others, it became their whole reason for existence, and the teaching of Jesus lessons became the lifelong work of many disciples, spreading his religion throughout the Middle East. In the story of the life of Jesus, we are told he was born in a miraculous manner, but into very indigent circumstances. He grew up as an observant and faithful key moments that reflect on their theology. First, his birth was a major moment in his story, followed by his baptism into the service of his Father, God, and concluded with his execution and resurrection. It is the final days of his story that are most applicable today. Jesus had a message that, in part, contradicted the official teachings of the establishment. The temple priests felt that he was undermining them and convinced the Roman authorities to arrest him. Wishing to keep the peace, they did so and he was crucified alongside two petty criminals. They designed the whole event to degrade him and minimize his importance. It did not turn out that way, however, because of what is said to have March 27, 2016 Page 12 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

13 come after. Entombed for three days after his execution, with women from his family mourning outside his tomb, it said that the rock covering the entrance to the tomb was rolled away and the body of Jesus ascended into heaven, to rejoin his Father. This was another unbelievable story! Many people did not believe the women who said they were witnesses to the event. However, over time, the disciples realized that this only enhanced the story of Jesus, and made the teachings they offered all the more powerful and compelling. That was important, because saving souls was their mission. This event was to foreshadow a far-future event that has been a cornerstone of Christian doctrine for two millennia now. That is, like Jesus, all believers will one day be bodily assumed into heaven at the time of the Final Judgment. This has become the focus of the Christian observance of Easter, setting aside the Germanic goddess for which the day is named, or the bunnies and eggs that were her symbols. In the Christian church, Easter is about resurrection, which was an answer to the problem of death and the after-life. Now, some theologians (and even psychologists like Jung) have suggested that we can better understand resurrection in the sense of what Jung called the subtle body, or one might call the soul. That it is the soul that returns to God, or the Source of All. My purpose today was to find meaning in the resurrection myths. I do not believe in bodily resurrection, although I have many people in my life who do. I am more inclined to take the Jungian approach, and March 27, 2016 Page 13 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

14 consider that one s soul, which is also one s conscience, merges with the collective unconscious. Emerson would have called this the over-soul and the world-soul. Returning the Hindu and Vedic teachings, they have an explicit name for this: Brahman, which is the soul of the world or the universe, and Atman, the personal soul is a nugget of Brahman that all living beings carry within. Something else that seems apparent to me, in all this talk of resurrection, is that it is based in a fear of death and the unknown. Though many of these myths speak of an afterlife, we mere humans do not actually know what comes after life. Some will take the rational approach, and say that life ends with bodily death. There is nothing that comes after. Others might say that our life-force or soul or conscience or Atman continues on, even after the body itself has died. There are many other possibilities. But, that s the catch they are possibilities, variables in the great theorem of existence, the equation we call life. We don t know the value of those variables, or the answer to that equation of life. We cannot see what comes after the equal sign, or what is on the other side of the veil between life and death. And so, a recurring pattern in the stories of so many cultures is the archetype of resurrection. A common factor in those stories is what Dr. Lilla, in the quote we began with today, said: 4 A new element enters [the story]: that of the change, transmutation, or transformation of one s being. 4 Lilla, ibid. March 27, 2016 Page 14 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

15 That is what people are seeking, a transformation of a disappointing or dreary life, the changing of oneself for the better. And, it seems to me that this is something that we can seek to achieve in this life, not knowing what comes after. If I wish to live a good life, I shall seek to live it now, because I simply don t know if I ll get the chance later! Many of the stories of resurrection told today might offer inspiration they were stories of love against all odds, prevailing in the face of adversity, and service to something greater than themselves. All of these stories, not least of all the story of the life of Jesus, have this to offer us on this Easter Sunday, and beyond. May it ever be so and blessed be you all! March 27, 2016 Page 15 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

16 BENEDICTION (by Helen Steiner Rice) In honor of our Christian brethren and all who celebrate Easter this day, I wish to offer a benediction from that tradition. God, give us eyes to see the beauty of the Spring, And to behold Your majesty in every living thing - And may we see in lacy leaves and every budding flower The Hand that rules the universe with gentleness and power - And may this Easter grandeur Awaken faded flowers of faith lying dormant in our hearts, And give us ears to hear, dear God, the Springtime song of birds With messages more meaningful than man's often empty words Telling harried human beings who are lost in dark despair - 'Be like us and do not worry for God has you in His care. Helen Steiner Rice 5 May it ever be so and blessed be you all! that Spring lavishly imparts 5 March 27, 2016 Page 16 Unitarian Church of Harrisburg

EASTER, RESURRECTION AND ALL THAT CHRISTIAN STUFF!

Rev. Bob Klein First UU Church Stockton April 20, 2014 EASTER, RESURRECTION AND ALL THAT CHRISTIAN STUFF! I haven t called myself a Christian in many years, but I still value my best understanding of Jesus