CULDEE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DR. JOSEPH WASHBURN MAY 4, 2014 MATTHEW 28:1-7 LIVING THE RESURRECTION: RESURRECTION WONDER SO WHAT: As Christians we are called to live in the reality of the resurrection. More than living on this side of the empty tomb living the resurrection means capturing the awe and wonder of the resurrection and working to live our lives to the glory of God. In case you re wondering I realize two truths about today. First, our Scripture passage for today is most often heard on Easter. And second, today is not Easter. Now I say these two things because I recognize that the last time you may have heard me preaching it was on the story within our text although from a different gospel. My purpose for selecting this text is to help us see the importance of allowing this story to be at the center of our faith lives. One of the major responsibilities entrusted to the church is spiritual formation which could be described as lives formed by the Holy Spirit to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Simply put, spiritual formation is the lifelong formation of the life of Christ within us; it is the lifelong and daily business of allowing the risen Christ to shape and guide us so that we live in a manner that glorifies God. To that end, over the next couple of weeks we will go through a sermon series entitled Living the Resurrection in an effort to help us all gain a deeper understanding of how this gracious act in history both forms and shapes us. 1
Even a brief review of the four Gospels reveals to us the importance of the resurrection. You see, each of the Gospels begins differently; Matthew and Luke contain the birth narrative, although in Matthew it is basically one sentence; Mark begins with John the Baptist and Jesus coming to be baptized; and John begins famously with his description of the Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us and then moving on to John the Baptist and Jesus coming to be baptized. But all four Gospels end with the story of Jesus resurrection. Please know that that is not in significant. When all four Gospels relate the same story, although some of the details and elements may be different, you can typically place a lot of importance on that story or event. While it is true that each Gospels version of the resurrection narrative has different emphasis and nuances each one of them contain a sense of wonder, astonishment, and surprise. It is always interesting to me how those closest to Jesus were on the one hand committed and devoted to him and on the other hand completely failed to grasp what he was saying. Once Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem he predicted that he would be betrayed; he predicted that his disciples would scatter; and he told Peter that he would deny him three times before morning and every single one of these things took place 2
just as Jesus had said. Remember, that before they came to Jerusalem, Jesus had on more than one occasion predicted his arrest, death, and resurrection and yet in all of the Gospels it is clear that when the women went to the tomb on that first day they did not go looking for the resurrection. Here in the gospel of Matthew Mary Magdalena and the other Mary are going to continue their vigil of grief; they are going to continue their process saying goodbye to a friend who has died. But perhaps that is part of the beauty and power of the resurrection full understanding lies just outside of our grasp. Notice the contrast of those who were present at the tomb on that first Easter morning. When there was an earthquake and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it we re told that the guards at the tomb shook and became like dead men they were paralyzed with fear and unable to move. Now, to be sure this was a frightening moment for all who wear there you see, the angel says to the women, Do not be afraid! The guards shook in fear and the women are told not to be afraid it is the same word that is used in both instances. But rather than being paralyzed with fear, as the guards were, the women are filled with wonder. Wonder can be defined as doubt or uncertainty as in, I wonder if this ladder can hold my weight? But, it can also mean astonishment and 3
amazement as in, They were filled with wonder at the site of the fireworks. I suspect that for these women at the tomb it was a little bit of both. While they didn t fully understand, they trusted the words of the angel when he told them that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that he would meet them in Galilee. As they departed quickly from the tomb to go tell the disciples what had happened they encountered the risen Christ and we come face to face with what resurrection wonder really is. True Resurrection wonder is to live in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a sense of astonishment and amazement and we see this in the reaction of the women when they encounter Jesus. Eugene Peterson describes the women s encounter with the risen Christ this way, Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. Good morning! he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worship him. The first response to the risen Christ was to kneel before him this was an act of reference, or deep respect. The second response was an element of intimacy as they dared to lay hold of the risen Jesus and grasp his feet. It is these two acts kneeling in reverence and taking hold of Jesus that define true worship. You see simply coming before Jesus, being reverent or respectful before him, is not in itself worship. Similarly, touching and holding the feet of Jesus, an act of intimacy, is not in itself 4
worship. Worship occurs when we hold these two acts together. You see, reverence without intimacy has a tendency to become detached asceticism there is respect but no relationship. But intimacy without reverence tends to become nothing but gushy emotion. Rather than allowing the fear they experienced at the empty tomb to paralyzed them they allowed it to move them into a life that is defined by reverence for the amazing power of God that we see in the resurrection and by intimacy in the relationship with Jesus Christ. That type of living can be called resurrection wonder. We must not allow our familiarity with this story to allow us to become too comfortable with the events of the resurrection. In truth the resurrection is something that is truly beyond human comprehension or even modern logic but through the power and grace of God it is a reality. So let us all, like the women at the empty tomb, live a life of resurrection wonder. May we marvel at what God did on that Easter Sunday as we live in awe and respect of the fact that Jesus is alive. But may we also dare to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ allowing his love for us to fill us and to guide us in the manner in which we live. And each day may we grow closer and closer into the people that God created us to be and has called us to be. Amen. 5