Resurrection People

Sermon given on Easter Sunday, 2018 “Resurrection”…

Years ago, in Bridgeport, I had an organist named Arthur. Arthur was a kind man, but a forgetful, and — as an organist — he was kind of slow.  I don’t mean intellectually. He was actually quite smart, but his fingers couldn’t play a song at less than a dirge. Arthur was old and this was probably going to be his last church, so I found it kind of ironic that Arthur, ever year at Easter would yell, “We are a resurrection people!”. He grew up working with Episcopalians, so he learned that from his priest and he never let go of it.

Arthur popped into my head when I prepared for this sermon on resurrection. That’s the way that resurrection people work. He said this thing. I liked him. Now, 25 years later, I’m saying it to you. Say it back to me now…”We are a resurrection people”. May it stick in your head now, like it did mine.

As I thought this week about resurrection and what it means, Mark’s original text doesn’t tell us much.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”.  So, by this, we know that believing in the resurrection means being scared out of your wits, and worrying that people will think you’re crazy.  I’m not sure that THAT is what makes us “resurrection people”, being scared,and feeling crazy. You can see why someone want to add in verse 8b or 9, whichever you call it: “[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ]]. Now, that’s better.

We are resurrection people because we believe in “the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation”. Yes, it IS true, but it’s like something a lawyer would say, so it’s hard to figure out WHAT it means. Let’s be honest. In English, it’s “the holy and never ending saying out loud that people are saved forever”.

For some people that translates to “God loves you and you are saved from sin”. For me, it’s more like “you can’t keep a good man down”… at least the Best of humanity, as far as life on earth is concerned. I know lots and lots of people who have been run down over and over by life. I want them to know that they will, with God’s help, get up again.

In other words, because Jesus came out of that tomb 2,000 years ago, we win. All of us. Love wins. Peace wins. Forgiveness wins. Good wins. Ultimately, life wins. No matter how difficult it is to believe, no matter how twisted in knots our souls get, what’s left at the end of it all is we find peace, and love, and forgiveness and holiness and life forever.

Personally, I associate the resurrection with heaven. When you think of “heaven”, what do you think of? Seeing your loved ones again and being thrilled to see them? Seeing them put back in original shape, healed from whatever killed them? Do they have to worry? No. Do they have to eat? No. Do they have to sleep? No, but they could if they wanted to. (That’s my fantasy) Seeing every dog or cat you ever had? Seeing them happy and playful? If you believe in old metaphors, is there music? Heavenly choirs and lots and lots of harps?

Whatever you dream is in heaven because of the resurrection of Jesus… being “resurrection people” means that is what you believe earth should be like. That’s what being a Christian in this life means. Those ideas were planted in your heart and mind by God, as a model, as something to look for and expect — forever.

Do you dream of seeing your loved ones in the afterlife and being thrilled to do so? See the loved ones you have now and be thrilled to see them. Believe your loved ones’ll be healed? Heal others or help them heal. Support people who do that kind of thing. Believe they’ll be safe? Make the world safe. Believe they won’t have to worry? Bring peace to other people’s hearts. Believe they don’t have to eat in heaven? Make it so that people never worry about eating down here. If you believe in rest in heaven, then give people rest or take rest right here on earth. Believe you’ll be spending eternity with God? Spend time with God now.

Do you believe that dogs and cats will be happy and playful in heaven? Help them be happy and playful here. Take care of them here. If you think there’s music in heaven, play or sing music here. Now.

That’s what resurrection people do. They bring their dreams of heaven to earth — as Jesus said, “on earth as it is in heaven”.  What would it be like if all of the resurrection people in the world got together? The world would be full of people of people thrilled to see each other, treasuring others, Being healed and healing others, fighting whatever kills people. The world be full of calm people who experience and give forgiveness to others, people who don’t worry about what they’re going to eat or drink, a world where people rested in God’s loving embrace at night, where animals and humans were treated like they were loved. We’d live in a world full of music makers, of happy and playful people.

Will we get it right? Probably not. We’re still human, after all. But we’ll at least be going in the right direction… and when the resurrection comes, we’ll at least know what to do. Amen.