Sermon from 30th March 2008
Today our Vicar, Cameron Barker, preaches, based on the gospel reading from John 20:19-31
“Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a believer”.
Now after mentioning Christmas on both Good Friday and Easter Day, I know I risk sounding like a scratched CD. But that quote from John Irving's novel, A prayer for Owen Meany – and the response to it in that book – gives the very best rationale for our post-Easter series. And I promise that the focus of it is on Easter not Christmas. You see, as Owen Meany agrees with the narrator: ‘if you don’t believe in Easter, don’t kid yourself; don’t call yourself a Christian’.
So I was particularly interested to read the result of an on-line survey conducted last weekend. Apparently 57% of British adults believe that Jesus was crucified, died and then rose from death. That sounds very encouraging; until you start to wonder where all those people are this morning! If Jesus truly was the Son of God who died for us on Good Friday; if he did indeed rise from death on Easter Day, as we proclaimed last Sunday; if he really is alive today, those are radically life-altering facts. And if we truly believe them, these facts must shape everything about how we live – because they shape who and what we fundamentally are.
If it's not true, though, “If Christ has not been raised from death then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe. And face it – if there was no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God. All these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised Christ to life are sheer fabrications if Christ wasn't raised. ... And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost in your sins as you ever were ... And it's also true to say that “if our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world”.
That's how the apostle Paul summarised the nub of this whole issue in his first letter to Christians in ancient Corinth. If the language sounded a little unfamiliar, that's because I've been quoting from the modern Message version. But it certainly helps focus the mind sharply on the importance of the resurrection. If it is not true, if Jesus wasn't raised to life, then we are in big trouble! The whole of the Christian faith revolves around the truth – or otherwise – of what happened on that first Easter Day.
Now I know that some people, including a former Bishop of Durham, have questioned it before now. I'm also aware that people had questions when we looked at this topic here last autumn. So we are going to dwell on the facts of the resurrection this week and next. The plan is to discover what plenty of others before us have – that the evidence stands up to scrutiny. Then, after we have fully investigated the evidence, we will move on. What we'll then move on to – right through to the summer – is how the resurrected life of Jesus is a life that's truly worth living, now and eternally.
Of course that will be based on believing in the truth of the resurrection. Yes that is, in a way, prejudging the outcome of our investigations. But the glorious truth, again as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, is that “Christ has been raised from death, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries”. And Paul also added in his letter the evidence for his own faith in both the fact and the effects of Jesus' resurrection, which had so shaped his own life.
As Paul wrote: “The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that Christ died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than 500 of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me”.
That is in itself is a pretty comprehensive list of evidence. And it all comes from those who believed it so completely that they were prepared to die rather than to recant. But it is far from the full evidence of the Bible. It does depend a little on how you marry them up, but there are as many as 11 resurrection appearances in the New Testament! And, as we heard in our reading from John, as well as in the children's reading from Luke, Jesus didn't appear to 'just' one person at a time. Usually there were a good number of witnesses present, making it highly unlikely that it was just a hallucination by desperate or deluded individuals. And that fact too is noteworthy in helping us discover the truth of the resurrection.
So lets now look at what happened on Easter Day, and then one week later. At Easter itself we usually focus on the events of the morning, at or near the tomb. But this took place in the evening, probably in the same room where Jesus and his disciples had shared a last meal 3 days earlier. Now, don't forget that none of the disciples had seen Jesus at this point. Some of the women had seen him; and, to their credit, some of the men had believed them. But they had not seen him themselves, none of them. And they were clearly still pretty confused and uncertain about it all. They had locked themselves in that room, fearing they might be next on the list for a cross. But I can easily imagine that they were discussing the day's extraordinary events. And then Jesus was there, standing among them!
I don't know how he did it, any more than the disciples did; but there he was, speaking peace to them – not once but twice. And, to prove that it was truly him, Jesus showed them his hands and his side. This clearly wasn't any spiritual resurrection then, so much as a bodily one. Yes, he could somehow pass through a locked door; but Jesus had a body they recognised, and one that they could touch. And his living presence brought them both peace and joy – as it can and must do for all who believe in his resurrection.
Jesus also had a job for his disciples, the same job he'd been trying to give them for 3 years. But, before we get to that job, we need to focus on the person who wasn't there on that Easter night. We're not told where Thomas was, or when he turned up after Jesus had left. But of course the other disciples told him what'd just happened. And of course Thomas didn't believe them! That does fit with what else we know about Thomas from the gospels. He was loyal and committed – but not always the fastest to catch on to what Jesus meant. He often took persuading – and this was no exception. Thomas demanded that he had to see and touch for himself before he could or would believe it was true.
So now we skip forward a week, to the following Sunday. The disciples were in the same room, with the doors again locked. This time Thomas was with them; so he could see for himself that it truly was Jesus who suddenly appeared. First he wished his disciples peace again. Then, echoing Thomas' words, almost to the letter, Jesus invited him to check out the evidence of his eyes with his hands. Jesus made the purpose of his offer plain: “Stop your doubting, and believe!” We're not told whether Thomas did touch Jesus' scars or not – but I'm with those who believe that he didn't. In response, Thomas simply proclaimed to and about Jesus: 'My Lord and my God'.
Now the first part of John's gospel is often called the Book of signs. It records the signs that Jesus did that proved that he was who he said he was. There haven't been any signs since chapter 12: until now! But this surely was – and is – the greatest sign of all! Thomas certainly thought that it was! What greater sign could there be that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, than his rising from the dead? When he realised that it was true, Thomas did stop his doubting, and believed. You see, there's nothing wrong with questioning the facts. Jesus didn't tell Thomas off for wanting to see and touch before he believed in his resurrection. But our questioning must be of the sort that is open to persuasion by the facts about Jesus. We, like Thomas, must be willing to acknowledge and believe in Jesus for who he is when we meet him.
And this was more than enough evidence for John too. As he wrote, there were so many more signs that Jesus did that he could have written down. But these were, and are, enough: they were, and are, enough for us too to believe that Jesus truly is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, who died and rose again for us. That was precisely John's aim in writing his gospel. He wrote so that people who read it, those who haven't known Jesus in person, would also come to believe that Jesus is who he says he is. As Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen me. How blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” And, more than that, John wanted people like us to have life in Jesus through the faith that we can have that he is the risen Son of God.
So, there's challenge for anyone thinking about Easter seriously for the first time. If that's you, I do hope and pray that you too will come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose again for you – even though you have not seen him yourself. The evidence for Jesus' resurrection does hold up more than well enough. So I hope and pray that you will come to have this abundant life in his name through your new-found faith in him. And John or I would be delighted to share the joy and peace that comes with your new Christ-given life – so please do let us do that.
But I guess that it's more likely that you are here today because you already believe in Jesus. Well, if that is true of you, then you need to hear and take on the job that Jesus has for you. It's the same job he gave his disciples when he first appeared to them on Easter Day. Jesus breathed on them, and gave them the gift of his Holy Spirit. That was Jesus' way of equipping his followers to live this abundant life that he died to give them. More than that, Jesus gave them his Spirit so that they could go and tell and show others this abundant life. So yes, be filled with God's joy and peace that Jesus truly is risen from the dead. Enjoy this abundant life that you now have in his name. But go and share it with others too, so that they also can have life and joy and peace through having faith in the risen Christ. So lets pray ...
“Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a believer”.
Now after mentioning Christmas on both Good Friday and Easter Day, I know I risk sounding like a scratched CD. But that quote from John Irving's novel, A prayer for Owen Meany – and the response to it in that book – gives the very best rationale for our post-Easter series. And I promise that the focus of it is on Easter not Christmas. You see, as Owen Meany agrees with the narrator: ‘if you don’t believe in Easter, don’t kid yourself; don’t call yourself a Christian’.
So I was particularly interested to read the result of an on-line survey conducted last weekend. Apparently 57% of British adults believe that Jesus was crucified, died and then rose from death. That sounds very encouraging; until you start to wonder where all those people are this morning! If Jesus truly was the Son of God who died for us on Good Friday; if he did indeed rise from death on Easter Day, as we proclaimed last Sunday; if he really is alive today, those are radically life-altering facts. And if we truly believe them, these facts must shape everything about how we live – because they shape who and what we fundamentally are.
If it's not true, though, “If Christ has not been raised from death then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe. And face it – if there was no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God. All these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised Christ to life are sheer fabrications if Christ wasn't raised. ... And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost in your sins as you ever were ... And it's also true to say that “if our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world”.
That's how the apostle Paul summarised the nub of this whole issue in his first letter to Christians in ancient Corinth. If the language sounded a little unfamiliar, that's because I've been quoting from the modern Message version. But it certainly helps focus the mind sharply on the importance of the resurrection. If it is not true, if Jesus wasn't raised to life, then we are in big trouble! The whole of the Christian faith revolves around the truth – or otherwise – of what happened on that first Easter Day.
Now I know that some people, including a former Bishop of Durham, have questioned it before now. I'm also aware that people had questions when we looked at this topic here last autumn. So we are going to dwell on the facts of the resurrection this week and next. The plan is to discover what plenty of others before us have – that the evidence stands up to scrutiny. Then, after we have fully investigated the evidence, we will move on. What we'll then move on to – right through to the summer – is how the resurrected life of Jesus is a life that's truly worth living, now and eternally.
Of course that will be based on believing in the truth of the resurrection. Yes that is, in a way, prejudging the outcome of our investigations. But the glorious truth, again as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, is that “Christ has been raised from death, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries”. And Paul also added in his letter the evidence for his own faith in both the fact and the effects of Jesus' resurrection, which had so shaped his own life.
As Paul wrote: “The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that Christ died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than 500 of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me”.
That is in itself is a pretty comprehensive list of evidence. And it all comes from those who believed it so completely that they were prepared to die rather than to recant. But it is far from the full evidence of the Bible. It does depend a little on how you marry them up, but there are as many as 11 resurrection appearances in the New Testament! And, as we heard in our reading from John, as well as in the children's reading from Luke, Jesus didn't appear to 'just' one person at a time. Usually there were a good number of witnesses present, making it highly unlikely that it was just a hallucination by desperate or deluded individuals. And that fact too is noteworthy in helping us discover the truth of the resurrection.
So lets now look at what happened on Easter Day, and then one week later. At Easter itself we usually focus on the events of the morning, at or near the tomb. But this took place in the evening, probably in the same room where Jesus and his disciples had shared a last meal 3 days earlier. Now, don't forget that none of the disciples had seen Jesus at this point. Some of the women had seen him; and, to their credit, some of the men had believed them. But they had not seen him themselves, none of them. And they were clearly still pretty confused and uncertain about it all. They had locked themselves in that room, fearing they might be next on the list for a cross. But I can easily imagine that they were discussing the day's extraordinary events. And then Jesus was there, standing among them!
I don't know how he did it, any more than the disciples did; but there he was, speaking peace to them – not once but twice. And, to prove that it was truly him, Jesus showed them his hands and his side. This clearly wasn't any spiritual resurrection then, so much as a bodily one. Yes, he could somehow pass through a locked door; but Jesus had a body they recognised, and one that they could touch. And his living presence brought them both peace and joy – as it can and must do for all who believe in his resurrection.
Jesus also had a job for his disciples, the same job he'd been trying to give them for 3 years. But, before we get to that job, we need to focus on the person who wasn't there on that Easter night. We're not told where Thomas was, or when he turned up after Jesus had left. But of course the other disciples told him what'd just happened. And of course Thomas didn't believe them! That does fit with what else we know about Thomas from the gospels. He was loyal and committed – but not always the fastest to catch on to what Jesus meant. He often took persuading – and this was no exception. Thomas demanded that he had to see and touch for himself before he could or would believe it was true.
So now we skip forward a week, to the following Sunday. The disciples were in the same room, with the doors again locked. This time Thomas was with them; so he could see for himself that it truly was Jesus who suddenly appeared. First he wished his disciples peace again. Then, echoing Thomas' words, almost to the letter, Jesus invited him to check out the evidence of his eyes with his hands. Jesus made the purpose of his offer plain: “Stop your doubting, and believe!” We're not told whether Thomas did touch Jesus' scars or not – but I'm with those who believe that he didn't. In response, Thomas simply proclaimed to and about Jesus: 'My Lord and my God'.
Now the first part of John's gospel is often called the Book of signs. It records the signs that Jesus did that proved that he was who he said he was. There haven't been any signs since chapter 12: until now! But this surely was – and is – the greatest sign of all! Thomas certainly thought that it was! What greater sign could there be that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, than his rising from the dead? When he realised that it was true, Thomas did stop his doubting, and believed. You see, there's nothing wrong with questioning the facts. Jesus didn't tell Thomas off for wanting to see and touch before he believed in his resurrection. But our questioning must be of the sort that is open to persuasion by the facts about Jesus. We, like Thomas, must be willing to acknowledge and believe in Jesus for who he is when we meet him.
And this was more than enough evidence for John too. As he wrote, there were so many more signs that Jesus did that he could have written down. But these were, and are, enough: they were, and are, enough for us too to believe that Jesus truly is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, who died and rose again for us. That was precisely John's aim in writing his gospel. He wrote so that people who read it, those who haven't known Jesus in person, would also come to believe that Jesus is who he says he is. As Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen me. How blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” And, more than that, John wanted people like us to have life in Jesus through the faith that we can have that he is the risen Son of God.
So, there's challenge for anyone thinking about Easter seriously for the first time. If that's you, I do hope and pray that you too will come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose again for you – even though you have not seen him yourself. The evidence for Jesus' resurrection does hold up more than well enough. So I hope and pray that you will come to have this abundant life in his name through your new-found faith in him. And John or I would be delighted to share the joy and peace that comes with your new Christ-given life – so please do let us do that.
But I guess that it's more likely that you are here today because you already believe in Jesus. Well, if that is true of you, then you need to hear and take on the job that Jesus has for you. It's the same job he gave his disciples when he first appeared to them on Easter Day. Jesus breathed on them, and gave them the gift of his Holy Spirit. That was Jesus' way of equipping his followers to live this abundant life that he died to give them. More than that, Jesus gave them his Spirit so that they could go and tell and show others this abundant life. So yes, be filled with God's joy and peace that Jesus truly is risen from the dead. Enjoy this abundant life that you now have in his name. But go and share it with others too, so that they also can have life and joy and peace through having faith in the risen Christ. So lets pray ...
posted by Parish Administrator at 10:28 am
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