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Є p в в p в в в в в $ $ И И < N " И И < Both of the stories we heard this morning, one from the Gospel of John, and the other from the Gospel of Luke, describe experiences where very close friends of Jesus have some kind of encounter with him after he has died. We can imagine that he was such a powerful presence when he was alive, that his friends would indeed continue to experience him with them after hed died. I talk with families and friends of people who have died, and it is quite common for someone to say rather sheepishly ---- yesterday morning while I was drinking my coffee, I really felt very strongly that John was with me, right there in the kitchen. It is not at all uncommon to have experiences with loved ones who have died for quite some time afterwards. So undoubtedly, Jesus friends had some very powerful stories to share with each other in the days following his death. But those very personal stories are not why the Easter story eventually became the bedrock of a new religion. It had to be something much deeper and stronger --- what DID inspire the gospel writers to try so hard to tell the story of Jesus life, his death, and what his friends experienced after he was gone?
Im going to tell you right now that I do NOT believe that Jesus life and death were for the purpose of getting rid of our sins. I have never understood that idea, even after going to four years of seminary --- after reading countless books --- going to more classes and workshops and conferences. I know there are many people who do have this belief, and thats fine for them. It just never worked for me ---- and yet, I have always felt that Jesus was an incredible teacher, a beloved guide. Jesus gave everything he had to show his friends a way to live --- and he lived this way even as he way dying. I have wanted to explore what that way was!! Because the stories of his life were written so long ago, with no idea that wed be reading them 2000+ years later, it can take some hard work to uncover the treasure that lies within them. But its there --- and I thank Bishop John Shelby Spong for helping me discover some of that treasure, and learn how to articulate it.
I took an intensive one week class from him in which the theme was The Resurrection what meaning can we find in it if we dont believe that Jesus died for our sins?. This class was spellbinding for me --- he described how the gospel writers, each in their own way, tried to paint a portrait of a man who lived with a depth of integrity that no one in their time had ever seen. Bishop Spong said People who came into Jesus orbit became more alive --- more themselves --- more in touch with the source of life and love than they ever dreamed was possible. Jesus was so open to life, that those around him distinctly felt the presence of God, the Sacred, the Holy. Jesus opened himself to all that it means to be fully alive, deeply loving, and fully human. When he spent time in the desert, this openness to what it means to be fully human included learning about the temptations we all face. When he sat at the table with those who were outcast in his society, he opened himself to learning about what it means to be excluded, to live with deep wounds, physical, emotional, and spiritual. His friends were always with him, they witnessed Jesus expression of what it looks like to live fully in Gods presence. They saw and heard (but maybe only later understood) that Jesus heart was always inclined towards love. He did not have one drop of enmity hostility -- in him. He really did not wish ill will for anyone. He truly saw every single person as a member of the One Human Family. It is said that only humans have the doorway into a compassionate heart ---- and Jesus showed what it is like to live with that doorway wide open......letting compassion flow into every situation, every encounter, every relationship. What would our lives be like if we could treat every person we meet as a beloved family member???
Jesus recognized that we humans are products of all the components that make up our lives. We are given a certain measure of inherited characteristics; we are brought up in an environment that shapes us, with parents and other relatives who influence us; and we make choices in our lives based on all of these ingredients and more. How we interact with the world shapes the way the world looks to us. Jesus knew this.....and he also knew that every single one of us carries within us an original, sacred nature. The sacred within us sometimes goes into hiding, depending on what happens in our lives, and the choices we make. He saw that Sacred Nature in each person no matter what else might have covered it up. Sometimes it shines brightly, giving those around us a sense of comfort and well-being. Jesus knew that those who learn to incline their hearts towards love, instead of hostility, are able to open that doorway into compassion more fully. But when our hearts are inclined towards hate, harshness, and cruelty, we get stuck in suffering and pain. The world looks like an evil place because thats where our heart lives. What would our lives be like if we learned to incline our hearts towards love instead of hostility??
Bishop Spong laid out for us in the first three days of class some very good evidence that what we call the resurrection probably happened weeks not days --- after Jesus died. His friends were grieving, they were scared that they too might get killed, and they were probably extremely angry at those who killed him. They were suffering the intense pain of grief --- that doesnt go away quickly. But as they each experienced a sense of Jesus presence still with them, and shared these stories, perhaps they were able to come to a fuller understanding of what his life of integrity could teach them about how to live their own lives. Bishop Spong believes that it was Peter, the disciple who was portrayed as bumbling and slow to understand, who finally and powerfully understood Jesus message of love and compassion. It was Peter who experienced the resurrection of his own heart. He understood that what he had seen in Jesus --- one who lived every moment deeply, who gave love away extravagantly ---- was the expression of that Sacred that lives in each of us. He got it that it is up to each of us to live as fully as we are able, to let the Sacred in our heart shine out through our door of compassion ---- into the wounded places in the world. We each are given the chance to be reborn each moment --- we get to choose whether we are reborn into love or hate. When Jesus was dying on the cross, we are told he said about those who were putting him to death forgive them, they dont know what they are doing. Even in his most broken moment, he shows what it means to be reborn into loves embrace....he looked beyond the conditions that caused them to crucify him, into the heart of love he knew was still present in them. He knew that it was possible even for these who seemed so cruel, to awaken to the love that was buried deep in their hearts. It was an invitation for those who put him to death, to be reborn into love themselves.
We are invited, as Christians, as spiritual beings, to incline our hearts towards love --- to do the hard work of reaching in towards the Sacred that is indeed present in each of us, and to reach out to our wounded brothers and sisters with compassion. Jesus friends finally understood this --- the early Christian communities were known for treating everyone with extravagant love and generosity of spirit. What they called The Way was an experiment in living as loving citizens of the world. They gave money to the poor, no matter who they were. They took care of the sick, and offered healing prayer to anyone who needed it. They wrote the story of their beloved teacher to pass along his teachings so others might understand his amazing message.
Today, on Easter, we celebrate his life and legacy ---- and we are invited, I believe, to understand that what we call Jesus resurrection is really OURS to make real. What we see when we look at Jesus life is an expression of the power of Love --- this is not an external power that only Jesus had --- it lives in each of us, and it binds us together as one family. This power of Love is truly what can heal us, can give us the strength to stand up for those who need help. This Love that his friends knew in Jesus and which is present in our own Sacred Nature -- is what enables us to be agents of life, love and wholeness in the world. Resurrection is NOT a past event --- it is something we are called to in each moment. Even in our brokenness, we have the possibility to choose to be resurrected into Love --- to open that doorway of compassion ---- and let the light of the Love in our hearts shine into every part of our world. Hallelujah! Amen.
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