Let us pray: Gracious and everliving Father, on this day which is greater than all the days, we come seeking to understand the eternal message of the gospel and how it may transform our lives. May we in these moments not only come to know that Jesus lives, but may we come to know him as brother and friend. In Christ's holy name we pray, Amen.
The philosopher Sidney Hook writes in an article titled "In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia" about how at one point in his life he was near death. The treatment for his congestive heart failure had triggered a stroke. His left side and vocal cords became paralyzed and pleurisy set into his body. He lay for weeks in pain and misery connected to life-support machines in the hospital. At one point his heart stopped beating altogether, but just as he lost consciousness, his heart was thumped back into action once again by the doctors.
At another time when he was relatively clear-headed, Mr. Hook asked his physician to discontinue life-support services, or to show him how to do it himself, so as to relieve the doctor of any moral responsibility. However, the doctor refused. He said that someday Mr. Hook would appreciate how unwise that request made in a state of pain and suffering really was.
One month later Professor Hook was discharged from the hospital, and in six months' time he had regained the use of his arms and legs and voice. He went back to work as a writer and philosopher, for he still had contributions to make. As he reflects upon this apparent healing, Mr. Hook comments that some people might see his experience as an argument against allowing the requests of patients who want to die to be honored.
But Sidney Hook says that he does not. Having lived a full and happy life, he does not wish to suffer another heart attack, or to burden his wife and children any longer with his infirmity. In his maturity of 80 plus years, he has realized that death is not the worst thing that can happen. He quotes the ancient sage Seneca, who observed long ago that "the wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can."1
I share this story with you because it helps us to appreciate one of the great themes of the resurrection story and the entire Easter event, which is that death is not the final word in life. In the story of Christ's rising from the dead we receive a hope that can sustain us and uphold us no matter what happens to us, no matter how difficult our circumstances become in life. People who have lived their lives in faith and are at peace with God and themselves have no need to stand in fear of death.
Easter Day is that time when you and I gather together in this church among our families and friends to reflect upon what God has done for us. We come together to worship in wonder and amazement at the resurrection of God's son who is Christ our Lord. This is also a time to reflect upon the resurrection of the human race - God's message to us that indeed we can be forgiven for our sins and freed to live in love and peace for all of eternity.
So let us then consider the two vital messages of the day - the power of immortality and the power of the risen and present Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead affirms what the New Testament records speak of as "eternal life," the conviction which Christians hold that our souls are truly immortal and will live forever. When you and I witness immortality in the man Jesus Christ, our lives take on a new and different meaning. We can think of our lives in a different context, for we know that what is here and now is not all there is.
The Roman Emperor Vespasian once said, "I will die on my feet, as becomes an Emperor." For the word emperor, we can substitute the words "man" or "woman." It certainly becomes a man or woman to go on with life with as much intensity as one can to the end of one's days, especially if that person claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.2 But as we travel the rough and rocky roads of life, it is sometimes very difficult to remember that fact. No man or woman here today needs to be lectured on the frail and precarious nature of life on earth. Illness or accident can cut down any one of us at any time. How easily our dreams can be foiled or damaged by our mistakes or by the behind-the-scenes workings of people who are jealous or just do not like us. How fragile are those great dreams of one's youth which are so often trampled upon by a cruel and careless world.
Paul's words written to the Philippians can be very helpful to us as we face obstacles and setbacks in living. As he sat in his prison cell and wrote these words, the apostle must have been very disappointed with the way in which his ministry of 15 years was turning out. He had been let down by fellow workers such as Demas and even Peter. Nobody had supported him at his first trial. The church in Corinth was constantly fighting and bickering over stupid issues. All of these disappointments could have resulted in bitterness and resignation for a person of weaker faith.
Yet in the midst of his personal struggle, Paul was able to write these words: "Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:13-14)." When people see themselves as immortal and conceive of life as eternal, then they, like Paul, will never view death and defeat as the final chapter in human existence.
Our faith then enables us to see disappointments and defeats as simply the conditions of our discipleship. They are the terms on which we must live the life that God has granted to us. Therefore, we need not let the shattering of dreams, or even the onset of age and illness disillusion us or leave us in despair. For although we know that this life is on the whole very good indeed, we realize that this life is only a foretaste, perhaps even a training ground for the life to come. The purpose of living is different when we witness and accept our essential human nature as being eternal and immortal.
It is true that a glance at the morning newspaper can be very saddening. This daily ritual does not cause us to have much faith in men and women. Leaders of great and well-educated nations cannot begin to agree on how to eliminate the terrible thermonuclear weapons that we point at each other in fear and ignorance. Thousands of lives are threatened because we cannot adequately control the hazardous chemicals that pass through our neighborhoods on trucks and trains. Men, women and children of all ages are killed every day because we will not deal firmly and responsibly with those weak people who drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol. It does appear at times that the evil in the world is getting the better of the human race.
However, the fact that our nature is immortal and that God is with us at all times means that we can face the troubles of the world head-on. We can meet these problems and defeat them, because we need not be afraid to take risks. We need not be fearful, because God will be with us no matter what we do if we follow the way of Christ.
When we make God part of our lives and accept the gift of immortality, then we are freed to make real investments in other people. You all know how difficult those investments can be, for we may not see any immediate payoffs. Sacrifice in a marriage can be incredibly difficult at times. Investing time with children may appear to be a waste of time if those children reject their parents and seem to care only about themselves. Taking care of elderly and sick relatives may seem to be a useless drain of time and money, leading to resentment. The energy expended in working with the mentally or physically handicapped may seem to be of little value, for the work can be so terribly frustrating.
But only God who is the Lord of time and history can really know what will happen in the long run to an investment in people. We may not be able to see any results, even any miraculous healings, in our own lifetime, but as we grow in age and maturity, we will come to know that many of those people we have known and loved have been gathered into a life eternal. For example, a man or woman of faith who has lost a spouse often just knows in his or her heart that the husband or wife lives on in eternity.
This is what the great Episcopal preacher Phillips Brooks has called the "echo of the Resurrection of Christ." This is when we come to feel in our spirits and in our hearts the very presence of those who have moved into a life beyond our immediate vision. We come to discover that our investments in those around us are never lost as we move from this earthly life into life with God in heaven. For we are bound together with those we love in God's mighty act of salvation which has been made real in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the community of saints. There really is all the reason in the world for us to care about people both now and in the future. Resurrection is then the foundation for the healing ministry of the church.
However, the message that life for us is eternal and that we will live forever is really only an aside to this great Easter story. Easter is not a "happily ever after" ending to God's story in Jesus Christ. The risen Lord himself calls us to live in his joy now and forever. That is what it means to participate in the joy of eternal life. Easter Day presents us with an opportunity for a joyful new beginning which can enable us to make sense out of our past and to hope for the future.
The greater message is that we can experience the power of the risen Christ here and now. This is the reason why we are here dressed in our newest and best clothing this glorious Easter Day. Because Christ lives, we can be forgiven, healed and transformed into new people.
There is a beautiful valley in Switzerland which is deeply hidden in that mountain range known as the Alps. That valley is completely surrounded by steep mountain walls. If one enters this valley, that person will move along the only road until it ends at the base of a steep wall of rock.
The Swiss call this place the "End of the World." However, if one is willing to go climbing by foot, Swiss guides will show a determined hiker the path that leads up and over that mountain barrier.
Reflecting upon this natural phenomenon, Harleigh Rosenberger comments that many people believe that life is like a road that runs through the valley of time. "We cannot turn back but must continue walking onward. The days pass quickly and then comes the end of the road. We stand at the sheer rock wall we call death. It is the end of our world, for it is the end of life."3
Because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and we have through him received the gift of eternal life, we find a way up and over that wall of rock. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:25)."
My friends in Christ, our hope is grounded in the gift of eternal life which we receive this day - it is our way out of the valley of darkness and despair through which all of us walk at one time or another in our lives. This gift of eternal life does not begin at death. It begins now for all who worship the risen Christ. This life eternal will then continue beyond the grave into the life to come, for our souls are eternal, and in Christ we become one with the Father who made us. This is the hope and the promise which we receive this glorious Easter Day.
As we go from this place of worship, I challenge you to celebrate the resurrection every week and every day of your life. Be glad in your heart that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead and that you will live forever if you can only believe and follow. Let us today make a joyful new beginning in Jesus Christ.
Benediction: Gracious and eternal Father, on this Easter day we have sung Hallelujah, Hallelujah - yes, we have sung praises to thy name, for Jesus Christ is risen, and he lives in our hearts. Help us then in the weeks and months ahead not to forget the reason why we are here. Lord, may Christ's rising from the dead enable us to become disciples again. Amen.
1. Sidney Hook, "In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia," New York Times, 1 March 1987, sec. 4, p. 25.
2. Dom Hubert van Zeller, We Die Standing Up (Garden City, New York: Image Books, 1961), p. 30.
3. Harleigh M. Rosenberger, Thoughts Along the Road (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1966), p. 119.