Pastor Jones, at St. Michaels Lutheran Church, wasn't quite sure just how to put his Easter sermon together. And believe me, it wasn't for lack of advice and study.
At the last council meeting, the church president had jokingly told him he hoped that this year's Easter sermon would finally say something significant to all those "Christmas and Easter Christians" who show up only twice a year and only put a dollar in the plate.
"Pastor, tell them how much money it takes to keep this building in good repair, and who pays the electrical bill when the boy scouts meet here every other night. And besides, Easter is the perfect opportunity to say something about being a good Christian and commitment. Save some of those souls ” tell them what Christianity is about."
On another occasion, a member of the adult Sunday school class had approached him about the same subject.
"Gee, Pastor, I don't mean to tell you how to write your sermons and all, but after this somber penance stuff in Lent we all deserve to laugh a little on Easter. The minister at my old church always said that if there's but one day of the year when you should be telling jokes in church, it's Easter." Even the folks on the altar guild and the worship and music committee were not to be outdone when it came to telling Pastor Jones how to do his job.
"Pastor, we sure hope that your sermon will do justice to all the flowers and banners we're putting in the sanctuary this year. The cleanup crew has promised to finish painting the chancel by next week. And we've got a whole lot of people lined up to polish the pews and the brass. You won't recognize the place on Easter."
But even with all the good and not so good advice, Pastor Jones was more or less at a loss when he sat down in his study and pulled paper and pen from the drawer.
"What am I supposed to say to all these good people about Jesus' resurrection that will even come close to the truth. What can I possibly say that will make people understand what happened on that one morning almost two thousand years ago. The world changed forever ” and the flowers, and the polished pews and eggs and the jokes simply aren't enough to convey that."
Pastor Jones opened his Bible once more to the text from Mark that, by now, he almost knew by heart. He was struck by the fact that the women who had seen the empty tomb with their own eyes were themselves speechless, and so utterly confounded that they began to be afraid.
"I know the feeling," the pastor mused.
Pastor Jones thought that the tale seemed indeed too crazy to be believed, let alone grasped by anyone. Why, in John's gospel, he remembered, the disciples locked the doors when Mary Magdalene showed up with the news. And in Luke, even those who should have known better thought the women were telling an idle tale. So what could Pastor Jones possibly say about Easter that would make a difference to anyone?
Just then the phone rang.
"Pastor, this is Bill, Bill Haney. Listen, I'm not sure whether the Sunday school is doing their Easter pageant this year, but I've got 15 new lambs in my herd as of last night. You want me to bring one out on Sunday for the parade? Oh, and while I've got you on the phone..."
But Pastor Jones wasn't listening. A wild and crazy idea had just taken hold of him ” a really wild and crazy idea. No, it was just too much! But then again maybe not...
And without telling Bill that the Sunday school was not having their parade through the parking lot Pastor Jones told him to bring a lamb to the church office before the first service. He then made another phone call and put his paper away.
Easter morning arrived in all its splendor, and true to their word the altar guild and the worship committee had everyone organized. No one could remember the church looking more festive and beautiful than that day. Flowers were everywhere, and the sunlight streaming through the windows sparkled and gleamed and danced on the polished wood and brass cross. Even the choir looked especially crisp as they lined up in the hall in their freshly cleaned robes. People said that the organist had picked the most delightful prelude music in a long time.
Everyone was ready to begin the procession with shouts of "He is risen!"...except that Pastor Jones was nowhere to be seen. Finally, the choir director ran to the pastor's office door and knocked. "Pastor, it's time for the service! Is something wrong?"
"No, no...tell the assistant to get going. I'll be out in a minute," the pastor called through the closed door.
The cymbals started clinging. Shouts of "He is risen!" began the procession and the service was underway. Just as the last choir member turned the corner into the sanctuary, pastor Jones dashed out of his office and into line with the procession. Except...Except...it wasn't just him who was marching up to the altar. In his arms he carried one of Bill Haney's little lambs. And what made some people in the congregation gasp with surprise was that the pastor had put a great big rubber apron over this white and gold brocade chasuble. The altar guild couldn't believe their eyes...the kids were all oohing and aahing as the lamb came into view, and many of the good parishioners of St. Michaels didn't know what to say or think, or whether they should even continue singing the hymn.
Pastor Jones went up to the altar and said, "I know that this is a bit unusual, or maybe even a lot...but I want you all to sit down for a minute. There is something I have to do.
And then, with his free hand, pastor Jones carefully set aside the candles and the missal on the altar. He pulled out an old rug from beneath his apron, laid it on the table and put the lamb on it. And then, reaching under his apron one more time, he pulled out a big long butcher knife, lifted it up high above his head to strike the lamb and...
There was a collective gasp in the church.
Pastor Jones looked up, knife poised in the air and shouted, "Aren't you glad we don't have to do this anymore? Two thousand years ago people like you and me brought lambs like this one to the temple and slaughtered them so that an angry God would be appeased for all the sins we had committed. Aren't you glad we don't have to do this any more? Because almost two thousand years ago on a morning just like this one God said "No more ” no more death, no more evil and all that is corrupt in the world. Aren't you glad we don't have to do this anymore? Because on a morning just like this one three women went to the tomb to anoint a dead body, and instead found an empty tomb. The one who had been dead had done battle with the devil in hell and lived so that we can live also. Aren't you glad we don't have to do this anymore?"
The church was silent. Here and there one could see a tear falling on someone's cheek or a Mom or Dad protectively holding a small child in their arms.
Pastor Jones said, "Bill Haney, would you come up and get this little lamb of yours? And you can have the apron and knife too. I guess I don't need it after all.
Today is Easter. You see, all of you good people from St. Michaels, I just didn't know how to tell you what Easter really is about. And tomorrow you might even ask for my resignation with all that I've done today, but I simply could not do otherwise. All the stuff I've read in my books about Easter sermons and yes, even the advice many of you have given me doesn't even come close. Some of you wanted me to say something to those of you who come only twice a year. They wanted me to tell you about commitment and that if you want to be in God's good graces you need to be here more often and put in your share. But as much as I want to say such things, it's a lie. A big fat lie! God doesn't need our sacrifices. We don't need to do anything to get into heaven. All of you who are baptized, whether or not you will ever set a foot in this church again belong to God now and will live because of Easter. God in Jesus has snatched you out of the hands of death forever and he won't let you go anymore. Never! Never ever! And if he doesn't get a chance to tell you so here today, he will surely come after you, no matter where you are, no matter what mess you might find yourself in. Yes, even down to the gates of hell. Jesus will come and take you back and tell you that you belong to him.
And all of you who come in your best finery, and the flowers, and the banners and those beautifully colored eggs in the hall downstairs make my heart sing with joy and laughter. But they are only a pale reflection of what happened on that first Easter so long ago when the women came to the tomb to anoint a dead body, and found that death was no more, trampled underfoot, gone forever. The flowers we have here today will surely last the season if we plant them carefully. The eggs are indeed a symbol of new life. But the flowers will eventually fade and pass on, and new life isn't enough. Easter is old life made new, death made into life. Easter is broken relationships redeemed, grief forgiven, death sentenced to death, despair banished, depression turned into hope. Maybe today we should all go out there into the graveyard and erect a big sign that says, "Used tombstones for sale," because everyone whose body is buried there, the people you have loved and grieved over, your grandparents, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters out there don't need those tombstones anymore. They aren't there because Easter happened. They're in the same place where Jesus is ” and they are alive. Our old lives have been made anew on Easter morning.
And, ah yes, I also received a lot of advice about laughter this year. And the person who told me about telling jokes in my Easter sermon was right. We should laugh until our bellies ache. But if all of the jokes in the world were told this morning, our laughter wouldn't even come close to the laugh God had on the devil and on us that first Easter morning. The devil was beaten at his own game, cast away. The rest is just a matter of mopping up the debris.
What I have done this morning with Bill Haney's little lamb was to try to show you what our lives would be like without Easter. We would live in fear not just of evil, but even of God, because we would never be quite sure whether what we did or didn't do would be enough to get God to save us from death and destruction. And we would worry whether God would abandon us, and we'd come with our sacrifices and lambs, and we'd be forever in a vicious cycle or trying to catch up to our sins. And then I would certainly exhort all of you who come only twice a year to be concerned for your souls and to worry about your salvation. And of course everyone else too. But because of Easter we don't have to do that anymore! We don't have to do that anymore! All we do is say welcome. Welcome to God's kingdom, welcome brothers and sisters, welcome to the empty tomb, welcome to Easter, welcome to life everlasting. Amen.
Anne-Rose Reeves is pastor of the St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, PA.