"One day a teacher was asking the kids in her fourth grade class to name the person whom they considered the greatest human being alive in the world today -- and the responses were quick in forthcoming and also quite varied too.A little boy spoke up and said, "I think it's Joe Montana. He led the 49ers to another Super Bowl win this year." A little girl said, "I think it's Mother Teresa because she cares for people who are dying and doesn't get paid for it at all." Another little girl said, "I think it's President Bush because he's the President of the United States and the United States is the greatest country in the world." And yet another little boy said, "I think it's Mikhail Gorbachev because he has brought peace to the world." Over and over again, kids cited one celebrity after another and another. But then it was little Donnie's turn.
And without even hesitating, when the teacher asked him the question, he replied, "Well I think it's Jesus Christ because he loves everybody and is always ready to help them." Mrs. Thompson smiled and said, "Well I certainly like your answer Donnie, because I'm a Christian too and I also admire Jesus. But there's one slight thing that's wrong. I said the greatest living person, and of course Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago. Do you have another name in mind?" And I love the simple, innocent, wide-eyed response of little Donnie. He said, "Oh no, Mrs. Thompson, that's not right at all. Jesus Christ is alive! He lives in me right now!"
The greatest affirmation of the Church, in my opinion, is not the affirmation that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. It's not the affirmation that he performed incredible miracles or that he was a profound teacher or that he embodied the very presence of God. No, instead it's the affirmation that Jesus Christ is alive and that he actually lives inside the hearts and souls of each and everyone of us here!" (Norman Neaves, "A Disciple of The Lord!", April 22, 1990, copyrighted 1990).
That's the message of Easter. How can we make that message live vibrantly this morning? That's the task of preaching. What might I say? What do you need to hear in order that the Easter message might transform you into an Easter person? As I pondered the story and grappled with these questions, a line in Luke's Gospel became the image that I felt might do it. It's a dramatic detail in the story, and it becomes a powerful metaphor for the Easter message.
The women had come with Jesus from Galilee. They had seen that awful crucifixion; the whipped body of Jesus nailed to the cross; the raising of that cross into the sun and settling it with that loud, deadly thud into its upright position. They had heard his anguished cries; they had seen the mocking of the crowd, and they had seen the soldiers pierce his side. They had seen the sweat flow down his blood-stained face; they had seen him as he mustered all the energy that was left in his near-lifeless body to speak -- to speak memorable words -- words that they would never forget: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." "It is finished." "Father, into Thy hands I commit my Spirit." They had seen all that. And they had also seen the nobility of a man named Joseph of Arimathea. He was a righteous man, looking for the Kingdom of God, but still consenting to the decision of the council for the condemnation of Jesus -- but he couldn't let it rest there. He went to Pilot and asked for the body of Jesus. They took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb.
Because the Sabbath was beginning, the women couldn't do the normal preparation for burial, so they waited through the Sabbath day, and on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb. That's where our scripture lesson begins. When they got to the tomb, with their spices to anoint Jesus' body, "they found the stone rolled away."
That's the dramatic detail. That's the metaphor: "They found the stone rolled away." Let's use that metaphor to assist us in appropriating the powerful message of Easter. "The stone was rolled away."
I.
Jesus is alive, and because of that the stone of sorrow is rolled away, inviting us to joy.
That's one of the messages of Easter. The stone of sorrow has been rolled away, and we are invited to joy.
Many of you who are here have heard me talk about my dear friend, David McKeithen. David brought me into the Methodist Church. Under his ministry, I answered the call to preach. He married Jerry and me, baptized our son Kevin and married our daughter Kerry. Our lives have been woven together in so many ways. There is not a person who meant more to me and impacted my life more than David.
He died last summer. Prior to his death, Jerry and I had a chance to go to California and visit with him. The visit was a painful time. I cried a lot, and didn't sleep very much. I shared with some of you the story about how early one morning, about 5 o'clock, unable to sleep, I slipped out on the patio and began to pray -- to relive my relationship with David and to recall my faith journey that he had been such a part of. When there was enough light, I began to read the psalms -- rather randomly -- somehow I got to Psalm 30. This remarkable word of praise grabb3d my attention:"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may praise thee and not be silent" (vs. 11). But prior to that was my favorite line in all the Psalms: "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (vs. 5).
Late that afternoon after my experience with Psalm 30, we were all in the room with David, Marguerite, his precious wife -- one of God's great women -- his two sons, David and Floyd -- both United Methodist ministers, and Jerry and me. It just seemed right that we worship together. And we did. Some of us were seated on his bed, holding his hands; others were standing close around.We prayed and we sang hymns -- boy, did we sing. And I read the passage from I Thessalonians, Chapter 4. Let me read a portion of that for you -- verses 13 - 18:
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.For the first time in my life, it dawned on me where the writer got the inspiration for his song. Some of you will remember it:
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound,and time shall be no more.When the morning breaks eternal bright and fair;When the saints of earth have gathered over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
It was a time of joy as we celebrated with David there in that room -- knowing that he would not be with us much longer. The stone of sorrow was rolled away, and we responded to the invitation to joy.
That's the reason my favorite line in all the psalms is: "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
II.
Now, a second word. Jesus is alive, and because of that, the stone of defeat and despair is rolled away, making a way for hope."If we are honest, then we know we are human, and we have all known defeat. It's better not to play, "Let's pretend." It's better to be straight forward and honest about our ups and downs. The first step in moving beyond defeat is to admit and accept defeat for what it is."All of us have failed in friendship. We have lost some good friends perhaps more by our indifference than by our hostility. We just have let them go. Others we have lost through differences that we have allowed to fester, and there are some people we just don't speak to anymore because the anger is so deep, and our emotions are so sore. (We've failed in friendship.)
"Many of us have failed in marriage. Yes, part of the fault lies in the other person, but in our honest moments we know that part of the trouble is within us. We were not as loving as we should have been, and our affection grew cold over the days and years. Or perhaps we are still married, but even so we must admit that our relationship has cooled off, and the warm love is not what it once was. (We've failed in marriage.)
"(And) How many parents feel a sense of failure. We tried to teach our children what we thought was important, but for some reason they didn't seem to catch our values. They lived out their time with us. Their commitments are not our commitments, and we feel somewhat guilty about this. We may even wonder at times about the depth of our own faith." (Dr. Robert C. Brubaker, "Through Defeat to Destiny", June 23, 1985).
So, we know about defeat. But the Easter message is that the stone of defeat and despair is rolled away, making a way for hope.A friend of mine, Jack Heacock, tells the story of "a middle-aged professional engineer who had been out of church life for several years. He was busy building his empire in the great Houston, Texas boom (a few years ago). As a developer, he grossed several million dollars a year, owned his own executive twin engine airplane, and was on the fast track to power and wealth. As happens, he suffered the loss of his family through divorce, and when the boom went bust, he lost it all. Before long he was back at it, raking in the millions...and lost it again. He (went) to Austin and again did very well in the real estate market, making his mark. But this time he was looking for something more. He became involved in this church, anchoring himself in Sunday School and faithful at worship, working behind the scenes. At some point, he translated Abraham Maslow's concept of "self-actualization" -- the fulfilling of life by pouring it out for others without seeking personal gain or fame -- into a picture of God's call for greater service. He and his new wife applied for service with the Board of Global Ministries. They went through the training, the orientation, the massive battery of tests they put you through...sold his home, his belongings, and is ... now (in) service as pilot, engineer and advisor to the church in Zaire, Africa." (Jack D. Heacock, D.D., "No Idle Tale", March 26, 1989).
The Risen Christ had been at work in that man -- making all things new. The stone of defeat and despair is rolled away, making way for hope.
III.
Now this final word. The stone was rolled away, and because of that, the stone of death is rolled away, providing a doorway to life.That's what I was talking about a moment ago when I told the story of our experience with David McKeithen. "For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep."
Here is a beautiful story about that stone being rolled away and about resurrection and new life. It took place in a primitive rural Baptist Church here in the South in which they still practice foot-washing. John Wallhausen was there and told the story:
"Delmar always sits in the front row. His body is crippled. He sits on the corner by the aisle, in position to leave early. His face is angular, his gray hair crew-cut. His frame is small and twisted. On this particular Sunday he was set aside by an act of grace. All of us are maimed in one way or another. On this Sunday God once more revealed how being maimed does not keep us from being His witness. Elder I.D. Black as worship leader initiated the sacrament, the washing of feet. Singing his sermon-prayer, he tied the white towel around his waist and picked up the basin. He singled out Delmar in the front row aisle seat. "I'm going to wash your feet." As he came off the platform and knelt before Delmar, he continued his song as a sermon-prayer-hymn directly to Delmar. "God is going to dress you in a new body." Old Regular Baptists do not avoid the realities of tragic pain. The sermon-song did not mince the reality of Delmar's twisted body, hands and feet. But Elder Black also sang of the resurrection and the new body God gives: a glorious body, a transfigured body. Delmar reached out and hugged the preacher's neck. They put their arms around each other and I could see from the shaking shoulders that Delmar was crying. Delmar wanted to wash the preacher's feet in turn, but his twisted hands wouldn't work right to do it. A brother member came knelt between them and helped Delmar wash the preacher's feet. The three of them were kneeling together, singing, crying and holding each other. There is a hymn often used in that church which sings: "The highway leads over the mountain/The end of our journey is near./At the top of this mountain is a beautiful sight./I can almost see heaven from here." (Wallhausen concluded his story with this word:) I could see it that morning! Delmar left ahead of the crowd. He dragged his body around and down the aisle. I saw his face. In his face on that Sunday morning I saw a glimpse of the resurrection!" (Story from Donald Shelby preached by Clarence J. Forsberg, "Portrait of a Healer: #5 A Friend to the Friendless", April 8, 1984, pp. 6-7).
I hope that you have experienced that today -- a glimpse of the Resurrection -- "the stone is rolled away." The stone of sorrow is rolled away, inviting us to joy. The stone of defeat and despair is rolled away, making a way for hope. The stone of death is rolled away, providing a doorway to life.