A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, April 12, 2009
Acts 10: 34 – 43; Psalm 118: 14 – 17, 22 – 24; Colossians 3: 1 – 4; Mark 16: 1 – 8
What word (or words) would you use to characterize this day, Easter Day?
For us Christians, there might be quite a few that would come to mind. Let’s catalogue just some of them: victory…happy…mystery…God’s awesome power…wonder…joy…eternal life…
There are so many. These are just a few.
But, in this sermon, let’s focus on just one: “joy!”
Now, as we reflect on this word, we have to realize that, for the Christian, “joy” is a whole lot different than “happiness”, though being happy ought to be a part of being joyous (as I reflect on it myself).
“Joy” is a much, much deeper matter. It goes far beyond mere feelings. It drives to the heart of who we are, deep inside us, deep down in our souls.
For, you see, “joy” is a matter of knowing that God – by His raising of Jesus Christ from the dead – has conquered the power of death. Death is our last and greatest enemy.[1]
Jesus’ resurrection is proof of the down payment that God promises all who have come to believe in Him, and who have accepted the blessings that come from what God has done in Christ.
For, you see, God the Father, in sending Jesus Christ, has folded us into God’s very life…..For God the Father sent the Son, who took on our humanity, our flesh and blood. We call this “taking on” the Incarnation.
And, the Incarnation is forever!
(Allow me to explain.)
Jesus was raised from the tomb on this Easter Sunday morning, not with a spiritual body alone, but with his physical body….the tomb was empty!
Moreover, when Jesus comes to His disciples, He shows them His hands and His feet,[2] asking them to touch Him.[3] He comes, asking if there’s anything to eat, for He is hungry.[4]
(The early Church wrestled with this truth…..some could not accept it, and maintained that Jesus merely “seemed” to be fully human, with a physical body….these were eventually called Docetists.[5] Others maintained that all physical reality is really nothing more than a big illusion…these were called the Gnostics.)
But the Gospel writers take great pains to record the witness of the Apostles, that Jesus was raised with His physical body. He asks them to touch Him, He asks for something to eat.
And, following the Gospel writers’ clear indication, the Church came to reject as false the notion that Jesus merely “seemed” to be human (as the Docetists maintained), or that all physical reality is, in itself, a big illusion (as the Gnostics taught).
We would be remiss, however, if we failed to notice other aspects of Jesus’ resurrected body: it had capabilities that His pre-crucifixion body did not….For example, He had the ability to come through locked doors.[6] For another, He had the ability to be in one place, and then vanish from the sight of His followers.[7]
But most importantly, His glorified body still bore the marks of the nails (John 20: 20 and 20: 27), but the power of those nails to kill was gone, vanquished forever!
And this is the reason for our joy: For, you see, even as God raised Jesus from the dead, He will also raise us from the dead on the last day. As Jesus took on His glorified body, so we, too, will one day put on an “incorruptible” body.[8]
Put another way, nothing can separate us from the love of God (St. Paul’s words, as we read them in Romans 8: 38 – 39), not even death.
Jesus’ resurrection is the down payment on our own resurrection. The guarantee of eternal life with God changed the lives of the original disciples, instilling in them all a joy which was contagious.
But this hope, this joy, isn’t simply “pie in the sky”, “joy and happiness someday, long in the future”. It is present with us, now.
For the reality of God’s promises, promises which have the power to change lives, brings with it a reality, reality with a capital “R”, which makes all other realities pale in importance.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God”, we read in Romans. That guarantee is present with us, here and now.
God’s presence – even in the midst of sorrow, trouble, anxiety and pain – is cause for joy!
But, you may ask, “How do I experience this joy?” And, you may ask even further, “What are the hallmarks of this divine joy?”
Let’s address both concerns….
- How do we experience this joy?:
The first step is to become familiar with the workings and power of God….That’s the essential and basic reason for the Bible, a book whose entire purpose is to show the power of God, and God’s nature, which is, at its root, a nature characterized by a deep love for human beings. So, in the pages of Holy Scripture, we read of God’s mighty acts as He works in the lives of ordinary human beings, seeking to save us from our own wayward and sinful ways.
The second step would be to acknowledge God’s power and God’s love. Remember that God is the “actor” in the divine drama. We simply respond to God’s power, God’s love, and God’s acting. We cannot “lift ourselves up by our own spiritual bootstraps!”[9] As we respond to God’s love, power and action, we ask God to come into our hearts. As we do, the Holy Spirit will also take up residence there, assuring us of God’s power and presence in our lives. (This is the greatest cause for joy, as I reflect on it!
The third step would be to seek out other Christian believers, those whose lives, mannerisms, speech, and actions reflect the presence of God in their lives. [10] (As we used to say in the Army, “one can’t soar like an eagle if one hangs around with turkeys!”) The saying holds true, in most cases, “Christianity is more often caught, than taught.” Believers’ joy is infectious! Hang around a godly person who exhibits the joy of the Lord, and you’ll catch some of that joy in short order! - What are the hallmarks of this divine joy?: I think they would include the following:[11]
A deep sense of peace. We might experience this as a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4: 7). Note: This sort of peace isn’t the sort of feeling that comes from denying the cruel realities and difficulties of this life. On the contrary, it’s the sort of peace that comes even as we squarely face the troubles that will inevitably come in this life. For we can do so, knowing that God is in full control, and that God will have the last word.
A love which seems to come from every word and every action. Christian love reflects the love of God for us, a love which is of the “brotherly” (Greek: phileo) sort, as we see in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Lord who came among us as one of us, and in the self-giving (Greek: agapao) love, that love which places God’s interest, and other people’s interests, first, ahead of our own. That sort of love is most perfectly seen in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A patience which seems extraordinary. This quality is in short supply in the world we live in…..we want what we want, now! But the mature Christian is called to be a person of patience, a person who knows that God’s timeline is often different than our own.
So, in summary, “joy” is one of the fruits of the resurrection, for God has won the victory for us. “Joy” comes from knowing that God is love, that God seeks us out in the person and work of Jesus Christ, that God’s love is not only of the “brotherly” sort, but also of the “self-giving” sort that puts our welfare and our interests first.
“Fear not, for I have overcome the world,” our Lord Jesus Christ said.[12]
Indeed so, dear Lord, you have!
And that is a cause for deep, deep joy.
AMEN.
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[1] See I Corinthians 15: 26.
[2] John 20: 27
[3] Luke 24: 39
[4] Luke 24: 41
[5] A title which comes from the Greek word “to seem”.
[6] John 20: 19
[7] Luke 24: 31, when He disappeared while sitting at table with the disciples He’d encountered on the road to Emmaus.
[8] See I Corinthians 15: 35 – 57.
[9] The early Church also wrestled with the issue of our own ability to help ourselves, spiritually. A group arose called the Pelagians (this movement flourished in the late 4th and early 5th centuries), which maintained that human beings could effect their own salvation by their own merits. This key concern was also a major factor in the Reformation (16th century).
[10] For a good list of attributes that should mark a joyous Christian and a godly person, see St. Paul’s list of the “fruits of the Spirit” as we read them in Galatians 5: 22 – 23.
[11] See also St. Paul’s “short list” of Christian characteristics as we read them in Galatians 5: 22 – 23.
[12] John 16: 33
