The Birthday of A Whole New World

Easter is about transcendence.
It is about creating and choosing new life.
It is about new heavens and a new earth.
It is about a new way of doing religion.
It is about new joy-full living.

Today, along with Christian the world over, we celebrate Easter Sunday –
the single defining event for the faith we hold.

For the fact of the matter is that before Easter there were no Christians!
Before Easter there was no church.
Before Easter there was no Christian theology, no Christian world-view.

Easter is the birthday of a whole new world –
a whole new life –
a whole new way of living –
a whole new way of looking at the world –
a whole new religion!

Easter re-creates our cosmology,
it provides a new perspective on the order of things,
it expands our understanding of things temporal and things eternal.

In Isaiah God announces a re-creation of the
world – new heavens and a new earth,
a new relationship between God and the whole creation,
a new expression of faith,
a new Jerusalem:
a place full of joy and happiness –
"Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create" –
a place where even God will be full of joy.

e.e. cummings has an Easter expression appropriate for each one of us:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any -- lifted from the no
of all nothing -- human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

I thank you God for this most amazing day!
I who have died am alive again today!
Now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened.

Every year now for nearly twenty centuries, Christians have been coming together at this time of year to celebrate the single most important event of their history!

Since Jesus was a Jew, and lived as a Jew,
and preached as Jew,
and spent his entire ministry among Jews,
it was quite natural for his followers to tie this Easter event with the traditional Passover Celebration.

For centuries, the Passover had been celebrated each year to remind people of their unique history and of their unique relationship with their God.
What Passover was to the Jews, Easter became to the followers of Jesus.

For truly, it wasn't until after the Resurrection that the disciple's eyes were opened and they saw for the very first time:
that what they had experienced with this man from Nazareth was indeed a whole new thing.
It wasn't until after the Resurrection that they began to call him the Christ –
and saw him to be the fulfillment of the Passover –
the promise that been made each year over and over again for centuries.

So clear was this to the early Christians, that they began to meet on the first day of each week at dawn to celebrate Easter –
the coming of the new time –
the new creation –
the new week –
remembering the fulfillment of the Passover.

Our story goes that the women went to the tomb that morning concerned about how they were going to move the stone that blocked them from doing their ministerial task with the corpse.

Even though they were concerned and anxious about it, their faith moved them on down the road just knowing that somehow the obstacle would be removed, and they could do what they needed to do.

Of course, we know, when they arrived at the tomb, the obstacle was moved all right,
but they were the first to discover,
and the first to hear,
that something very significant –
something very out of the ordinary –
had happened.

The Jesus they knew so well;
the Jesus they were friends with;
the Jesus they thought they understood;
the Jesus they lived with;
the Jesus they saw defeated and overcome;
the Jesus they watched die;
the Jesus they placed in this tomb --
their friend, Jesus of Nazareth
was much more than they ever thought or understood.

Not only was their religious practice changed significantly;
but now, the known laws of the physical universe were overcome as well.

They came to work on the corpse of Jesus –
and they heard the incredible words:
"Why look for the living here among the dead?"

This made no sense.
They saw him die.
They placed his lifeless body here in this tomb.

And again, the messenger of God spoke:
"Go back where you came from.
Go back to Galilee.
There you will find him.
Alive and well, just as he said you would."

It was the a re-creation of the world –
a new heaven and a new earth –
new definitions of life and religion –
the birthday of a whole new world –
the birthday of life and of love and wings.

Easter announces to all that the presence of Christ cannot be snuffed out.
That God transcends the boundaries of space and time.
New boundaries of our life and faith have been drawn up.
A new heaven and a new earth have been created.

There is a new Jerusalem,
a new religion wherein God and his creation are not so far apart:
Where God no longer dwells above us,
or in ark in the Temple,
or even solely in the confines of a particular person who lived in Galilee some 2000 years ago.
This is something totally new: "a new heaven and a new earth" wherein God is constantly present with us where we live our lives –
defining anew what it is to be human,
what it is to be alive,
what it is to die.

This transcendence of space between God and man,
this transcendence of time between birth and death,
this transcendence of God between heaven and earth is what is behind our celebration of Easter today.
It is what is unique about our Christianity.
It is what enables us to live fully and abundantly.
There is tremendous power at work here:
power largely unrecognized and largely untapped;
but power that can give each one of us a new lease on life.

Some of you may be familiar with the work of Bernie Siegel.
Dr. Siegel is a surgeon and works primarily with cancer patients.
For several years now, an important part of Dr. Siegel's practice and research is with what he calls "exceptional" cancer patients –
patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses –
most given a very short time to live.

Dr. Siegel sees patients sometimes individually, and most times in groups,
and helps them to choose to really live in the limited time they have left.

Time and time again, Bernie Siegel, and other doctors who are doing this now, observe something that is almost beyond belief.
Given just months or weeks to live,
facing their inevitable death, and coming to terms with their mortality,
patients, more often than not, consciously change their way of living.

Time and time again, these doctors see from that day on, these patients do only what they really want to do.
They don't let something go unsaid, because they know there may not be a tomorrow.
They became quick with hugs,
quick with "I love yous",
quick with "thank yous",
quick to show appreciation and quick with "I am truly sorry."

Once having made that choice,
and, this is the totally unbelievable part,
and until you have been there, it is so hard to understand, but we need to learn from it:
100% of his patients say that their lives are infinitely better than it was before they were diagnosed with their terminal illness.

They reported things went better for them.

Relationships with other people were more positive.

Life was more fuller, richer.

Days and time had meaning.

Each day was greeted with thanksgiving.

They had new enthusiasm for living – even though they knew their days were numbered.

And, do you know what?

Truly remarkable things happen among the patients.

Once they choose to live each day to the fullest, they actually stop dying!

Oh, they all do die.
We all do.

But, these patients all live well past the expected time limits of their disease, and they live healthier – even with their terminal illness,
and they are freer of pain during their illness.

Through Dr. Siegel and his faith in what they can do and can be, these terminally ill patients come to know what Jesus called an abundant life.

Bernie Siegel writes:
We must all confront the reality that no one lives forever.
Illness and death are not signs of failure;
what is a failure is not living.
Our goal is learning to live – joyously and lovingly.

And, you know, that is exactly what we are about here at Christ Church in Drexel Hill!
Helping people connect with these timeless truths of our faith.
Helping people live more fully, more abundantly, like Jesus said.

I have spoken of my interest in some of the findings of recent comprehensive studies of peoples' health.

One of the findings of one of the studies, hidden among many findings, and virtually ignored by the press, was this:
They found that people who go to church regularly were healthier over all than people who did not go to church regularly.

And hidden among the findings of another large study was this:
People who go to church regularly live longer than those who do not go to church regularly.

Do you hear this?
It's a fact:
People who go to church are healthier, and
people who go to church live longer, than those who don't.

Why do you suppose that is?

Because of some other studies and reading I have done, I found some clues, and I have compiled several reasons why folks who go to church live longer and are healthier than those who do not.

Scientific studies from several fields of inquiry provide evidence that there is real healing power in many of the things that we practice, and teach, and experience here in church.
In the past, I have told you about studies that prove that there is healing power in prayer,
that there is healing power in laughter,
that there is healing power in attitude,
that there is healing power in forgiveness,
that there is healing power in ritual,
that there is healing power in coming together as community,
and, today’s message is that there is healing power in transcendence.

Easter is about transcendence.
It is about creating and choosing new life.
It is about new heavens and a new earth.
It is about a new way of doing religion.
It is about new joy-full living.

Indeed, the chief characteristic of this new world ushered in at Easter is joy and happiness.

Our Scripture describes a God full of joy,
and a joy-full people living in thanksgiving for a full and abundant life.

And that's what we are about here at this church.

Christ Presbyterian Church is "A Center of Faith for Living Abundantly."

Jesus said, "I have come that you might have a fuller, more abundant life."

There are people in this room who know exactly what I am saying, and have experiences to prove it.

And the promise is made to each one of us:
You can live a better, fuller, healthier, longer, more abundant life.
God intends this for you.
And we know how.
Join us, or put another way, let us join you.

This Easter Sunday, 2011, when facing the choices all of us make every day, choose life.

Choose to live each day to the fullest.

Choose to be a part of the most powerful force in the universe: the presence of Christ in the world today.

I thank you God for this most amazing day!
I who have died am alive again today!

Amen.

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, heard this sermon during the Easter celebration April 24, 2011.

You Can Have Respect

Most people around us – including us and our neighbors - have the need to be appreciated and respected

According to a Gallup poll, most people around us – including us and our neighbors, have the need to be appreciated and respected.

The poll revealed that one-third of the American people have a low sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

But, they also discovered that the closer people feel to God, the better they feel about themselves.

An active faith can repair damage done by others.

Another recent study done be people at the University of Missouri uncovered some related tid-bits:
— The average adult in this country receives about 60 put-downs a day and most are given by themselves.
— 75 percent of adult thinking is negative.
— By age 4, the average child has had 25,000 put-downs.
— By fifth grade, only 20 percent of youth feel good about themselves.
— By high school graduation, only 5 percent feel good about themselves.

It̓s like a great societal vacuum,
a great black hole,
a cosmic magnet that sucks away our good feelings and perceptions about ourselves, making us forget we are created in the image of God.

At the beginning of Jesus̓ public ministry, he went to see John at the Jordan River.
Look closely at what happened.

Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water,
He saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him,
and a Voice came from heaven,
'You are my Son, the Beloved,
with you I am well pleased̓

What an affirmation,
especially at this point, because Jesus has yet to do anything.
He has not healed anyone.
He has not preached a sermon.
He hasn̓t told any parables or calmed any seas. And yet there is this affirming word from heaven: “With you I am well pleased. You are my beloved.”

God speaks, not only to the Son, “You are my Beloved,” but also to you and to me.

One theologian puts God̓s words this way:
I have called you by name, from the very beginning. You are mine and I am yours.
You are my Beloved on you my favor rests.
I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother̓s womb.
I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace.
I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother for her child ...
I have called you by name, from the very beginning.
You are mine and l am yours.
You are my Beloved on you my favor rests.

You belong to me.
I am your father, your mother,
your brother, your sister,
your lover, and your spouse ...
nothing will ever separate us.
We are one.

You and I matter to God.

God̓s acceptance has nothing to do with our performance.
God loves us for who we are — not what we have done.

Let the word go out, Christ Presbyterian Church is a place for warm fuzzies.
A place for a thousand gold stars.
A place for positive affirmations.
A place for a hug – a kiss – a word – a deed.

For the God of the universe –
the creator of all the worlds that are –
the author of life itself –
says of Jesus, and says of you:
You are my beloved.
You are held in high esteem.
I appreciate you.
I respect you.

These are some of the thoughts shared by the pastor with the congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, during a sermon April 3, 2011.