Sunday's Message - After Christmas Lite

Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in the First United Presbyterian Church of Brilliant, Ohio and First United Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, April 18, 2021.

Luke 24:36-48 [Contemporary English Version]

While Jesus’ disciples were talking about what had happened, Jesus appeared and greeted them. They were frightened and terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost.

But Jesus said, “Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, “Do you have something to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it as they watched.

Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.”

Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened.

After Christmas Lite

Now we’re a couple of weeks away from Easter and although I’d be kind of surprised if any of y’all have thought about it, Christmas was a little less than four months ago; therefore, if you haven’t done it, it may be time to take down the lights and throw away what’s left of the fruit cake. Of course, this also means that we have over seven months before we even have to start worrying about putting up decorations and cranking out holiday goodies. Talk about your good news.

And you know, when you think about it, Easter and Christmas have sort of developed an interesting relationship. For example, when it comes to importance, I think Christmas tends to beat Easter hands down, and that’s true even among Christians. My gosh, there’s no way a bunny with a basket can beat a jolly old elf with a sack on his back, right? And maybe that explains why something interesting has happened to Easter, and I’m talking about in my life-time. You see, for most our children and grandchildren, and I certainly include my daughter, as it relates to gifts, well, Easter has sort of become Christmas Lite.I mean, think about it. When you were a child, what sort of stuff did you get at Easter: chocolate bunnies and jelly beans and those wonderful peeps that come out of the package all soft and squishy and in less than a week become as tough as shoe leather or your typical steak from Ponderosa? (Do you remember Ponderosa? Gosh I’m getting old) Now that’s the kind of stuff my brother and my sister and I got, there in a basket with the vinegar-scented eggs we dyed the night before, surrounded by artificial grass. That was Easter. But now, man, that bunny brings all kinds of stuff, and I’m talking about toys and money and all that other mess we only got on our birthdays or Christmas. And I’ll tell you, because of this change, I think Easter has become a lite version of Christmas, at least as it relates to what’s given.

And I’ve got to tell you, I think that’s a real shame on a lot of levels, especially as it relates to what we receive as a result of the resurrection. As a matter of fact, if we look carefully at the passage we read this morning, I believe we can find three very definite gifts that the risen Christ offered his disciples and that he offers us right here and right now. And so, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to look at what these three gifts were and why they’re still important today. And like I said, all three are grounded in this story of the crucified Jesus appearing to his disciples.

For example, first, in this story, I believe Jesus offered them and offers us a tangible hope, and I’m talking about one that’s as solid and as real as a wooden cross and an empty tomb. I mean just listen to what the Evangelist Luke wrote:

While Jesus' disciples were talking about what had happened, Jesus appeared and greeted them. They were frightened and terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost.

But Jesus said, “Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, “Do you have something to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it as they watched. [Luke 24:36-43, CEV]

Now I recognize that for most of us all this seems a little odd, and I’m talking about Jesus saying that he wasn’t a ghost and all this business about him showing his hands and feet and then eating a piece of baked fish. I mean, Luke seemed to go out of his way to prove that the resurrected Jesus was really “flesh and bones.” But even though that may not be all that important to us, I’m telling you it was absolutely crucial for the Jews back in the day. You see, they believed that, although a person had both a body and a soul, those two parts couldn’t really be separated. In other words, you couldn’t have a living soul without a body anymore than you could have a living body without a soul. And for that reason, to have any genuine life-after-death, a person would need both a resurrected soul and resurrected body. And because of that, the physical resurrection of the dead was a huge deal. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s why Luke made sure his readers knew that when Jesus was raised, he not only had a soul, he also had a physical body. And right there was the reason they could have hope. You see, since Jesus was raised, so would they. It’s like the Apostle Paul wrote:

If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? If they won’t be raised to life, Christ himself wasn’t raised to life. And if Christ wasn’t raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. If the dead won’t be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns.[1 Corinthians 15:12-15, 20-23, CEV]

You see, because of the physical resurrection of Jesus, those disciples were offered a very tangible hope. 

Something that’s every bit as true for us as it was for them. You see, to find hope, we don’t have to rely on spiritual assumptions or metaphysical ideas. No sir, like I said a minute ago, our hope can be grounded in something as solid as wooden cross and an empty tomb and as real as a man who still had nail holes in his hands and feet and who could still eat a piece of baked fish and as definitive as being in the presence of a person whom God raised from the dead but also being confident that he was the first, not the last. You see, in his appearance to his disciples, Jesus offered them and offers us a tangible hope. And that’s the first gift we can claim from this passage.

And second, he also offered them and us a very definite witness, and I’m talking about something on which we can rely when he’s gone and something that will enable us to pass on the reason he came and the life he lived and the message he taught to all those folks who live around us. And I believe Jesus pointed to that witness when he said this to the his disciples:

Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.”

Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. [Luke 24:44-46, CEV]

In other words, he took what we call the Old Testament and showed them how it all pointed to his coming. In other words, why he came and how he lived and what he taught, man, that stuff wasn’t new at all. You see, it was actually the continuation of the old. And for that reason, people could trust it.  As a matter of fact, the Evangelist John kind of referred to this when explained the reason he wrote his gospel by saying, “Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.” [John 20:30-31, CEV] You see, Jesus helped them understand by pointing them toward the story itself. 

And brothers and sisters, I’m telling you, that’s just as true for us as it was for them. You see, we don’t have to figure out the nature of God through mediation. Instead we can read the story of God’s relationship with us from moment he said “Let there be light” to that time when he’ll recreate his heaven and earth. And we can take that story, with all its narratives and poetry and lessons, and we can apply them to new situations that could have never been envisioned by those who first wrote them down. And that’s why I believe that in his appearance to his disciples, Jesus offered them and offers us a definite witness. And for me, that’s the second gift we can claim from this passage. But that’s not all.

Because third, I think he also offered them and us a clear mission. In other words, we know exactly what we’re called to do as disciples, and again it’s right here in this passage we read. I mean, remember, after proving to them that he was flesh and bone and then helping them understand scripture, Jesus said, “They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened.” [Luke 24:47-48, CEV] Now that what Luke wrote. And about forty days later, right before he ascended into heaven, “Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.’” [Acts 1:7-8, CEV] You see, according to Jesus, their job was very clear, to tell people about him.

And guess what, I believe that’s our job too. You see, we’re also called to share the love and the mercy and the compassion of Jesus Christ to the world around us. And even though some of us can do this through the words we use, that’s really not the only way to share. Given the chance I think we can all come up with all kinds of ways to show others what following Jesus is all about and why we’ve decided to trust him with our lives. And you know, the way we choose to do that should probably be based on the abilities we’ve been given by God. It’s like what Paul wrote to the Romans: 

God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. [Romans 12:6-8, CEV]

I’m telling you, in our own way, we all can tell others about Jesus. And for me, that’s the very clear mission Jesus offered to his disciples and offers to us and the third gift that we can claim from this passage.

And you know, when you think about it, these Easter gifts may actually be more important then anything we receive at Christmas. I mean, after reading this story of his appearance to the disciples, we now know that he offers everyone who follows him a tangible hope and a definite witness and a clear mission. And so as we move away from what’s become sort of Christmas Lite, let’s all consider doing two things. First, let’s claim what he offers. And second, let’s decide that Easter can stand on it’s own.