The Very Rev. Nathan D. Baxter
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen. Alleluia!
Listen to the words of this Easter Anthem:
I am the Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
I begin this Easter sermon with these words of the Christian Burial Anthem, which is found (among other places) in the Book of Common Prayer. These are words we all have heard many times — whether believers or not — and we will hear these words many times again until eventually and inevitably they will be said over each of us. I hope, however, that hearing these words outside the context of a funeral (untempered by the normal experience of grief) we will hear more poignantly that they are words of hope and joy. These words speak eloquently, not only of our Christian hope, but of our Christian conviction about eternity.
Every religious person, by embracing religion, is asking the question, “What is the destiny of humanity?” And every religion, including Christianity, seeks to answer the same question. For in this question are all other questions of the human predicament such as dealing with evil and tragedy, discerning what is the true essence of being human, and so on. This question is relevant to us as modern beings for, despite our great scientific and medical advance and our amazing technological advances, we are keenly aware of our inescapable vulnerabilities and frailty to evil, violent tragedy, aging and sickness, heartbreak, and loneliness. Since September 11 we are more conscious not only of our mortality but, as the Great Litany says, “dying suddenly and unprepared.” In such a reality the questions of human existence and destiny become existential; that is, not just of humankind, but of me — my being, my existence. The power of religious doctrine and spirituality is to enable us to answer these queries intellectually and experientially, theologically and spiritually.
Hinduism, for example, believes the true self is spiritual and issues from the Brahman. The destiny is to be born over and over again — into different caste and different life forms (including animals) — until we are purged of the ignorance, of the illusions, deceptions, and thoughts of existence that prevents us from discovering the divine within us and becoming one with the true universal reality, Brahman. Through moral responsibility and disciplined spirituality, such as Yoga, one eventually returns to be at one with the universal impersonal source from which humanity comes. From time to time gods have come to earth in the form of animals or humans to remind humanity of the truth. They come as part of mythology — part of inspired lore — rather than actual beings who act concretely or verifiably in history.
Buddhism conceives of each individual as a bundle of changing elements whose destiny is to experience dissolution as a self in Nirvana; i.e., one grows to remove ones self from the painful frustration of life’s changes. Buddhism teaches that one accepts (as the Dalai Lama so wisely says) that in this life “nothing remains the same.” Upon that knowledge one grows spiritually to be dispassionate about the pain of change and its causes. More than the struggles of one’s physical reality or even the soul, it is the mind that must be liberated or “enlightened.” So one grows by relinquishing desire (material wealth, sexual desire, worldly ambition, anger, and revenge) until one is ready to enter the bliss of unconscious union with Atman — the universal soul — in state called Nirvana, the destiny of humanity. Other Buddhas — divine teachers and sages (“prophets”) — besides the Gautama Buddha (founder of Buddhism) have been sent to earth.
In Judaism and Islam (both part of the Abrahamic tradition to which Christianity belongs) God is at work making his laws known, and the destiny of humanity is to live in accordance with those laws. In Judaism those who obey the Law and the prophets, and teach their children the Law, will inherit the blessing of God from generation to generation, a kind of biological eternity lived out in one’s children. Whenever the Messiah comes and unites Israel in faithfulness there will peace and blessing for all the peoples of the earth. In Islam, those who obey the law as taught by the prophets and the Koran will be saved and inherit paradise. Those who do not will be damned.
There is much in all of these that in some way could be found and affirmed in Christianity. But the unique aspect of Christianity is this: As Christians, we believe that God came into human history, not just through the teaching of prophets, or revealed in moral laws, not just as a judge of our sins (for we believe that God’s ultimate judgment will be governed by Divine love more than the perspectives and assumptions of human legalism). God’s coming into the world in Jesus was an act of love! In the historic Jesus of Nazareth, in the risen Lord of faith, we discover a God who is personal to his children, as would be a good parent — mother or father. A God who loves not just humanity but who loves you and me and our neighbor; a God who wants a personal, conscious, redeeming relationship in this life with the individual. This is our unique belief as Christians about human destiny.
In Jesus we discover a God who knows us just as we are, who loves us just as we are, and who affirms that there is value in the particularity of our humanity. Jesus came as a gender, with a race, part of a culture and class, shaped spiritually by a specific religion (Judaism). He was vulnerable to evil, pain, and tragedy as well as joy, laughter, and friendship. What is created — human reality — is good. The Bible teaches us that God labored to create the world and all of its creatures — including our humanity (our gender, race, color, sexuality, and so on) — and then God called it good!
On the cross of Christ all of these distinctions also died to remind us of our oneness to God. God’s love for us, which transcends our particularity. As St. Paul says, “[In Christ] there is no longer Jew or Greek (race), there is no longer slave or free (class), there is no longer male and female (gender); for all are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Yet, even on the cross God was sharing our reality by sharing death.
Jesus’ death and resurrection was an act of faith in God. When the New Testament (especially Acts and the epistles) speaks of Jesus’ resurrection it always says: “whom God raised from the dead.” Just as Jesus placed his fear of death into the hands of God, God demonstrated for us all that there is more than death and we can trust God. In Jesus we know that God is ultimately trustworthy and faithful. The writer of first Peter (1:21) put it this way: “Through Jesus Christians have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, [and this was done] so that your faith and hope [for eternal life] are set on God.” Yes, our faith offers a unique reality, that God is intimate and loving even in the midst of our life’s trial.
Yes, in this life we can know God personally. Prayer is the discipline that conditions us, that opens us up, for a relationship with God. Now we can debate whether one can actually have a personal relationship with God. But if you are really concerned about the existential realities of life and death, then I encourage you to pray. Prayer includes engaging in worship with expectation more than observation. Open up, feel for God in hymns — pray the hymns, sing them to God, not just for your neighbor or for the tune. Listen to the Scripture prayerfully. What do you hear? Come to this altar railing expecting, seeking God to be present in the bread and wine over which we have prayed. God has promised to be present with us when we gather.
You can know God in personal and private prayer life. Is there a time in your day when you are quiet with God? It can be before the family stirs or after they have gone to bed. A time in your work day — a coffee break or a quiet walk with God. Maybe making a few moments to reading the Bible or devotional book you keep on your desk. If you become serious about prayer, I guarantee that you will not only see life differently, but you will discover a personal relationship with God. One that can give you power and perspective in the most dire moments of life. The choirmaster reminds me that the last hymn of today’s service was written my the great hymn writer Brian Wren. Wren wrote this hymn the evening he got word that Martin Luther King, Jr., had been assassinated. At a time when the life and message of this great icon of love and non-violent justice seemed snuffed out, Wren’s faith spoke to him with hope and a vision of eternity’s truth. Listen to the power of these words of hope and faith:
In every insult, rift, and war
where color, scorn or wealth divide,
[Christ] suffers still, yet loves the more
and lives, though ever crucified.
Christ is a live! His Spirit burns
through this and every future age,
till all creation lies and learns
his joy, his justice, love, and praise.
What joy there is in knowing that eternal life is really, “life with the Eternal!” That hope and love’s power cannot be defeated; they are eternal. This experience of faith, this Christian truth, is not truth to discredit others. It is the joy that is ours to share with others, whom God loves and whom we are called to love. Whatever the religion of others, our faith teaches they are God’s children; God loves them individually, and we who have experienced the Christian joy must allow that love to live in us as hope, joy, confidence, caring, and respect. For we all know from current events here and in the Middle East, that religion without a sense of Divine love and accountability is a very dangerous and destructive thing.
If the joy of your faith has not come to that place where we live with hope and confidence in a personal God, then you have not grasped the unique power of our Christian faith and joy. Joy is an experience of the soul. It is the exhilaration that comes only when we have a deep and true hope, a truth that the soul knows, even in the times when the intellect doubts. It is a reassurance we find in faithful companionship, the confidence we experience when we have someone stronger than our selves with us. This joy of the soul does not dismiss fear of life’s tragedies or even death but tempers it with a deep confidence and trust in God, who is our “friend and not a stranger.”
Remember: For the Christian, eternal life is life with the Eternal. It is living in the trials and rejoicing with the source of our joy and our hope. And it is knowing that this is the God who awaits us in the life to come. Whatever the perception of afterlife is for others, as Christians we can have the confidence that we shall be greeted a friend who knows us and loves and has promised to meet us in the Resurrection.
Like all religions, Christianity teaches that this world is not our home … we come from God and we return to God. An evangelical friend of mine used to say, “Nathan, heaven is my home; but I’m not home sick”. I am sure that this is the sentiment of most of us. But great existential question still remains and one day each of us will depart this life. Will your faith be in the one who says:
I am the Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.
Will you have such a relationship with the Eternal One in this life that you can say in the hour of death, even in the midst of your fears and doubts:
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!