Pastor David Johnson was all prepared, he thought, for his Easter sermon. Having only graduated from the seminary three months prior to taking his present position at the MapleStreetCommunityChurch, he possessed all the latest and most interesting theology. He made the final touches to his sermon on Holy Saturday morning and outlined its content to his wife. He told her that his sermon was based on theology of Paul Tillich, who spoke of the resurrection as a symbol that the estrangement from our authentic self was over. God has made possible the New Being, and if people would accept this truth, their unauthentic existence would end and new life would begin. His wife shook her head, but David didn't seem to notice.
Early that evening David drove to the church for the rehearsal of the sunrise service the next morning. When the practice ended, a youth, lovingly called "Tiny" because of his 6-foot 5-inch frame, asked, "Pastor, can you give me a ride home?" David said he would be glad to do so but that the young man would have to give him directions. With Tiny pointing the way, David delivered the youth home without incident. When he left, however, he could not remember if he was to turn right at the end of the cement and left at the crossroads or the other way around. It had only taken ten minutes to reach Tiny's home, but now after twenty minutes of driving he found himself on a deserted dirt road, totally lost. When the car sputtered, he realized he was out of gas.
David was overcome with anxiety. It was 10 p.m. on Holy Saturday evening. He was lost and out of gas, and he needed to be at the church by 6 a.m. to set up for the sunrise service. He got out of the car and began to walk. Ten minutes later he saw some bright lights up ahead on the right. As he drew closer he could see that the lights came from a bar, the neon sign reading "The Boondocks." Everyone, including those new to the community like David, knew that this was one of the seediest taverns in town. As he walked to the front door, he saw a group of parked motorcycles which made him nervous. Upon entering the bar he smelled rancid beer and the stench of tobacco. He did not see anyone he recognized, a fact that was both good and bad. He wondered what church members might think if they knew their pastor was at "The Boondocks" on Holy Saturday night.
David approached the bar intending to ask for a ride to town but found himself ordering a Coke and, noticing a billiards table behind him, soon engaged in a game. David had played pool since he was six and was very good. This night, however, he was fantastic; he twice ran the table after the break. This action was noticed by Turk, a short but powerful "biker" who, taking off his leather jacket, challenged David to a game. Turk was good, but that evening David was better. After three consecutive wins Turk conceded defeat. He bought David another Coke and announced that henceforth David would be called "Shark." He then asked the inevitable question, "What do you do?" David was uncertain whether to tell the truth or lie, but he summoned his courage and said, "I'm a minister in town at the MapleStreetCommunityChurch." The crowd was shocked and began to mumble, but from the background Turk bellowed, "Quiet!"
Immediately the mood in the bar changed and the patrons, one-by-one began to tell their stories. When Turk's turn came he began, "I've never been to church. My mother was never married so people told her she was not good enough for any church. I've never been to Sunday school either. What I know about the Bible comes from television. I don't even know what we celebrate at Easter." The eyes of all the patrons trained on David, who realized that Turk had given him an invitation and he needed to respond. Thus, David began to tell all assembled about Jesus. He told about his birth and how when he was old enough he began a public ministry. He told them that those who were rich and powerful had little time or energy for Jesus, who reached out in a special way to those who were despised by society at large. He did many wonderful things, cured many of diseases, forgave sins, and demonstrated love in every word and action of his life.
After three years of active work, Jesus, who mostly stayed in the northern section of his nation, ventured south to the capital city of Jerusalem. There he entered the city one Sunday morning in great triumph as people shouted, "Hosanna!" and laid palm branches on the ground for him. But later that same week those who were his enemies plotted against him. On Thursday evening he was arrested and tried in an unjust kangaroo court. The next day he was led to crucifixion, wearing a crown of thorns. All his best friends abandoned him, save a couple who watched all these horrible events. People mocked him saying, "All hail, King of the Jews!" Because he was tortured so severely, Jesus died on the cross after about three hours. His loyal friends took him down and laid him in a tomb. Upon hearing the story several of those in the bar began to cry openly.
David then told the men that on Sunday morning Jesus' friends went to the tomb to visit, but they met two angels who told them that Jesus was no longer there; he had risen and was alive. Later that day Jesus appeared to his friends, the same ones who had abandoned him just a few days before.
Turk and the others were impressed but they said, "That is a crazy story." David responded, "It's a crazy world. But our God can turn losers into winners; he has shown many times that what most believe is weakness in a person is truly strength. He demonstrated that those despised by society might be your best friends. By raising his Son from death, God has destroyed death forever."
When all was said, David then told Turk about his car problem. Quickly the rugged "biker" siphoned some gas from another vehicle, gave David directions, and sent him on his way. When he arrived home, his wife, who was obviously concerned about her husband's late return, told him that he needed to get to bed and rest, but he responded, "I need to rewrite my sermon." The next day David did not talk about New Being or estrangement from authentic selfhood; he simply told the story of how God raised Jesus from the dead and in the process gave him and all people new life and hope. People in the congregation thought the sermon was good but what really got them talking was the strange group of visitors who parked their shiny motorcycles in front of the church and sat in one of the front pews. When one of the ushers inquired about the visitors, one burly man, obviously uncomfortable in a suit and tie, growled, "We are friends of Shark."
Pastor Johnson's encounter with Turk and his friends at "The Boondocks" is a story of transformation and conversion, the movement from death to life. A chance and unintended meeting between a young and inexperienced minister and a hard-bitten "biker" allowed both to cast off blindness, the veil that kept them in darkness, and to discover new vistas never before explored.
On this festival day of Easter Sunday, when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, thereby proving his divinity and conquering the death of sin forever, we are challenged to see our need for transformation, our opportunity to cast off whatever in life is the veil that obscures God's love and presence. Easter is a celebration of Jesus' complete reversal of fate, moving from what appeared to be the defeat of death to the victory of life. With faith we can do the same!
From the dawn of God's plan for human salvation he has provided all that was necessary not only to survive but to do well and be successful. The Hebrews experienced God's providence in their lives. God was present every step of the way, even when the people strayed off the correct path that was shown them, or even in some cases completely reversed direction. God was with the Israelites every moment during their forty-year sojourn in the desert following their exodus from Egypt. When the people sinned and were, as a consequence, subjected to the rule of other peoples, such as the Philistines, God raised up judges who rallied the people and brought victory to Israel. God was the one who provided a king for the Hebrew people, so they could be like all the other nations in their region, even though the prophets warned against such a move. Thus, Saul, David, and Solomon reigned over the united Kingdom of Israel and Judah before the loss of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians. God also sent prophets to guide, cajole, and prophesy to the people in an effort to get them back onto the path of life.
Isaiah, one of the greatest of prophets, wrote the first third of this great book of scripture, to the people of Judah after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. The people may well have been uncertain about their future and what God might do with their nation. In response to this possible consternation, Isaiah writes, as we hear in today's First Lesson, in beautiful imagery of how God will remain faithful to the people every step of their journey. God will provide in his house a banquet of the richest foods and choicest wines. God will take away the veil that has shrouded the people of all nations and kept them from knowing and loving God fully. The destructive force of death, brought about by sin, the lot of all people in the past, will be destroyed forever. God will herald a new day for the people of Judah. On this day God, acting like a loving mother caring for her child, will wipe away the tears of the nation; the disgrace of the people will be removed.
Isaiah in this powerful and poetic passage is describing how God will completely reverse the fortunes of the Hebrew people. In the past God's activity had led to the annihilation of nations, Israel being prominent in the minds of the people of Judah, but in the age to come God will transform the people's hearts and minds. Sorrow will be replaced with joy, death with life, and this will happen in unimaginable proportions. The prophet proclaims that on this festival day, when God reverses the fortunes of the people, all will be glad and rejoice, for the day of salvation is at hand. Clearly Isaiah is painting a beautiful canvas, using vivid imagery, of the pardon and victory that God will win for us.
Easter is a celebration of God's great victory, not only for Jesus in his resurrection, but equally importantly for the transformation that is possible for us. God's ability to reverse the irreversible, to bring life from death, must be our great source of hope. All of us in some ways need to reverse the patterns in our life that often run counter to the Christian life to which we have all been called through baptism. Some of us fight the demons of persistent habits that seem to plague us as certain as disease can ravage our bodies. Some of us are plagued with habits of vice that take us down the wrong road. Others exhibit behavior or possess addictions that are destructive to us and which present to those we encounter a picture we do not want them to see. Many times we can seemingly find no way to break the cycle or to reverse the trend, but the power of Christ's resurrection, his destruction of eternal death, can put us back on the proper road, right the ship of our personal behavior, and steer us in the direction toward God and life.
The reversals in life can appear in other venues. Some people suffer misfortunes in their day-to-day work environment. Many find no joy, often because of boredom or routine, in their daily tasks at the office or at home. Under these conditions we need a change, a reversal of our path. The Easter mystery can reverse this pattern of routine in our lives as well. There are many people who are caught in a rut with their personal relationships. At times we cannot get to first base in trying to make friends with certain individuals; we find it impossible to break the ice with some people. With other people we can speak but there is no connection; we are on different wavelengths and cannot seem to communicate adequately. Still other people we ignore, possibly intentionally, because we "know" we cannot get along and be cordial. The power of Jesus' resurrection can transform our hardened hearts and open the hearts of others, allowing wonderful things to happen.
Most of us, if we are honest, need to do some work to place our relationship with God on a firmer foundation. Sometimes we know we are heading in the wrong direction; we have intentionally ignored the warning signs that have been placed along our path and willingly taken another route. Other times our direction is only slightly off, but we need an extra boost of encouragement to strengthen us to walk ever more closely with Christ. The power of the Easter message allowed Turk and his "biker" friends to get back onto the correct path in their lives; they again entered into a relationship with the Lord. Even Pastor Johnson, who knew all the intricacies of theology, experienced how the fundamental message of Jesus' triumph can reverse trends that keep us blind to many situations, circumstances, and individuals. The same can be true for us. Christ's resurrection must be meaningful for us today; it cannot simply be an event of history 2,000 years ago. The miracle can and must continue today.
As we, the Christian community, celebrate the most significant event in human history, the pinnacle moment of salvation history in Jesus' resurrection, let us possess the conviction that this festival milestone has meaning for us today. Let us be transformed by the power of the resurrection story. Jesus rose from the dead; the apostles rose from their fear and lethargy; Turk and Pastor Johnson gained new vistas on life. May we too be transformed by the power of Jesus, who suffered and died, but today rises and brings us the possibility of eternal life.