Sermon for Easter 3B
Judy
Dear Friends,
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Live Like He’s Alive! Now What?” or “Watch Your Mouth!” and deals with the all the lessons, especially the Old Testament lesson (Micah 4: 1-5). Here it is:
Happy Easter! What do you mean- “Happy Easter!?” Rite Aid has all the leftover Easter items in their half-off bin (the good ones are gone!) and now everything is about gardens and Mothers’ Day! In the secular world, yes- Easter is over; but we Christians celebrate the Easter season and will be doing so for 36 more days. It takes at least that long to get all the spiritual meanings and understandings and power from this most holy season. In today’s gospel, we find the disciples hiding behind locked doors for fear that the Roman soldiers would come for them and crucify them the way they did Jesus. As you recall, the disciples had been through a ghastly week! They had seen their beloved Friend and Teacher betrayed, arrested, tortured, humiliated, executed- i.e. murdered, and buried. Then the women who went to the tomb to anoint the body couldn’t find it. This is where we pick up the story in our gospel. While they were discussing this strange happening and wondering who had stolen the body, Jesus stood among them. He proved he was alive by eating and having them touch him. What a topsy-turvy world they were living in!
You’ve heard me talk about my dearly-loved cat- MagnifiCat. One of his greatest delights is getting to the highest spot available- like a panther in a tree. I thought he had learned his lesson, but he looked like he was going to try it again last week! A couple of years ago I took a picture of him walking around the top of our cupboards- about 12 inches from the ceiling. At that time, he’d also been watching the top of the shower stall in the bathroom, mewing and wiggling his butt like he’s going to leap. Finally I didn’t think he’s jump, but he did. There he was- on the thin, slippery top of the shower with a wet, watery tub on one side and a long jump to the floor on the other. Talk about a pitiful cat! Just before I rescued him, he might have thought just what the disciples must have thought when they saw the risen Christ- NOW WHAT!? That’s what I want us to think about in terms of Easter- now what?! What impact does a Risen Christ have on our lives?
The Rev. Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) talks about two kinds of Christians- “worldly” Christians and “world-class” Christians. “Worldly” Christians are really only interested in themselves- what’s in it for them. In terms of Easter, how does God bless us through the Easter miracle? That’s an easy answer- power for living now and heaven when we die! “World-class” Christians are also interested in what they can do for God and other people. I hope we are all world-class Christians! It is our holy mission as ambassadors of the Risen Christ to fulfill God’s goals for this world. The Old Testament lesson (Micah 4: 1- 5) reminds us of one way we can serve the Risen Christ- be peacemakers. It’s so very easy to think that world peace is beyond us- what can little old me or little old you do? Check out the thought for the week by Mother Teresa- “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” If you really want to love your family, WATCH YOUR MOUTH! Here are four suggestions.
FIRST: be intentional about being a peacemaker in your family and with close friends! Make it top priority! If we’re not careful, our words become swords and spears that make those we love weep. How often have you heard people talk about their significant other to friends? Build each other up. Don’t spread family business unless it is necessary for the healing of one of the members, and then do so in the right context. Watch your mouth!
SECOND: Here’s another trap we fall in if we’re not careful- dealing with tell negative truths. Before you say a word, tell yourself- “THINK!”
· “T” is it true?
· “H” is it helpful?
· “I” is it inspiring?
· “N” is it necessary?
· “K” is it kind?
If the answer is “No,” Don’t just watch your mouth. Shut it!
THIRD: Another tip for using our words to show our love- remember to say thank-you, express your appreciation and gratitude. How often we take those we love for granted! Watch your mouth!
FOURTH: A final tip for using our words to show our love- we have an awful tendency to treat those with whom we live worse than we would ever treat even a perfect stranger? We let it all hang out- we speak with rudeness and annoyance; we give people the “silent treatment”- expecting them to read our minds; we use “put-downs” and say cutting things. You’ve heard the old saying- “Words are easy to spill, but hard to clean up. Our baptismal promises include one to “respect the dignity of every human being.” We easily keep this promise with strangers, but let our Lord and Savior down when relating to our own family members and close friends. St. Paul gives thoughtful advice when he writes in 1st Corinthians (13: 4-8) - “Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails!” Watch your mouth!
Why bother to watch your mouth? Because when evil words come out, they can never be recalled. They can be explained, forgiven, maybe if you’re lucky forgotten- but when they’re out, they’re out. I want to close with a story I’ve told before (the last time was August 17, 2014), but it explains so very well why we’ve simply got to think before we speak and keep Jesus in control of our lips. There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Gradually the number of nails he was pounding into the fence dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it, and the father suggested that now the boy should pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say “I'm sorry,” the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”
As ambassadors of the Risen Christ, may God bless us as we strive to be true peacemakers in our families, and watch our mouths!
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .
Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan