Sermon Prepared for Messiah Lutheran Church
4th Sunday of Easter, traditional
services – 5/6/01
by Gregory S. Kaurin
Associate Pastor for Spiritual Care and Development
Text: Luke
24:36-49
Resurrection Appearances: Disciples at Breakfast
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Something like this has probably happened to you a time or two: You see someone, and they are concentrating on whatever they are doing. You can tell they’ve no idea you’re there, coming up behind them. You’re not trying to scare them, so you try to say politely, “I don’t want to startle you.” And they still just about jump out of their skin.
Well, imagine the scene where the disciples were talking about these visions of angels by the women, about Jesus’ visit with the two on the way to Emmaus. You can imagine that it was all so strange, scary, hard to believe and exciting. I’m sure they were feeling a bit jumpy, with goose pimples and excited quivers.
And while they were jabbering away suddenly here’s Jesus among them. He said, “Peace” but he might as well have dressed in a white sheet and shouted, “BOO!” Jesus tried to peel the disciples off the ceiling, with these words, “Look it’s me. Here are my hands and feet. Touch and see. I’m flesh and bone--no ghost.” He even sat down to eat piece of broiled fish.
So, it had really happened! The resurrection really happened. Christianity is not founded on dreams. We do not follow an idea, or a philosophy of life.
Someone might ask you sometime what Christians believe. Before you start trying to list all our various beliefs, tell them that—first and foremost—the question is whom we believe in. First and foremost, we believe in Jesus Christ, crucified, dead, buried, and raised from the dead. At the center of our faith, we believe that Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, “in actual historical fact faced and fought and conquered death and rose again.”[1]
The first thing Jesus showed them was that he was really there, whole and in the flesh. We believe in the reality of the resurrection.
Jesus, in this passage, also stressed again the necessity of the cross. He reminded them of the numerous times that he told them before—but this time it clicked. He opened their minds to the scripture, the prophets, psalms and the law—and showed them how it all pointed to the Messiah, and God’s plan: once for all time salvation.
God was not forced into this. Jesus was not backed into a corner. From the beginning, God was saying, “I have a plan that will show the depths of my love.” And with that, “He forced his arms so wide apart that it hurt. And to prove that those arms would never fold and those hands would never close, he had them nailed open. They still are.”[2]
Someone mentioned to me recently that they were surprised to see crucifixes at the front of many Lutheran churches in Europe. (A crucifix is a cross with the image of Jesus still hanging from it.) I’ve also seen that in a few Lutheran churches in the South. Isn’t that un-Lutheran?
The truth is, Lutherans do not shy away from the crucifix. We know that the crucifix and the cross of resurrection are both part of one and the same victory. The victory happened on the cross and was proved by Jesus resurrection.
Suddenly that dreadful cross is something entirely different. A moment ago the choir sang a piece about this “Wondrous Cross.” It showed the height, width, and depth of God’s love. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” We believe in the necessity of the cross.
That points to the importance of our task. In our lesson, Jesus asked for something to eat. On one hand, Jesus ate the fish to show that he was real and in the flesh. On other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was truly hungry. His last meal had been several days before. And a lot had happened since then.
He needed a breakfast, in its literal meaning: He needed to break his fast-ing. He needed to fill his hunger…in more ways than one.
From the cross Jesus had said, “I thirst.” And after his resurrection, God, thru Jesus Christ is still hungry. He is hungry for his creation. He is hungry for his people.
And he passes that hunger on to us. Repentance and forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed in the name of Jesus Christ. Beginning here. We are witnesses. We believe in the importance of our mission.
The importance of our mission.
…But that does not equal busy-busy-business. “Peace,” Jesus said. Sit
and listen first. Start here, like Mary, listening. And even while you work and play—stay open, remain curious, and
listening, because Jesus is always talking, always teaching just below the
surface of whatever you are doing.
I don’t know if this is a perfect fit, but I was watching Oprah
again. (I blame my wife.) Anyway, Oprah was sending this neatness guru
to help people who were feeling overwhelmed by their messy rooms, and
overflowing closets.
I am anything but a neat nick.
Some of you have seen my office and desk and know that’s true. However, when I saw these messes, I
felt whole lot better about myself!
At first I was impressed how this woman was able to release a few from
the bondage of their piles, and gave them systems for maintaining their new
cleanliness.
But—I’m sorry—when she started labeling little baskets in their
medicine closet: “for headaches and pain,” “for colds and hay fever,” etc., I
began to realize that this was not necessarily leading them to peace, but from
one bondage to another.
Sometimes we get this idea, that, if only we could set everything out
as a neat ordered plan, then we’ll be at peace and can finally achieve our
goals, including our Christian goals.
Or, other times, we skip the plan to rush about in a messy busyness,
hoping that in doing all this we are answering our Christian call.
Max Lucado, in his book, Six Hours One Friday, put it this way:
We
are masters of the masquerade. Cars are
driven to make a statement. Jeans are
purchased to portray an image. Accents
are acquired to hide a heritage. Names
are dropped. Weights are lifted. Yarns are spun. Toys are purchased.
Achievements are professed.
And
the pain is ignored. And, with time,
the real self is forgotten.[3]
And we are distracted. It’s
actually not as hard as we make it. But
it means constantly pulling ourselves back from distraction. And believe it or not, we can be distracted
by both clean orderliness, and also by messy busyness.
In one word, Jesus gave the disciples and gave us one of the powerful words in Christianity: “Peace.” It is a power word that keeps us on task. “Peace be with you!”
That peace comes from knowing, believing, and grasping that Jesus Christ died to save us, and rose to prove it! It is from this power of peace that Christians can act, heal, forgive, learn, teach, love, adapt, lead and serve. We are assured of the greatest gift of salvation – so we are at peace. We can be ready to do what’s needed …when we see it.
Peace. It is a powerful word.
So I ask you to begin each day this coming week modeling this message from today’s Gospel lesson. Find a book of devotions. First, ask Christ to be present with you. Read for just a few moments. Then just stop and listen or meditate for a couple minutes. Finish by asking Christ to stay with you for the rest of the day, and try to stay open. In spite of traffic, office work, errands, phone calls, and people…remain confident, patient. You have what’s most important: the Peace of Christ.
I think that
was the main gift Jesus wanted to give disciples in our Gospel lesson, and it
is the gift I want all of us to take home with us today. Use it for the rest of your week. Peace be with you!
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