March 27, 2005

I Have Seen the Lord

John 20:1-18

Introduction

I love the story of Rabbi Goldberg, who was visiting Israel with his wife and mother-in law. Tragically, Goldberg’s mother-in-law suddenly dies. He finds a local funeral director to help him with the arrangements. He finds out that if he buries his mother-in-law in Israel it will cost $1,000. If he flies the body back to the United States to be buried it will cost $10,000. Goldberg ponders for a moment and says to the funeral director, “We will bury her in the United States.” He writes out a check for $10,000. The funeral director looks at Goldberg and says, “Would you mind me asking why? You could have buried her in this historic soil for only $1,000 but you chose to send her back to the United States for $10,000. Why?”  Goldberg answered, “Well, I heard a Jewish carpenter died here several years ago. They buried him in this soil and he was resurrected three days later.” He said, “This is my mother-in-law and I can’t take any chances.”

This is my question for you this morning. Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? In the life of the church we can disagree on everything. We can disagree on room temperature. We can disagree on the color of the new floor mats. We can disagree on the menu of the next dinner. We can disagree on our worship schedule and if the preacher is paid too much. We can disagree on a mountain of things but we must stand united on the resurrection of Jesus. It is the one thing that separates us from the rest of the world. It is the ultimate power that fuels the Christian faith. Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? If you believe in the resurrection of Jesus then say, Amen!”

Body

This morning we are instructed from the twentieth chapter of John. This Gospel is no different from the other three. On Friday Jesus was dead. On Saturday, the Sabbath, Jesus was dead. On Sunday the faithful go to the tomb to pay their last respects to Jesus and make a discovery that changes the world. Jesus is not dead. Jesus is alive! According to John it is Mary Magdalene who discovers the empty tomb and experiences the resurrected Jesus. According to John it is Mary Magdalene who preaches the first Easter sermon. It only contained five words. (Don’t you wish you could here a five word Easter sermon?) Mary Magdalene said, “I have seen the Lord.” You can remember that sermon!

However, you can say those five words (I have seen the Lord) three different ways and get three different messages. There are really three different sermons in the one sermon. That is what I am going to do ever so briefly this morning. So if you are ready to look at the first Easter message in three different ways say, “Amen!”

Sermon Number One: I have seen the Lord The story tells us it was just Mary and Jesus. She experienced Jesus for herself. She did not hear about somebody else’s experience. She did not read it in the newspaper. She had a personal encounter with Jesus and that is so very important. Your relationship with Jesus must be personal. You can not borrow someone else’s faith.

In William Gibson’s play A Mass for the Dead a gentleman returns home to sell the old family home after his mother’s death. She was a woman of faith but he had none. There is a scene when the man is alone in the home. It is an emotional evening for him and he wished he had some faith. So he got his mother’s Bible out, it was dog eared. He sat in his mother’s favorite seat, it was worn. He put his mother’s shawl on his shoulders and he read the Bible for the first time in years. Do you know what he experienced? He experienced absolutely nothing! You can not borrow someone else’s faith. Can you say I have seen the Lord? Your faith must be personal. If you can say, “I have seen the Lord,” then say, “Amen!”

Sermon Number Two: I have seen the Lord Visit the story one more time with me. When she first encountered Jesus she did not recognize him. She was emotionally upset. She thought Jesus was the gardener. How easy it is in life to miss seeing God because we are just so busy or upset.

Can anybody here tell me they have too much free time? We live busy, fast paced lives. People have to balance demanding jobs and demanding families. That is not easy. In a consumer oriented society like ours we can buy all kind of things but we can not buy what we really need, more time! In the last ten years I have become so sensitive to your schedules. That is why we offer so many worship and devotional opportunities at so many different times. Are you so busy in your life that you fail to see God in your life?

Kierkegaard once said, “We may live our lives moving forward but we understand our lives looking backwards.” I believe we can take it one step farther. I believe we can see God when we look back on our lives. When you look back on your life can you see God? I don’t mean God in the form of a burning bush or a thunder storm. I mean God in the form of a friend or a spouse. I mean God in the form of a calming moment in the middle of a busy day. He came to you just at the right moment. When you look back on your life do you see God? Can you say I have seen the Lord? If you can say, “I have seen the Lord, then say, “Amen!”

Sermon Number Three: I have seen the Lord The word Lord is significant because she confesses that she believed. The word Lord is a statement of faith. She knew that if Jesus could conquer death then Jesus could conquer anything. If you call Jesus your Lord then you know that you are going to heaven for eternity. That is a good thing to know when death enters your personal space. Carl Sandberg once wrote, “The statistics on death are truly amazing. One hundred per cent of the world population will someday die.”

Retired United Methodist Bishop John Blandish Basher was one hundred years old. The local newspaper came to him and asked him the secret of living to hundred years old.  He said, “It is easy! Just keep breathing!” They asked him, “How long do you think you will live?” He sat straight up in his seat and said, “Someday I will die but I am going to live for eternity!” If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior then you can live for eternity too! Can you say I have seen the Lord? If you can say, “I have seen the Lord, then say, “Amen!”

Conclusion

This is a cold Easter morning so let me end with a warm weather story. Let us talk about golf. I am not a golfer but I will watch golf this time of year because I like to look at the green grass and the flowers. (If you live in Ohio you forget what they look like by March 27).

Arnold Palmer played his last Masters Tournament in 2004. He had played in the Masters for fifty years and he still had an army following him. When he was walking up the eighteenth fairway for the last time the crowd roared their approval and appreciation. When he got to the eighteenth green the crowd was thick. He looked at that crowd and he saw something he couldn’t believe. There was Byron Nelson, one of the true greats of the sport, cheering for him! When he looked in another direction he saw Gary Player, one of his greatest rivals, cheering for him. As he looked at that crowd he saw many familiar faces that were cheering for him. Arnold Palmer saw all those people cheering for him and began to cry. I believe heaven must be something like that eighteenth green.

Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? With ever fiber of my soul I believe that Jesus was resurrected. He was dead on Friday. He was dead on Saturday but he is alive today. That resurrection means I am going to heaven. There is going to be a great crowd there when I arrive. They have been waiting for me. They are going to be cheering for me! I am going to look into that crowd and do you know who I am going to see? There is Ron and Ruth Adams, my parents. There is Roger and Helen Adams, my paternal grandparents. There is Orbie Adams, my grandmother. I never met her. She died in 1950 before I was born. I am going to look into that crowd and I am going to see Walter and Nina Milligan, my maternal grandparents. I am going to look in that crowd and see my Uncle Carlisle. He died in 1968 and I was really too young to know him. There is my Uncle Bob. We lost him too soon. I am going to look into that crowd and see the saints of this church! There is Chic Baber. There is Roberta Hamilton. There is Bob Dick and Ron Schoch. There is Kathy King, Blanche Goodhart and Edith Sankey. All the people we miss today are going to be there and it will be a wonderful reunion. There are just too many people to mention them all. There is Roberta Snare and Jack Waddell. This is all possible because I believe in the resurrection! C.S. Lewis once said, “Christians never say good-bye because we are going to see each other again.”

Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do you have first hand faith or second hand religion? When you look back on your life where do you see God? Do you know with all your heart you are going to live for eternity? If you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ then say, “Amen!”