EXPERIENCE THE RISEN CHRIST

Third Sunday of Easter B

Luke 24:36b-48

April 30, 2006

Dear friends, peace be with you from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

              The two events that have had the greatest impact on me and my life and faith are when my father and mother died.  My dad died on Monday, October 4, 1993 and my mother died this past fall on Saturday, September 24, 2005.  Those were certainly difficult times for me and my family.  The death of a loved one is one of the hardest things for anyone to go through.  I don’t know how I would have gotten through those experiences without the witness of faith by caring Christians.  Through these witnesses I experienced the presence of the risen Christ.  When my dad died, we were gathered around my dad’s bedside and, as we watched the line of his heart monitor go straight indicating that he was dying, my mom and my aunt Helen were quoting scripture passages from memory, almost like ushering him into heaven.  When my mom was in the hospital, the risen Christ was present in one special nurse who was with us each day while we were there, giving such care to my mom and support to us.  On more than one occasion, she stood with us by her bedside and prayed with us.

              These events more than any others have confirmed for me the truth of the Christian faith, that Jesus Christ is alive.  I believe with all my heart that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and was raised from the dead by the power of God so that I might have forgiveness and life.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than a concept or good idea.  It is more than a positive thought or wishful thinking.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a reality that changes and transforms life now and into eternity.  Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.   He is alive and present among us.  Of this we are witnesses.

              In our gospel lesson for today, we read about what it took for the disciples to share in this same certainty, an encounter with the risen Christ.  It was Sunday night and the disciples were together in one place.  Earlier that day two of the disciples had a strange encounter with a man they did not recognize while they were walking on the road to Emmaus.  As it turned out, this man was Jesus, revealed to them in the breaking of the bread.  The one who had been crucified was alive.  The rumors that the women shared with the disciples that morning were true.  Jesus had been raised from the dead.  After this encounter, the two men went to tell the others, and while they were talking, Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  You can imagine how terrified they were.  They thought they were seeing a ghost.  Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”  He then showed them his hands and his feet and he had them touch him.  We often wonder what the resurrected body of Jesus was like.  Here it is very tangible, his very flesh and bones.  This was no figment of their imaginations, nor a transparent ghost-like figure.  It was Jesus himself.  And to convince them even more, he takes a piece of fish and eats before them.  Jesus says, “It is I myself.”  Jesus then teaches them and reminds them of the words that he had spoken to them while he was with them, that the Messiah was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.  He opened their minds to understanding the scriptures, that this was the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for the world.  Upon seeing and encountering the risen Christ, Jesus sends them out to be witnesses of these things.

              It is during this Easter season that this commission is also given to us.  We are to go out and be a witness to the risen Christ.  You may ask how can I do this since I have not seen or encountered the risen Christ for myself, like the disciples?  But I would say to you that you have seen the Lord and experienced his presence.   He is with us in some very specific and tangible ways, just as he was with the disciples. 

              The risen Christ is present in this gathered community of faith.  Jesus said himself that wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.  It is here that we hear, taste, and touch him.  Through the Word, the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, is proclaimed to us.  He comes to us through the Word and gives us the promise of forgiveness and life.  Through the Word, Jesus teaches us God’s will for us and our lives.  In the Word we encounter the risen Christ.

              We also encounter him in the sacraments.  When the water is poured over our heads in baptism, our sins are forgiven and we are given a new identity as a Child of God.  We see and feel the water as the Word is proclaimed “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  In the waters of baptism we die with the Lord so that we may arise and live with the Lord.  In Baptism we are granted a new life.

              As we eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood, the real presence of the risen Lord is with us.  He is our host and who invites us to the table.  As we come, he says to each one of us “Take and eat, this is my body… Take and drink, this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  Through this supper we taste how good the Lord is.

              We also encounter the risen Christ in other ways, such as the laying on of hands and the anointing of oil, signs and symbols of his healing power.  As the risen Christ, Jesus is the great physician who has overcome sin and death and the power of the devil.  As people receive the oil upon their foreheads, they look to Jesus as the source of healing and salvation.  Oil is also used to commend the dying into the care of God.  I have found this to be a powerful experience as I use the oil and say this prayer: Child of God, go forth in the name of God the Father almighty who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who redeemed you; in the name of the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon you.  May you rest in peace and dwell forever in the paradise of God.  Amen.

              The risen Christ is also encountered in prayer as we raise our cares and concerns, our praise and thanksgivings to God.  As the risen Christ, we trust that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers.  Prayer is the way in which we enter into God’s will and purpose for us and the world.  In prayer, we don’t try to get God to conform to our wishes, but rather, our wishes are conformed to God’s.  When I go out to visit people in their homes, or in the hospital, I take their hands and pray with them, knowing that the risen Christ is there.  When you go out and ask your loved one or friend who is in need if you can pray with them, the risen Christ is there also.

              The signs of the risen Christ are all around us.  The world may not see or recognize him, but we do, and we know and experience his presence.  He comes to us in these very tangible and concrete ways so that our faith may be strengthened and grow.  As people who have experienced the risen Christ, Jesus tells us to be a witness to these things.  Show them where Christ is.  Tell them how you have been touched by his suffering love and resurrection power.  We can not prove Christ is raised from the dead, but we can testify to his presence in our lives.  Take advantage of those opportunities to tell your story, where, when, and how the risen Lord Jesus has been and continues to be present at work in your life.  As you do this, the Holy Spirit is given an opportunity to work in people’s lives, making it possible for others to come into his presence and experience his resurrection power.  On Wednesday night, we will hear our confirmation students share their personal statements of faith.  I tell them that what they share with us will have an affect on all of us who hear them.  Through their sharing and their witness of the faith, our faith will be strengthened and the Body of Christ will be built up.  The world needs to know this and to experience it.  Jesus is alive and lives, and so shall we.  This is our Easter faith.  So…Tell it!  Share it!  Live it!  Amen.