What would Jesus do?
Sermon | April 4 , 2021 | Rev. Julie Lombard
Thank you for reminding us of the Easter story about the tomb, Barbara. This story did not come directly out of the Bible. A modern-day author, a UU named Mandie wrote it. Her story includes some of the important elements found in the Gospels. However, that does not make her story the Gospel of Mandie.
Her story tells of the women and their response to what has happened to Jesus. Mandie skips the scene about the crucifixion or the one with an angel or angels depending on which gospel account you read. Her lens is the more humanist approach to what went down. The women showed up, they found the tomb empty, and afterward, they remember their new aim is to live out the works Jesus could no longer do.
Though we do not know what happens when someone dies, we often find solace in the many beliefs of others, such as the Norse who spoke of death as going home. It matters not what religious tradition you come from or whether you have one or none at all.
We gather together after someone special in our life dies to recognize that all life is sacred- in its being born, in its living, and even at death. The memories, stories, and the events that have interwoven our lives together with that dear one will never be taken away. That person will come to life again each holiday you celebrate or whenever you find yourself doing what they did. Their life, words, and works; their values and ideals live on in you. Now you are left to be the custodians of all they left undone.
Let’s take stock; we are together here celebrating Christianity’s highest holiday – Easter. We have told the story of the empty tomb in which the women remember the promise that they made to their loved one before he died. And now we are at the most amazing part of this transformation story- it’s the what comes next? stage.
We know what comes next. The women go tell the men and together they spread Jesus’ wisdom and teachings widely. The end.
But is that really the end of the story? Is that why we are here to merely hold up our month’s worship theme of transformation?
It is one reason, but it is not the only one. We are here to explore the deeper meaning behind the story. Dare I say we are here to talk about the elephant in the room- the resurrection?
I need to tell you, I feel so privileged to be here with you now to have this important conversation where I do most of the talking. I am so grateful I can talk to you about this because not all UU churches feel like they can listen to such a sermon. They prefer to honor spring and avoid the opportunity to talk about Jesus, but not you. You do hard things, you tell crazy stories and live a few out and still come back to the task at hand- to live out this faith and serve the wider world.
So, how’s that going? What are you doing to welcome diversity and empower spiritual growth? How are you fostering the interdependent web of all existence and transforming lives?
I ask these questions because this is our church’s mission. This is what we have promised to do here. Our ancestors are smiling upon us and wildly cheering us on from the sidelines. You could say our ancestors are the loved ones you have lost or the members and friends that were once part of this beloved community, and even the indigenous peoples who once lived here. All want us to thrive so we can continue the work of welcoming diversity and empowering spiritual growth, fostering all life and the interconnection that holds us. They feel fulfilled each time a life is transformed in Midland.
And what would it look like if Jesus were to live out our mission? How would he love his neighbor or disrupt bad behavior? Would he upend the tables in our church? Or would he break bread and urge us to be more kind to the stranger, to the outcast, to the sick in mind, body, or spirit, and be a companion to those who have lost their way? I believe some of the first words out of his mouth would be, “Peace be with you.” He would not only say that to his friends, but also to his enemies.
The Easter story about the resurrection is all about a new lease on life. We get another chance to live out our values and that is what we celebrate on this high holy day.
Why would we want to skip this opportunity to talk about this? Why would we ever rather focus on only a seasonal change? The resurrection, I feel, offers us fantastic potential. Jesus didn’t need to be resurrected for himself; he did it for his followers and the rest of the world who might benefit.
I am not going all crazy on you and saying he died for our sins and believing in life after death. If there’s a world UU’s like less than resurrection, it is sin. I won’t go there.
But where I do intend to take you is to ask: now that the pandemic is slowly winding down… what would you like to do to live out the values of this faith? How do you want to do the work we have promised to do?
We are all coming out of our tombs of sorts. We have been separated from our life as we once knew it. Jesus’ disciples were separated from their teacher by the tomb. There is something about this separation that transforms us. As soon as Jesus’ body entered the tomb, what did his disciples do?
They didn’t just run out and turn the world around. It took days that turned into years and even a couple of millennia. If you hadn’t notice, they’re still not finished. But nor are we. There is so much work to be done.
Did all that work still to do stop them? Did they get stuck in the trauma response, frozen by fear, or did they find ways to live on doing what Jesus taught them to do? They lived out their promise because they realized that they were left to be the custodians of all he left undone. We can help them with that task because it is not that different than our own mission.
Folks, that is the heart of our message today. We are here to be the custodians of the work left undone in our community by our many ancestors. Midland needs a place that welcomes diversity. It needs us to be a place where spiritual growth is empowered. We must lead, and be strong leaders in fostering the interdependent web of all life. We are needed here because lives are waiting to be transformed.
That is our task ahead, to be the beloved community we have committed ourselves to be. We are the stewards of these tasks and it is our turn to live out this faith. Midland, TX cannot afford for us to skip out on this work. They need us more than ever to love our neighbors whether it is a non-mask-wearing citizen or a migrant boy temporarily staying here.
What would Jesus do? I can imagine him playing soccer with the migrant boys in the camp. Can you? Can’t you think of him saying to everyone that looks funny at him while he’s still wearing a mask when they are not, “Peace be with you.”
There’s no doubt that he would sit at any table and break bread to inspire people to be their most just versions of themselves. He would want us to do the work of liberating all the people who are considered to be outcasts and who are being treated unfairly.
That translates to we need to support the LBGTQ community and all people of color, those in migrant camps, those being victims of hate crimes, and those confined by their own limitations -be it physical, mental, or spiritual.
Midland needs us. It needs us to create a new inheritance for the future. It needs our thoughts, our words, and our actions in our daily life to be that we are committed to dismantling paradigms of oppression and suffering.
We pray that these precious lives we live may be blessed with that same renewal we see all around us in mother nature’s annual celebration. Let a holy spirit be found in familiar and unexpected people and places and maybe even in us.
The last place we expect to find that spirit is in the tomb within ourselves. A tomb where hope and possibilities have lain buried and died.
Nobody knows if this death was a product of time, circumstances, or potential unfulfilled. The tomb is empty, nonetheless. It is our regard for Truth that inspires us to dive deeper into the meaning of this message. Maybe it is our hopes and possibilities that will walk beside us? Maybe something unexpected and unheard-of awaits us in this season?
It is our story to live out. We choose who will be the hero and who will be the martyr. We decide who plays the role of the villain. We can also be bold and change the story. That is what the gospel writers did. They all took Mark’s account and changed the story in their own way.
One wrote that there was one angel; another wrote that there were two. Mark’s version ends with the women remembering their promise, but it is the rest of the New Testament that alters his story and sometimes make it conflict with the other stories.
We are meaning makers. We get to decide how the story is told. Will we de-center our whiteness and privilege? Can we be in a story where we are not the heroes or martyrs? Or will we wait silently for the untouchables of Midland to liberate themselves without us?
Only time will tell. Intention will put us on the correct path, but we must do more than to have the intent to do this work. We need to do it. We must fulfill our commitment. We are part of Midland’s resurrection – its chance to change. We may even find we become transformed by this work. Let us be transforming agents of peace, love, and justice.
May it be so. Amen.
Julie, I loved your Easter sermon;
are their videos of any of your sermons?