Sunday's Message: Good News for a Change - The Resurrection Can Change Our Values

We live in a world where there seems to be a lot of bad news. In fact, there are times when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all those things that seem to tap our strength and drain our spirits. But as we move through Easter and remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there’s good news. And if we allow it, this good news can change us in some very profound ways.

For six weeks, we’ll focus on these changes during our worship service. In other words, we’ll talk about how the resurrection can change us in six ways. We’ll follow the following schedule:

• April 24 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Faith
• May 1 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Expectations 
• May 8 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Values 
• May 15 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Relationships 
• May 22 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Response 
• May 29 – The Resurrection Can Change Our Message 

During the third message, we considered how the resurrection of Jesus Christ can change our values. A copy and recording of this message is below:

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Now, before I say anything else, let me repeat what the kids said just a little while ago: Happy Mother’s Day. Of course, having said that, I know from painful experience that, even though it should be a happy day for mothers, man, it can be a minefield for fathers, especially for new fathers. For example, I remember our first Mother’s Day at the Rudiger house, back when we were living in Arvonia, Virginia and I was teaching history at Buckingham County High School. Maggie had been born on February 1 and so she was about three months old. Well, on that Sunday morning, Debbie asked me what I’d gotten her for Mother’s Day, and I don’t know if I was trying to be cute or had some kind of mini-stroke, but I said, “Nothing, you’re not my mother.” I can tell you, it wasn’t pretty. 

But be-that-as-it-may, today is that special day we set aside every year to remember our moms. And children of all ages generally do this by sending a card and flowers and by going with them to church and then taking them out for dinner a little later and of course, by avoiding any conversations involving sports or politics and if either does come up, saying, “Yes, mom” and letting it go. And I’ve got to admit, that’s sort of what I’ve done over the years with my mom, understanding that, with the exception of about five years I lived in Virginia, I haven’t been within eight hours of Norfolk for the last thirty-five years. 

But you know, my approach to Mother’s Day really changed for me about three years ago, when my mom passed. You see, rather than worrying what I should send or when I should call or where we should go, I’ve found myself thinking more about who my mom was and how she shaped my life. And you know, it’s really interesting, each year, I’ve thought a lot about some of the values she passed on to me. For example, I believe she taught me to value sacrifice, and I’m talking about both the sacrifice we might make for others as well as those that others might make for us. And she taught me to value patience, you know, that delayed gratification might just be better than getting it all right now. But maybe most important of all, she taught me to value faith, and I’m not talking about the kind that’s a lot of words but very little substance. You see, mom’s faith wasn’t hateful or judgmental. And it sure didn’t cause her to feel spiritually superior to others. Instead, it was a simple assurance that, in spite of what might be happening all around us, we’re in the hands of God and he loves us and we’ll be fine. You see, for me, it’s the kind of faith that was reflected in the last words she said to me: “See you later.” I’m telling you, those were some of the values my mom taught me.

And you know, that’s really what we’re going to talk about this morning, values. Now in case you’ve missed the last couple of weeks, we’re in the middle of a sermon series we started right after Easter entitled, Good News for a Change: How the Resurrection Can Change Us. And we started by looking at how the resurrection can change our faith, and then last week we talked about how it can also change our expectations, by challenging some, by confirming others and by clarifying them all. Now that’s where we’ve been. And this morning, we’re going to consider how the resurrection can change our values, you know, how it can shape those things that really define who we are and what we consider important. And for me, that comes down to three very distinct virtues that the resurrection can teach us to value. 

For example, first, I believe the resurrection of Christ can teach us to value humility. In other words, it can help us understand who we actually are with respect to God and one another. And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense, especially when we think about what happened. I mean, let’s get real, I believe it’s virtually impossible to leave the story of the resurrection with any sense of bravado or personal pride, because this is really a story of God’s power, a power that’s greater than anything we can muster on our best day. And I think that reality was captured best by the Evangelist Matthew when he wrote this:

The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead. [Matthew 28:1-4, CEV]

Now this was the work of God. And I’ll tell you, when we read it, not only should those guards be humbled, so should we.

And you know, I think this is really important, you know, that we leave the empty tomb with humility, because let’s face it, humility isn’t a virtue that’s held in high esteem now-a-days. I remember, back when I was kid in the '60s, my dad and I would watch Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and back then, you could always divide the wrestlers based on how they acted on camera. I mean, bad guys like Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson or the Anderson brothers, man, they’d boast and brag and demean their opponents by calling them names, while the good guys, you know, like Johnny Weaver or Paul Jones or Chief Wahoo McDaniels, man, they were always humble and respectful and so disappointed by that attitude shown by the heels. Of course, that’s the way it used to be, and not just in wrestling. But now, Lord have mercy, we seem to admire and even reward the most arrogant people we can find. And we give respect and power and even love to those who seem to believe that they’re better than anybody else and that we should believe it too. Of course, that’s not what the Bible teaches us to do, not when we consider these words that Peter wrote in his first letter:

All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say,

“God opposes proud people,

but he helps everyone

    who is humble.”

Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. [1 Peter 5:5-6, CEV]

You see, as opposed to what we hear coming from the world, humility is important. And in my opinion, it’s one value that the resurrection can teach us. But it’s not the only one.

Because, second, I think the resurrection of Christ can also teach us to value compassion, and I’m talking about compassion for people who haven’t really done anything to deserve it, in other words, compassion for folks like us who just try to do the best we can with what we’ve got. Of course, we considered this when we were looking at how the resurrection can change our faith, reminding us that God not only had authority but that he also showed love, something that we can hear when the young man in the tomb gave this command to those frightened women:

“Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him to life, and he isn’t here. You can see the place where they put his body. Now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.” [Mark 16:6b-7, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote, and I’ll tell you why it’s so important. You see, right here, I think God was showing his love and grace and mercy to the very people who had let Jesus down right before the crucifixion and I’m talking about Peter who denied him three times and the other disciples who ran away. Why? Because God values compassion, even to those who’ve done nothing to deserve it.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something we can value ourselves. But just like we said about humility, I’m not sure we put a major emphasis on unmerited compassion, not in our modern world. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we’re not  compassionate, because we certainly are. But often that love and grace is directed to those whom we think deserve it, right;  you know what I mean, those who’ve done enough sort of to earn it. And so the mercy we show is often conditional. But of course, that’s not what Jesus taught. For him, the need itself should be enough for us to act. And I think that’s why, when he was describing how the nations were going to be judged, he predicted that those on the right side would hear this: 

“My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.

“Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” [Matthew 25:34b-36, 40b, CEV]

You know, I think it’s pretty obvious that God wants us to show compassion. And in my opinion, it’s another value that the resurrection can teach us. But again, that’s not all either. 

Because, third, I think the resurrection of Christ can also teach us to value simplicity, in other words, to allow the good news to speak for itself without us adding a bunch of frills and feathers that we might like but that actually distracts from the plain and basic truth. And again, just like we saw with humility and compassion, simplicity is what the resurrection is all about. I mean, remember, it’s about women going to the tomb, finding the stone rolled away, and, according to Luke, hearing two men say, 

“Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you, ‘The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.’” [Luke 24:5b-7, CEV]

Now, I don’t know about y’all, but this seems to be a pretty simple story. Man, it doesn’t even describe the resurrection itself. In fact, it’s radically different from how the resurrection was described in a gospel that the early church considered, well, uninspired. Listen to this:

But in the night in which the Lord’s day dawned, when the soldiers were safeguarding it two by two in every watch, there was a loud voice in heaven; and they saw that the heavens were opened and that two males who had much radiance had come down from there and come near the sepulcher. But that stone which had been thrust against the door, having rolled by itself, went a distance off the side; and the sepulcher opened, and both the young men entered. And so those soldiers, having seen, awakened the centurion and the elders (for they too were present, safeguarding). And while they were relating what they had seen, again they see three males who have come out from the sepulcher, with the two supporting the other one, and a cross following them, and the head of the two reaching unto heaven, but that of the one being led out by a hand by them going beyond the heavens. And they were hearing a voice from the heavens saying, ‘Have you made proclamation to the fallen-asleep?’ And an obeisance heard from the cross, ‘Yes.’ [Gospel of Peter 35-42, translated by Raymond Brown]

Wow, heads in the heavens and a talking cross. Now, that’s what I call entertainment. Of course, it’s also a lot different from what we see in the Bible, because in the Bible, man, the resurrection is radically simple. 

But you know, before we become too harsh or judgmental toward whoever wrote the Gospel of Peter (and since it was written about 100 years after the crucifixion, it sure wasn’t Peter), you see, before we bring down the hammer on him, we may be more like him than we’d like to think. I mean, often we’re not very satisfied with the simplicity of resurrection as described by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For example, if you’ve ever seen a play on the life of Jesus, when you get to the resurrection, I’ll bet a dollar to a donut that the stage will be dark and machines will be pumping out fog and the music will be faintly playing in the background. And then, the music will get louder and light, maybe lasers depending on the quality of the production, will start coming from inside the tomb. And as the music swells, the stone will roll away, and with the lasers shooting, Jesus will step out, wearing something that of course reflects all the lights. George Lucas would be proud. Now that’s often how we present the resurrection, spectacular and dazzling and probably a little over-the-top. There’s just one problem; this description isn’t in the Bible. It comes from our imagination and not the word of God. As a matter of fact, just compare what we often do with what the Apostle Paul preached in Acts:

After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb. But God raised him from death! Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him. [Acts 13:29b-31, CEV]

No heads in the heavens and talking crosses, no fog machines and lasers; just a very simple story. And in my opinion, along with humility and compassion, simplicity is another value that the resurrection can teach us.

Now, like I said a little while ago, for me, Mother’s Day has become more and more about remembering the values my mom taught me. And you know, I think the same thing applies to the resurrection. You see, as we live in a society that rewards arrogance and that measures mercy and that loves spectacles, let’s remember that the resurrection teaches us to value humility and compassion and simplicity. You see, that’s how the resurrection of Jesus can change our values. And I’ll tell you, over the next three weeks, we’ll consider how this humility we now value can change our relationships and how this compassion can change our actions and how this simplicity can change our message.