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

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

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Although I grew up in the south, I’ve spent well over half my life above the Mason-Dixon Line, sometimes way above it. And one of things I’ve learned living up north is that there are two times of year when the weather is really unpredictable; therefore, you need to be flexible in how you respond. And one of those times is what we would consider, down south, the late Spring, you know, the time between mid-April to mid-May. Now, by that time in Virginia, we’ve really pretty much entered summer, but up here, well, not necessarily. For example, I think most of us would agree that yesterday was a really nice day, with the sun shining and the temperatures pushing the mid-eighties. But, do you realize that, about a month ago, this was the forecast for April 19:

Today – Rain and snow showers, becoming all rain after 1pm. High near 41. West wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight – A chance of rain showers, possibly mixing with snow after 9pm, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. [Explore Clarion, 7-Day Weather Forecast for Clarion County]

And so, in about thirty days, we’ve moved from winter coats and snow shovels to short sleeve shirts and weed wackers. Let’s just say that, in the last month, how we should respond has been just about as unpredictable as the weather.

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to talk about his morning. But of course, we won’t be focused on changing temperatures and precipitation. Instead we’re going to look at how the resurrection can change or, maybe better, shape our response to Jesus Christ. Now, as y’all know, this is the fifth message in the series we started right after Easter on how the resurrection can change our faith and our expectations, our values and our relationships. And when we talked about values, we looked at how the resurrection can teach us to value humility and compassion and simplicity. Of course, when we’re talking about what we are called to do as Christians, man, I think compassion says it all. I mean, even though it’s gotten a little muddy by some folks who want to promote their own limited agenda, I’m not sure Jesus could have been clearer about what he expects his disciples to do than he was. My goodness, in response to the question, “What is the most important commandment?”

Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.” [Mark 12:29-31, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said; therefore, when you’re talking about the what, it’s not exactly a mystery. But the how, you know, how can we do it, how can we respond to the call of Christ and love God and others, well, that’s not quite so easy or obvious.

And so, with that in mind, we’re going to spend the next ten minutes or so talking about how we might better show compassion to those around us. And since we’re still focused on the resurrection, we’ll use three statements Jesus made after he was raised to better understand how we might respond with compassion and love to the world around us. And I’ll tell you, I really think it comes down to three things that we might want to work intentionally into our response.

For instance, first, following the example offered by the resurrection, our Christian response must be tangible. In other words, it must be grounded in the real, concrete world, you know, the world that we have and not the one that we may want. And I’ll tell you, since the resurrection itself was as real and as concrete as an empty tomb, man, that just makes sense.

And I’ll tell you something else, the fact that our response needs to be concrete and physical rather than impractical and spiritual, I think we can see this very thing in Jesus’s conversation with Peter after the resurrection. Remember, 

When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?” 

Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I do!”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus said.

Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus told him.

Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.” [John 21:15-17, CEV] 

Now, that’s what happened. And even though there was all kinds of stuff going on here about the shifting meaning “love,” for our purposes right now, the point seems clear. If Peter loves Jesus, his response must be concrete and physical. Man, it must be as tangible as feeding lambs and taking care of sheep. 

And this is something I think we need to remember. Jesus didn’t tell Peter to “pray” for the lambs or to “witness” to the sheep, although both are important. Instead, we’re talking about actual feeding and caring for those who need our help. And you know, this is really not different from what Jesus said would be the basis by which the nations of the world will be judged:

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.” [Matthew 25:35-36, CEV]

I’ll tell you, if we’re serious about showing compassion, I think what we choose to do must be tangible. And for me, that’s the first way the resurrection can change our response.

And second, I believe the resurrection also gives us an example of a response that’s unconditional. In other words, it’s not based on whether or not we believe the other person deserves it, and it sure isn’t determined based on whether it’s going to people like us or like them. No, the compassion, the love that we’re called to show should never be conditioned by what we think or who they are. Instead, the need itself should be enough.

And I’ll tell you, I think we hear Jesus making this very point to his disciples when he gave them their great commission at the very end of the Gospel of Matthew. Remember, this was what Jesus said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 18b-20, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and personally, I think it’s really important. I mean, not only did he tell them to do something tangible, you know, like baptizing and teaching, he didn’t tell them to “go to our people first” or to “go to those who think like us first” or to “go to those who speak our language and share our culture first.” Man, he didn’t say that. Instead, he said to “go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples.” [Matthew 28:19a, CEV] A shared humanity and a basic human need would seem to be the only condition for their response.

And I’ll tell you, I think this must shape our response too. I mean, even though it’s really easy and tempting and comfortable to take the political jargon of the day and apply it to our faith so that we can separate us from them, the first from the last, the found from the lost, this is just not what we see in scripture. Instead, over and over again we’re challenged to take a radically different perspective on the world. It’s like what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, and if you think this is kind of uncomfortably radical now, just imagine how it sounded about two thousand years ago:

Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. It doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. [Colossians 3:10-14, CEV]

You see, as Christians, the compassion, the love we show must be unconditional. And for me, that’s the second way the resurrection can change our response.

And third, following the example offered by the resurrection, our Christian response must also be immediate. In other words, it probably shouldn’t be referred to a subcommittee for discussion until it can be taken up by the committee of the whole for more discussion until it can be sent to a task force for implementation. I mean, for as much as we really like structure and understand that, to be successful, we’re probably not going to be able to just fly by the seat of our pants, we really need to balance the need for planning with the need for action. 

And you know, I think we can find this kind of immediacy in the words the resurrected Jesus shared with the eleven before his ascension. You see, right after they asked “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” [Acts 1:6b, CEV], Jesus shifted their focus away from this tangent to the job they were expected to do starting right this minute.

Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” [Acts 1:7-8, CEV]

You see, even though there are all kinds of questions and concepts and ideas that can burn all kinds of brain cells, the bottom line is that we have a job to do and we’ve been called to do it right now.

And I’ll tell you, I think this is something we need to remember, because it’s really easy to forget about the immediacy of human pain and need. I mean, we can sort of dink along and ignore what we see and pretend that it doesn’t exist. You see, this we can do. But you know, what we choose to do, man, that not only does it reflect how we see others, it may also demonstrate more clearly than anything else exactly what we believe about God. And I think we see this very thing in what John wrote in his first letter:

If you hate each other, you are murderers, and we know murderers do not have eternal life. We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other. If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. [1 John 3:15-18, CEV]

If we’re serious about living as Christians, in the face of human need, the compassion we choose to show must be immediate. And for me, that’s the third way the resurrection can change our response.

Well, now that we’ve entered into late May, I’m not thinking the changes in weather will be as great as they were during the last month or so. As a matter of fact, we might not face this kind of stuff for another four and a half months and that special time when we again sort of bounce between Indian Summer and frost on the pumpkin. And since the changes are settling down, so will our response, as complaining about the heat and humidity pushes any talk about snow and ice literally to the back burner. 

Of course, that same thing really doesn’t apply to our response as followers of Christ. I mean, as we consider how we can actually live the compassion we’re been called to show, I think it’s important to remember that it must be tangible and it must be unconditional and it must be immediate. You see, following the example offered by the resurrection, this can shape our Christian response. And next week, we’ll bring this series home by talking about how the resurrection can change our message.