Sunday's Message - After Easter: Living with Clarity

Easter is the most important day in the year, because we celebrate the most important event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During this sermon series, we’ll consider five ways the resurrection can impact our lives. They include the following:

• Living with Hope - April 27
• Living with Clarity - May 4
• Living with Purpose - May 11
• Living with Understanding - May 25
• Living with Courage - June 1

On Sunday, May 4, we focused on how we can live with clarity, because the resurrection forces us to recognize that we’ll encounter many people who don’t share our perspective or opinions.  Below is the podcast and text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, here we are, entering the month of May. And around the Rudiger house, this will be a month of some pretty profound changes. I mean, for Maggie, she’ll be graduating from West Virginia University on May 18, closing the book on this part of her life, even though she’s planning to do some graduate work at Duquesne in the Fall. And for Debbie, she’s retiring on May 23, closing the book on her “outside of the home” working life, although from what I’m told, your life gets a whole lot busier after you retire. And for Coco and me, well, we’ll still be around here during the week, although only one of us is afraid of thunderstorms. I guess she and I won’t be changing very much in May.

And I’ll tell you, neither will the sermon series we started last week. You see, for four of the next five Sundays, we’ll be focused on some of the ways our living can change because of the resurrection. And we kicked it off last week by talking about how we can live with hope, by trusting that death has been defeated and that, just like Jesus was raised, we’ll be raised too and that our future will be glorious. Now that was last Sunday.

And this morning, we’re going to focus on living with clarity, and I’m talking about living with no false illusions about how Biblical Christianity is actually viewed by many within our world. You see, I believe the resurrection forces us to recognize that we’re going to encounter people who just don’t like us, because they don’t share our perspective or opinions. And you know, even though I think we’ve all got a pretty good idea that those folks are out there, often I don’t think we’re all that clear about how we should respond. I mean, how can we live knowing that there are and will always be people who don’t care what we think and frankly would be just as happy if we weren’t around at all?

And like I said, I think that reality is reflected in one of the stories associated with the resurrection. Let me tell you what I mean. Just listen to what the Evangelist Matthew said happened after the crucifixion but before Jesus was raised: 

On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. They said, “Sir, we remember what this liar said while he was still alive. He claimed in three days he would come back from death. So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don’t, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.”

Pilate said to them, “All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.” So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it. [Matthew 27:62-66, CEV]

Now that’s what Matthew wrote, which kind of sets us up for what followed:

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]

Pretty dramatic, right? Of course, after this happened, the angel told the two Marys about the resurrection. And he told them to share this good news with the disciples. And as they were leaving, they encountered the resurrected Christ himself. Now that’s all in Matthew’s account. But what about the guards, you know, the soldiers? Well, after all this stuff about the resurrection, the Evangelist returned to them.

While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened. So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money. They said to the soldiers, “Tell everyone that Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep. If the governor hears about this, we will talk to him. You won’t have anything to worry about.” The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The people of Judea still tell each other this story. [Matthew 28:11-15, CEV]

Now, according to Matthew, that’s what happened, and for me, man, this is a big deal. You see, even though the chief priests heard the greatest news possible, they still bribed the soldiers to keep it quiet. And even though the soldiers saw it with their own eyes, they still took the money and told the lie. You see, even though the resurrection would be the ultimate reason for hope, for whatever reason, they still opposed the truth.

And I’ll tell you, what was true then, I believe is still true today. You see, I think what happened after the resurrection, is happening right now within our world and society. In other words, for whatever reason, we end up facing opposition for the beliefs we hold and the priorities we set. And that’s what we’re going to talk about for the next ten minutes or so. We’re going to look at how we can live with clarity, and I’m talking about how we can live without false illusions or wishful thinking. As a matter of fact, we’re going to consider three specific steps we can take as we deal with the opposition that we’re going to encounter as we follow the example of the risen Christ. And I’ll tell you, all three are firmly grounded in scripture.

For example, I think we can deal with opposition, first, by recognizing that it exists. In other words, instead of denying what they think or compromising what we believe, we can simply acknowledge and accept that some folks are just not going to like what we, as Christians, believe or say or do. I’m telling you, that’s just the way it is. But don’t take my word for it; just listen to what Jesus himself told the disciples right before his arrest and crucifixion:

If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don’t belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and this is why its people hate you. Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say.

People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don’t know the one who sent me. [John 15:18-21, CEV]

I mean, good night nurse, in light of this, it shouldn’t be a surprise that not everybody is going to be giving us a “thumbs up” as we walk by. Of course, the reason may vary. For example, a lot of folks probably resent the peace and hope we have, while others may be confused by the values that we hold and the priorities we set. Some are going to feel uncomfortable when we talk about how Jesus said to us, “You must love each other, just as I have loved you,” [John 13:34b, CEV] while others are going to think we’re nuts when we try to follow his example by applying these words, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.” [Matthew 16:24b, CEV] And frankly, some going to think we’re naïve or unrealistic or maybe judgmental or down right dangerous when use these words of Christ to shape our values and set our priorities: “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] You see, we may have to recognize that there will always be some who, for whatever reason, will oppose us. And in my opinion, that’s the first step that will bring a little clarity to our lives.

And then, second, after we recognize the world for what it is, we can use the opposition as motivation. I mean, once we acknowledge and accept that the opposition is there, we can use it as a reason to grow and to unite. In other words, like an athlete can focus his training when he knows his competition, so can we, as we do our best to become everything we were created and called to be. And I think that was what Paul had in mind when he wrote this to the Colossians:

Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you. I am glad to know that you are living as you should and your faith in Christ is strong.

You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. [Colossians 2:5-8, CEV]

You see, right here and right now, those who talk trash give us a great reason to learn as much as we can about what we believe. Of course, that may demand some effort on our part, but I’ll tell you, it’ll be worth it. You see, just like the chief priest encouraged the soldiers to do and the soldiers actually did, there are still a lot of folks who have no qualms telling lies about followers of Jesus Christ. And they seem to have no problem distorting our message and misrepresenting our mission. But we really can’t do much about it, not if we’re foggy about how a follower is called to live or what that message and mission are all about. And I’ll tell you, that’s why I think learning what we believe is so important, especially now. But you know, so is strengthening our relationships, and I’m talking about our relationships with both one another and with God. I mean, as the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “Someone might be able to beat up one of you, but not both of you. As the saying goes, ‘A rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break.’” [Ecclesiastes 4:12, CEV] And as it relates to God, remember Jesus said this to his disciples, “There are some things people cannot do, but God can do anything.” [Matthew 19:26b, CEV] I’m telling you, right here and right now, we can make good and productive use of the opposition we face. And for me, that’s the second step that will bring a little clarity to our lives.

And then after recognizing that we’re going to face opposition and after using it as motivation to learn his word and to strengthen our unity, third, we can challenge those who oppose us, and we can do it without compromising what we believe. You see, together as God’s people we can expose the lies and we can confront the distortions and we can correct the misrepresentations. And we can do it with compassion and humility and respect. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what Peter was getting at in his first letter. He wrote, 

Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do. Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.

Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. [1 Peter 3:15-7, CEV]

You see, we can decide to stand up against the lies and distortions and misrepresentation and we can stand firm on the Word of God and the example of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I’m telling you, we can demonstrate to the world what it means to trust that the Apostle Paul was right when he wrote, “In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:37-38, CEV] This we can do. And as we do it, we can show to everyone we meet that, in spite of what the world tells them about us, we really practice what Paul preached when he wrote, “For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.” [1 Corinthians 13:13, CEV] You see, together, as the children of God and the Body of Christ, we have the power to challenge the opposition we’re going to face. And in my opinion, that’s the third step that will bring a little clarity to our lives.

Now, I’m telling you as sure as Maggie’s going to graduate on May 18 and Debbie’s going to retire on May 23, there will always be people who won’t like the message we share nor the way we live. I mean, for whatever reason, we’re going to face opposition for the beliefs we hold and the priorities we set. That’s what happened with the High Priests and the soldiers right after Jesus was raised, and brothers and sisters, I think the same kind of thing happens to us right here and right now. But instead of trying to live in denial, you know, with a lot of false illusions and wishful thinking, we can take some steps to deal with the world we face. You see, we can recognize the opposition. And we can use it as motivation to learn and to unite. And then we can challenge the lies and the distortions and the misrepresentations so that this world may hear and see and know the truth. And in my opinion, that’s what it means to live with clarity after Easter.