Eastering: Saying "YES" To Life Again and Again (continued)

Rev. Abhi Janamanchi

April 8, 2007

Yet it historically is almost impossible to say what really happened, and perhaps not even helpful to ask. I, for one, do not believe that Jesus was physically resurrected from the grave on the third day and then either transported himself or was transported by God to heaven so that he could sit on God's right hand side. I tend to agree with the assertion made in the Gospel of Philip that calls belief in resurrection of the flesh the "faith of fools." Resurrection, this gospel explains, far from being a single historical event in the past, refers instead to the way that Christ's presence can be experienced here and now. Thus, those who are "born again," symbolically speaking, also are "raised from the dead" when they awaken to spiritual life. But that doesn't mean that I place no value on Jesus' death or what happened after his death. I most certainly do. What meaning, then, does Jesus' death have? In the Apocalypse of Peter (78:8-15), Jesus shows Peter that he should not fear death, because what dies is only the mortal body, not the living spirit. To show him this, Peter is given a vision of Jesus' passion to prepare him to face his own suffering and death. Jesus reveals to Peter that if he perceives crucifixion not with his physical eyes and ears but with spiritual apprehension, he will be able to perceive the truth. The one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is only the fleshly part; the living Jesus is untouched by this suffering and death. Peter is astonished for he perceives, in a kind of double vision, one person being seized, beaten, and nailed to the cross while another, joyful and laughing, stands nearby. When Peter asks Jesus what this means, Jesus explains that when the body suffers mortal agony, the "Spirit filled with radiant light" is released. That is, human beings are not saved by dying as martyrs but only by accepting God's forgiveness and standing fast against those who teach error and violence.

Similarly, the author of the Gospel of Judas, implies that everyone has the power to surpass the angelic powers, because as Jesus teaches Judas in that gospel, it is only people themselves who keep the spirit confined within the flesh (Judas 13:14-15). By seeking the spirit within themselves, they can overcome the rulers of chaos and oblivion, see God, and enter the heavenly house of God above. And they can do this even as they live in this world. The body cannot confine the spirit of life any more than can death, which is but the final release to God. And, just as every life seems to end in the tragedy of death, the Gospel of Judas ends as Judas hands Jesus over to the enemies who will kill him. As this gospel tells it, Judas knows that doing so - even at Jesus request - will lead the other disciples to hate him and stone him to death. What makes this "good news," however, is that Judas had discovered, through Jesus' teachings and his death, that what dies is only his mortal self, and that his soul, filled with the spirit, is already at home with God.

I cannot deny that under all the amazing stories of Easter, with their contradictions and lapses, there is an authentic report of an amazing and life-changing transformation. Easter grabs at me and holds my attention.

Not of a dead crucified body into a resurrected figure who magically ascends to heaven. Not of a filled tomb to an empty one. But the transformation of a group of unschooled, cowardly peasants and fishermen into a group of committed, passionate, pacifist preachers that would eventually challenge the might and rightness of an empire entirely based on the unquestioned enslavement of at least half of all people alive in those days.

We shouldn't be wondering this morning about whether or not Jesus was resurrected. We should be wondering first and foremost about the miracle that is life, this, “right-now, blow-it-away miracle.” So that's the Easter question, the big question. Can we live, and die, and live? And die, and live – again and again and again? "How do we respond when Life gets our attention?" “Do we stand still or do we ignore it or do we act upon it?”

Easter is just an excuse to get our attention. It’s there to get us to look, to listen, and to live.

I believe in God, not a personal God, but a Creative Power, or Cosmic Force that is very much a part of creation; that is in each and every one of us; that impels us to be good and do good; and that urges us, time and time again, to turn our face towards all that is life-giving and life-enhancing. I believe it is this Cosmic Force that impels us to say "yes" to life in the face of the many "no’s" we encounter. It is this power that gets us out of our caves, to vacate the gated communities of the spirit that we build and sustain around ourselves, back into reengagement with life. It is this power that reminds us that no external messiah is ever going to rescue us or redeem us for our sins but that we, we alone, are the agents of our own resurrection. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

My friend and mentor, Barbara Pescan writes, "Resurrection and the magical rolling away of stones are not supernatural events - they are possible for any ordinary person like you and like me. Resurrection is not an annual event - its season is any season of the human heart where grace and welcome meet, where stones are moved from inside and outside to reveal the path of return."

Therefore, at Easter, I find plenty of cause to celebrate. I celebrate the heroic possibilities that I have witnessed in human souls, when through resurrections of our own fashioning, we rise.

Rise to hope, Rise to love,

Rise to heal, Rise to forgive,

Rise to courage, Rise to foolishness,

Rise to wisdom, Rise to joy,

Rise, even to die.

But most essentially, rise to life.

Not to die a hero, but to live as one.

So, this Easter, may we rise to life.

BENEDICTION – Rev. Clarke Dewey-Wells

God of Easter and infrequent Spring,

Thaw our wintry hearts.

Announce the large covenant to deceitful lands,

Drive the sweet liquor through our parched veins.

Smite the pall of death that hangs like desire,

Lure us to fresh schemes of life.

Rouse us from tiredness, self-pity,

Whet us for use,

Fire us with good passion,

Restore in us the love of living,

Bind us to love and hope again.

REFERENCES:

John A. Buehrens, Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, And Religious Liberals. (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2003)

Elaine Pagels, Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity. (New York, NY: Viking, 2007) Easter Sermons by the Rev. Barbara Pescan and the Rev. Scott Alexander