Sermon 11/10/2013
May the things we say, the things we think and the things we act upon be reflections of your grace and your glory, O God. Amen.
Good morning! I am Debbie Dehler, a Masters of Divinity student from United Theological Seminary in New Brighton. I am a Postulant to the Priesthood in the Episcopal Church, hoping to be ordained in 2015. A lifelong Episcopalian, I have been on a spiritual journey for many years, learning and growing at the Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, where I’ve worshipped with my husband Jeff and our two kids, Ray and Erin for 26 years.
Here at St. Christopher’s, I am your seminary intern, that extra person at the altar, here to learn as much as I can in nine months. I have been meeting many of you through a variety of events and programs, like working with the Altar Guild, participating in staff meetings, coming to the Swing Dance that was held last year, a lasagna dinner with the Over 55 group, the Bato Bato concert Friday night, and a few adult forums. If I can take advantage of this Gratitude Sunday for just a moment, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for the warm welcome I have received since I arrived here in September.
Last Sunday I went down to the youth room for Sunday School. The lesson your youth minister, Chad, was presenting was about how we read the Bible. He gave each member of the class a piece of paper and a piece of string. He asked them to drop the string on the paper and then trace it using only one color. The next step was to take that the first wiggly line and create a picture from it using different colors. The students were creative. Many added to their line and made a monster or some other not-of-this-world creature. Others created more complex pictures, like a landscape or a dragon eating a boulder, using only the original line. One person provided a key that defined which color represented the original line and which color was added.
Chad’s point in this lesson is that the original message changed. The base, or in this case, the first line, is the point of the story. The additions to the story are sometimes embellishments to help others learn or to see the point. The many pictures that were made also represent the individual context or creativity of each person.
I thought this was a great way to explain the complexities of the Bible. We have four Gospels, and sometimes though the basic story is the same, the way the story is presented by each Gospel writer teaches about the author, the audience, the location of both the original story and the telling of it, and reflects the time the words were more permanently recorded. For example, Luke was written around the year 100 of the Common Era, nearly 70 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, it was 30 years after the Jewish Temple was destroyed, which turned the Jewish world upside down, and Rome was in political control.[1] Luke’s Gospel was both a recollection of Jesus and political commentary that was developed through years and years of oral tradition. People told and retold the stories. The story would focus on this point this time and that point the next. As Chad described to the students, our stories become more as we find more interesting ways to tell them. Ask the youth about Chad’s story about a car and a pineapple …
Today we heard about a question asked by the Sadducees. To be honest, since I read this a few weeks ago I have been trying to figure out what part of this exchange was the most important, so Chad’s lesson was helpful. Which piece of the story was the original line, the initial point, the foundation of the text? Which were added to make the story clearer or more interesting? This passage has many twists and turns and multiple ways to understand the circumstances. It represents the difference between earthly law and heavenly existence. It exemplifies the unique relationship between Jesus and the Sadducees. It tells the story 70 years later. Much had happened to impact the way it was written. Where to begin?
I could focus on the fact that the Sadducees have not had much of a role until now. As a matter of fact, this is the only time they argue[2] with Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. They are using their prestige and power to intimidate and trap Jesus, setting the stage for Jesus’ arrest.
Or, I could talk about the historical role of women in the Bible. Women had no status unless they were married. Women had little value if they did not have children. A childless widow would be a burden on society, so the Hebrew Law tries to protect families by having widows marry the brother of their deceased husband. Why? Because the possibility of an heir in any family meant that the family, the family’s business, had a future. But also, it was thought that a woman with no husband or children in this life would have no worth in heaven, either. So this scenario, posed by the Sadducees, was a subtle way for them to express their unbelief in any resurrection. Jesus brushes their argument aside by giving value to all men and women “who are worthy.”
We could talk about marriage and family and the vast differences between then and now. We no longer have to worry about a widow marrying her husband’s brother for survival. We don’t have to worry about having numerous children because child mortality rates have dropped and population growth is stable. We can have as few or as many children we want in this country. Depending on our federal and personal economic stability most of us will not need to rely on our children financially as we age.
Another choice could be to talk about the end of the reading. We do not know what will happen to us after we die, but Jesus tells us that the laws and rules and relationships in this life are not what will be important after we die. Why, then, do we worry about what will happen after we die? Or, why do we put so much emphasis on rules and laws, like this absurd marriage rule, in this life? This particular passage does not talk about how to get into heaven. It talks about how unimportant it is for us to worry about heaven.
This semester I am taking a class on Grief and Loss. A few weeks ago my professor asked each of us to respond to a single question. “Are you afraid of death?” I think this is what this passage is most about: the fear of the unknown and the desire to put earthy definitions on the divine. The Sadducees asked a question about relationships after death. “Whose wife will she be?” How many of you have thought about your earthly relationships and wonder what those relationships will look like after you die? I have! [Raise hand] It isn’t that strange of a question when we think about it, is it?
“Are you afraid of death?” she asked. I did not have to think very hard about her question. I responded this way, “I’m not afraid of death. I fear the process of dying. I wonder how I will die. Will it be a painful and long process or tragic and quick, or will it be peaceful? I wonder when I will die. Will I have a short or long life? But, no; I am not afraid to die.”
That doesn’t mean I don’t think about death. I wonder what it will be like when I die. I think about who I will leave behind and I wonder how my death will impact those I love. My husband, Jeff, and I talk about what our life will be like without the other. We talk about future relationships and trying to find happiness again, not wanting the other to be alone if they do not want to be alone.
I think about what it is like in heaven. Will my grandparents and uncle be there to greet me? Will I get to meet my dad’s mom who died when she was 30? Will I get to talk with presidents and martyrs and saints? Will I recognize anyone? Will they recognize me? What will it look and feel like? Will it matter? But mostly, will I get to talk to God and ask all my questions?
A friend of mine’s mother died on Thursday. Another friend commented that now their two moms could spend time together talking in heaven. We talk about reuniting with our loved ones, even talk about meeting our childhood pets. I saw a cartoon this week where St. Peter was greeting a man at the pearly gates. A dog was at St. Peter’s side. Peter said, “So this is Johnny. Sparky has been talking about you for 50 years!”
We joke about death; we prepare for it with trusts, with Wills and with advanced directives. We buy life insurance and participate in savings plans if we have the resources to do so. We talk about making funeral plans and burial wishes. Or at least we think about doing these things. Though we know it is inevitable, admitting we will die is not easy. There are so many unknowns.
I find it hard to believe that there is nothing after my body stops living. There are too many stories from people whose hearts have stopped and restarted. They report seeing a bright, peaceful light and feel the push to stay and pull to go. Some of us may have personal experience with being with someone as they die, watching as they reach out with a smile on their face, whispering a name. What or who are these people seeing?
We seem to have hope in the resurrection, but why then, do we worry about it?
Jesus tells us not to worry. He says the laws of this world are not the laws of heaven. He says that once we have died we are like angels and children of God and we cannot die again. The only relationship that will truly matter is the relationship with God. That relationship, according to Jesus, never ends. To God, we never die.
I think I can live with that.
Amen.
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