Acts 3:12-19; Luke 24:36b-48
From ancient times to today, ghost stories have been
popular. Sometimes, ghost stories are told around the campfire or during a
sleepover. Some people love to watch scary movies about ghosts misbehaving and
about getting rid of ghosts who are misbehaving. For myself, I would rather
watch a movie or TV show or read a book about friendly ghosts who help solve
problems.
What kind of ghost
is your favorite? …
We believe that once someone is dead, they are
supposed to remain dead and buried, and not return to earth. This was true in
ancient times as well as today. We say, “There are only two things that are
certain in life: death and taxes.”
Christians know that the resurrected person is alive
in another dimension, and is not expected to return to earth in their human
form. Those who do return to earth, those we call ghosts, are believed to have
some unfinished business. They seek to finish what was left undone, whether it
was for good or for evil. …
We’ll get back to the ghosts in a couple of minutes.
… Today is the third Sunday of Easter, and we hear
for a third time a story of the disciples encountering the risen Jesus for the
first time in the evening of Easter Day. It’s important to remember that the
four gospel writers tell the story differently. The main story is the same, but
there are significant differences in the details.
Today, we read from Luke. As he tells the
story, Mary Magdalene and several other women went to the tomb very early in
the morning. Two figures in white told them that he wasn’t there, that he had
been raised just as he said. … They ran back to tell the disciples, who said
that what they were saying was a bunch of hooey. But Peter ran to the tomb to
verify that it was empty. So far in Luke’s story, no one, not even Mary
Magdalene, has seen the risen Jesus.
In the afternoon of Easter Day, two disciples, Cleopas
and his companion -- whom I like to think is his wife -- are returning to
Emmaus from Jerusalem, and a third person joins them. The disciples are
dejected. “We had hoped …, but now he is dead. However! We have heard that some
women said the tomb is empty.” … As they walked along, the third person connects
the dots for them, explaining that the scriptures demonstrate that it was necessary
for the messiah to suffer before he was glorified.
When they get home, Cleopas and Mrs Cleopas invite their
traveling companion in for some supper. He offers to say the table prayer, and
they recognize him as Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Jesus instantly
disappears. Mr and Mrs Cleopas immediately head back to Jerusalem. While they
walk back to the city, they reflect on the person who turned out to be Jesus.
“Weren’t our hearts burning with joy as he talked with us?”
Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the other disciples
have not yet seen Jesus. Despite his frequent announcements that he would
suffer and die and be raised, the disciples had never experienced anyone who
had been raised. They had no idea what that would look like. So, when they see
Jesus, they are afraid they are seeing a ghost.
That’s why, when Jesus enters the room, he says, “Don’t
be afraid. It’s me.” He knows that they suspect he is a ghost. Ghosts are
believed to not have bones, so they are not solid, and they have no digestive
system, so they can’t eat. That’s why Jesus invites them to do some things to prove
he is really there, and not a ghost. “Touch my hands and my feet. Give me
something to eat.” Jesus is touchable and hungry!
In last week’s reading, Jesus encouraged Thomas to
touch his hands and his side, to determine that Jesus’ wounds were there. It
was the wounded Jesus who was among them.
In a contrast, Luke tells the story of Easter stressing
that the disciples are witnesses to the resurrection. We read the stories of
the disciples being witnesses to the resurrection in the book of Acts every
Easter season.
The first disciples, the eleven who remained, and
the thousands who had direct contact with Jesus all had personal stories of
Jesus. They had first-hand knowledge, because they were healed or fed or
impressed with a story he told. These disciples found it easy to tell Jesus
stories.
But after the first and second generations died,
there was no one with direct contact. Today, we are dependent on the stories each
generation has passed on from then until today. We are dependent on the written
scriptures and interpretations of the scriptures.
And we are dependent on the stories handed down by
our family members and friends. When we are children it is usually our parents
or grandparents who tell us about Jesus. Then, it is pastors and Sunday school
teachers who tell us the stories.
Now, we tell each other stories about how we have
seen Jesus at work through the Holy Spirit. These stories often begin, “You
won’t believe what happened!” And we tell the story of a friend who was
miraculously healed. Or of a relative whose spouse or child suddenly got clean
and sober. We give Jesus the credit, and give witness to Jesus by telling the
story.
We know we should tell others about Jesus. We
promised to do so when we were baptized, and over the years when we have affirmed
our baptism. But Lutherans are notorious for our reluctance to share our faith
with others, mostly because of people like this:
Sharing our faith is not hard, and it should not be
scary. It begins with knowing that we all have faith stories. We all have Jesus
stories. When we are having a conversation with someone who does not know Jesus
loves them, we can tell them one of our stories.
Here are two examples of stories we can tell about
how Jesus has been at work in our lives:
1) About 20 years ago I was in Chicago with a few dozen
other women for a training. Several of us went together to an area restaurant
for dinner. Most of us left food on our plates, since we didn’t have
refrigerators for leftovers. But Mary asked for a to-go box. When we got
outside, Mary looked around for a homeless person. It was Chicago and there
were plenty of them around. She gave the to-go box to the first hungry person
she saw. I saw Jesus feeding the hungry.
2) When I retired and needed a place to worship, you
made sure to welcome me. Many of you greeted me and invited me to have coffee
and goodies with you. You have invited me to be on committees with you. Yes, I
know, in some cases, this is because I am a warm body, but I have felt the
inclusion anyway. I have felt Jesus welcome me here.
The
best news is that I am not the only person to have been so warmly welcomed and
included. The truly warm welcome of the people of Our Saviour has made sure
that this congregation has people of all colors, abilities, sexual preferences,
and ages present.
This
is a Jesus story we can all tell: that people of all sorts are welcome at Our
Saviour Lutheran Church.
The risen Jesus is not a ghost, but the truly
resurrected Son of God. As a result of the resurrection, the tomb is empty, and
it will stay that way forever. We are all witnesses to this.
Amen
