Do you know the name Edmund Steimle? For years he was the
Lutheran preacher on radio's The Protestant Hour. GOOD preacher. I am told
that, late in his life, Pastor Steimle was preparing a sermon
Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. His text was from
Lamentations, Chapter 3. We read it just a bit ago: "Because of
the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions
never fail. They are new every morning..." As he explored the
passage Steimle quipped, "At my age, this promise of newness
every morning is at best a mixed blessing. I have come to the
point in life when I really don't want anything new in the
morning. I want my slippers right beneath my bed where I left
them the night before. I want my orange juice and bran flakes
for breakfast, as normal. In my advanced years, I can do without
a lot of newness, especially in the morning." (1) Boy, can I say
AMEN to that! You too?
I would not be surprised to hear that millions who gather
for worship on Easter morning around the world are echoing at
least PART of that sentiment. I suspect that the appeal of an
Easter day is that the story is so consistent and has been from
the beginning. The last thing we would expect as we listen to
the gospel lesson for the day would be
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still
dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the
stone had been removed from the entrance. With great
fear and trembling she looked inside and there saw the
body of Jesus as it had been prepared prior to the
sabbath. Her eyes filled with tears, she took the
spices she had brought for anointing, laid them about
the body, then returned to the disciples to inform them
and ask that the stone be rolled again in front of the
tomb. With great sadness, they returned to the garden,
replaced the stone, then each returned to his own home.
"The word of the Lord...Thanks be to God." HA! Are you
kidding me? No, that is NOT what we have come to hear. NO
SURPRISES! The old story of the resurrection with the women
coming to the tomb, finding the stone rolled away and angels
sitting inside beside where the body used to be, saying
"SURPRISE"...THAT is what we want. Even for those who never show
up except at Christmas or Easter, who think the only decorations
the church has are poinsettias and Easter lilies, and think the
only music the church knows are "Joy to the World" and "Jesus
Christ Is Risen Today," THAT is the story they have come to hear
as well.
Of course, depending upon to whom we listen, there is always
the opportunity for surprise. For example, you have no doubt
heard about the recent discovery of the Jesus Family Tomb.
According to news reports,
New scientific evidence, including DNA analysis
conducted at one of the world's foremost molecular
genetics laboratories, as well as studies by leading
scholars, suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb
could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth
and his family. The findings also suggest that Jesus
and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named
Judah. The DNA findings, alongside statistical
conclusions made about the artifacts -- originally
excavated in 1980 -- open a potentially significant
chapter in Biblical archaeological history." (2)
A documentary presenting the evidence, "The Lost Tomb of
Jesus," was presented on the Discovery Channel last month. What
is giving the piece credibility is the fact that the Executive
Producer is James Cameron, the same James Cameron who gave the
world Leonardo DiCaprio and "Titanic" - "I'm king of the world."
I am not sure how being a wealthy film maker establishes someone
as an expert in Biblical archeology, so I will leave that to
larger minds than mine. And I thought DNA evidence required
something to which to compare results, so where did they come up
with DNA from Jesus to arrive at their conclusions?
There are some tantalizing elements, including an ossuary (a
bone box) marked "Jesus, son of Joseph" plus some others marked
with familiar names from the family of Jesus. One wag has
suggested that some other tell-tale clues have been found as well
including several pairs of hardly worn women's dress shoes [that
Cameron swears are "size 7½ - Mary Magdalene's shoe size!"]; a
baseball cap labeled "World's Greatest Dad" with a handwritten
note inscribed: "Yo, Pops - Happy Father's Day (signed) Jesus,
Jr;" an unused bumper sticker that, translated from the original
Aramaic, reads: "Our Boy Is An Honor Student At Jerusalem High;"
and finally, a small woven bracelet with the letters sown in
reading "W-W-I-D." WOW! Well, that settles it for me. How
about you?
Not quite? True, scholars have some objections, the
strongest of which is that names like Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
were not just common names in first-century Palestine, but the
most common, according to experts, including the Israeli
archeologist Amos Kloner, who supervised the first excavation of
the site back in 1980. Stephen Pfann, who is a biblical scholar
at the University of the Holy Land, even cast doubt that the name
on the box was "Jesus," saying that ancient Aramaic is
notoriously difficult to decipher, and in this particular case,
is "clumsily carved and badly slashed." And then there is the
question of location - if Jesus family had a plot, it would have
been in Galilee, not Jerusalem. (3) Uh-huh.
Well, enough about that. There will be no surprises here.
The truth is this is left to an issue of faith. Through the
years there have been attempts to offer this or that proof either
in favor of or in denial of the resurrection of Jesus. None of
them are entirely convincing. Ultimately, it is a matter of
faith - you either believe the biblical account or you do not.
For me, after more years of hearing the old, old story than I
care to admit, I choose to believe.
All the resurrection texts are reassuringly familiar. There
are some differences in detail between them but that is to be
expected. In fact, if all were exactly alike, we might suspect
some collusion between the writers to "get the story straight."
All the gospels do agree that Mary Magdalene was among the
first to visit the abandoned grave. Arriving at the tomb before
dawn, her mind is fogged by her grief and despair. Seeing the
great stone rolled away and the tomb empty further intensifies
her anguish and sends her running for help from her friends.
"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know
where they have put him!"
We have heard this story often enough so that it truly does
not surprise us, but try to put yourself in her place. Your
friend has died. You watched it. The body was taken to the
Funeral Home for preparation prior to the service. You return
prior to the public viewing, are greeted by the Funeral Director
who stammers, "Uh, I don't know how to say this, but we have a
problem. Come with me." He takes you back to the embalming
room, points to the casket and, instead of your friend lying
there, all you see is the suit in which he was to be buried,
lying limp like a glove that has just been removed, with the
Bible that was to be placed in his hands sitting on top. The
body is gone. What would you think?
Simon Peter and the unnamed "Beloved Disciple" (which
tradition has presumed to be John) race to the tomb. There are
the grave clothes and, off to the side, the linen head shroud,
carefully folded up. What grave robbers would have bothered to
do that? They are at a loss to explain anything but, as the
lesson has it, "John" saw and believed. But the lesson adds,
"They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to
rise from the dead." So they went back home.
Mary stayed behind. She was crying. Through her tears she
sees the angels. She hears them ask why the tears and responds,
"They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have
put him." She turns around, encounters Jesus, but does not
recognize him.
An aside here. Have you ever wondered what Jesus was
wearing? I mean, after all, his grave clothes are there in the
tomb. Did he find an extra pair of coveralls in the gardener's
tool shed over by the rakes and the lawn tractor, or what? Don't
worry about it now - you can ponder it over dinner.
Jesus asks the same question as had the angels: "Why are you
crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Maybe it was those coveralls that made her mistake him for
the gardener. She said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell
me where you have put him, and I will get him." Then comes the
moment of recognition. He simply says her name - "Mary."
Surprise! And the rest, as they say, is history. Or at least
the history of our faith.
That Mary wanted to hold on to him is not unusual. We
always cling to the familiar, especially in upsetting
circumstances. But Mary had work to do, a mission to pursue.
She would become the world's first witness to the resurrection,
that death, what the Apostle Paul would call "the last enemy,"
had been defeated. Good news indeed.
It is a story we have heard over and over and over again.
It is not surprising anymore, but for me (and I suspect millions
of others) there is great comfort in that. Several years ago,
The Saturday Evening Post ran a cartoon showing a man about to be
rescued after he had spent a long time ship-wrecked on a tiny
deserted island. The sailor in charge of the rescue team stepped
onto the beach and handed the man a stack of newspapers.
"Compliments of the Captain," the sailor said. "He would like you
to glance at the headlines to see if you'd still like to be
rescued!" (4)
Sometimes life does scare us. Sometimes we feel that the
world is out of joint, that those in charge have no clue how to
fix things, that evil is winning. But then along comes Easter,
the "no surprises" Easter, to remind us that, despite all the
evidence to the contrary, our God is still in charge.
Several weeks ago, Lois Conrad (5) entrusted me with a
treasured possession, a sermon notebook that had belonged to her
late father, the Rev. Dr. Lee J. Beynon, who served with
distinction in several congregations during a ministry that
spanned 55 years. In a sermon entitled "Continuing the Christian
Tradition" that he preached at the Delaware Ave. Baptist Church
in Buffalo in April, 1942 - 65 years ago this week, the nation in
the midst of a World War - he challenged the congregation to
consider the question of the New Testament, "What think ye of
Christ?" He went on:
All our hopes and programs of Christianizing the world,
in remaking society in terms of justice, brotherhood,
and the many carelessly flung ideals that fill the
world today depend on our inward response to that
question...The most insistent and important question
for the Christians of today who are eager that the
church shall take its full share of responsibility in
this critical hour is not what so many are asking,
"What shall we do?" but, WHAT SHALL WE BELIEVE AND ON
WHAT SHALL WE INSIST?
Dr. Beynon went on to examine those questions and then
concluded by quoting the lyrics to an old hymn that was still
being sung in that day but has somehow been lost to ours. It was
written by Daniel Whittle, (6) a man who reached the rank of major
in the War Between the States, and for the rest of his life was
known as "Major" Whittle. During the fighting, Whittle lost his
right arm, and ended up in a prisoner of war camp. Recovering
from his wounds in the hospital, he looked for something to read,
and found a New Testament. It changed his life. After the war,
Whittle became treasurer of the Elgin Watch Company in Chicago,
but within 10 years, he felt called to a ministry of music and he
began to write. His daughter May Moody wrote music for some of
his lyrics. Some of his hymns are still sung today: "I Know Whom
I Have Believed," "Moment by Moment," "There Shall Be Showers of
Blessing," to name a few. The one that Dr. Beynon quoted gets
its title from the very first line:
They tell me the story of Jesus is old,
And they ask that we preach something new.
They say that the babe and the man on the cross
For the wise of this world will not do.
Yes, the story IS old, as the sunlight is old;
Tho 'tis new every morn just the same,
As it floods all the world with its gladness and light
Kindling faraway stars into flame.
For what can we tell to the weary of heart
If we preach not salvation from sin?
And how can we comfort the souls that depart
If we tell not how Christ rose again?
So with sorrow we turn from the wise of this world,
To the wanderers far from the fold;
With hearts for the message they'll join in our song
That the story can never grow old.
It can never grow old, it can never grow old,
Though a million times over the story is told.
While sin lives unvanquished, and death rules the world,
The story of Jesus can never grow old. (7)
No surprises. In the early 1970s, a certain theological
seminary held a conference on the future. Alvin Toffler's book
Future Shock was all the rage, and an impressive group of
scholars was assembled to "do futuring." They gave well-documented addresses, speculating about the sweeping changes
moving toward us in education, economics, community life, and
technology. They envisioned the future and described it in
dazzling detail. The closing address was given by the president
of the seminary, who said in essence, "I am only a theologian,
and I have no idea what shape the future will take. The only
thing I do know is that the future will belong to a merciful
God." Years later when this seminary president retired, he was
cleaning out his office and ran across the files from this
conference. He re-read the papers, reviewing now with hindsight
all of the brave predictions of the future. "You know," he said,
"I was the only one who was right!" (8)
It can never grow old, it can never grow old,
Though a million times over the story is told.
While sin lives unvanquished, and death rules the world,
The story of Jesus can never grow old.
Have a Happy "no surprises" Easter.
Amen!
1. Quoted by Tom Long, "Growing Old and Wise on Easter," Journal for Preachers, Easter
2001, pp. 33-40
2. Jennifer Viegas, "Jesus Family Tomb Believed Found," April 1, 2007
"http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/25/tomb_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20070225073000
3. James Martin, "Does Jesus' "tomb" mean the end of faith?," The Presbyterian Outlook,
March 19, 2007, p. 14
4. J. W. Moore, "Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True," Dimensions, 1994, p. 80
5. A long-time member of First Presbyterian and still active in the choir with a wonderful
voice after many, many years of service.
6. http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/h/i/whittle_dw.htm
7. Daniel W. Whittle, 1900
8. Tom Long, ibid.
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