Raised To New Life Today
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series III, Cycle C
Object:
William Wilberforce was a privileged man. He was given a second chance; he was in many ways resurrected. Because of his efforts the world is a much more compassionate and just place. Wilberforce was born in 1759 in Hull, England, the son of a wealthy merchant. As a youth he led a rather dissolute life; his father's money allowed him access to people and things, yet he used his privilege to his advantage or abused it to the detriment of others. In 1780, he became a member of parliament representing Yorkshire. At this time he initiated what would become a lifelong friendship with William Pitt the Younger, who would later serve with distinction as Prime Minister. Still, he continued his self-indulgent ways; there seemed to be no stopping his actions that brought him further and further from God.
In 1784, however, Wilberforce received a great gift, although he may not have recognized it at the time. He met a group of evangelical Christians, a group called the Clapham Sect, who forced him to reevaluate his lifestyle. He was so transformed by his experience with this group that he completely changed his ways and became a leading proponent of social reform in Great Britain, especially the improvement of factory conditions.
Wilberforce's newfound Christian faith, his second chance on life, led him eventually to the door of Thomas Clarkson, a leading abolitionist in Britain. Clarkson and others were campaigning for an end to the horrific British slave trade that ferried Africans from their homeland to the New World. Through his position in parliament, Wilberforce had the power to do something about this intolerable institution. Despite strong opposition from many lobbies, he introduced legislation to abolish the slave trade and he reintroduced it for the next eighteen years in succession. Over time, more and more people began to join with the Clapham Sect and their allies, producing pamphlets and books and holding rallies and circulating petitions.
Finally, in 1807 the slave trade was abolished, but his work was not done. He became a leader in the Society for the Suppression of Vice, started in 1802. Wilberforce led campaigns for better education for children. He died in July 1833, literally a few days after slavery had been abolished in the British Empire. William Wilberforce was given a second chance; he was resurrected. Fortunately for the world he made the best of the opportunity God gave to him.
Wilberforce's ability to find a new direction, basically to rise to new life, stands as a good illustration of Saint Paul's message to the Corinthians in today's lesson. In chapter 15 Paul tells the Corinthians of the centrality of the tradition that he was given, namely the significance of the Paschal mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Now, he goes further, expanding on his earlier ideas of resurrection as a central focus of our Christian faith. This fundamental message of Christian faith is a source of consolation to us. Christ's resurrection will give us the second, the third, the hundredth chance. We need to respond to the opportunity of new life Christ has given to us.
Paul tells the Corinthians of his certainty that there is resurrection from the dead because Christ conquered death. This is the central article of faith for Christians. It is so central, in fact, that Paul tells his readers that if Christ has not been raised, his proclamation has been useless and so too the faith of those who believe. Moreover, he says that if Christ is not raised, then Paul is guilty of misrepresenting God, testifying to something that is not true.
The apostle also speaks of the essential need of Christ's resurrection for our future hope. Without Jesus' resurrection there is no reason to have hope in him for the resurrection was the event that secured our release from bondage. It was the action that released us from our sins. If Christ is not raised, one remains in sin; we have no hope to break the bond of sin that our first parents brought to the world through their disobedience of God. Christ's resurrection is our ticket to eternal life. Paul tells the Corinthians that if our hope in Christ is only for what the Lord can do today, if there is no possibility for future resurrection, then we are pitiable people. We have believed in a hoax. However, Paul reaffirms at the end of the passage that, in fact, Jesus was raised from the dead. He is the first fruit of those who have died. Jesus' action has brought release and new life to those who have died. The same can become reality in our lives today, as well.
Certainly there is no need to wait for life eternal to experience the possibility of new life today. As the life of William Wilberforce clearly shows, we can find and even should seek opportunities to be renewed, to be resurrected, and to find new life in our lives and that of the society and community in which we live. Yet, there is an important prerequisite; we must be open to transformation by God. Opportunities to find our proper road to God are given to us at certain special moments in life; they don't come every day! Thus, when the Lord provides the opportunity, we must be open and ready to respond. We must be attuned to the Lord's call since it is generally quite subtle. We must listen well. Remember the call of the great prophet Samuel. When he was just a boy, God called him twice, but he nor his mentor, Eli, recognized the Lord's call. Finally, when the Lord called a third time, Eli perceived it was God's call and told young Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listing' " (1 Samuel 3:9).
When God's call comes and we hear it, then we must be willing to respond. But this is often not an easy thing to do; it may require much of us. When the young man came to Jesus and asked what was necessary to find eternal life, in other words to be converted and resurrected, Jesus' answer was not received well. Much was required of the man who possessed many things. Mark reports, "He [the young man] was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions" (Mark 10:22).
Yet, we have many positive examples of people, like William Wilberforce, who were given opportunities to change their lives and responded. The call of the apostles is certainly illustrative. When Jesus called, we are told they immediately left family, livelihood, home, and followed him (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14). Indeed, Peter was so taken with the miraculous catch of fish that he did not know how to respond. Thus, he told Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" But Jesus told him that in the future he would be fishing for men (Luke 5:1-11). Saint Paul as well was given a second chance. Indeed, he claimed that he should never be called an apostle as he had been so fervent and zealous in his earlier persecution of Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). Yet, God transformed him into the most famous evangelist and missionary of all time. Paul's efforts transformed Christianity from a sect of Judaism into the major world religion it is today. But this all happened because he was open to the call and accepted resurrection in his life.
Resurrection not only brings the possibility of a new direction in life, it also assists us to change our attitudes and perspectives. The general stance we take in life can be expressed by answering a basic question: Do we see life as a glass of water half empty or half full? The former attitude sees life in negative ways. We are never enough; we are always only half of what we need to be. The glass half full perspective, on the other hand, is very positive. This attitude places us on the proper road where we can make great progress. Rather than seeing things as lacking or inadequate, we can view life as fulfilling. True, we should never be totally content where we are and should push on to where we seek to be. But the glass half full tells us that resurrection to new life is possible for all.
Therefore, we need to approach life and the possibilities the Lord provides for us from a positive direction. Not only must we seek the positive perspective, we are challenged to help others to do likewise. Too often today people view the challenges and obstacles of life as a wall too high or difficult to negotiate. Thus, many choose not to engage the world. In these cases the individual has no opportunity to find God and thus the new life God brings. Surrender to the perceived inevitable problem will paralyze us; we will not be able to see our way out of the forest. Thus, we need to be persistent and engage the world. It will not be easy, but then the Christian life well led should never be easy. We should recall how the famous British essayist, G. K. Chesterton, put it back in 1910: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it is been found difficult and left untried."
The personal resurrection we seek gives promise to a collective resurrection for our world. If we start with ourselves we can initiate a tidal wave that can bring our world to new ways of acting and thinking. American society is dominated by the secular and a pervasive sense of apathy and indifferentism. Our nation trumpets its idea of the separation of church and state, but too often today this good idea, which was initiated to keep harm from occurring to either of these great institutions, now brings problems to both. The perception that the relationship between religion and politics is problematic has brought us to the re-exaltation of civil religion. Rather than honoring God, too often we honor the state, its precepts, and civic values.
The situation in our society, dark though it may be at times, can be transformed. William Wilberforce was only one man, but he led a campaign to transform the thinking of the most extensive and possibly most powerful empire in world history. But this only began when Wilberforce was resurrected to a new way of thinking. Similarly, we need to be open to God's message in our lives. The missive will be different for each person, but we all need to raise ourselves to a higher plane. Let us strive toward this lofty plateau. The goal that is our ultimate destination is worth every ounce of our effort. It is nothing less than life eternal with God. Amen.
In 1784, however, Wilberforce received a great gift, although he may not have recognized it at the time. He met a group of evangelical Christians, a group called the Clapham Sect, who forced him to reevaluate his lifestyle. He was so transformed by his experience with this group that he completely changed his ways and became a leading proponent of social reform in Great Britain, especially the improvement of factory conditions.
Wilberforce's newfound Christian faith, his second chance on life, led him eventually to the door of Thomas Clarkson, a leading abolitionist in Britain. Clarkson and others were campaigning for an end to the horrific British slave trade that ferried Africans from their homeland to the New World. Through his position in parliament, Wilberforce had the power to do something about this intolerable institution. Despite strong opposition from many lobbies, he introduced legislation to abolish the slave trade and he reintroduced it for the next eighteen years in succession. Over time, more and more people began to join with the Clapham Sect and their allies, producing pamphlets and books and holding rallies and circulating petitions.
Finally, in 1807 the slave trade was abolished, but his work was not done. He became a leader in the Society for the Suppression of Vice, started in 1802. Wilberforce led campaigns for better education for children. He died in July 1833, literally a few days after slavery had been abolished in the British Empire. William Wilberforce was given a second chance; he was resurrected. Fortunately for the world he made the best of the opportunity God gave to him.
Wilberforce's ability to find a new direction, basically to rise to new life, stands as a good illustration of Saint Paul's message to the Corinthians in today's lesson. In chapter 15 Paul tells the Corinthians of the centrality of the tradition that he was given, namely the significance of the Paschal mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Now, he goes further, expanding on his earlier ideas of resurrection as a central focus of our Christian faith. This fundamental message of Christian faith is a source of consolation to us. Christ's resurrection will give us the second, the third, the hundredth chance. We need to respond to the opportunity of new life Christ has given to us.
Paul tells the Corinthians of his certainty that there is resurrection from the dead because Christ conquered death. This is the central article of faith for Christians. It is so central, in fact, that Paul tells his readers that if Christ has not been raised, his proclamation has been useless and so too the faith of those who believe. Moreover, he says that if Christ is not raised, then Paul is guilty of misrepresenting God, testifying to something that is not true.
The apostle also speaks of the essential need of Christ's resurrection for our future hope. Without Jesus' resurrection there is no reason to have hope in him for the resurrection was the event that secured our release from bondage. It was the action that released us from our sins. If Christ is not raised, one remains in sin; we have no hope to break the bond of sin that our first parents brought to the world through their disobedience of God. Christ's resurrection is our ticket to eternal life. Paul tells the Corinthians that if our hope in Christ is only for what the Lord can do today, if there is no possibility for future resurrection, then we are pitiable people. We have believed in a hoax. However, Paul reaffirms at the end of the passage that, in fact, Jesus was raised from the dead. He is the first fruit of those who have died. Jesus' action has brought release and new life to those who have died. The same can become reality in our lives today, as well.
Certainly there is no need to wait for life eternal to experience the possibility of new life today. As the life of William Wilberforce clearly shows, we can find and even should seek opportunities to be renewed, to be resurrected, and to find new life in our lives and that of the society and community in which we live. Yet, there is an important prerequisite; we must be open to transformation by God. Opportunities to find our proper road to God are given to us at certain special moments in life; they don't come every day! Thus, when the Lord provides the opportunity, we must be open and ready to respond. We must be attuned to the Lord's call since it is generally quite subtle. We must listen well. Remember the call of the great prophet Samuel. When he was just a boy, God called him twice, but he nor his mentor, Eli, recognized the Lord's call. Finally, when the Lord called a third time, Eli perceived it was God's call and told young Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listing' " (1 Samuel 3:9).
When God's call comes and we hear it, then we must be willing to respond. But this is often not an easy thing to do; it may require much of us. When the young man came to Jesus and asked what was necessary to find eternal life, in other words to be converted and resurrected, Jesus' answer was not received well. Much was required of the man who possessed many things. Mark reports, "He [the young man] was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions" (Mark 10:22).
Yet, we have many positive examples of people, like William Wilberforce, who were given opportunities to change their lives and responded. The call of the apostles is certainly illustrative. When Jesus called, we are told they immediately left family, livelihood, home, and followed him (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14). Indeed, Peter was so taken with the miraculous catch of fish that he did not know how to respond. Thus, he told Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" But Jesus told him that in the future he would be fishing for men (Luke 5:1-11). Saint Paul as well was given a second chance. Indeed, he claimed that he should never be called an apostle as he had been so fervent and zealous in his earlier persecution of Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). Yet, God transformed him into the most famous evangelist and missionary of all time. Paul's efforts transformed Christianity from a sect of Judaism into the major world religion it is today. But this all happened because he was open to the call and accepted resurrection in his life.
Resurrection not only brings the possibility of a new direction in life, it also assists us to change our attitudes and perspectives. The general stance we take in life can be expressed by answering a basic question: Do we see life as a glass of water half empty or half full? The former attitude sees life in negative ways. We are never enough; we are always only half of what we need to be. The glass half full perspective, on the other hand, is very positive. This attitude places us on the proper road where we can make great progress. Rather than seeing things as lacking or inadequate, we can view life as fulfilling. True, we should never be totally content where we are and should push on to where we seek to be. But the glass half full tells us that resurrection to new life is possible for all.
Therefore, we need to approach life and the possibilities the Lord provides for us from a positive direction. Not only must we seek the positive perspective, we are challenged to help others to do likewise. Too often today people view the challenges and obstacles of life as a wall too high or difficult to negotiate. Thus, many choose not to engage the world. In these cases the individual has no opportunity to find God and thus the new life God brings. Surrender to the perceived inevitable problem will paralyze us; we will not be able to see our way out of the forest. Thus, we need to be persistent and engage the world. It will not be easy, but then the Christian life well led should never be easy. We should recall how the famous British essayist, G. K. Chesterton, put it back in 1910: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it is been found difficult and left untried."
The personal resurrection we seek gives promise to a collective resurrection for our world. If we start with ourselves we can initiate a tidal wave that can bring our world to new ways of acting and thinking. American society is dominated by the secular and a pervasive sense of apathy and indifferentism. Our nation trumpets its idea of the separation of church and state, but too often today this good idea, which was initiated to keep harm from occurring to either of these great institutions, now brings problems to both. The perception that the relationship between religion and politics is problematic has brought us to the re-exaltation of civil religion. Rather than honoring God, too often we honor the state, its precepts, and civic values.
The situation in our society, dark though it may be at times, can be transformed. William Wilberforce was only one man, but he led a campaign to transform the thinking of the most extensive and possibly most powerful empire in world history. But this only began when Wilberforce was resurrected to a new way of thinking. Similarly, we need to be open to God's message in our lives. The missive will be different for each person, but we all need to raise ourselves to a higher plane. Let us strive toward this lofty plateau. The goal that is our ultimate destination is worth every ounce of our effort. It is nothing less than life eternal with God. Amen.
