Standing On The Shore
Worship
And The Sea Lay Down
Sermons And Worship Services For Lent And Easter
Call to Worship
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Come, let us worship the Lord of life together.
Processional Hymn
"Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" (words: Charles Wesley, 1739; music: Lyra Davidica, 1708).
Children's Time
"He is dead! It is over. Our hope is destroyed." Jesus' friends sat in the dark room, remembering his words and his works, especially his last day, that sad Friday. "It felt as if the world were angry," said one of his friends. "Yes, I can still hear the thunder growling in the sky and the lightning ripping open the earth. I was afraid," admitted another. "Will it ever be light again?" The others shook their heads. "No, the sun will never shine for us again. The light of our world has gone out."
Those gathered cried, for they missed their friend. They cried because what they had hoped would now never happen. The long night was dark with pain, especially the pain of their denial. "We should have died with him. Why did we flee and not fight for our Master?" The dark night of despair grew longer, but the next day was worse. The sun still did not shine. The world was silent and still. They fell on their knees and prayed. The day flowed into the even darker night and they prayed on.
Deep in prayer they did not hear her come, as she threw open the door and sunlight flooded the room. "The sun is dancing!" Mary cried. "The world is alive again!" Blinking in the bright sunlight, they ran to the window. Some of them rushed outside to see for themselves. The sun was indeed dancing! "The sun is shining. It is a new day!" they cried to one another. Mary shouted, "Jesus is risen!" "Christ is risen!" they all shouted with joy, and the sun-filled world seemed to reply, "He is risen indeed!"
Prayer of Confession
Eternal Parent, we are afraid of death and all that diminishes life. We seek answers to the mystery of this threatening agent that snuffs out our breathing and leaves those of us who remain feeling helpless and lonely. Forgive our doubts as we hear the holy story of resurrection. Forgive our greed as if there were no tomorrow, as if you had not conquered the powers of death. Fill our lives with faith. In Christ's name. Amen.
Words of Assurance
"Thou wilt not leave us in the dust
Thou madest man, he knows not why;
He thinks he was not made to die;
And thou hast made him: thou art just"
(Tennyson, "In Memoriam," Prologue, st. iii).
Psalter Reading
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Epistle Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
New Testament
John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8
Sermon
His presence began early this morning in the dawn,
when the birds sing and sight is dim,
whispering to us, "Why is the stone rolled away?"
"Where is his body?"
"Who is this light dressed in a white robe seated on the right?"
How did they hear, "He is not here. He has risen as he told you."
Trembling before such mystery,
Fearing, they fled.
Paul wrote, "Lo! I tell you a mystery ... the perishable does not inherit the imperishable, the body is raised a spiritual body," whatever that means. Oh, the mystery and the wonder of it!
The witnesses to the mystery did not shout, "Hallelujah!" as we did this morning. They did not sing with tremenduous joy, "Christ the Lord is risen today," as we did. Instead, trembling, they fled. They were terrified. In their fear, they fled from the tomb.
They had come in despair, their dreams dashed, but such is disillusionment. Finally, we accept it. But to witness a miracle, believe what is impossible is possible, always confronted with the surprises of God, too much mystery is too much. Trembling, we flee. Better to let the dream die, bury it, than face God's actions in the mystery of death.
We experience the words of the poet:
All that we do
Is touched with ocean, yet we remain
On the shore of what we know.1
We remain on the shore of what we know. On Easter we come to the empty tomb looking for answers, but mystery is not a matter of the mind but astonishment and awe, seeing from the soul.
"And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them...."
"This is not Thou, O Lord. Yet Thou art in this also." Mystery encourages us to be modest before radical amazement. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" (1 Corinthians 2:7). There is Something More beyond belief, beyond "the door."
Yet we remain on the shore of what we know.
When imagination fails we cannot walk on water nor stop the storm. We stand and stare at the sea on the shore of what we know. Only Jesus did. He stopped the storm and the sea lay down. Is it possible that with enough awe and wonder at mystery and with enough passion over possibility we might perhaps do so?
"All that we do is touched with ocean" and possibility. That is the mystery and the miracle of Easter. The seeker approached the disciple and asked respectfully, "What is the meaning of human life?" The disciple consulted the works of his master and confidently replied, "Human life is nothing but the expression of God's exuberance." When the seeker addressed the master himself with the same question, the master said, "I do not know."
We never know. We only leap to accept the best life has to offer, for Easter is a gift of love and perfect love casts out fear.
The text says that they "said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." The questions remain, the seeking for answers continues, but though the questions remain unanswered, accepting the gift of Easter, of Christ's resurrection, feels like one.
Once I was closely involved with a dying friend. We daily visited her in her own home, surrounded by her family and friends. She had not been shuffled off to a hospital where she would have "better care." She remained at home where she had the best possible care, administered with love and dignity, and there death became a welcome Guest rather than a feared Enemy. Death is a transition, another stage in the process of life whose extent and duration are beyond our knowledge. In the presence of God's love death loses its power. The future becomes open.
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." Easter is God calling, "Enter!" Easter is Christ's invitation to his Parent's House. Easter is the symbol of what can happen to us, about the experience of being made new, when we do not have the power to do so. It is not dogmas and doctrines that comfort us in crises. It is Jesus who comes to comfort us, for through the story and his words we are given -- Christ!
The promise of the gospel is God's victory over death and the mission of the church is to bring life where there is death, freedom where there is oppression, love where there is hate, compassion where there is apathy, and hope where there is despair.
Do you remember the movie Dead Poets' Society? In it the English teacher in a private boys' school attempted to open their hearts and eyes to feel and think and experience for themselves. He lost his job because of it, but the film closed in triumph. The boys, in recognition of their appreciation for the teacher's efforts, "rose up" to stand on their desks, as he had shown them his way of seeing things from a different point of view. Resurrection is the story of how Jesus "rose up" to help us see from his point of view.
Pastor Merrill could not be comforted enough by reading only Isaiah but also Lamentations at the funeral of Owen Meany. The fingers of his pale hand moved in and out of the shaft of sunlight, like minnows. Then to Psalms and on into the New Testament, that little bit of bravery from Romans. Then First Corinthians and Second and the Twenty-third Psalm. And when everyone was seated, he said, "O God, how we miss Owen Meany!" Then he read to them that passage about the miracle in the Gospel according to Mark, "O God, give us back Owen Meany!"
With Pastor Merrill and John, Owen Meany's best friend and the narrator of the novel, we cry, "Give us back Christ!"2
The story is unended for the story goes on. Each of us writes an ending by the way we live and move and have our being, for we are God's stories, and through prayer and the sacred story we can love, hear our name called, and believe, for "these stories were written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and by believing have life in his name." Christ is risen!
Hymn of Response
"Easter People, Raise Your Voices" (words: William M. James, 1979; music: Henry T. Smart, 1867).
Prayers of the People, the Pastor, and The Lord's Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Dear God, like frolicking waves we jostle among the crowd on Palm Sunday. Like angry waves we cry for his crucifixion on Wild Wednesday. Like fearful disciples we seek our safety and plead for God's power on Maundy Thursday. "Forgive them," he said on Good Friday. And on the third day he arose and the sea lay down. Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
I know that my redeemer lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to grant me daily breath here on earth and heaven above.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Offering
Doxology
Hymn of Commitment
"Thine Is the Glory" (words: Cantate Domino, World Student Christian Federation; music: George Frederick Handel).
Benediction
Go now in the name of God who gives us resurrection and new life, and Jesus the Christ who shows us what the resurrection and life can mean, and the Holy Spirit who enables us to live that resurrection now. Amen.
____________
1. Richard Wilbur, "For Dudley," New and Collected Poems (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988), p. 135.
2. John Irving, A Prayer For Owen Meany (New York: Ballantine, 1989).
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Come, let us worship the Lord of life together.
Processional Hymn
"Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" (words: Charles Wesley, 1739; music: Lyra Davidica, 1708).
Children's Time
"He is dead! It is over. Our hope is destroyed." Jesus' friends sat in the dark room, remembering his words and his works, especially his last day, that sad Friday. "It felt as if the world were angry," said one of his friends. "Yes, I can still hear the thunder growling in the sky and the lightning ripping open the earth. I was afraid," admitted another. "Will it ever be light again?" The others shook their heads. "No, the sun will never shine for us again. The light of our world has gone out."
Those gathered cried, for they missed their friend. They cried because what they had hoped would now never happen. The long night was dark with pain, especially the pain of their denial. "We should have died with him. Why did we flee and not fight for our Master?" The dark night of despair grew longer, but the next day was worse. The sun still did not shine. The world was silent and still. They fell on their knees and prayed. The day flowed into the even darker night and they prayed on.
Deep in prayer they did not hear her come, as she threw open the door and sunlight flooded the room. "The sun is dancing!" Mary cried. "The world is alive again!" Blinking in the bright sunlight, they ran to the window. Some of them rushed outside to see for themselves. The sun was indeed dancing! "The sun is shining. It is a new day!" they cried to one another. Mary shouted, "Jesus is risen!" "Christ is risen!" they all shouted with joy, and the sun-filled world seemed to reply, "He is risen indeed!"
Prayer of Confession
Eternal Parent, we are afraid of death and all that diminishes life. We seek answers to the mystery of this threatening agent that snuffs out our breathing and leaves those of us who remain feeling helpless and lonely. Forgive our doubts as we hear the holy story of resurrection. Forgive our greed as if there were no tomorrow, as if you had not conquered the powers of death. Fill our lives with faith. In Christ's name. Amen.
Words of Assurance
"Thou wilt not leave us in the dust
Thou madest man, he knows not why;
He thinks he was not made to die;
And thou hast made him: thou art just"
(Tennyson, "In Memoriam," Prologue, st. iii).
Psalter Reading
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Epistle Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
New Testament
John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8
Sermon
His presence began early this morning in the dawn,
when the birds sing and sight is dim,
whispering to us, "Why is the stone rolled away?"
"Where is his body?"
"Who is this light dressed in a white robe seated on the right?"
How did they hear, "He is not here. He has risen as he told you."
Trembling before such mystery,
Fearing, they fled.
Paul wrote, "Lo! I tell you a mystery ... the perishable does not inherit the imperishable, the body is raised a spiritual body," whatever that means. Oh, the mystery and the wonder of it!
The witnesses to the mystery did not shout, "Hallelujah!" as we did this morning. They did not sing with tremenduous joy, "Christ the Lord is risen today," as we did. Instead, trembling, they fled. They were terrified. In their fear, they fled from the tomb.
They had come in despair, their dreams dashed, but such is disillusionment. Finally, we accept it. But to witness a miracle, believe what is impossible is possible, always confronted with the surprises of God, too much mystery is too much. Trembling, we flee. Better to let the dream die, bury it, than face God's actions in the mystery of death.
We experience the words of the poet:
All that we do
Is touched with ocean, yet we remain
On the shore of what we know.1
We remain on the shore of what we know. On Easter we come to the empty tomb looking for answers, but mystery is not a matter of the mind but astonishment and awe, seeing from the soul.
"And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them...."
"This is not Thou, O Lord. Yet Thou art in this also." Mystery encourages us to be modest before radical amazement. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" (1 Corinthians 2:7). There is Something More beyond belief, beyond "the door."
Yet we remain on the shore of what we know.
When imagination fails we cannot walk on water nor stop the storm. We stand and stare at the sea on the shore of what we know. Only Jesus did. He stopped the storm and the sea lay down. Is it possible that with enough awe and wonder at mystery and with enough passion over possibility we might perhaps do so?
"All that we do is touched with ocean" and possibility. That is the mystery and the miracle of Easter. The seeker approached the disciple and asked respectfully, "What is the meaning of human life?" The disciple consulted the works of his master and confidently replied, "Human life is nothing but the expression of God's exuberance." When the seeker addressed the master himself with the same question, the master said, "I do not know."
We never know. We only leap to accept the best life has to offer, for Easter is a gift of love and perfect love casts out fear.
The text says that they "said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." The questions remain, the seeking for answers continues, but though the questions remain unanswered, accepting the gift of Easter, of Christ's resurrection, feels like one.
Once I was closely involved with a dying friend. We daily visited her in her own home, surrounded by her family and friends. She had not been shuffled off to a hospital where she would have "better care." She remained at home where she had the best possible care, administered with love and dignity, and there death became a welcome Guest rather than a feared Enemy. Death is a transition, another stage in the process of life whose extent and duration are beyond our knowledge. In the presence of God's love death loses its power. The future becomes open.
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." Easter is God calling, "Enter!" Easter is Christ's invitation to his Parent's House. Easter is the symbol of what can happen to us, about the experience of being made new, when we do not have the power to do so. It is not dogmas and doctrines that comfort us in crises. It is Jesus who comes to comfort us, for through the story and his words we are given -- Christ!
The promise of the gospel is God's victory over death and the mission of the church is to bring life where there is death, freedom where there is oppression, love where there is hate, compassion where there is apathy, and hope where there is despair.
Do you remember the movie Dead Poets' Society? In it the English teacher in a private boys' school attempted to open their hearts and eyes to feel and think and experience for themselves. He lost his job because of it, but the film closed in triumph. The boys, in recognition of their appreciation for the teacher's efforts, "rose up" to stand on their desks, as he had shown them his way of seeing things from a different point of view. Resurrection is the story of how Jesus "rose up" to help us see from his point of view.
Pastor Merrill could not be comforted enough by reading only Isaiah but also Lamentations at the funeral of Owen Meany. The fingers of his pale hand moved in and out of the shaft of sunlight, like minnows. Then to Psalms and on into the New Testament, that little bit of bravery from Romans. Then First Corinthians and Second and the Twenty-third Psalm. And when everyone was seated, he said, "O God, how we miss Owen Meany!" Then he read to them that passage about the miracle in the Gospel according to Mark, "O God, give us back Owen Meany!"
With Pastor Merrill and John, Owen Meany's best friend and the narrator of the novel, we cry, "Give us back Christ!"2
The story is unended for the story goes on. Each of us writes an ending by the way we live and move and have our being, for we are God's stories, and through prayer and the sacred story we can love, hear our name called, and believe, for "these stories were written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and by believing have life in his name." Christ is risen!
Hymn of Response
"Easter People, Raise Your Voices" (words: William M. James, 1979; music: Henry T. Smart, 1867).
Prayers of the People, the Pastor, and The Lord's Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Dear God, like frolicking waves we jostle among the crowd on Palm Sunday. Like angry waves we cry for his crucifixion on Wild Wednesday. Like fearful disciples we seek our safety and plead for God's power on Maundy Thursday. "Forgive them," he said on Good Friday. And on the third day he arose and the sea lay down. Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
I know that my redeemer lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to grant me daily breath here on earth and heaven above.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Offering
Doxology
Hymn of Commitment
"Thine Is the Glory" (words: Cantate Domino, World Student Christian Federation; music: George Frederick Handel).
Benediction
Go now in the name of God who gives us resurrection and new life, and Jesus the Christ who shows us what the resurrection and life can mean, and the Holy Spirit who enables us to live that resurrection now. Amen.
____________
1. Richard Wilbur, "For Dudley," New and Collected Poems (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988), p. 135.
2. John Irving, A Prayer For Owen Meany (New York: Ballantine, 1989).
