1 Corinthians 15: 3-7 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
- For the past several weeks we have been working with “Post-Resurrection Stories.” These are scriptural stories about the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection.
- There are eight different stories ranging from breakfast on the beach to “doubting” Thomas to the upper Room.
- Today, we look at the final post-resurrection scripture — Paul’s writing this letter to the new church in Corinth.
- The Corinthian church has a big problem.
- They don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.
- Yes, they believe that Christ was raised from the dead, but they don’t believe that this extends to the bodies of Christian believers.
- A group of the Corinthian believers probably believed that they had fully entered true “spirituality,” since they had experienced the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Wow! — This is just the beginning of the spiritual journey.
- Furthermore, today’s scripture is more of an ancient creed than an example of the appearance of Jesus.
- In other words, as Paul is writing the letter to the church at Corinth, he is repeating a liturgical creed that was prevalent in the early church.
- 1Corinthians is thought to be the earliest and first of the New Testament letters – earlier than the Gospels.
- What Paul is writing to the church in Corinth is a creed of hope – that Christ has Risen – He has Risen indeed.
- The early church, like us, needed signs and words of hope as they and we move forward in difficult times.
- The early church was already being persecuted – first by Saul – who after having the Damascus Road experience became the principal advocate in which Christianity moved into the Gentile world.
- Hope and trust in the resurrection of Jesus was vital to the emerging church.
- Hope and trust in the resurrection of Jesus was vital to the emerging church.
- And Hope is vital to us right now.
- Hope is the desire that the future will be better than the present.
- Years ago, Ann and I had the privilege to sit at the edge of the Grand Canyon, just before sunrise. Quietly, undisturbed by tourists, we watched the rising sun slowly paint the edges of the canyon. It was a very memorable sight.
- If you have ever had the chance to overlook the canyon, you always ask yourself – how did this amazing sight ever happen? It has taken many millions of years for the canyon to become like we see it now.
- Obviously, something amazing happened there and the Grand Canyon continues to be reshaped.
- We are now several weeks away from Easter. We remember again the resurrection of Jesus — yes something amazing happened on that third day.
- Without the resurrection, we wouldn’t be here today. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, our faith is pointless.”
- Yes, something must have happened to alter the course of human history.
- That something was and is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul talks about Jesus’ resurrection.
- And from his words we learn that the resurrection is an historical event, a continuing event, a transforming event, and a saving event.
- Paul reminds us that the resurrection is an historical event.
- The resurrection is not a invented fable. The Resurrection is not a made-up myth. The Resurrection is not a tall tale or a clever lie.
- It actually happened and it happened in history.
- Paul makes the case in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
- Here is the most important aspect of Easter. The resurrection is more than an historical event. It’s a continuing event!
- Because Jesus lives, you can meet him. Jesus is here today. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says: He said where two are three are gathered in his name, he is there among them.
- And when you meet Jesus, Jesus will change your life. Jesus will change your life for good and forever because the resurrection is not only an historical event and a continuing event, but also a transforming event and a saving event.
- You see, the resurrection is a transforming event” if you believe the good news about Jesus, if you receive it, stand on it, and hold fast to it, then you will be transformed and have hope of eternal life.
- Death will have been defeated and hope will reign.
- Hope is the desire that the future will be better than the present.
- At a recent Church of the Resurrection message by Adam Hamilton, he is quoted that “Hope is not pretending that troubles do not exist— it is the trust that troubles will not last forever, that hurts will be healed, and difficulties overcome.”
- Pleasant Grove UMC is working diligently that we will overcome the difficulties of the disaffiliation struggle and emerge a stronger and more faithful congregation.
- The future is bright, not bleak – and we need to live that way in that hope.
- As I was up early this morning, I found a poem by Emily Dickinson Hope is the Thing with Feathers. “Hope” is a thing with feathers – that perches in the soul -and sings the tune without the words- and never stops – at all.
- Each morning as dawn arises, I hear the birds beginning to sing – slowly at first then the crescendo. “Tunes without words” and the bird’s songs give us hope in the middle of this confused and troubling world that we live in.
- The early church that Paul writes to was hoping that Jesus would return soon.
- However, as Paul is writing (about twenty years after the Resurrection) in his letters is for the churches to remain strong in their faith – to continue their missionary fervor and to become dedicated and committed Christians. We, too, can follow the hope filled lives of the early Christians.
- C.S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”[1]
- This is the story of our lives, the story of the life of the world, the story of life itself.
- It is the story of how life is stronger than death, how God’s love for us is stronger than death.
- It is, in the end, the only story that there is.
- And so, as Easter People – as people of the Resurrection: we hear these six words again: Jesus is risen from the dead.
- Every day we write our story again, and we say that the resurrection is no less true today than it was on the first day; The resurrection is no less miraculous today than it was on the first day — no less shocking, no less joyful, no less important, no less life-changing and meaningful.
- Jesus is risen from the dead. Alleluia, Alleluia
- Thanks be to God!
Dick
[1] Quote by C.S. Lewis: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the…” (goodreads.com)