Erl; Purnell Sermon

aEaster 2 ~ March 30, 2008 ~ A sermon preached by The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell at Old St. Andrew’s Church, Bloomfield, CT

Acts 2.14a, 22-32; Psalm 16; 1^st Peter 1.3-9; John 20.19-31

From time to time people ask where I get my sermon ideas or if I repeat sermons sometimes. Good questions. The second question first. No, I don’t re-use or repeat my OSA sermons here. On a few rare occasions, I have reworked a sermon preached in one place for a different congregation.

The other question, where do I get my ideas, is as interesting to me as it may be to you. Mostly, I don’t know. They just seem to come to me. I read the lessons and let them soak in for a while before thinking about what to write. Having a few days to muse about what to say is usually better than rushing a sermon at the last minute. That’s why I start thinking about my sermon early in the week, try to write it on Wednesday or Thursday, and then revise it late on Saturday. Sometimes an idea pops right out. At other times, I’m at a loss for hours or even a day or two.

Often when I’m reading a book or concerned about an public issue, those topics will show up in my sermons. An example of that would be my Easter sermon about Haiti and our gift to Food for the Poor. Fairly often, I’ll read a Gospel lesson and get curious about a particular turn of phrase or thought presented in the text. That usually gets me doing some research and exegesis on the topic.

There are also the times when one of you will suggest that I address a particular theological question. And, of course, we have the First Sunday questions you give to me. One of the most fun things is to be inspired by an event or a personal experience. There have been times, too, when I’ve decided what to preach at an Easter or Christmas service a year in advance.

Some sermons fly onto the page while others are excruciatingly slow to think through and compose. Lots of times I’ll feel a sermon is a real clunker and a dozen people will tell me it was fantastic; or, I’ll be pleased a punch with myself but not hear a word from anybody after the service.

So, you see, there’s no one source for my sermon material. Some sermons bomb and others are right on point and memorable. The which is to say, when I sat down to write this morning’s sermon, I was confronted with a plethora of good ideas from the lessons. Normally, what I would do is choose one and expound on it. Today, however, I’ve decided to preach five mini-sermons. This notion goes against all good homiletic practice. Be that as it may, I think it will be fun. I’ve just finished the first sermon, which, of course, was all about how I conceive and write my sermons.

Sermon #2: In the Collect today, we pray about “the new covenant of reconciliation.” At the very center of Jesus’ ministry is the reconciliation of all people with God and with each other. Isn’t that what love is all about? In the fellowship of Christ, we find compassion, forgiveness, justice and most especially love.

The Hebrew people had had many covenants with God. The first was with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Another followed the great flood with Noah: “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9.13). Abram and Sari were given a covenant with God, too: “And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous” (Genesis 17.2). Then, of course, there’s Moses: “When God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31.18). You get the idea.

With Jesus, a new covenant is established with God and between all of God’s people. This covenant is revolutionary and is spoken in the words of institution during the Eucharist: “Drink this, all of you: This is my blood of the new Covenant…” Yes, “the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation.” Can you see how being mindful of this new covenant—this new relationship with God and each other—changes the way we live in the world?

Sermon #3: Good old Peter … so easy to love; so easy to hate. During Holy Week we hear of his duplicity in denying he even knows Jesus. The cock crows and Peter’s shame is exposed. What a bone-head!

And yet, Luke tells this story of Peter speaking to a crowd in the Temple. He proclaims that the people are responsible for the unlawful crucifixion of Jesus. Never mind that he, Peter, was culpable, too. What has gotten into Peter? How is he able to face the crowd and boldly speak on behalf of Jesus? What’s to keep the authorities from arresting Peter and crucifying him?

It’s a good question. What has happened to Peter? Well, at least it seems to me, Peter is no longer afraid. With the death of Jesus and experience of the resurrection by Mary Magdalene and then others, including Peter, everything has changed. Peter knows that all is well, no matter what happens, even if he dies. The lesson of the resurrection takes away Peter’s fear—his fear of death—and frees him to come alive in a new way. He is re-born, if you will, and becomes an intrepid advocate for Jesus—the Messiah who brings new life to all people.

Sermon #4: We have spoken during our adult education forums about the long, on-going conversation concerning resurrection in the Jewish community. At the time of Jesus’ death, arguments pro and con about resurrection were at their peak. The issue for the Hebrew people was that those good souls who had died at the hands of oppressors over the centuries would be vindicated by God through the resurrection at the end time. The old, old hope was that those seemingly perishable, defiled, forgotten lives would be restored.

Now, along comes Jesus. Mary Magdalene and other Jesus’ followers suddenly experience the risen Christ. Luke says, “God raised him up, having freed him from death…” Although the Messiah was expected to drive out the oppressors militarily, there are those who see Jesus—the suffering servant Jesus—as the Messiah. Then, with the experience of Jesus’ resurrection, the oppressed Jesus is accounted as the first to break the bonds of death and rise into the salvation of God in heaven.

Appreciation of this resurrection imagery for the Jewish people at the time cannot be overstated. Remember Ezekiel’s dry bones and how they were knit together and filled with breath? Well, with the resurrection of Jesus, it was thought, God’s final process of reconciliation has begun. The tombs open and the faithful are reclaimed by God. This is incredibly good news to those who accept the notion of resurrection. It means God has begun to justify God’s people, Jesus being the first to break the bonds of death.

Sermon #5: When you read the Gospel accounts closely, you’ll find post-resurrection appearances in Matthew, Luke, and John. There is an appearance in Mark, too, but it is surely a late addition to the original. Anyway, in today’s Gospel reading Jesus appears in a locked room—twice. Each time, John writes, “Jesus came and stood among them.” What’s interesting to me is that the disciples don’t see Jesus, that is, until he says, “Peace be with you.” What’s apparent is that only when God’s peace is with us are we able to apprehend the presence of the risen Christ. Now, that’s a powerful notion.

“Peace be with you.” The lesson, it seems to me, is clear. We are invited to live with the peace of Christ among us. If we do, we cannot not experience the gift of the Holy Spirit. Imbued with the Holy Spirit, our lives are transformed such that we are agents of Christ’s transforming love.

So, there you have it. My five sermons for today. So, who’s ready to preach next week? Well, actually, it’s Nannie Brown. As always, I look forward to what Nannie has to say. “Peace be with you.”

Amen.