similar events across the country and around the world, probably millions of people went to one. If you’ve not been a part of this moving experience, there are fourteen stops where we read scripture and remember the death of Jesus. We carry a big heavy cross along the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering. And we try in our humble way to imagine being there when Jesus was crucified
HOPELESS, that’s the only way to describe the mood at the end of the experience. Those first followers were regular people like us, looking for hope. They had problems like our problems: not enough money, a government that they were not satisfied with, illness, children they worried about, worries about jobs, and conflicts with other people and nation versus nation.
Jesus came along and gave them hope, he reminded them of the ways of God: compassion, forgiveness, justice, cooperation, generosity. He helped them form a sense of community like we have here. But when Jesus was crucified, they had to ask themselves: Did love lose? Was Jesus wrong? Was all hope lost?
That was on Friday. They waited through the long day of Friday, and all day Saturday. Most of the Disciples were afraid and in hiding. And then on the third day, Sunday, the women went to the tomb to anoint his body. And of course, you know what happened; they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. There had been a story circulating that he would be raised from the dead on the third day, but no one really believed it. It was much more likely that someone had stolen his body. That's what the women thought had happened so they ran to tell the disciples.
Two of the men ran to the tomb: Peter and the one whom Jesus loved. It was like a foot race. I think they were racing toward HOPE. They wanted to break free from that terrible heavy weight of sorrow and fear that had covered them since Friday. I imagine it like one of those heavy fishing nets with weights on it that just traps you. They had been in hiding since Jesus hd been crucified. They were in fear for their own lives. But when Mary came to them, they RAN, as if their very lives depended upon what they would see in that tomb, or rather, what they would NOT see. Because of course, their lives did depend upon it.
When they got there, they saw the empty tomb. Where Jesus' body had been, they saw the linen cloth, the shroud that had been used to wrap his body, neatly folded. There was no sign of him.
Now, even today, there are many devout Christians today, who follow the teachings of Jesus, but who cannot bring themselves to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Their strong sense of logic just cannot bring themselves to do it. They still choose to be Christians because they believe he was a singular prophet and a unique example of one who embodied the love of God. But they don't think he rose from the dead. And I respect that position. I am not one of those people.
I believe. I choose to believe. In the end, the resurrection comes down to belief. Peter and the other disciple saw evidence. But they could have chosen to believe the body was stolen, right? But, they did not. They broke free from their fear. They chose to believe that God resurrected Jesus.
Now Mary got a bit more persuasive a sign. We're told she spoke to a man, that at first she thought was the gardener. But when he spoke her name, "Mary" she recognized his voice. He was her teacher, Jesus. She actually saw the risen Christ. Now again, some might say in her hysterical state of grief, she imagined this, because she so WANTED to see Jesus. I believe that she saw Jesus because indeed the miracle of the resurrection is true.
And this is why I choose to believe: because I see evidence every day of people putting our trust in God's love and I see signs of new life. Every day I see people breaking free from the power of death. I see life winning over death, I see love winning out over the power of evil every day. We break free, when we put our trust in God. Jesus did not back down. He put his trust in God. Right there on the cross, he said, "Father forgive them, they don't know what they are doing." That’s love. That’s courage.
They thought they could kill the power of love. But he rose from the dead. And more than 2000 years later, the followers of Jesus still choose hope in the face of adversity. We are breaking free. We will not be defeated. Oh sure, we get discouraged. Life is not a picnic and we don’t believe becoming a follower makes your perfect here at the Village or your life perfect. But then we turn to one another in this community for strength. We turn to God, and we break free from our burdens. We choose hope.
How are you breaking free from the negative forces in your life, so that you can choose hope and choose God's way for your life? Every day we have a chance to dig deep into our souls and find the inner resources God has given us to overcome something. To choose Hope.
Do you know the story of Aron Ralston? He is the American climber who went out for a climb one day, alone, and made the mistake of not letting anyone know where he was going. He was in the Blue John Canyon, in Utah, in a National Park. "While descending a slot canyon, a suspended boulder from which he was climbing down became dislodged, crushing his right hand and forearm and pinning it against the canyon wall."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston).
The boulder weighed 800 pounds. It later took "13 men, a winch and a hydraulic jack" (ibid.) to move the boulder. Aron spent five days trying to free himself and trying various ways to cut off his arm. After four days he had given up hope, and he carved his name and date on the boulder as he was sure he would die there. Then on the fifth day he thought of a way to break his bone so that he could amputate his arm. He still had to walk 8 miles to his car. He encountered a family that called authorities. His family had been searching for him and a park ranger had found his truck at just about the same time he had amputated his arm so a helicopter nearby airlifted him.
A movie, called "27 Hours" Aron's experience. In an interview with The Sun he was asked how he felt as he watched the film. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/3326119/I-smiled-as-I-cut-off-my-arm-I-was-just-grateful-to-be-free.html
In the Sun Newspaper, describing the story Aron replied:
"The pain doesn't connect with me so much — more the GRATITUDE.
"The pain was irrelevant. I was smiling as I was amputating my arm."
I must have looked as surprised as I felt at this — a response Aron has evidently seen before.
He followed up with: "That's one of those, ‘What? You were smiling?' looks.
"But I had been there for more than five days at that point and I wanted to get out.
"I wanted to be free. I wanted to be with my family. And those impulses, the fundamental root emotions of love and freedom, are universal. So it was a case of whatever it took. It was going to hurt. I knew that."
"My grin came back even bigger. I was thinking, ‘I am going to do that. I am going to get out of here'." Then he adds an even more baffling theory about his entrapment. He said: "I did feel there was a sense of destiny. It was something I was looking for."
Yes, that's right. Aron, who now has an artificial limb, says he was "looking for" this terrible experience. He added: "I wanted to know what I was made of, if I was up to this.
"I felt most alive in those moments when I was taking the greatest risks."
Aron spent a week in intensive care and needed several operations. But even though he had dragged himself out of the canyon he could now not go to the bathroom without help, a fact that depressed him deeply.
He said: "I contemplated overdosing on painkillers. Then I thought, ‘I didn't get out of the canyon just to kill myself'." Remarkably, just ten days after his final operation Aron was off climbing hills.
He is now one of the world's most famous adventurers and his 2004 autobiography, Between A Rock And A Hard Place, was a best-seller. He had planned to climb Mount Everest this year but changed his mind after getting married to Jessica and having baby Leo, now ten months old. His priorities changed, he says.
Today Aron, who lives in Colorado, is doing his best to resist the urge to take on any more dangerous challenges. He said; "To play with my baby Leo when he giggles and laughs is far more fulfilling than standing on that mountain."
Aron Ralston literally broke free from an 800 pound boulder. He lost an arm. He was hospitalized for quite some time after. He lost 40 pounds. But he came out of the event stronger than ever before. When he broke free of that boulder, he knew he could survive anything life brought his way.
His story makes me feel like I can probably tackle any challenge life throws me. I mean I'm not planning on going rock climbing alone any time soon. But we all take risks every day. When you get out of bed in the morning, you take risks. Many of us have situations in our lives that probably feel as heavy as an 800 pound boulder, and we just want to break free.
What is your 800 pound bolder? What is it in your life that is dragging you down?
Have you done something that you need to be forgiven for? Because God will forgive you. Do you give in to negative thoughts? That's a big one. Do you let thoughts of self doubt or the criticism of others weigh you down? God loves you, and wants you to love and accept yourself. Those negative thoughts are not helpful.
Or do you have old patterns that you want to break? Are you caught in a relationship that you know is not healthy? Do you know that you need to speak up for yourself and make some changes? God wants us all to be in healthy relationships. God wants us to be respected and to be in relationships that bring joy to each person involved.
Easter is about life overcoming death. Easter is about HOPE. The resurrection is a gift from God. Jesus was not trapped in a tomb. The stone was rolled away and he rose from the dead. Aron Ralston found a way to be free from his 800 pound boulder. We can break free too.
If Jesus were standing right here, reminding you that you are God's beloved child and that God only wants what is best for you – how do you think Jesus would guide you. What would Jesus tell you to leave behind so that you can break free and live in God's love for you?
I am going to pass out some pieces of string to everyone. The band is going to come up a play a song. During the song, I want to invite you each to take a piece of string and have someone else tie your hands together with this string. Let that string be the thing you need break free from. And then when the song is over, I'm going to invite you to break the string and break free.
Are you ready to be surrounded by HOPE? To be surrounded by imperfect people who need hope too, but are ready to share what they have with you? Join us at the Village. We’re imperfect people who make mistakes, but this is a place where Hope Grows. Come be a part of it. We’re at the corner of Conant and the Anthony Wayne Trail, Sundays at 10:30 AM and out in the community the rest of the week.
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