EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:14-17, 22-24; Colossians 3:1-4; Luke 24:1-10 - 8 April 2007 - A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

A Force for Life

 

WHERE I SEE THE LIFE FORCE

 

I see it in that little two-foot tall evergreen that grows out of a crack in a boulder, where there is seemingly not enough soil to take root.

 

I see it in the bald eagle that flies overhead, and in the coyote that howls at the moon.

 

I see in the brook trout that jumps out of the water, trying to make its way up to the next portion of that rushing mountain stream.

 

I see it in over 40,000 getting together to run or walk the course of the Bolder Boulder, and in all the bands and water-sprayers and people handing out water and Gatorade along the way.

 

I see it in young people who spend their Spring Break working on rebuilding an area that has been demolished in a hurricane.

 

I see it in people who give blood, or even more than that - bone marrow or a kidney, perhaps - to help save someone’s life.

 

I see it in people of all ages who give up two years of their life to help with redevelopment efforts in a poor nation.

 

I see it in the pasque flowers that push up through the ground in early spring, or even in February.

 

I see it in the sun emerging after 2-1/2 days of clouds and grayness and sleet and snow and cold.

 

I see it in four teenage boys rocking out in my basement, sometimes with real guitars and sometimes to a video game called “Guitar Hero”.

 

I see it in the miracle of conception.

 

I see it when an infant grabs my finger with her tiny hand, and in the strength of that grip.

 

I see it when friends and family members rally around one of their own, someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, and they pray together and bring meals and do errands for the hurting family, and listen to their stories of frustration and triumph.

 

I see it in a group of people getting together to plan a surprise party for someone they love.

 

I see it when we gather together for a meal and conversation - in the little ways that we reveal the formerly hidden parts of ourselves to each other, and how we become closer because of that vulnerability.

 

I see it in foster parents and adoptive parents and in all parents who give up something that they might have had, so that they can love and bless a child, and bring joy that might not otherwise have been there.

 

I see it in the courage demonstrated by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women, who, when everyone else was deserting Jesus and running for their lives - fearing that they might be killed, too - couldn’t wait for the sabbath to be over, so that they could rush to the tomb and anoint his body for burial.

 

I see it in the power that rolled that huge stone away from Jesus’ tomb.

 

And I see it most of all in the power that brought Jesus back to life again, and in the love that poured out of him, as he walked this earth once again - forgiving, restoring, and empowering all those disciples who had denied him and abandoned him during his hour of greatest need

 

.GOD AND THE FORCE

 

There is a force for life in this world, and it cannot be defeated. No force of evil, no people determined to do violence, and not even death itself can defeat it. It is a force that originates in God, and only in God. Fortunately for us, God makes it available to all those who would receive it, to all those who share a vision for God’s kingdom - a kingdom where the fruits are:

 

- love, joy, and peace

- patience, kindness, and generosity

- faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

 

This force for life is all around us. Sometimes we human beings look for it in all the wrong places. Sometimes the messengers of God say to us what they said to the women on that first Easter morning, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

 

If you are looking for life, if you’re wondering if it might be possible for your life to be totally transformed for the better, if you’re wondering whether there might even be some kind of life to be found after this earthly life, the answers cannot be found without God. Because God is the author of life, in all its many and various forms.

 

That is the message of Easter.

 

And there is another message, too, and it is this: God can bring goodness, new life, and joy out of any situation, and I mean any situation. If, after what they did to Jesus, He can be raised from the dead, show the disciples his wounds, visit with them, and yes, even eat with them, then God can bring something good and new and joyful out of any painful and awful thing that you or I may go through.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Where do you see the force for life at work in the world? Wherever you see it, in whatever or whomever you see it, celebrate it. Because that life force cannot be defeated. The victory - the ultimate victory - belongs to the Lord, the author of life. Nothing can defeat that life force. It may look at times like it has been defeated, as I’m sure many people thought it had been when they nailed Jesus to the cross. But they were wrong. And anyone living today who thinks that the Force for Life can be defeated is also wrong.

 

So let your “Alleluias” ring out. Even death itself has been defeated. We have something huge to celebrate - not only today, but every day... from now through all eternity.