"Why the Church Will Never Die" - Luke 24:1-12 - April 11, 2004

On this Easter we are all mindful of the fact that American soldiers are fighting in Iraq. They have been under intense pressure in the last year and especially the last week. Rarely do they get breaks or time off from duty. This reminds me of a story.

One time nine soldiers received overnight passes from base camp. When morning came not one of the soldiers showed up for roll call. An hour after their absence was noted, the first soldier straggled back into camp. His company commander immediately confronted him. "I'm sorry for being late," the soldier said, "but I had a date, lost track of time and missed the last bus. I wanted to make it back in time, so I took a taxi. About half way back to camp the cab broke down, so I went to the nearest farm and bought a horse. As I was riding, the horse suddenly fell sick and died. So I ran the last five miles on foot, and here I am." The company commander felt somewhat skeptical about these odd excuses, but let the soldier off with a mild lecture on the virtues of punctuality.

Then a second soldier arrived, and the company commander confronted him. "I'm sorry for being late," the soldier said. "But I had a date, lost track of time and missed the last bus. I wanted to make it back on time so I took a taxi. About halfway back to camp the cab broke down, so I went to the nearest farm and bought a horse. As I was riding the horse suddenly fell sick and died. So I ran the last five miles on foot, and here I am." The commanding officer, again, expressed mild skepticism yet reminded the soldier about the virtues of being on time and let him off.

Then a third soldier strolled into camp and again encountered the company commander. "I'm sorry for being late," the soldier said, "but I had a date, lost track of time and missed the last bus. I wanted to make it back on time, so I took a taxi. About halfway back to camp, the cab broke down, so I went to the nearest farm and bought a horse. As I was riding, the horse suddenly fell sick and died. So I ran the last five miles on foot, and here I am." One after another, five more soldiers rambled in with the same story: had a date, lost track of time, missed the last bus, took a cab, cab broke down, bought a horse, horse fell dead, ran the last five miles to camp.

Finally, the ninth and last soldier stumbled into camp. Now, totally exasperated the commanding officer asked, "So what happened to you?" The ninth soldier replied, "Sir, I had a date, lost track of time and missed the bus. So I hired a taxi . . ." "Wait!" cried the commander. "Are you going to tell me the cab broke down?' "No, sir," replied the soldier. "The cab was great. The problem was there were so many dead horses on the road we couldn't get through."

Are there too many dead horses when it comes to the Church? Is that why people can't find their way? Or do most people think the Church is dead?

All of you obviously found your way here this morning, so unlike the soldiers you don't need an excuse. For you, the Church is very much alive! That's why you came, to celebrate the anniversary of the risen Lord. And that message is being told again today, all because a few women couldn't find the body of Jesus. As a result they remembered what Jesus said, "The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." (vs. 7)

"He has risen!" Those three words are being proclaimed all around the world this morning. You won't hear them on television. You won't see them in the windows of shopping malls. They won't be on your menu when you go to your favorite restaurant. You won't hear them on the soccer field, nor will you hear them at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. You will hear them here, in God's Church.

When we celebrate the resurrection (of Jesus) we can be assured that Jesus lives because of the continued presence of his Church. In my lifetime I have witnessed many things come and go. For awhile I lived aboard a Navy Aircraft Carrier. It was home for over 5,000 men during the Vietnam War. It has since been decommissioned and turned into scrap metal. One of the world's largest sailing vessels only had a history of about 40 years. For a time I worked for the W.T. Grant Company. It has since gone out of business.

Two years ago we witnessed the total collapse of Enron Corporation, one of the largest corporations in America. It no longer exists. If my history serves me correctly, there have been a number of famous empires that were once a world power but no longer have that position; The Roman Empire, The British Empire, The Soviet Union, not withstanding.

On the other hand, since the resurrection of Christ, the Church has survived the last 2,000 years and continues to proclaim the message, "He has risen!" The Church continues to be an active, vital, life-giving and life-saving presence in the world.

Unfortunately many folks do not think the Church is alive, let alone relevant. Or, they are aware of its presence but it isn't an active part of their lives. Some people have asked me why I left a successful business career and became a minister. Without going into great detail about what it means to be called, allow me share one thing. The Church has been part of me all my life. When I was a young man I sensed that the Church was struggling. Fewer people were worshipping on Sunday mornings. Many people were hurting and were slipping through the cracks because the government can only do so much. Also, the majority of folks were uneducated when it comes to understanding the gospel. So, I became involved and that eventually led to my ordination. Incidentally, that company I worked for while in business, a few years after my ordination it also went out of business.

Now, more than ever the world needs the Church. We are a society that is polarized, ideologically, economically and socially. The Church is the one part of life that can keep us together. The Church has made a difference in the past and it will continue to make a difference in the future.

Speaking of wars, It was Easter Eve when Napoleon's army advanced near Feldkirch. It appeared that Napoleon would take the city without any resistance. As his army advanced, the Christians in feldkirch gathered in a little church to pray. The next morning at sunrise, the bells of the village were ringing across the countryside. Napoleon, not realizing it was Easter Sunday, believed that during the night the Austrians had moved into Feldkirch and that the bells were ringing in jubilation. Napoleon ordered his army to retreat, and the battle over Feldkirch never took place. The Easter bells caused Napoleon to change his mind and peace reigned throughout the land.

The presence of the Church made a difference. But, remember one thing. Someone in the congregation had to ring the bells! The Church does not exist without people. The Church continues to live because people are committed to the faith, giving, teaching, caring and proclaiming the same message as those first few women did that very first Easter.

The story of the resurrection of Jesus is told in every gospel. In Luke it is the women who tell the story. The disciples don't believe them. (Do you think the fact that men don't listen to women is a new phenomenon?) The women were focused on anointing the body of Jesus, as was the custom of that day. They were so focused on their agenda they didn't even comment about the fact that the huge stone had been rolled away from the tomb. Isn't it amazing that our own personal agendas can consume us to the point that we don't notice God's miracles right in our midst? The women were also afraid.

The story, like all of the stories in the Bible, reminds us of how human we truly are. We don't listen to those close to us, we fail to see significant happenings, and like the disciples we are skeptical. Also, when extraordinary things happen, we are afraid. However, we can be thankful that these women spread the word. It was the beginning of the Church and God's message. Without the resurrection, there would be no Church. But, because of their willingness to tell the story, the Church lives.

Are there times when you are like the disciples and have doubts? Are there times when you feel guilty and need forgiveness? Are there times when you are afraid and need assurance? To experience and forgiveness and understanding you have to hear the rest of the gospel story. I can't possibly do that on one Sunday. It takes the entire calendar year. One thing today's message does do is speak to our fears.

When the women entered the tomb they encountered two men in dazzling white. I believe its no accident that God had two men present in the tomb. It is symbolic of the fact that it takes more than one person to replace the man, Jesus. But, the presence of the two men also reminds us that in death, God is with us, "in more ways than one." Remember that you heard it here, in the Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus lives and His Church will never die.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio