1 Corinthians 15: 1-11

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you?unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them?though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Sermon Text

You may think that I've chosen an odd text for an Easter sermon. Where are the Easter stories, you may wonder: the empty tomb with the stone rolled away, or Mary's recognition of Jesus in the garden, or the risen Jesus walking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaeus? Aren't those stories what Easter is all about? Well, no, they are not. Those stories do tell what happened three days after Jesus' death, which moved the followers of Jesus to name Sunday, the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, the day of his resurrection. But those stories do not tell all there is to tell about Easter, because Easter also dawned on Paul, on his way to Damascas. And Easter is still dawning on people today, whenever they get touched by the Spirit of Jesus, and realize that he is alive, yes, a living Lord. So, I have chosen this morning to preach on the more contemporary of the Easter lessons, the one where Paul says that he was untimely born, that is, that he wasn't privileged to know Jesus in the flesh, so that everything he came to know about the man, Jesus, was based on the testimony of others. Paul lived nearly two thousand years ago, but his situation with respect to Jesus is very like ours, because everything we profess to know about Jesus, his life, his crucifixion, his resurrection three days later, comes by way of others' testimonies. In other words, we know about Jesus second hand. However, that doesn't mean that we can't know Jesus by another way. Paul knew Jesus in the Spirit, even though he had never met him in the flesh. And we can know Jesus in the same way that Paul did, through the visitation of Christ's spirit. That's why Easter isn't confined to ancient Palestine. Easter keeps happening.

The most astonishing thing about Easter still happening is not the span of some two thousand years. After all, what is time to God, the creator of the universe? No, the astonishing thing about Easter still happening is that the Spirit of the risen Christ considers us worth visiting. Paul had that very thought. He didn't see himself as a very likely candidate for meeting the Risen One. After all, he had persecuted Christians. But in his letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul marveled that God had chosen him just as he was, yes, before he had gone through any change of heart or mind. "I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle," he wrote, "but by the grace of God I am what I am."

As I pondered Paul's joyful astonishment about the miracle of Easter happening in his life--his sinful, tense, and miserable life-- I remembered that old hymn that we will sing in a moment, "Just As I Am." The words were written by an invalid, reflecting her intense feelings of uselessness and despair. Charlotte Elliott was born in 1789 in Clapham, England. As a young woman she lived a carefree life, gaining popularity as a portrait artist and writer of humorous verse. But by the time she turned thirty, her health was declining rapidly. She soon became bedridden, and remained so until her death at age 82. Her failing health soon brought despondency. Three years after Charlotte's confinement to bed, a Swiss evangelist, Dr. Caesar Malan, visited her to give emotional and spiritual counsel. He said to her, "You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Throughout the remainder of her life, every year Charlotte celebrated the day on which her Swiss friend had led her to a personal relationship with Jesus. She thought of that day as her spiritual birthday. Or, you could say that it was Easter happening again, in her life. Although Charlotte did not pen her famous hymn until fourteen years later, it's obvious that she never forgot the words of her friend, for they form the essence of that hymn:

Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,

Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

What is Easter about? Is it about the resuscitation of a corpse, or the regeneration of a whole community of people when they experienced the steady, supporting presence of Jesus? Sure seems to me that Easter is the latter, and that Easter keeps happening, even to very unlikely persons. Maybe you're one of those people for whom Easter is a mystery, something that's alleged to have happened a long, long time ago, and has little relevance to your life. Maybe you think that Easter couldn't happen to you, because you're such a nobody, or you're too angry, or skeptical. There are lots and lots of reasons for counting yourself out. But just remember Paul's experience, and Charlotte Elliott's. The Lord is risen, and his spirit wants to give new life to anyone who can accept that they are accepted just as they are. Jesus will come into your life. Easter happens again and again and again to those who are open to the spirit of the living Lord. Won't you rejoice with the Easter throng in singing:

Just as I am, thy love unknown has broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yes, Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!