Sermon
November 10-11, 2007
Job 19:20-27a; Luke 20:27, (28-33), 34-38
Resurrection Football
Hillary T. West
A football event that rocked the country took place last Saturday afternoon. Navy traveled from Annapolis to South Bend to play Notre Dame. Now, many of you know that Notre Dame has prided itself on beating Navy for more than 40 years. Not since 1963, when quarterback Roger Staubach, brought Navy to a 35-14 win has Navy known such a victory against Notre Dame. But, last Saturday, the status quo was disrupted when Navy, in a triple overtime, beat Notre Dame, 46 to 44.
Notre Dame’s reputation is glamorous. It boasts an 80,000 seat football stadium. Sitting in the stadium you can view the Bascilica of the Sacred Heart looming on one end and Hesbrough Library towers over another end. Normally that would not cause much attention. Except that this library proudly displays a 132 foot high mural entitled “Word of Life” depicting Jesus with his hands in the air signaling a touchdown – a symbol forever known as touchdown Jesus. Notre Dame is the only college to maintain its own sports broadcasting system where it maintains exclusive rights to televising all home games. Seven Heisman Trophy winners have come from Notre Dame. And it carries the distinction of producing more All Americans that any other school. This is a school that’s all about being the best, and recruiting the best. Only the top-rated high school seniors are considered for the team at Notre Dame.
Now Navy is identified by similar and somewhat different characteristics. The Naval Academy prides itself, of course, in fulfilling its mission to “develop men and woman mentally and physically…with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty…preparing them for a career of naval service…and responsibility of command, citizenship and government.” There is no doubt about the excellence of what the Naval Academy does. But, when it comes to football, this is not where the top high school athletes apply. In fact, they’re usually just average. Most of these players have not been considered by other Division I schools.
Running back Zerbin Singleton, who scored the first touchdown for Navy on Saturday is just 5 foot 8 and 174 pounds. Before attending the Naval Academy, Singleton tried to play for Georgia Tech and was told he was too small. Offensive captain Reggie Campbell scored the winning points on Saturday. He’s 5 foot 6 and 168 pounds. For most of the players for Navy on Saturday, this was their first year starting. They played with passion and with their hearts on their sleeves. And some of their plays were out of the ordinary, to say the least.
Ramiro Vela, known as “Super Ram”, a five foot 9, 196 pound rocket, propelled himself and blocked Notre Dame’s, 6 foot 2, 216 pound quarterback Evan Sharpley. Navy’s players are too small, and probably too slow we’ve been told. But, that doesn’t seem to matter. For these young men decided that the challenge of being the underdog, of proving that the impossible is always possible, is a challenge that leads to victory. Somehow, in spite of the odds, they decided that living like winners is worth the risk and they were right! They chose to to give it all they have, to live like never before. They chose to play some resurrection football. 43 years of Notre Dame pounding away at Navy has become the obvious, the status quo. The status quo just isn’t going to work for a team who is looking to live a resurrected life.
Now, in today’s lesson from Luke, the Sadducees are all about maintaining the status quo. Keep everything just as we know it and all will be fine. Don’t push for any big changes. Don’t rock the boat. The Sadducees, you remember, are the ones in the know. They’re influential because they’re educated, probably wealthy, usually priests and associate with the aristocrats. Sadducees are conservative in their thinking. In fact, so conservative, and as faithful Jews, they hold the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the bible to be the only authoritative scripture. In the Pentateuch, there is no basis for the resurrection. We remember the Sadducees and identify them with the wise saying we learned way back in Sunday School, “The Sadducees, are sad you see because they don’t believe in the resurrection.”
Now, the Sadducees do keep company with the Pharisees, other knowledgeable and informed faithful followers of the Mosaic Law. However, unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees include other Hebrew Scripture to be authoritative; the books of the prophets, and the writings as well as the Law. And, they believe in the oral tradition, stories passed down from one generation to the next that tell of God’s revelation in our lives. In oral tradition a precedent is set for the resurrection. So, it is here where the Sadducees and the Pharisees part company and where Jesus picks up his teaching of the resurrected life. But, first, the Sadducees present a challenge to Jesus. To trip him up, they question life in the resurrection. So, they begin by reminding Jesus of the Law. Ancient Mosaic Law reminds us that, in this life, a family lives on through its descendents providing security and status for the family name. So, when a brother dies…the wife of the deceased shall marry the living brother and produce heirs. Stubborn and obstinate, the Sadducees push the issue, and sarcastically ask Jesus, “So in the resurrection, when all are dead, and all 7 have married the woman, who will the woman’s husband be when not a single child is produced?”
Rather than react, or retaliate or even walk away from such a rude affront, Jesus chooses a response that teaches.
Perpetuation of family and name is important in this life. In our death, we are able to live on through the generations to come. We want to see ourselves and our household identity continue on when we are gone. But, in the resurrected life, there is no death. In a resurrected life we are promised eternity, a life that promises a connection with God that cannot be broken, a life that is eternal victory, even in death. You see, Jesus says, that living as resurrected beings, we’re like angels, living always as the most precious children of God. It’s a kingdom life, this resurrection life. I imagine it as being held in the very palm of God’s hand, protected, safe, secure, and loved, in this life, and the next, for each and every one of us, now, and for those who have gone before us.
The word resurrection in Greek is anastasis. Anastasis means restoring to life, or existence after some time of obscurity or oppression. Resurrection is an awakening to life after death. Resurrection is not resuscitation. Nor is resurrection returning to a life once lived. Living a resurrection life means that each of us lives lives transformed, changed forever. Resurrection living is a new life given to us and for us by God through his Son Jesus Christ who through his very life, death and resurrection, brings us God’s eternal love and mercy. Living a resurrection life means that we have the capacity to burst out and to be different. We can love those who are unlovable. We can take steps to turn a dysfunctional relationship into a bond based on love and forgiveness. We can choose to turn from bitterness to gentleness, jealousy to generosity and complacency to joy. Resurrection living is about being transformed; about the potential for change, about limitless possibilities for hope, and for love. Resurrection living is Easter living; about giving thanks to God and singing praises for how He chooses to give us new life through his Son Jesus Christ. Resurrection living is trusting in miracle living.
Last week a friend, who regularly teaches me about resurrection living, showed me on UTube the Mississippi Miracle. Trinity University out of San Antonio and Millsaps College from Mississippi were playing their title game. The teams were evenly matched with 2 seconds left. Standing at the 39 yard line, Trinity had the ball and needed a touchdown to win; a near impossibility. Trinity took off down the field passing the ball back and forth with 15 lateral moves covering 61 yards and scoring the winning touchdown. I asked my friend, “How did they ever practice that and know when to put that in place?” He answered, they didn’t plan that…that was miracle playing there! Announcers claimed the Mississippi Miracle to be the most sensational, most miraculous ending in Division III history.
We can look for miracles in resurrection living. For most of us, it’s the little miracles that happen every day: tiny steps taken to repair the hurt in a marriage; or soft words of encouragement spoken to a colleague, rather than indifference; or actions that say, I’m sorry, instead of, why did you hurt me? Or maybe, it’s letting go and trusting in Jesus to move us from a life of apprehension and caution to a life of hope, a new life in him that brings peace at the last. In him, death comes to all those pieces of our lives that make us too small or too slow or too timid. In him, our pride becomes our strength, our fear becomes our hope. With him, we are courageously undefeated. In him, we know no limits to our abilities. Trusting in him, our desperation becomes our challenge. In him, we can know the divine presence of a God who in each and every one of us, is active in our living and in our dying and brings us always to the promise of eternal life, of resurrection living.
This morning as we prepared for worship, we heard some Easter music: Jesus Christ is Risen Today and then we sang some Easter music: Christ is Alive!
We are an Easter faith. Easter isn’t just once a year. Easter is every moment of every day - a life that not only restores and renews. But, a life that is new, transforming, brave and bold; a life that assures us of God’s divine, active presence, a life that calls us to rejoice and give thanks and praise for his triumph over our death and for how he, through Jesus Christ, resurrects us over and over again.
So, rock the boat. Disrupt the status quo. Dare to trust, to push, to demand and to love as Jesus does. Live a resurrected life and cry out Alleluia, Christ is Risen, the Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia.
