Several years ago, I attended a week long
church conference with some church members.
And before the sessions each morning we would eat at a greasy spoon
diner for a home cooked breakfast.
The breakfast food was wonderful. And we would often be served by a waitress who
had been an employee there for some time.
She seemed to know her customers quite well, calling them by name, anticipating
what they might need, and sharing some jokes back and forth. Even though we were from out of town, she had
a way of making us feel like we were her regular customers.
During one of those mornings, we came in for breakfast and she came over
to take our orders, and someone in our group complemented her on how she had
made us all feel so welcomed throughout the week. And this person in our group asked her if she
could see herself doing anything else with her life besides waitressing.
Her answer was priceless. As she
turned to walk away from our table, she rolled her eyes, and with a touch of
sarcasm in her voice and a lot of attitude, she said loud enough for all to
hear,
“I’m livin’ my dream, babe.” I’m livin’ my dream.”
Those of us who were around that table still
talk about that great line. “I’m livin’ my dream, babe.”
Obviously, being a waitress or waiter isn’t
easy work. You’re on your feet all day. You don’t make that much money. People complain. And the truth is, there are probably very few
of us who will ever have that perfect dream job or that perfect dream life or
that perfect dream family or that perfect dream church.
The
question for each of us is, can I honestly say that “I’m livin’ my dream?”
The good news of the Christian faith is that
each one of us is invited to live out God’s dream. And it’s because of the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, that God’s dream has become a reality.
Are you livin’ God’s dream?
It’s
early on a Sunday morning. Several women
quietly make their way through a spacious garden. A couple of days have passed and they can
still remember the sound of nails being hammered into the hard wood. What started with so much promise had ended
in unbelievable tragedy.
With
spices in hand, they are nearing Jesus’ tomb.
They will pay their last respects.
The dream is over. They will
never get back what they lost.
Or
so they thought.
The
Gospel writer Luke, tells us that Easter came as a complete shock to those
women who were visiting the tomb. Because
of an empty tomb and some words from God’s messengers, “He is not here. But has risen,”
these women were able to dream again.
Jesus’ resurrection changed everything for them.
This morning, the Gospel writer Luke is inviting us to live God’s
dream. What does it mean to live God’s dream in the
light of the resurrection?
First of all, Luke wants us to know that the resurrection of Jesus means
that Jesus is who he said he was. Jesus
was the long awaited Messiah who would free the people from their bondage.
They thought that this would mean political freedom from the Roman
Empire. They thought that the long
awaited Messiah would take up the sword and lead them to victory. But Jesus had something far greater in
mind. Jesus came to free us from our
bondage to sin and death. Jesus came to
free us from all that what could keep us from living out our dream of who God
created us to be.
When
Jesus died on a cross, it looked like the powers of this world had won. It looked like Jesus had failed in his
mission. But it was through his death on
the cross that he was able to usher in new life and freedom.
Because of Easter and the empty tomb, we can look back on Good Friday
when Jesus died on a cross as a victory and not as a defeat. Jesus said that he would die and in three
days, rise again. Jesus kept his
word. Jesus was who he said he was.
The
second thing Luke points out is that the resurrection changes us.
Our
Gospel reading begins with grieving women walking quietly to the tomb and it
ends with them going to tell the disciples of what they had experienced. I guess that’s what an empty tomb and a few
messengers from God will do to you. It
will turn your life upside down. But it
will also transform you from the inside out.
Some
time ago, a friend of mine who is nearing retirement shared with me about his
story of faith. He said that he would
attend church once in a while with his wife but it didn’t really mean a whole
lot to him until one day everything changed for him.
While he was washing the dishes one night, he was watching TV, and the
Catholic channel was on. And a Priest was
giving a short devotional message, talking about how we all have a God shaped
hole in our lives and how that hole can only be filled by accepting Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior.
And my friend said, “I was really interested in what he was saying because I knew that I
was missing something in my life. I had
a nice house. Great job. Loving family. But something was still missing. And then, this Priest on the television
program invited anyone who was watching to pray a simple prayer and invite
Jesus Christ to come into their lives.”
And my friend said to me, “I knew
that I needed to say this prayer. And
with my sleeves rolled up and my arms submerged in the soapy dish water there
in our kitchen, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life. I started sobbing right there by my kitchen
sink. I felt forgiven for my sins and it
was like this huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. From that point on, our lives really
changed. My wife and I attend church,
serve in ministries together, and we put Jesus first in all that we do. My life has never been the same again.”
When
Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself all of the sin and pain of the
world. And by rising again, he showed
that new life is possible for us as well.
Because
of Jesus’ resurrection, I can be freed from my sins.
Because
of Jesus’ resurrection, I can lead a new life.
Because
of Jesus’ resurrection, I can have endless hope.
Because
of Jesus’ resurrection, I become his new creation.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, I can let go of past grudges.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, I am a new person.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, all things are possible and I can live
my dream.
And
last but not least, the third thing that Luke points out about the resurrection
is that together, we can change the world.
Together we can change the world.
Actually,
Luke’s Gospel is the 1st book of a 2 book volume. He wrote the Book of Acts which tells the
story of how the early church, through the power of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, was able to bring transformation and hope to the world. In fact, if anyone has trouble in believing
that the resurrection of Jesus is true, all we really need to do is read the
Book of Acts. Something had to have
gotten into those disciples to do what they did.
They took care of widows and orphans.
They healed the sick in the name of the risen Jesus. And they told others about the good news of
the resurrection. They believed that
Jesus would change the world through them.
A
friend of mine called me a while back.
He called me at a really bad time.
It had been a long day with lots of loose ends. It was just one of those kind of days. He begins by asking me if I had received the
information about his ministry in the mail.
And I half heartedly said, “Yes. I did.”
I’m now thinking, “Here he
goes. He’s going to ask me for some
money. And I really don’t feel like badgering
different groups in our church to give money to yet another project. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is.” Like I said, it had been one of those days.
And sure enough, he says, “Robert, I’m calling to see if your church
can support my ministry.” I think to
myself, “OK. Here’s where he’s going to ask me if my
church can give them a donation? You
know, that kind of request.
Instead, here’s what he says. “Robert,
it is unbelievable what is going on in the city where I’m serving. Through our ministry, people are coming to
know Jesus Christ and they’re getting connected with other Christians. We’ve baptized several new Christians. They’re
coming to our bible studies. These are
folks who would most likely never come to church on Sunday morning, but they’re
responding to this new ministry. God is
just doing an unbelievable thing and we’re just praising God for it.”
As I was listening to the exciting news about
his ministry, suddenly my stressed-filled day mysteriously disappeared. And before I knew it, I was writing out a $50
check and sending it his way. And yes, I
also ended up badgering several different groups in our church to give money to
this ministry the very next day. When we see how the good news of Easter is
changing the world, it can turn a bad day into a good day.
We
can live out our dream because Jesus is who he said he was. We can live out our dream because the
resurrection of Jesus changes us. And we
can live out our dream because Easter can change the world.
Four
or five years ago, I read an article in a magazine about a grown son whose
father had recently died. They had a
stormy relationship as father and son.
The mother had died when he was only 14 leaving his father to raise him.
This article went on to say how the father would often tell his son to
give up dreaming because if he kept on dreaming, he would end up being
disappointed again and again. “Quit dreaming,” this father would tell
his son.
There was one problem, though.
The son didn’t stop dreaming. In
fact, his dreams only got bigger to the point where he was named Time
Magazine’s Man of the Year back in 2005.
Bono, the leader singer for U2 has been leading a massive campaign to
stop the spread of AIDs in Africa.
This rock star often visits with politicians, has preached from United Methodist
pulpits, and has given commencement addresses at Ivy League schools, shaping
each of his talks with a call to embrace Jesus’ vision for a more just world.
All this from someone who was told again and again to, “Quit dreaming. You’ll just be disappointed.”
But
dreaming just isn’t for rock stars or celebrities. It’s for waitresses in greasy spoon diners
and it’s for grieving disciples as they walk toward a tomb.
It’s
for anyone who hears the good news of Easter, “He is not here. But has risen.”
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