1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,140 Let us pray. God, let us hear what you want us to hear so that we might be who 2 00:00:09,140 --> 00:00:18,800 you want us to be and do what you want us to do. Amen. Our reading continues from 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:25,280 Colossians 3 starting with verse 12. Let us listen together for God's Word to us. 4 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:30,880 Therefore as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with 5 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:37,280 compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and 6 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,740 if anyone has a complaint against another forgive each other. Just as the 7 00:00:41,740 --> 00:00:46,720 Lord has forgiven you so you also must forgive. Above all clothe yourselves 8 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:52,280 with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony and let the 9 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,400 peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body 10 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:04,640 and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish 11 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,680 one another in all wisdom and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, 12 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:16,040 hymns, and spiritual songs to God and whatever you do in word or deed do 13 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,760 everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through 14 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:26,160 him. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 15 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:32,880 Joseph Richardson lived in New York City in the late 1800s and somehow he came 16 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:40,040 into ownership of a very unique piece of property. He owned a corner lot at 17 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:45,240 Lexington and 82nd Street which ordinarily would be of great value but 18 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:54,040 his lot had very peculiar dimensions. It was 35 yards long but just a few yards 19 00:01:54,040 --> 00:02:00,240 wide. This very very narrow strip of land was practically impossible for him to 20 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:05,840 develop so his only hope to profit from this property was to sell it to the owner 21 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:12,640 of the adjoining lot. So eventually the owner of the adjoining lot came to him 22 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:17,640 and offered to buy his property offered him a thousand dollars this was in the 23 00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:23,640 late 1800s offered him a thousand dollars for his corner lot. Well 24 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:28,640 Richardson was not willing to take so low a price for that lot so he came back 25 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:36,160 and said he would take five thousand for it. Gasp and the owner of the other lot 26 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:42,220 refused to pay that price. Richardson refused to come down and so the owner of 27 00:02:42,220 --> 00:02:47,240 the other lot decided to go ahead with his plans without that little strip and 28 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:52,920 built up an apartment building there on that land right up against Richardson's 29 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:58,760 property. At this point Richardson did what any of us probably would have done. 30 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:03,960 He went ahead and built the strangest apartment building that New York City 31 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:13,160 has ever seen. This building was four stories tall, 104 feet long, and just five 32 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:20,040 feet deep and despite those very very strange dimensions he managed to squeeze 33 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:25,400 into that space eight apartments each with three bedrooms and a bathroom 34 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:33,080 probably did not meet ADA requirements and Richardson lived in one of those 35 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:40,000 eight apartments until the day he died and this apartment came to be known as 36 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:51,760 spite house. This is an extreme case of something that we all share namely being 37 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:59,880 set in our ways. We commit ourselves stubbornly to particular paths and when 38 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,500 things don't turn out the way that we hope the way that we plan rather than 39 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:10,200 adjust we often just settle in to bitterness and spite or maybe we're not 40 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,400 so much stubborn as we are just determined we have goals we have 41 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:19,600 ambitions we have dreams and we commit ourselves to our fulfillment to our 42 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:28,080 comfort to our success or maybe it's not even as intentional as all of that maybe 43 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,760 we are just traveling the well-worn paths that we have created over a 44 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:37,880 lifetime of habit and routine we've grown accustomed to a particular way and 45 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,560 it would take an act of God to dislodge us from the path that we have gotten 46 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:49,100 comfortable on. Whatever the case may be whether we have built up monuments to 47 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:54,840 our own spite or we have just settled comfortably into our own way of things 48 00:04:54,840 --> 00:05:01,560 we are not likely to deviate you and I are not likely to change course because 49 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:08,120 change is hard. We've begun a new series for these weeks of Easter we're calling 50 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:12,600 it new life and we're looking at what it means to have new life in Christ what 51 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:19,280 difference does Easter make and it might seem overly simplistic to say but some 52 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:28,000 one of the things that it means to have new life is to have a new life a new way 53 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:34,200 of living a new way of going about life and this is what Paul is often talking 54 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:40,880 about and in Colossians he's not at all subtle about what that means for us he 55 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:48,120 says you have died you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in 56 00:05:48,120 --> 00:06:00,000 God he says put to death whatever in you is earthly Paul's language here points 57 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:07,800 us to a difficult truth and that is there cannot be new life without death 58 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:15,400 there is no resurrection without the crucifixion if we want to live there are 59 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:22,840 things in us that first have to die and Paul is more than happy to point out 60 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:28,360 what those things are there's the usual dose of sexual sins which he includes 61 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:33,640 but there are other problems too in us things like anger and malice and 62 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:41,440 dishonesty and coarse language and wrath we might take all of these things 63 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:47,880 together and put them into the single category of the ways of the world what 64 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:55,160 Paul calls things of earth it doesn't mean that everybody then did all of 65 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:59,240 these things all of the time but what it does mean is that these are the kinds of 66 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,680 things in the world that are accepted these are the kinds of things that are 67 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:08,040 even expected from others these are even the kinds of things that the world 68 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:15,240 openly celebrates it's just part of how the world works it's just part of how a 69 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:22,080 person makes it in this world if you want to get by in this world this is the 70 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:27,400 road that you have to walk these are the actions that you condone these are the 71 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:35,680 tools that you use and Paul says these are the things that have to die if we 72 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:41,400 want to live whatever is earthly whatever is self indulging and self 73 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:46,960 seeking and self serving whatever is tuned to the key of this world and its 74 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:54,640 pursuits and its values now here's the heart of this challenge that Paul is 75 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:59,680 giving to the church what we've been talking about is the fact that there is 76 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:04,720 a way to walk in this world a way to live in this world that is very 77 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:12,720 specially calibrated for the world as it currently is it's the path of least 78 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:19,600 resistance in a broken and fearful world if the world is an ice skating rink it's 79 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:25,840 like having the skates and the skills to use them but new life means something 80 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:33,640 different new life means setting aside these things but not leaving the world 81 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:40,520 taking off the skates but not leaving the ice and this is a real challenge 82 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:46,240 because not only are we all of us to some degree set in our ways committed to 83 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,280 the path that we are on to the outcomes that we've been working toward but we are 84 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:57,000 also all reluctant regardless just to change change is hard for all of us but 85 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,920 it's even worse than that because embracing new life is not just about 86 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:07,160 changing it's not just about taking on something new it means setting aside 87 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:19,520 certain tools and choosing to walk the path of greatest resistance before 88 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:29,840 Easter before the cross and the resurrection one could be forgiven for 89 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:36,080 imagining that virtues like compassion and kindness and generosity and humility 90 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:45,720 and sacrifice that these are all nice things and worth a decent effort but the 91 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:51,360 world being what it is these things are ultimately dead ends the world won't ever 92 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,560 value these things the way we would like them to and the world certainly won't 93 00:09:55,560 --> 00:10:02,280 ever reward them even the disciples right up until they hear that news on 94 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:09,280 Easter morning I wonder if this was how they saw the world believing that now 95 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,320 that Jesus is dead they have come up against the limits of those values they 96 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:18,400 have come up against that dead end that this is as far as compassion will get us 97 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:27,680 this is as far as humility and love and generosity will get us but what Easter 98 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:36,240 reveals is not that the world is suddenly made new it's not that the 99 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:45,640 world suddenly discovers the value of self-giving love what Easter reveals is 100 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:51,240 that there is a higher good than what passes for success in this world what 101 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,640 Easter reveals is that there is deeper truth than what a broken world honors 102 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:00,680 and promotes what Easter reveals is that there is greater victory than simply 103 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:08,320 coming out ahead whatever that means in this world as a kid I loved the movie 104 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:15,160 Ben Hur the Charlton Heston film it was so long that it was on two VHS tapes 105 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:21,960 and if you've seen the movie you know that at the end of the movie Ben Hur 106 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:29,020 Charlton Heston's character is looking upon the crucifixion and Jesus dies and 107 00:11:29,020 --> 00:11:33,320 Jesus speaks those words father forgive them for they do not know what they are 108 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:40,920 doing and then a rain falls a storm and the camera follows the effects of this 109 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:46,280 rain as the rain spreads the water spread and things begin to happen when 110 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:51,000 that water reaches them things begin to be transformed lepers step out of their 111 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,720 cave and into the rain and they are healed and I think sometimes we imagine 112 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:59,600 that this is what Easter is somehow supposed to be that Easter happens and 113 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:05,920 suddenly everything is magically fixed but look at the world we know that's not 114 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:12,360 true look at our lives look at our hearts we know that's not true we know 115 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:19,200 that work isn't done we know this world isn't fixed we know that we aren't fixed 116 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:27,360 what Easter reveals to us is that even as this as the post Easter world goes 117 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:34,160 about all of its ordinary business the things that the world tells us we should 118 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:39,640 be aiming for the things that the world tells us we should be striving for are in 119 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:48,920 fact the dead ends and that these things don't even come close to life having new 120 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:55,000 life in Christ means accepting that the world does in fact work in a certain way 121 00:12:55,000 --> 00:13:03,320 but choosing nonetheless to live our lives differently very early in the life 122 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:08,200 of the Christian Church before they were self-consciously a religion and calling 123 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:13,720 themselves Christians they called themselves the Way very simple name to 124 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:18,600 refer to their movement to their community and the word in Greek for way 125 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:24,000 is also the word for road or path and they called themselves this because they 126 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:29,520 understood that they were choosing to travel in a different direction they 127 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,860 were choosing to deviate choosing to walk a different road to live in a 128 00:13:34,860 --> 00:13:39,320 different way a way that would raise eyebrows but especially a way that would 129 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:44,240 probably get them sideways with Rome with the powers that be it was the path 130 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:52,280 of greatest resistance and they saw that this is what it takes to embrace new life 131 00:13:52,280 --> 00:14:01,600 in a world that has not yet been made new in 2008 the author and poet Wendell 132 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:08,100 Berry published a collection of poems called the mad farmer poems in the 133 00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:14,040 author's note to this collection he writes this the joke of the mad farmer 134 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:22,160 poems is that in a society gone insane a man exuberantly sane will appear to 135 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:27,520 be mad so he has this collection of poems one of these poems actually 136 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:33,120 contains the phrase which I think Barry coins the phrase practice resurrection 137 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,800 which is the subtitle of our sermon series but another of these poems is 138 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:44,160 called the mad farmer flying the flag of rough branch and you should know rough 139 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:50,200 branch is just a tiny Kentucky holler the mad farmer flying the flag of rough 140 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:58,100 branch secedes from the union and the poem begins this way from the union of 141 00:14:58,100 --> 00:15:04,780 power and money from the union of power and secrecy from the Union of Government 142 00:15:04,780 --> 00:15:08,640 and Science from the Union of Government and Art from the Union of Science and 143 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:13,100 Money from the Union of Ambition and ignorance from the Union of Genius and 144 00:15:13,100 --> 00:15:19,500 war from the union of outer space and inner vacuity the mad farmer walks 145 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:28,700 quietly away. Now for Barry this is not just a walking away from something but 146 00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:34,300 it is also a walking toward something else it's a change it's a new path the 147 00:15:34,300 --> 00:15:40,500 poem closes with these words from the union of self gratification and self 148 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:50,540 annihilation secede into care for one another and for the good gifts of heaven 149 00:15:50,540 --> 00:16:01,580 and earth. The new life that is ours in Christ is a call to walk a new path it's 150 00:16:01,580 --> 00:16:06,020 an invitation to walk away from the things in us that need to die so that 151 00:16:06,020 --> 00:16:13,500 we can walk toward the things that will make us come truly alive and this is not 152 00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:23,660 an easy thing to do. Change is hard we are stubborn spiteful creatures and this 153 00:16:23,660 --> 00:16:33,140 is not an easy road to walk so we need to walk it with good company and we 154 00:16:33,140 --> 00:16:41,700 need to be properly prepared we need to be properly clothed so as God's chosen 155 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:50,220 ones holy and beloved clothe yourselves with compassion kindness humility 156 00:16:50,220 --> 00:16:55,780 meekness and patience forgiving one another as the Lord has forgiven you 157 00:16:55,780 --> 00:17:02,140 and clothe all these things with love which binds everything together in 158 00:17:02,140 --> 00:17:12,100 harmony now this is not what we need to make it in this world but it is what we 159 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:17,420 need to live let us pray 160 00:17:20,300 --> 00:17:24,900 God we are walking the road of discipleship and we do not walk it 161 00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:33,300 perfectly very often we do not even walk it well so we pray that you continue to 162 00:17:33,300 --> 00:17:40,140 guide and strengthen us along this journey help us to take the path of 163 00:17:40,140 --> 00:17:47,220 greatest resistance the path that sets aside the things of this world and turns 164 00:17:47,220 --> 00:17:55,900 toward you toward life in Jesus name amen