與基督一同復活(主復活日)

徒10:34-43; 詩118:14-19; 西3:1-4; 路24:1-10

    
    親愛的弟兄姊妹，今天是復活節，我們要說“哈利路亞，基督已經復活了。主真的復活了，哈利路亞!”
    
    兩個星期前，我和青年團契一起查經，那次查經的主題是《復活》。選這個主題，有兩個原因。一方面是因爲復活節就要來到了，我們要在心思意念上多作預備；另一方面，是因爲我們聽到了有關復活節的炒作，一個多月前的三月四日，探索頻道播放了一部電視片，題目是《不爲人知的耶穌墓》，說一些攷古學家發掘了所謂耶穌和他家人的墳墓，正在對那些遺骨進行DNA的檢驗，以此來推斷到底耶穌有沒有復活。這使我想起了六年前也有人對這個問題進行炒作，有一個電影名叫《遺體》，虛構了一個故事，說找到了耶穌沒有復活的遺骨(骨頭)，引起了一系列風波。有一位影評家評論這個電影，提出一個這樣的問題：“我們的信仰是建立在DNA的檢驗之上呢，還是建立在聖經的應許之上？”這個問題提得好。但是，我想，如果引用今天的福音，對那些炒作復活節的人喊話，那就更好。今天的福音說：“爲什麽在死人中找活人呢？他不在這裏，已經復活了!”是的，基督已經復活了，主真的復活了!哈利路亞!就象今天的詩篇所唱的：“這是耶和華所做的，在我們眼中看爲希奇。”
    
    不要在死人中找活人，要在活人中找活人；因爲從我們生命的改變，就能看到基督的復活。昨天晚上，我們有十二位成人弟兄姊妹和一位小弟弟受洗成爲基督徒。使徒保羅教導說，我們受洗歸入基督的死，又藉著上帝的榮耀和大能，像基督一樣從死裏復活，有基督復活的生命在我們每一個基督徒裏面，使我們一舉一動都有新生的樣式。
    
    如果基督沒有復活，我們受洗就毫無意義；我們的生命就不會更新；我們就比衆人更可憐。正因爲耶穌基督復活了，他的門徒，那些出身於社會下層的、沒有受過教育的門徒，才能夠建立起早期的教會；正因爲基督復活的生命活在歷代聖徒的身上，基督的教會和救恩才會活化在這個世界上直到今天；我們才會成爲基督的門徒。
    
    有一個故事，題目是《猶太祖母和上帝》。說到有一位猶太老祖母常常帶著孫子在海邊散步。有一天，正在散步的時候，一個大浪衝來，小男孩被卷到了海裏。猶太老祖母就跪下來，舉目望天，捶胸頓足，喊道：“上帝啊，爲什麽要拿走我那無罪的孫子？”她不停地哭喊，禱告。忽然間，又一個大浪衝來，把她的小孫子送了回來。老祖母把失而復得的孫子抱在懷裏，看了又看，小男孩渾身上下毫無損傷，於是她快樂得不住地感恩。但是，轉眼之間，老祖母的臉色又沈重起來，她擡起頭，問上帝說：“小孩的帽子怎麽丟了？把他的帽子也還給我!”
    
    這個故事告訴我們，有的時候，我們雖然像那個小男孩那樣，藉著洗禮，獲得了新的生命，但是，我們仍然想把已經丟掉的舊東西再揀回來，就像老祖母想討還舊帽子那樣。在今天的歌羅西書中，使徒保羅說：“你們若真與基督一同復活，就當求上面的事。那裏有基督坐在上帝的右邊。你們要思念上面的事，不要思念地上的事。”
    
    如果復活的主與我們同在，我們的生命就會更新和改變；我們就會求上面的事，世人就會在我們中間看到基督的復活。如果我們真的與基督一同復活了，我們就是真正的活人。如果復活的主在我們中間，我們就有仁愛，有喜樂，有平安，有忍耐，有恩慈，有良善，有信實，有溫柔，有節制。那些尋找復活之主的人就會說，看哪，復活的主就在這裏；主真的復活了，哈利路亞!
    
    奉上帝，聖父、聖子、聖靈的名。阿們。
    
    
    Being Raised with Christ
    —A sermon for the Sunday of Resurrection: Easter Day
    Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:14-29; Col 3:1-4; Luke 24:1-10
    
    By The Rev. Paul Xie+
    
    Alleluia. Christ is risen. [The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.]
    
    Two weeks ago, I led Young Adults Group Bible Study at which the topic we discussed was Resurrection. The reasons why I chose this topic were not only we were on the pilgrimage towards Easter in the Lent but also we heard so called “Easter Hoopla” again. During the Lent, the Discovery Channel played DVD The Lost Tomb of Jesus; and thousands people have joined the discussion about the topic in the Discovery website.
    
    It reminds me of the former “Easter Hoopla” happened six years ago when an article by Jeffrey Overstreet was published in the periodical Christianity Today (26 April 2001), entitled Jesus’ Remains Found in Israel. This article is a film review on movie The Body that is an invented story about the apparent discovery of Christ’s decidedly unresurrected bones. Such as “Easter Hoopla” challenges our Christian faith and hope. In his article, Jeffrey Overstreet asks: Is your faith in carbon dating and archaeology, or in the promises of Holy Scripture? For me, I would rather quote today’s Gospel to say to the “Easter Hoopla” makers, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!” As today’s Psalm says, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
    
    Do not look for the living among the dead but look for the living among the living; as saying, “What we see in the Resurrection is our lives transformed.” Last night, the Great Vigil, fourteen people were baptized. The Great Vigil of Easter is the biggest day in the Church calendar for Baptism. The Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer says, “The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.” As St. Paul says, we have been baptized into Christ Jesus’ death, “So that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
    
    If the Lord isn’t risen, the baptism would be nonsensical, we mightn’t walk in newness of life, and we are the most miserable of all men; And, indeed, if He was not risen the Apostles and all the Saints would have done nothing, we would have been nothing and have had nothing.
    
    I have a story from one of my friends to share with you here. The story is entitled The Jewish Grandma and God. Once upon a time an elderly Jewish lady lived by the seaside. Nearby her beloved little grandson lived with his family. The lady loved to walk along the beach with her grandson where she would stop and talk to strangers and boast of the grandson’s beauty and brightness. One day while walking along the beach with him, a huge wave came ashore and swept the boy out to sea. The grandmother fell to her knees, and she cried and beat her breast with grief. A crowd gathered and saw the old lady raise her eyes toward the heavens and shout, “God, why?! Oh, why, have you taken my innocent little grandson?” She continued on and on with her inconsolable weeping and chastising of God. Then, all of a sudden, another wave deposited the little boy, wet, but otherwise none the worse for wear, on the beach. The grandmother hugged him thankfully and looked him over, up and down, to see that he was all right. Then, her face changed again from joy to challenge, and she again raised her head to address God. She said: “So . . . where’s his hat?”
    
    The story tells us, sometimes even though people have been born anew like the return young boy, they are still looking for and want to bring back the old things taken away, as the grandma looked for the lost hat. In today’s epistle, Colossians, St. Paul says: “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
    
    If the risen Lord is with us, our lives must be renewed and transformed; we seek the things that are above and then people see the Resurrection among us. If we have been really raised with Christ, we are the living. Look for the living among us! You can find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in us, which are the work of the risen Lord and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Then those who are looking for the risen Lord will say, look, the Risen Lord is here; the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
    
    In the name of God, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(2007年4月8日)