RUNNING PAST EASTER

STOP AND SMEL= L THE LILIES

JOHN 20:1-18<= o:p>

Have you heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the roses?” Most of us have, and we probably recognize the wisdom of those words. We know that our lives are hectic, and we fear that we’re miss= ing important moments because we’re too busy to notice.=

But do you know where that phrase comes from?&= nbsp; If you do, please tell me. I “googled it” this week, since that’s the way we get answe= rs now to almost any question…any…EXCEPT where the phrase “stop = and smell the roses” comes from.

Google told me that Ringo Star produced an album of songs by that title; and it reminded me of the song that Mac Davis sang:         =                          =             &nb= sp;            =            .&= #8230;………….“You got to Stop and Smell the roses
        =        You've got= to count your many blessings everyday
        =        You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
        =        If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way.”

Sounds like good advice, doesn’t it? But I still don’t know where the phrase comes from, so I decid= ed to coin my own phrase: “Stop and Smell the Lilies.”

That works better on Easter Sunday anyway. If the phrase catches on, I want someone to turn my name into Google= so they can share with the world that it came from an Easter sermon at FBC Anderson, SC, on March 23, 2008!

I am becoming increasingly aware of the speed at which we live our lives today—and increasingly concerned. We’re missing things we shou= ldn’t.

Wayne Muller wrote a book called Sabbath. In it, he talks about the importan= ce of rest, and how he’s hearing a universal refrain from people today. Does this sound familiar: "I = am so busy?" (everyone!!) Listen to what he writes:

“We say this to one another as i= f our exhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stress a mark of charact= er. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine,= to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, to be unable to find t= ime for the sunset (or even to know the sun has set), to whiz through our obligations without time for a single mindful breath -- this has become the model of a successful life.

“Yet the more our life speeds up= , the more we feel weary, overwhelmed, lost. Our life and work rarely feel light, pleasant or healing. Instead, as it all piles endlessly upon itself, the wh= ole experience of being alive begins to melt into one enormous obligation.̶= 1; (Wayne Muller, Sabbath)

“Houston, we have a problem!” In this super= sonic, cyberspaced world we’re living in, life is too fast and we’re t= oo busy…to stop...and smell the lilies.= If we’re not careful, we’ll rush right past them without getting so much as a whiff—and I mean the Easter lilies—we̵= 7;ll miss the fragrance of the Gospel!

Of course, it could be argued that it was much the same way back there at the first Easter—at least, that’s the picture you get in John’= ;s Gospel (John 20:1-18). Everyb= ody’s in a hurry.

First, Mary Magdalene rushes to the tomb, finds the stone rolled back and the body= of Jesus gone. What does she do?= She starts running. Not that she realizes Jesus is ali= ve—she doesn’t. Later, when she returns, the risen Lord confronts her and calls her name.

But I had this thought last week as I studied this passage. I wonder where Jesus was the first= time Mary came to the garden. The = tomb was already empty! Maybe the = Risen Lord was right there already, calling out to her as she ran off to find the others.

That’s not in Scripture, of course, but Jesus had to be somewhere; and, knowing Je= sus, He would have wanted to ease her pain as soon as possible, don’t you think?

But on her first trip to the tomb, she just knows Jesus’ body is not ther= e--so she runs to find Peter and John. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we don’t know where they have put him” (v.2).

And what do Peter and John do? We= ll, look at verse 3: “So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running...= 221; They run to the empty tomb.

Mary runs away from the tomb to tell the others; they run toward the tomb to see= for themselves. So everybody̵= 7;s running somewhere! But nobody’s really getting anywhere—at least, in relation to the meaning of Easter, they’re not getting anywhere!

Does this sound familiar? I can= 217;t help but think about the way so many of us live our lives today--always on = the move--running about--continually looking for what’s next--while, in t= he process, over-committing and over-stressing our lives and families. Life becomes a mad dash—which really isn’t much of a life—is= it?

But let’s get back to the Bible. We left Peter and John, remember, running to the tomb. In fact, John almost makes it soun= d as if they were racing, and tells us that he actually “outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” (v. 4)

John, for whatever reason, felt this detail to be important--which might be anoth= er place where we could draw some parallels between their lives and ours--keep= ing up with the neighbors, beating out the competition--that kind of thing. John, after all, makes sure we kno= w that he won the race to the tomb.

Now, when Peter and John take off running, what do you suppose they think they a= re running toward? When Mary Mag= dalene sees the empty tomb, she assumes the worst. She says: “They have taken t= he Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.” In other words, isn’t it enough that they killed him; now they’ve stolen his bo= dy.

So, are Peter and John running toward yet another terrible abuse of their Lord--some desecration of his body or whatever? You know they had to be worrying a= bout such as this.

Have you ever noticed how often we see people on TV running in the direction of = bad news? Parents running to a sc= hool where there’s been a shooting or friends and neighbors running in the direc= tion of a house fire or whatever. = People drop everything and start running toward the bad news.

What did Peter and John think they were running toward—more bad news, mayb= e? Or were they simply running toward= the unknown--fearful, perhaps, of something bad, but hopeful of something better?

After telling us that he got to the t= omb first, John says that he did not enter the tomb, but only looked inside, se= eing the strips of burial linens. = Peter, on the other hand, true to his impulsive nature, immediately enters the tomb when he arrives.

But maybe John, at least, has not forgotten what Jesus told his disciples earli= er about dying and rising again, for now he adds a remarkable detail. In verse 8, speaking of himself, h= e says, “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.” <= /span>

Believed what? That Jesus’ body = was not there? No, he had already= seen that. John is evidently telli= ng us that he believes that Jesus is alive. “He BELIEVED!” He’s saying, it seems, that he believes in the resurrection--in Easter!

If so, think about the implications. Mary doesn’t believe until she’s standing face-to-face w= ith Jesus and hears him call her name. Thomas refuses to believe until the risen Lord invites him to touch = the wounds in his hands and side.

But John, the beloved disciple, comes to Easter faith another way. He believes without seeing Jesus, hearing his voice, or touching his wounds.= He simply stands for a few moments in that dark, empty tomb--and he = believes. “He saw and believed.”=

Do you understand the significance of this?&n= bsp; Could it be that John goes into all this detail about the footrace a= nd what happened once they got to the tomb to say to us that the first person = to believe in the resurrection arrived at that faith by the same path that you= and I must follow--in other words, he believes without seeing the risen Lord?

We have not encountered Jesus in the garden and had him speak our name like Ma= ry did, and thus believed. Nor h= ave we, like Thomas, touched his hands and side, and through that experience co= me to faith in the risen Lord. <= o:p>

We, instead, have believed the testimony of others that He is no longer in the grave. We have been prompted = by His Spirit working in our hearts confirming that it’s true. Jesus would later say to Thomas, &= #8220;Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

For this to happen, though, for John to come to faith in the risen Lord, he has= to stop and ponder all this. It = doesn’t happen while he’s on the run. Which brings us back around to this:

1) Could it be that we’ve allow= ed our lives to get so busy, so rushed, that we do not have the capacity to slow d= own and simply reflect upon and wonder about matters of faith? =

2) Are we in fact running too fast to= stop for a few moments to ponder the mystery of the resurrection and to receive = its “sweet aroma” as a gift from God?

3) Do we fear that would slow us down= too much? We’ve grown accus= tomed to the speed—or should I say, we’re addicted to it?

Some of us are convinced today that we cannot live without our electronic device= s—true?--and so much of life gets focused on how to make them even faster. Do we ever question this? Do we slow down e= nough to ask, “Is this really making my life better? Does the quality of my life really depend on this stuff?”

Friends, I’m trying to sound a warning that in the kind of world in which we n= ow live, it is growing increasingly difficult to slow down enough to experience the reality of God—and the Good News of Easter. Some even think worship should ref= lect the pace of the world about us. T= hey claim that’s what we need today. Could it be that we are in danger of only relating to the noise, and not God?

“Stopping to smell the Easter Lilies” is just a figure of speech, of course. It’s my attempt to help us r= ealize that the Gospel should stop us in our tracks. It should cause us to stand in awe before a Holy God—a God who loves us enough to come and die for us, a= nd then…to conquer the forces of death and darkness in order to fill our lives with light and hope.

Can we slow down enough to let that thought take hold of hearts, transform our minds and, yes, calm our spirits? Can we stop and ponder the mystery= of it all until the realization of God’s astounding grace and mercy moves u= s to joy and praise? This must com= e from some place much deeper than all the noise and activity going on around us.<= o:p>

If Easter faith is to be ours, if our relationship with the living Christ is to transform our lives and make them abundant, then we have to slow down from = time to time, be still, and ponder the mystery of life in Christ—resurrect= ion life—eternal life.

Some of the most important things in life simply cannot be rushed. Think of what we’ll miss if = we don’t “stop and smell the Easter lilies”—if we don’t take time for the sweet aroma of faith to fill our senses.

We’ll miss life, at least, we’ll miss out on any kind of meaningful life. It’s faith in our risen Lord= that brings substance and meaning to our lives.= Without it, life is hopeless--a dead-end.

Woody Allen, the comedian, often jokes about death. “It’s not that I’= ;m afraid to die,” he says, “it’s just that I don’t wa= nt to be there when it happens.” But this funny man, if you really listen to him, he’s filled w= ith dread when he thinks about death.

In an interview with Esquire magazine, he said: “The fundamental thing behind all motivation and all activity is the constant struggle against annihilation and death. It= 217;s absolutely stupefying in its terror, and it renders anyone’s accomplishments meaningless.”

Don’t you want to say, “Stop and smell the Easter lilies, Woody?” If you’re a Christian, you do. If you have faith in the = risen Christ, you want to shout it! Take in= the aroma of God’s love, and know that life doesn’t end with the ugliness of death.

Christ is risen, and this is an Easter world.&nbs= p; We can live Easter lives, filled with abundance of life now, and wit= h eternity in our future. Life has stayi= ng power because that’s the way God, in His great love for us, designed = it.

So, slow down, friend. Slow down… Stop for a few mo= ments each week, each day, to “take in” the presence of God. Begin right now—today! Stop long enough on this day above= all days to enjoy the sweet smells and all the other blessings of Easter.<= /o:p>

Commit your life to this loving, gracious God who says “no” to death a= nd “yes” to eternal life. <= /span>Slow down and embrace this life-re= newing faith--this resurrection faith. Stop and breathe in once again the aroma of Easter—the sweetness of faith = in our crucified, but risen Savior and Lord.&= nbsp; Thanks be to God!

Published by Kathy Paauw
Organizing & Productivity Consultant
Certified Life Coach

April, 2001             &= nbsp;        Issue 13

It's Spring -- Stop and smell the roses!

"Life is what's happening when you're too busy to notice."
-Wayne Muller

When I was a = young child, I remember that grocery stores were not open on Sundays. I also remember how upset my mother was when the first local grocery store opened its doors on Sunday. In protest, she refused to shop on that day because = it was supposed to be "a day of rest" for the employees.

How many of us honor the Sabbath today or have at least one day of rest when we do not f= ocus on work? In our desperate drive to lead successful lives and handle our m= any responsibilities, I'm afraid that many of us have lost sight of the importance of taking a day off each week to rest…myself included!

In Wayne Mull= er's book, Sabbath, he speaks to the importance of rest. Here's an excerpt taken from his boo= k:

In the relent= less busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest.= As the founder of a public charity, I visit the offices of wealthy donors, crowded social-service agencies and the small homes of the poorest famili= es. Remarkably, within this mosaic there is a universal refrain: "I am so busy."<= o:p>

We say this t= o one another as if our exhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stre= ss a mark of character. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourse= lves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, = to be unable to find time for the sunset (or even to know the sun has set), = to whiz through our obligations without time for a single mindful breath -- = this has become the model of a successful life.

Yet the more = our life speeds up, the more we feel weary, overwhelmed, lost. Our life and w= ork rarely feel light, pleasant or healing. Instead, as it all piles endlessly upon itself, the whole experience of being alive begins to melt into one enormous obligation.

Because we do= not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that show us where to g= o, the nourishment that gives us succor, the quiet that gives us wisdom.

During the la= st 25 years, our leisure time has declined by 37% while our work week has incre= ased by a full day. We have forgotten the Sabbath. Taking time to honor the Sabbath is like honoring the necessary wisdom of dormancy in nature. Did = you know that if certain plant species do not lie dormant during the winter months, the plant begins to die off? Rest is not just a psychological convenience, but a spiritual and biological necessity.

=
Hey Mister
Where you going in such a hurry
Don't you think it's time you realized
There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry
The sweetest things in life are free
And there right before your eyes

You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way.   Mac <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Davis

In Texas last week, an 18 year old man was arrested for wearing a noose in public. As Jewelry.

Seems kind of morbid doesn’t it? A noose is an instrument of an agoni= zing death. It represents vigilante law, I would never be proud to wear a noose.=

What about an electric chair? Did you know you can actually get an electric chair pin to wear on eBay? It comes in either gold or silver.

A symbol of capital punishment…I don’t think I’d wear one= , no matter how many people said, “Wow Art, that looks really good on you.”

Even if they said it made me look thin…I wouldn’t wear one.

What about a cross? Oh that’s different? How?
Crucifixion on a cross was a form of capital punishment reserved for only t= he worst criminals, like our electric chair.

Yet we wear a cross around our necks.

Think about it…the cross was the way Jesus was executed.

If your brother was killed in a drive-by-shooting, you wouldn’t wear a silver assault rifle on a chain around your neck.

If one of your ancestors had been lynched, you wouldn’t wear a golden noose!

Had the early church hired a Madison Avenue marketing group to help them co= me up with a logo for the Christian faith, I don’t think a cross would h= ave been anywhere on their list.

It was such a revolting, shameful and offensive symbol!

To the Jewish mind, being nailed to a cross was such a shameful way to die = that they considered any who were crucified to be cursed in God’s sight.
Ok, so why do Christians wear a cross? What is its meaning? This morning we= are going to look at 4 images that will help us understand the place of the cro= ss in the life of the believer.

        Some of you are familiar with the name W. E. Sangster. He was a popular British minister = in the early and middle years of the last century. His daughter, Margaret Sangster Ph= ippen, wrote about how, in the mid-1950s, her father began to notice some uneasine= ss in his throat and weakness in his legs.&nb= sp; When he went to the doctor, he learned that he had an incurable dise= ase that would cause his muscles to atrophy.&n= bsp; Eventually, he would lose the ability to speak or even to swallow.

        So, with this news, Sangster refocused his ministry on writing and prayer. “Let me stay in the struggle, Lord,” he pleaded, R= 20;I don’t mind if I can no longer be a general, but give me just a regime= nt to lead.” Sangster used= his remaining time to write articles and books, and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. “I’m only in the kindergarten of suffering,” he would say to people who pitied him bec= ause of his condition.

        Gradually Sangster could no longer use his legs; and his voice went completely. But he could still, with much trem= bling, hold a pen to write. On Easter morning, just weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter. In this letter, he said, “It= is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, ‘He= is risen!’ But it would be= still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout.”

        Most of us, I suppose, understand what Sangster was saying. But, still, I can’t help but wonder if any of us got up this Easter morning shouting “Christ is risen!” If any shouting= did take place, it was probably one member of the family shouting to another me= mber of the family to get out of bed or get dressed or help somebody with their = hair or finally get everyone out of the house and into the car! Am I right? Well, Happy Easter!

        But, you know, as I read the Easter story, I don’t find a lot of shouting. Now, there is that = one instance where Mary finally recognizes her risen Lord and cries out “Teacher!” But that’s about it when it comes to shouting.

        Perhaps Sangster should have been more concerned about not being able to run, rather than his inability to shout. Running is much more involved in John’s account of that first Easter morning than is shouting.

        Will Willimon is Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. He has made an interesting observa= tion related to believing without seeing. Listen to what he says: “It is asking a great deal of people like us to conceive of something so wondrous as resurrection.&nbs= p; Most of us think on the basis of our experience. When we see something, we try to f= it it within our past experience in order to make sense of it. Yet how shall we make sense of the resurrection, since there is almost nothing within the range of our experie= nce that prepares us for so great a mystery?

        We shall have to wait, to wonder, to be willing to receive it as a gift. The resurrection will have to be something God gives us, not something we attain through our earnest efforts= to think clearly. It is a gift.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We do not understand it. We stand under it.”