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The Greatest Story Ever Told: the Sequel by Rev. Tina Blair 29 April 2007 Texts: Acts 9:31-43; Revelation 7:9-17 © 2007 Tina Blair

I love the story of the early church. A few weeks ago, the disciples were sitting around an upper room, discouraged, despairing actually, and terrified. They were ordinary folk like you and me:. They had invested their lives, their money, their future – and it had failed. Everything had fallen apart, they had no future except the possibility of joining their leader in a torturous death.

And then – in a brief day – it all changed! A new reality, a resurrected leader, the Risen Lord, released them. They were free – free from despair, from terror, from death; free – free into a whole new realm of possibilities, a whole new reality, a whole new future. Jesus was risen from the dead – death was overcome, he had become the conqueror – God’s love had won out over the evils of sin and death!

This is the Easter story, the one made into a movie in 1965, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” because it is, indeed, the greatest story in the history of the world. It’s the story of a God who chose to be enfleshed, incarnated, and live as a human being, and then die and overcome death through resurrection – all out of love for the creatures God created. God did this out of love to bring us, beloved by God, out of despair and terror, out of sin and death into a new, free life. It is indeed a great saga. It’s an epic of awesome grace, passionate love, and transformative power. It is the greatest story every told, and we rejoice in it, especially in the Easter season.

But this story is not an ending, it is a beginning. Like many good stories, and many movies, God has given us a sequel. And this sequel, unlike many human-made movie sequels, is of the same power and the same quality as the first part of the story, the story of the resurrection of God’s Son. Judge for yourselves as we review a portion of “the greatest story ever told – part 2"; or, “the Sequel.”

The Sequel starts out slowly after the Resurrection – not a lot of action for an exciting film, just a lot of waiting around for many weeks, with occasional unexpected and engaging encounters with the risen Lord, climaxed by his official departure and disappearance on what we now call Ascension Day. Waiting time, wondering time – it doesn’t seem like a lot is happening. And when Jesus is truly gone, ascended into heaven, there is more waiting time, more wondering time, but this time, instead of gathering behind locked doors in terror and despair, the disciples gather in hope-filled prayer, with windows and doors opened wide. And suddenly, this becomes an action movie again: with a rush of wind and tongues of fire, God’s Spirit is poured out on these ordinary people, and they are never the same again. God’s power fills these flawed, imperfect human creatures, and they become God’s agents, sent into the world with God’s own power to transform it – to heal and make whole, to speak truth and make right, to set all people free from the entangling bonds of their mistakes and misdeeds, to offer true life, abundant and eternal, through the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

This sequel has now turned into a fast-paced action film – Peter and John begin preaching and healing by the Temple; the people join in community together and are persecuted by Saul; Stephen is stoned; peace returns upon Saul’s conversion and renaming as Paul the last apostle – the pace moves quickly, and we can feel the excitement and power grow. And we see it in today’s episode: the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha. Peter, transformed from a fisher of fish to a shepherd of Jesus’ flock is visiting among the sheep that the Risen Lord commanded him to feed and tend. He visits Aeneas, paralyzed, imprisoned and isolated in his bed for 8 years. “Aeneas,” he commands, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed. You are not ever going to be trapped there again. You are free!” Can you feel the power that Peter had flowing through him? It was the power of Christ, that same power that flowed out of Jesus when the woman was healed touching the hem of his garment – more powerful than any Star Wars force – this power healed and restored and freed a trapped and despairing man. It’s a personal resurrection, a victory over the forces of illness and death brought about by the power of the Risen Christ.

The action in this sequel quickly continues without a pause and increases in drama: Tabitha has died. Tabitha, Dorcas in Greek, a name meaning Gazelle, has died. How unfair death is! It has taken this faithful disciple known for her good works! And then Peter arrives, called there by the faithful. “Tabitha, get up!” The camera moves in, a close-up of the faithful but dead Tabitha and the faithful living disciple, pulsing with the healing power of Christ – her eyes open, she smiles, and he takes her hand and leads her out. Resurrection – the sequel.

Many times in my life – as a devout child, as a seeking young adult, as a committed older adult – I have longed to be a part of that early church movement. To see Peter raise Aeneas from his bed and rescue Tabitha from a premature grave – to feel the power, to witness new and restored lives, wouldn’t that be wonderful? To share the news of Jesus’ victory over death with people who knew him personally, to experience the community of joyfully faithful disciples, passionate about their Lord, wouldn’t that be exciting? Have you had that longing? If I had lived then I too could have been part of the sequel to the greatest story ever told. I could have been a part of the story of a resurrected community, a reborn and transformed group of people. For these stories of the early church community constitute another “greatest story ever told” as the risen Christ moved and acted through his body, the church, with resurrection power. Oh that I could have been there!

But you know, I have been there, and I am there now. For I have been a member of Christ’s church for a long time. And I have been living and working in this church, this part of the body of Christ for 5 years. I have witnessed new and restored lives; I have shared the news of Jesus’ victory over death with those who know him personally; I have experienced, here at the American Church in Paris, the community of joyfully faithful disciples passionate about their Lord. You see, I have been with you when you have made decisions to turn your life over to Christ; I have been with you when you have been in prayer about starting a new career or choosing a life partner. Furthermore, we have experienced the joy of singing God’s praises together. And when we have gathered around Christ’s banquet table for the sacrament of Holy Communion, we have tasted that God is good and we have been renewed by Christ’s powerful spirit. Resurrection, the sequel.

Well, perhaps, you may be thinking. But look at the healing power Peter had, look at the tremendous growth of those communities of believers. True – in today’s world it seems that few people can be healed through the simple command, “Get up!” and we know of few resurrection stories. Or do we? In the space of just these last few months, two of our members had a brush with death. Each one realized later on that, at the moment when it seemed to the doctors that she was on the edge of death, she had a dream or vision. The dreams were different in detail but they have remarkable similarities: each vision had a road down which the dying woman was walking; in each vision she heard her name called by Jesus; in each vision, she was sent back to do more work here on earth. These two church members are in better health now, but they know that the power of the resurrected Christ returned them to life in this world at the point of death. Christ called them, and they are back: just like Aeneas, in many ways like Tabitha, they have gotten up, made their beds, and are working for the Lord. The power of the Risen Christ is here, beloved sisters and brothers! It is here, in our midst! Resurrection, the sequel!

This power has been seen in many ways in individual lives here at the American Church, and I could tell you many more wonderful healing stories, especially the healing and resurrection of wounded spirits, despairing souls and dying relationships. I can tell you about how God answers our prayers: for example, two days ago out of the blue I received a check for 1000 euros to be given to Habitat to Humanity so that they can build the house in Roumania this summer – this came just at a time when that team was feeling discouraged about fundraising for this project. God is working here, I tell you!

But I want you to look at today’s resurrection story sequel in another way: this story is more than about individual lives. This text can be read allegorically – the healing of Aeneas, the raising of Tabitha – these can be seen as ways in which the church is renewed and revitalized by the Risen Lord.

Think about how this works in our congregation: with the leaving of Pastor Barry we entered a waiting time, in many ways an anxious time. We could have cowered behind closed doors in worry and fear. But we are the church of the Risen Lord: we have been praying, praying with doors and windows opened wide; we have been working in committees and meetings, continuing our mission outreach activities, multiplying our Bible studies, educating our children, and so forth. If this were a movie, however, the action might have seen a little slow as we cautiously continued into the future God has for us. But Holy Week came, and more of you than usual came daily to pray and walk the road with Christ to the Cross. And then the action took off as the church overflowed on that glorious Easter Sunday and we celebrated joyfully with trumpets, organ and song. Now the action is moving more and more quickly as we get closer to identifying the future pastoral leadership and Council leadership. As you will learn at the congregational meeting, many people are joining in to ensure a good present and a good future for this church so that Christ’s healing and reconciling work might be done faithfully and well here in Paris.

The Risen Christ, you see, has given us his power. We are still flawed, imperfect disciples and can get caught in wounded feelings or anxious thoughts. But we have become God’s agents, sent into the world with God’s own power to transform it – to heal and make whole, to speak truth and make right, to set all people free from the entangling bonds of their mistakes and misdeeds, to offer true life, abundant and eternal, through the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Resurrection, the sequel.

Do you hear the voice of the Risen Christ speaking in our midst? This voice is saying, “Get up! Make your bed! Leave that place of confinement!” Can you hear it? “Get up! New life is blossoming! The church is moving forward! Join in this work of compassion and caring!”

So I invite you to open your eyes to see Christ at work, here in this church and this city; I invite you to open your ears to hear Christ’s voice through each others’ voices; I invite you to open your hearts to feel the forgiving, liberating power of Christ in our midst. I invite you to answer the call to get up, leave the entrapments of the past, and walk into the future that God prepares for us.

You see, we, members and friends of the American Church in Paris, are also part of “The greatest story every told, the sequel.” To God be all praise and glory. Amen.