Dunbar United Church of Christ - April 12, 2009

Usually we don't associate Easter with terror. We don't think of God as a terrorist. But that's probably because we don't read the Bible much. God is the real terrorist -- the only terrorist.
We've lost this sense of shock and awe -- terror and amazement. Now we start a war with someone and call it shock and awe. We call our enemies terrorists -- and they call us the same. But we have no clue what real shock and awe and terror are.
In the Bible, those words were only used in reference to God. What is terror? Terror was when the disciples were on a boat in the sea of Galilee with Jesus and a storm came -- the sky was dark, the wind so loud you couldn't hear yourself -- and the waves 30 feet high. The disciples knew they were going to die. But that's not terror -- not yet. Peter yelled to Jesus: Help! Save us!
Do you remember what happened next? Jesus said, Peace! Be still. Everything stopped. It was a dead calm. During the storm, the disciples were afraid -- but THIS was something else -- something they hadn't felt before. THIS WAS TERROR -- THIS WAS AWE -- They looked at the sea, where the 30 foot waves became dead calm -- they looked at the sky that was dark and now was sunny, and the wind died. They looked at Jesus, and then to one another as they mumbled: Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him? Once Jesus said: Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes -- fear him!
I don't believe that God wants to throw us -- his children -- in hell -- that's what Easter is about -- its about birth. Rebirth. God wants to cast us into heaven. By giving us the heart and mind of Jesus Christ, God wants to cast us into heaven. If you're the devil -- that's a terrible thing -- that's -- terror -- because you're losing your army. But the rest of us can say, Alleluia!