"Just Breathe!" Sermon for 4/19/09 [Easter 2B]"

Easter 2B Sermon for 4/19/09 "Just Breathe!"
John 20:19-31 (Preaching Text)
Acts 4:32-35; Genesis 2:4-7

What inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration? I saw a video the other day on the Web that inspired me. In fact there are lots of inspiring videos available today, thanks to the power of the Internet. In this particular video, we meet Donna Rock who has trained her dog to do obedience and run agility courses. [1] They've won many national championships and ribbons over the past nine years. Yet, Donna has no arms. She uses her legs and feet for everything and has since birth. It was inspiring to watch all she and her dog can do together--they make such a great team. Her hard work and perseverance inspires me that anything is possible and we all have something to share with the world.

Or maybe you've caught a clip of the latest sensation from "Britain's Got Talent". On this British forerunner to American Idol, 47 year old, unemployed, somewhat homely Susan Boyle wowed the judges last Saturday, with her song, "I Dreamed A Dream," from Les Miserable.[2] She left the judges, including Simon Cowell, wide-eyed and speechless, which anyone who has seen American Idol knows is difficult to do. The clip of her singing has been all over TV and YouTube in the past week, and inspires me that all people have some type of talent or gift deep within us that is just bursting to get out and be shared. If you haven't caught these videos yet, I'll include links in my blog for you to check them out.[3]

Or maybe you felt inspired by participating in the Easter Sunrise service last week or a previous Easter dawn. Maybe you could relate to the women who first went to the tomb and discovered Jesus had risen from the dead. They were then told to go share the Good News with the other disciples. Jesus called them to use their gifts to share with others. Maybe you're one of the ones so inspired that you left last Sunday's worship and had a different, better spring in your step this week. Your outlook on life has changed because of Easter. Easter has made a difference and the whole world is taking notice. Can you relate? Are you inspired like the disciples were on Easter, all those many years ago?

I certainly felt inspired in Oakwood last Sunday morning as we gathered to celebrate Jesus' triumph over the grave. Did you hear when the birds started chirping and the 2 lone Geese honking overhead joined the chorus, all while we professed our faith in the Risen Lord? The trees and flowers were in full bloom to greet Jesus. I wonder if it is even possible to NOT be inspired by the beauty and celebration of close to 300 Christians gathering in worship as instruments proclaimed in song and nature echoed the joy, "The Lord is Risen. The Lord is Risen, INDEED!"

The Easter event is meant to be inspiring. Jesus, I believe, wanted folks to leave the Garden feeling inspired. He sent the women off to tell others about the good news that He had risen from the dead. Jesus wanted all of His followers to be inspired to continue on in His mission of love.

Some of you might be asking yourself, "How might one know Jesus wanted to inspire us?" Well, let's look back at today's passage again. There is a detail that might easily get overlooked in the Gospel reading. John tells us in Chapter 20:21-22, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (NRSV). He breathed on them... Jesus opened his resurrected mouth and breathed on the disciples. Our first thought might be something like, "Ewwww, talk about 3-day old morning breath! Ugh."

Breathing on the disciples might seem strange, or not even be worth a glance, until we look more closely at what breathing means. The ancient Latin word, spirare, "to breath into" is where our word inspiration comes from. Jesus was in fact, inspiring the disciples by breathing into them.[4] I believe the words "breathed on" were intentionally used in the original Greek as well. It is the only time enefusesen "breathed on" is used in the New Testament. It is only used a few times in the Old Testament Septuagint [Greek translation of the OT] as well--most notably in Genesis 2. The writer of John's Gospel is drawing a direct connection to Genesis 2:7 when God breathes into Adam and gives him life. Genesis 2:7 says, "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." (NRSV)

God's breath brought life to the human body in Genesis, just like Jesus, who is God-with-us, breathed on the disciples to give them new life. They became new, inspired creations. Resurrection was passed along to the disciples to empower and inspire them to go out and share Christ's love. Through Jesus' resurrection, new life is breathed into the disciples to inspire them discover their talents and gifts and go share those with the world. He breathed into them, so they could go breathe his life into the whole world to fill the world with God's inspiring love. Jesus' breath inspired action and change in positive ways.

I invite you each to take a breath right now. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes for a moment and feel the air as it fills and then leaves your lungs. Try it again. Just Breathe. Do you feel any different? There really is something to all these deep-breathing exercises we are encouraged to try... whether it involves conquering fears, reducing anger, or sharing love. I was talking with Cathy Hamner, our Music Director, the other day and she shared how she has been encouraged to use deep breathing exercises with her son Zach when they take him on outings because it helps him maintain better self-control. Cathy commented that she found it also helps her maintain control and peace when times can be stressful. I know in my own life, I find myself needing to pause and take a deep breath every once in a while, just to clear my head and find Christ's peace again. I came across an article this week in the Washington Post where a researcher affirms, "Traditional spiritual practices such as prayer and breath control can alter the neural connections of the brain, leading to "'long-lasting states of unity, peacefulness and love.'" [5] Breathing deeply can help us feel more peaceful and changes the brain in positive ways. Breathe... just breathe. Breathe in new life from Christ. Breathe in Christ's inspiration.

Speaking of breathing, have you ever heard a reference to the term "Caesar's breath"?[6] I find the whole idea interesting, even inspiring. It's the idea that the air Caesar once breathed is still around today. We know from physics that matter is never created nor destroyed--it can only change. So that means that the same molecules of air that Caesar once breathed are still around today, likely floating in the air we are breathing right now. In fact, I found one website that say there is a 99% statistical likelihood that you just breathed in some of the molecules from Julia Caesar's breath.[7] Take a deep breath. If Caesar's molecules are still around, then we can also assert that Jesus' breathe is still present. Just Breathe. You have likely just inhaled Jesus' breath. Do you feel inspired, empowered, or full of new life? Anyone feeling resurrected this morning? We are breathing in the Resurrection, the new creation, the breath of God. Be inspired. Just Breath!

We are new creations filled with the breath of Christ inspiring us to share this resurrection power and love with the world as we take the message from the garden and empty tomb to the room where the disciples gathered on the night of the resurrection and now to this place. Do you feel inspired? Do you feel different now that Jesus has breathed into each of us? Are you ready to head out of the Garden or leave the room where the early disciples gathered and share the Good News of Easter? We each have gifts and talents that God can use. We can help inspire others and share God's love. During this Easter season, how are you inspired?

Or maybe you are in a place today where it is difficult to feel inspired? Or you just can't seem to take the deep breath needed to be propelled forward in Christ's name? If so, let us help. This where being part of a community of disciples becomes vitally important. Just as the first disciples had gathered together in fear and confusion, not sure what to do until Christ breathed on them, we are here together, breathing together, being inspired together, to go serve together. Because some from this community are in Mississippi today, each one of us is serving there this week as supporters and "back-home helpers" for the Mission team that left yesterday. They are serving there, and we are here lifting them in prayer and supporting them in their efforts as a crucial part of the team. We are also raising awareness that problems still exist in Mississippi and people still need recovery help. We are a community inspired to help.

Christ's breath fills this place even when some of us are not ready to take the next step... The Spirit brings peace and comfort and will provide the inspiration to act in the right time. After all, Easter is a season of 50 days, not a singular day event in the church year. Sometimes inspiration takes a bit of time to appear or we need time to understand the message that Christ shares. It's ok, we're here together being inspired together.

Just like we are all serving in our own supportive way for those in Mississippi, sometimes our service comes through spreading the word back home. Love and support come in different forms, and I believe its good to share good news and inspiration as people receive love and care when they are in need. My suitemate at Meredith is truly an inspiration to me, and I want to share the message of how the Spirit is breathing new life into others through Naomi and her team from Doctors Without Boarders. Naomi wanted to go into the medical field, and went into the UNC-Chapel Hill nursing program after she graduated from Meredith (the same one Paul Couch did), with the hopes to serve overseas somewhere that really needed her. Well, I received an email this past week with updates from her time in Nigeria, West Africa. She has been inspired to use her gifts and follow her dream, and is serving as a nurse supervisor with Doctors Without Borders.[8] She is currently helping coordinate Meningitis vaccinations for many thousands in Nigeria. These Nigerians are in remote villages where the outbreak of Meningitis is immanent, if not already there. These villages, where death is literally knocking on their doorstep, are often only accessible by driving up dry riverbeds in 4x4s. Doctors without Borders is working tirelessly, often 16-hour workdays, for days on end to hopefully vaccinate 4-5 million people in that region, all while trying to stay ahead of the virus and rainy season that comes in May, which will make efforts and transportation very difficult. Naomi is using her giftedness with nursing and her compassion for people to breathe new life into these Nigerians with a single shot each. Inspired living.

Just breathe. We may not all be called to the bush in Nigeria to give shots or even to Mississippi, but we can share the news of what is going on. Also, there is work to be done here, because God has new life to breathe into the Triangle too. Let us all live inspired lives. Just breathe and see where Christ leads. Just Breathe!

[1] http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=343716&shu=1
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
[3] livingonemmausave.blogspot.com
[4] John Killinger, Sermon "The Everlasting Breath of Jesus" http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/killinger_4803.htm October 17, 2004. Also: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=inspire&db=luna
[5] Michael Gerson, "A Searcher with Faith in Mind" in Op/Ed (Washington Post, 4/15/09, A19) accessed via web on 4/15/09 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401879.html . In the article he discusses Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman's new book "How God Changes Your Brain". Quote is from Andrew Newberg.
[6] John Killinger, Sermon "The Everlasting Breath of Jesus" http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/killinger_4803.htm October 17, 2004. Also, a sermon by Lehoma Goode given at Duke Divinity School, then referenced by Fran Saylor in her sermon on John 20:19-31 from 4/30/05. See also: http://www.vendian.org/envelope/dir2/breath.html and http://www.stat.psu.edu/~tph/f01/stat100.2/Lecture35/
[7] http://www.hk-phy.org/articles/caesar/caesar_e.html (This is not the original website I found but it does give the math to show it is highly likely!)
[8] http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3520&cat=field-news&ref=home-center