Easter Sunday: A Hope For All Ages
Rick Warren, in his Easter message, said: "Many people have made history, only one person has divided history and that person is our Risen Lord Jesus Christ."
Yes, everything that follows the Easter event is different because Easter provides a hope for all ages and for every situation. One Easter story is the story of Fred Pfeiffer who reminded us that with God, all things are possible!
If you are a long-time member of MRC then you know the name Fred Pfeiffer. Since many of us, including myself, are not, this will be the first time you hear the story of Fred's serendipitous experience. An experience similar to the moment Mary had on the first Easter morning. An experience that affirms our Easter hope and the scripture's promise that "with God, all things are possible."
As the story has been told to me Fred's serendipitous experience began following a time of great struggle and fervent prayer. If the phrase great struggle and fervent prayer sounds familiar, it is because that phrase perfectly captures the events we have just affirmed in our Good Friday Service of the Cross. Yes, Fred's story begins with him facing the challenge of living in a Good Friday world for you see Fred was told that he had a massive brain tumor and that a very difficult surgery was his only hope. Now, praise God for the wonderful medical care that is available today and which provides the potential for miraculous benefits to people facing tremendous challenges. But today is Easter, so please don't ever think that a surgical procedure, no matter how gifted the surgeon is, is our only hope. Fred didn't think it was his only hope and so along with his family and his Church family here at MRC he started praying with a passion that would remind us of our Lord's passionate prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.
I wonder what was on Mary's heart as she began her walk long before that first Easter dawn as she struggled to find the faith and courage to go to the tomb of Jesus. The pain and despair that Good Friday contained was fresh in her mind. No one living back then — before the resurrection was a known fact — would have faulted Mary for not claiming any sense of hope. No, despite the fact that our Lord clearly had stated that he would rise from the dead, as Mary and the other women walked toward the tomb they had no hope or expectation that our Lord had risen. Can there be any other explanation for why their conversation wasn't about the possibilities of the resurrection, but about how would they move that stone so that they could complete their religious rituals? Yes, credit them with the gift of loving the Lord and respecting their religious traditions, but claim no hope for them.
Have there not been times in our life and faith journey when the challenges we or our loved ones are facing have overwhelmed us and left us feeling anything but hopeful? You know I wish I knew Fred Pfeiffer better and could have talked with him about his journey of despair to hope, but I didn't know him. But what 33 years of ministry has taught me is that during the night before his scheduled surgery as the fervent prayers continued there must have been a mighty battle between hope and despair. That same struggle was what Mary and the other woman were experiencing as they walked toward the tomb of Jesus and wondered, who will move the stone away? And it is the same struggle that we experience at times in our lives also! Yes, we have gathered to proclaim and affirm our Easter hope but aren't there times when the challenge of living in a Good Friday World.
It was in the midst of that struggle that, as reported right there from that pulpit, Fred felt an intense warmth and heat flowing throughout his body and Fred became convicted in the belief that his brain tumor was gone. Can you imagine that conversation that morning with his surgical team when he told them before they took him to the OR, they were going to have to go to the Xray Room. The surgeon, who by the way spoke from this same pulpit with Fred and spoke about how his life was impacted by this miracle, told how he was less then thrilled with Fred's request. He probably wanted to take him to the Psych Ward rather then the Xray Room but when Fred continued to insist they did go to the X-Ray room and when they took the Xray, beyond any reasonable expectation or hope the Xray was totally clear of any cancer.
Pastor Stephen Giordano — April 12, 2009
The Massapequa
Reformed Church
302 Ocean Avenue
Massapequa, NY 11758
(516)799-5158 • Fax (516)799-4725
E-mail