Have any of you ever saved a life? I know that some of you may have done this in your capacity as a police officer, physician, nurse or even firefighter. There are instances when your actions helped save a life.
But have any of you ever come upon the scene of an emergency where you did something heroic to save a life? That’s probably a little less common.
Well, I saved a life recently. It’s true!
I was in Cayucos a few weeks ago and, walking along the beach with some friends, we noticed a grebe- a marine bird that looks a cross between a stork and sandpiper with long pointed bill and long neck It was stumbling across the beach as if one or both of its legs were broken. It would flap its wings and skim the beach then flop down in the water. At times, the tide would come in and roll it around. It was clearly hurt and in danger.
There were people standing there watching when my natural heroism kicked into action. One of my friends went to get a box from a local store nearby. As they did that, I went partially into the surf and, with my sweatshirt, I scooped up the grebe. I held it against my body tightly wrapped in the sweatshirt—it long bill poking at me and its neck moving to and fro as it was clearly frightened. By this time, hundreds of people were gathered on the beach clapping and cheering me on. Well, at least I thought I heard hundreds of people clapping. Anyway, I put it in the box and then got into the car of my friends who drove to a wildlife rescue center in Morro Bay.
There was a woman working in the office who took one look at the bird and said that it was a grebe. She noticed that I had gotten wet rescuing the bird and she said to me “You’re a stud!” I was flattered, even though I had heard that compliment before. But it made me proud to know that I had saved a life. I named the grebe Cayu—in memory of my visit there which resulted in the heroic action of saving the bird. Now, I’ve been invite to speak at the National Convention of Grebe Rescuers.
That’s a true story—although a little embellished perhaps. But what stayed with me is the fact that if I had not intervened in the plight of that wounded grebe it would certainly have died. I could have let nature take its course. Some would argue that I probably should have. But, as it was, I intervened with a little encouragement from my friends, and the grebe was saved.
It seems to me that Easter, which we are celebrating this evening, is about God’s intervention in human nature. Not just that, the readings make it clear that God doesn’t simply intervene from time to time but it actively involved in the unfolding of human history from the beginning of creation to the present moment.
The first reading from Genesis reveals God to be the author and creator of all things. It is by God’s word that all things come into being. And the crowning moment of that creation is man and woman. But unlike the rest of creation, the human being is given something special—a divine indwelling. Man and woman are created in the image of God. They have free will and they can think and reason and make decisions according to that freedom. And, with that freedom they chose to reject their creator. But God does not reject them. God could have let nature take its course, but chooses to remain actively involved in the life of humanity.
In their old age, Abraham and Sara were ready for retirement when God intervened in their lives, asking them to move and then blessing them with a son. Yet, we read that God called upon Abraham to sacrifice his son. As strange and as cruel as it may seem, Abraham’s trust in God was so deep that he was willing to turn over his child to God. In the end, though, God prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son. In fact God never intended Abraham to harm his son. It was only a test to determine the extent of Abraham’s faith. Again, it is by God’s involvement in the life of Abraham that the divine plan continues to unfold.
In the Book of Exodus, we heard about God’s deliverance of the people of Israel when they were held captive in Egypt. Raising up Moses as a great prophet, God intervened on behalf of the Israelites so that they might return to the land which was first promised to Abraham. God’s activity is seen most clearly when the Israelites are able to pass through the waters from slavery to freedom; from death to life. Had God not intervened, the people would have died in Egypt. But by choosing to remain involved in the life of the people, the divine plan continues.
Even after the establishment of the Israelites in their own land, God was present to them strengthening their faith, at times, punishing their lack of faith. Through the various prophets like Isaiah, God spoke to the people promising a return to the land if they heeded the commandments and lived out the law of love.
Through these readings, which highlight the Old Testament, we come to know of God’s great love for his people which leads him to not only intervene, as it seems, on behalf of the people but to remain actively involved in the life of the people he has chosen.
This divine activity; this divine intervention as some would see it, comes to its fulfillment in the person of Jesus. In Jesus we see God’s direct presence in and among the human family. Not just an outside prophet who is sent, not just a deliverer to save the people from their earthly bondage, Jesus is God in the flesh. In Jesus, God establishes a permanent dwelling with the human family. In Jesus, God experiences all that human beings have experienced since the dawn of creation. God takes human nature and blesses it to the fullest extent in the person of Jesus. And Jesus blesses and redeems human nature by remaining faithful to it even to the point of death. It is in the willingness of Jesus to face death as an innocent person that human nature is redeemed. Without that sacrificial gift of Jesus, human nature would continue along the path of sin that it began to take with the sin of our first parents. God could have let human nature take its course and that would have been disastrous for us. Instead, God remains intimately connected with our nature and, through the divine presence, human flesh is raised up and saved. That is what we celebrate in the Resurrection of Jesus. Human nature, our human nature, is lifted up and united with God’s divine nature.
For Christians, followers of Jesus, baptism is the public acknowledgment of God’s presence in human life. Each of you who will be receiving the Sacraments this evening are witnesses to God’s ongoing activity in your life. Some of you may describe your decision to receive the Sacraments as divine intervention. You may be looking at your life’s journey thus far as a journey without any direction. Some of you might even say that God has intervened in your life recently to save you from disaster. But, in reality, God has always been part of you journey, drawing you to this moment. Your presence here this evening comes as a result of your desire to acknowledge God’s presence. As surely as God was present to Abraham and Moses and all the prophets of old, so too, God is present to each of you. God is inviting you to accept the divine presence in your life so that your nature may be joined to God’s nature. That is the same invitation our first parents received but rejected. The invitation is offered to us once again by the obedience of Jesus. And the result of accepting that invitation is nothing less than dying and rising with Christ.
There is one more thing that should be stated. Even with God’s presence and intervention in our lives at all times, we can still choose freely. We have the freedom to say “yes” or “no” to God’s presence. There are temptations and distractions that can blur the presence of God within us. But through it all, God remains present as always, inviting us to seek forgiveness and to be healed. That healing is powerful to forgive us our sins and powerful enough to raise us up even after earthly death claims us.. God’s presence in Jesus leads us to life, both now and forever.
So, the celebration of Easter this evening is our way of acknowledging and thanking God for his ongoing presence in and through our personal and collective histories. This is the celebration of a redeemed human nature that was first experienced by Jesus when he came forth from the tomb on that first Easter morning.
If Cayu, the grebe I saved, could speak. He might say “thank you, Fr. Perry” for being present at the most critical moment of my life. He can’t do that. But we can. We thank God for being present to us at every moment of life—redeeming us, forgiving us and bringing us safely from death to new life.