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Christ has risen. (He has risen, indeed).
There’s an ancient tradition in some Christian communities called Risus Paschalis—Easter Laughter. The tradition is to tell jokes on Easter as a way of understanding Jesus’ resurrection as the ultimate joke God played on the Devil by defeating death with life. The long-standing pastor at Trinity, Dick Lucco, used to honor this tradition and I think it’s a practice worth keeping.
So there’s this guy who recently got into ice fishing. He goes to a local spot and sets up his stool, gets his line ready, and begins to saw a hole in the ice.
He hears a booming voice say: “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!!”
He jumps back, looks all around, and sees no one.
A bit disturbed, he moves over about 20 feet, sets up his stool, and begins to saw a hole.
Again comes the voice: “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!!”
Once again, he looks around, but just as before, there’s not a soul in sight. So he decides to move clear to the other end of the pond.
But before he even reaches for the saw, he hears the booming, angry voice again: “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!!”
Trembling - he calls out, “Is that you, God?”
“NO”, says the voice, “It’s the Ice Rink Manager.”
Christ has Risen. He has risen, indeed. Friends, go ahead and laugh. Jesus has risen for those who are single, married, divorced, LGBTQ+, straight, or too young to care. Christ has risen if you’re a crying newborn, a crying parent, dirt poor, filthy rich, have brown skin, black skin, white skin, or any color of skin. You are welcome here today.
Christ has risen if you’re dead certain, not so sure, don’t care, or don’t want to be here at all. And it doesn’t matter if you’re holier than the Pope, believe in God only some of the time, or have never set foot in a church.
But hey, no joke, we offer you love and good news if you’re lonely or addicted. You belong if you’re having problems, if you’re depressed, or if you don’t like “organized religion”; we’ve been there too. We welcome you if you can’t walk or see; if you’re inked or pierced; or if you make a mess of things. And we offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer, or if you’ve had religion shoved down your throat. We welcome out-of-towners, seekers, doubters, believers, and whatever label is necessary to welcome you.
So take a deep breath. Let your head and heart connect. Let go of withering judgment and pay attention to what is happening in this space, the words being sung, the story being told about Jesus and the love of God that cannot be killed – laughter that rises from the grave – God’s joke for you.
Good morning, friends. Let’s step into this wild Resurrected Rock Show of Revelation chapter 1 together. The book of Revelation (the Greek word is Apocalypse) often freaks people out. But it doesn’t mean doomsday, or conspiracy, or [scream] AAAAHHHHHHHH! It literally means to unveil, to peel back, to show what something or someone truly is. It’s a perfect word for Easter. It seeks to unveil Jesus – risen from the dead. And the opening words: “The apocalypse of Jesus Christ” signal a double meaning: Jesus is the messenger and Jesus is the message. He is both content and agent. He is the way that God unveils God’s self and is also God himself unveiled. It’s all about Jesus so don’t get sidetracked by the over-the-top symbols or Rock concert light show. And remember Apocalyptic Jesus is not a new or different Jesus. We’re talking about the same Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – risen from the dead. Apocalypse Jesus is the same Jesus, the man in black, who lovingly walked the earth as a refugee, colonized person, and challenged religious authorities by expressing the love of God for everyone. Resurrected Jesus is the same loving Jesus, the man in black, who died terribly on a Roman cross while expressing forgiveness. Revelation-chapter-1 Jesus is the same Jesus, the man in black, who suffered with us and for us to heal us and save us. Jesus, the man in black, is the same powerful and prevailing Jesus, the man in white. This Jesus is that Jesus!
So let’s explore three apocalpyses this morning, three unveilings, about Jesus, the man in white: His presence among us, his vintage outfit of salvation, and his liberating purpose.
The first unveiling: Jesus, the Man in White, is Still Among Us
First, notice where John sees Jesus: “in the midst of the lampstands.” John tells us these lampstands are symbols for churches—God’s people in the present. Jesus isn’t distant, watching from a throne in the sky. No, the man in black who suffered with us in solidarity is still the one who is with us - here. That man – is this one. He’s still with us, walking among us, present with us in our worship, our struggles, and our everyday lives. John’s Revelation of the Resurrected Jesus is as true for us now as it was for them then. So “turn and see the voice.” Revelation emphasizes a vision that is not about a far-off judgment but about Jesus’ nearness. One of the first things that Jesus tells John to write to churches is “I know your deeds . . . your afflictions . . . your suffering.” He so near that he knows - our work, our joys, our failures, because He’s right here with us – “in the midst.” Even when the church is messy, confused, imperfect – Jesus is still working among us, leading us, teaching us, helping us, correcting us.
The problem isn’t that the Resurrected Jesus forgets who he is or changes from being loving to being scary. The problem is that we try and domesticate him. The problem isn’t that Jesus no longer walks with sinners; it’s that we forget that we are them. The problem is that we think Jesus hangs out with us because we’re good and forget that Jesus is in our midst because he is good. Jesus, the man in black, joined with us in our suffering and death. Jesus, the man in white, joins with us still to give us his resurrected life and be like Him. He is the one who makes us into golden lampstands. So be a lampstand!
Being a lampstand remind us that the we are called to reflect Jesus’ presence and love to the world. He walks with us so that we might walk like him. We are more than sinners who Jesus loves. We are also to be resurrected agents of light that shine God’s love and justice in a dark world. So shine because John reminds us that we are never alone – Jesus is in our midst. Shine the light of Jesus so that everyone knows this – that Jesus is near and knows, has something to say, and something for us to do – shine love in all the dark places, shine love in all the hateful spaces, shine love so that all (friend and foe, immigrant and citizen, straight and gay, right and left) might see – Jesus rose from the dead and is in our midst so be a lampstand and shine!
The second unveiling: Jesus, the Man in White, wears vintage salvation
Let’s be honest. Apocalyptic Jesus can wig us out because he sounds like a 1980s heavy metal album cover: hair white as wool, eyes like fire, feet like bronze, voice like roaring waters, a sword from His mouth, face like the sun. But don’t forget this is the same Jesus of the Gospels. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Look at these images of Jesus and remember he hasn’t changed.
These aren’t depictions of Jesus in Revelation but an event from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, called the Transfiguration, when Jesus’ “face shown like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2). Apparently, we were afraid of that Jesus too. That same Jesus had to tell Peter, James, and John, “Don’t be afraid.” The author Annie Dillard writes: “So once in Israel, love came to us incarnate and stood in the doorway between two worlds, and we were all afraid.”
Don’t be afraid because all these features of clothes, hair and makeup point to one thing: redemption. Apocalpytic Jesus is not some B-movie monster – his style and vibe are vintage Old Testament salvation. What John is telling us is that Apocalyptic Jesus isn’t new but very old – ancient even. He wears God’s earliest promise to heal and save humanity.
John calls Jesus a “son of man” which is a double-meaning title that was used by Jesus himself. One meaning is that “son of man” simply refers to any human being. And that was true of Jesus. In every respect, he was a run-of-the-mill Galilean peasant. He ate, drank, slept, wept, suffered, and even died, just like you and me. But there was also another meaning, a deeper one, a stranger one: it referred to God’s ancient agent of redemption. In an old oracle given to the prophet Daniel, he writes:
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. ~ Daniel 7:13-14
When we return to Jesus’ outfit, we can see that all of it reflects this vintage vision of God’s promise to save people – “all nations and people of every language.” His clothing isn’t a costume but an actual uniform reflecting his role as a priest –it’s the same uniform prescribed for Aaron (Exodus 29:5)– the first priest of the Jewish people, whose role was to offer the gracious forgiveness and healing of God.
Jesus’ white hair and fiery eyes speak of cleansing us from all that harms, hurts, and destroys us. We see his white hair and remember the words of prophets and poets from the Old Testament: Isaiah said, “Your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . . they shall become like wool.” We remember the prayer of the Psalmist, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” And his fiery eyes point to the image of fire in Scripture that heals, refines, and transforms.
I can’t speak about everything else – his unmovable feet, his face shining like warm sunshine. I don’t have time. But all of it – all of Jesus’ red carpet look – from head to toe - is meant to reflect his loving purpose, his role, his goal, of vintage salvation as the son of man. Friends, Revelation reminds us that if the face of God you encounter is not the fiery face of love, you are worshiping the wrong God. So don’t tame this vision. Don’t try and dye his hair, make him put on sunglasses, or change his clothes. Jesus isn’t your barbie doll and won’t wear your flag or sport your hat. Too often, we reduce Jesus to a cozy friend and salvation to feeling good about ourselves. But here, He’s the One who doesn’t simply bring personal salvation but brings a kingdom and conquers the world —not with violence, but with words of truth and love. The Man in White doesn’t use a sword of steel; His word of kingdom love is the only weapon he wields. The Man in white is the son of man who, with great style, comes to establish a “kingdom that will never be destroyed.” Will you wear his uniform and join him?
The third unveiling: Jesus, the Man in White, Liberates Us
Finally, see what the Man in White does when John collapses in fear: “He laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid.’” Then He declares, “I am the first and the last. I’m the living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and Hades.” Jesus isn’t simply meek and mild but more metal than we thought.
“Fear not” is Jesus’ signature greeting after His resurrection. It’s not a rebuke but an invitation to trust. Jesus doesn’t just dazzle John; He reassures him – that he is the same Jesus who died, and now lives and, because of that, has conquered death and holds the keys. Jesus, it turns out, is the designated driver of our destiny.
Jangling the keys of Death and Hades isn’t a threat made by Jesus. It means he has unlocked the prison of death that incarcerates us. He’s not just alive; He holds the power to free us from death’s grip. Jesus carries the key-fob to death and Hades – what do you think he’ll do with it? Revelation doesn’t depict him as some cosmic sheriff. The Man in White is leading a prison break. Revelation doesn’t depict Jesus as some angry deity. The Man in White stormed death and hell so that evil would be afraid. There are a slew of images that exist by the name “The Harrowing of Hell” [“Harrowing” means “to terrify.”]
The early church wondered what it was that Jesus was doing on Saturday – what was he up to? They came to believe that Saturday involved Jesus storming the gates of Hell and freeing all who were imprisoned there. Razing Hell was Jesus’ Saturday night!
Friends, listen, the Jesus who ate and hung out with broken and despised people; the Jesus who spoke of a God who loves each and everyone of us; the Jesus who died on a cross and whispered a prayer of forgiveness that cracked open the world. That Jesus holds the keys. That Jesus is this Jesus – the Man in white who, in this fresco from Chora Church in Istanbul, has just broken down the gates of Hell and is pulling Adam and Eve out of their tombs.
Apocalyptic Jesus, risen from the dead, the Man in White, entered death to conquer it and grabs Adam and Eve – the first sinners, our ancient grandparents, the ones who set us on paths of destruction – he grabs their hands and pulls them out of the grave.
What do you think he’ll do with you? Will you grab his hand as well? Don’t be afraid. The prison of death and Hades has been unlocked and Hell is terrified. Let this vision apocalypse who God is, what God wants, what God does! Jesus is present with us, wears vintage salvation for us, breaks open the prison of death and hell because of us and turns graves into gardens. That’s the Easter Apocalypse of the Man in White. Amen.
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