Turn Around

The Rev. Joseph Winston

April 4, 2010

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.1
A common theme in the never-ending battle between the sexes happens when a
driver gets lost. The best science in the entire world, the most sophisticated philos-
ophy in existence, and even the most popular self-help books on the differences
between men and women cannot explain the following fact. It seems that men
never like to stop for directions. We will not pull the car over to the side of road,
get out, and ask someone for assistance. Sometimes we prefer to drive on until we
see a familiar landmark and then use it to navigate back to our final destination.
At other times, we inform any females in the car that we men have an innate sense
of direction and as soon as we get our bearings back, everything will be fine. (And
if you are very lucky, you only get lost with other men in the car. No one will ever
know because the driver will never admit he is lost.) From my admittedly biased
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3.

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viewpoint, females use a completely different approach. Whenever they get lost,
they simply stop the car and ask for help.
The delightful 2006 animated movie “Cars” plays out this fundamental dis-
agreement between males and females by using a gag that runs through the movie,
which shows the two completely different ways of thinking. Two minivans exit the
modern interstate highway. For some reason or another, they become lost. Quite
predictably, for anyone who has been around a woman driver, the female minivan,
played by Edie McClurg, wants to pull over right away and ask for directions.
However, the male minivan, voiced by Richard Kind, disagrees and remains true
to form. He wants to push on until they hit the freeway again. They follow his ad-
vice and keep driving. Soon, the two minivans enter the town of Radiator Springs,
a wide spot on Highway 66 that has been lost to the rest of the world when the
new road bypassed it. The two continue to wander lost through the movie. In fact,
they never actually find their way back to the main highway. As the movie draws
to a close, the female minivan cannot stand it anymore. She shouts out loud, “Oh,
for the love of Chrysler! Can we please ask someone for directions?” Completely
in character, the male replies, “No! There’s an on-ramp close! I KNOW it! I can
FEEL it! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
It deeply hurts me as a male to say this. There is no reason why the two mini-
vans should remain lost in the tiny town of Radiator Springs during the entire
movie. All that needed to happen was to pull off the road, ask for directions, and
turn around.
The underlying theme of every lesson today is turning around. The prophet

2
Isaiah first describes a new world where everything changes from what we know
today. In God’s new creation, infant death and the tears associated with it will be
a thing of the past. In the new land, people will actually be able to afford living
in their own houses. They will have enough time to tend their own land and enjoy
the fruits of their labor. Class struggle and warfare no longer exist here in God’s
world. Even the worst enemies now can sit down at the same table. The same topic
continues in the psalm. The author sings out to turn around and look at what really
is happening in the world. The One that the rest of the world rejected makes up
the foundation of God’s salvation. Paul’s message to the church in Corinth follows
the same pattern. Jesus has completely turned the world around so that the dead
now live.
It is easy to find many examples of turning around in today’s Gospel lesson.
The trial and crucifixion on Friday, turned the women’s faith around. They no
longer believe in Jesus. Despite this fact, they know their duty for a friend. Shortly
after sunrise, the women leave their homes and head toward the cemetery. They
fully expect to see the battered and bruised body of Christ in the tomb. When they
arrive with all the embalming supplies, their entire world is turned around. The
women cannot find the corpse. Two men in strange clothes suddenly appear on
the scene.2 They ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” They
continue, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he
2
The garments (ἐσθής) worn by the men are amazing. They flash with lightening (ἀστράπτω).
Perhaps one should think of angels or recall the transfiguration Luke Timothy Johnson; Daniel J.
Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Col-
legeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 387.

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was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and
be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Without any prompting at all, this
amazing message causes the women to remember what Jesus taught them. The
women turn around. They believe Jesus lives. They go and share the Good News
with the rest of the disciples who are men. For the most part, the men remain lost
and refuse to listen to the women’s message that Christ lives. 3 Only one dares to
trust the directions the women bring. When Peter arrives, he finds out the entire
world has changed. The dead God is alive!
Some of us are like the other ten male disciples that never heard what the
women had to say. We are lost and need directions. Sometimes, our wandering
off the highway is little more than a brief diversion. We see sights that we never
know existed and sooner or later we stumble back to the world we know. At other
times, the situation is far worse. We might run out of gas and find ourselves forever
stranded in the wilderness. We also could be on a dead-end road that will never
take us home.
It is for these reasons that God continually gives you directions and always
asks you to “turn around and come home!” If you would just stop running away
from God, then the Holy Spirit could take you back to Jesus. With Jesus at your
side, will not be lost. He knows where you are going. He has already been there
3
The NRSV translates Luke 24:11 as, “But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they
did not believe them.” The Greek for “idle tale” is much stronger. It reads λῆρος, that means
nonsense and it is difficult to imagine a more patronizing word. Johnson, Luke, p. 388. Delirious, a
word that still contains λῆρος, captures some of the attitude that the men show. ibid.. The issue in
this account is not the faith of the women but that of the men. Remember that the disciples could
not understand that Jesus must suffer and die (Luke 9:45). So great was their fear, that the men
refused to ask for clarification (Luke 9:45).

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and back.
That is why we are all here today. We are celebrating Christ’s safe trip. God
the Father agreed with every step that Jesus took on His path. When the world
came and took Christ’s life from Him, God stepped in. He gave Jesus’ life back.
We are here today remembering God’s amazing gift. Jesus is alive.
It is time that we as a church look to see what road we are on. If we hear the
Holy Spirit telling us that some adjustments need to be made to the path we are
taking, if we need some directions, then we will work to make whatever changes
are needed. God never promises this road we take will be easy. This point is clearly
seen in Christ’s life. The sinless Son of God who followed God’s directions to the
letter suffered. At the very least, you will encounter a few bumps along the way.
After all, the world does not like God’s way of doing things. At the other extreme,
you might be required to die for Jesus.
The battle between the sexes on asking directions verses just driving on is
nothing more than a tiny glimpse into the struggle between God and us. Jesus has
shown us the way that we need to live and we often refuse to follow. When we
wander off the road and get lost, God brings us back.
It does not seem like the story ever changes. We like to push on without know-
ing where they are going. Right after today’s Gospel lesson, two disciples leave
Jerusalem and head out to Emmaus. On the way there, they talked about the events
of the first Easter morning but just did not understand or even probably believe
what had happened. They must have been men because they were totally lost.
Somewhere along the way, Jesus appears but no one recognizes Him. They press

5
on, as men like to do, discussing the day and the Bible. Night falls and they ask the
stranger to stay. Only during the meal they share, do they recognize Jesus. They
now have their bearings. They know where they are going. They know what they
believe. They turn around and head back to Jerusalem.
You know there still might be some hope that us men will actually listen to
Jesus and not stay lost. Anyways, when you are lost, stop, ask for directions, and
come back. You need to be here.
When you turn around and go home, look at the people you encounter. Just
like for the early followers of Christ, Jesus will be there. He will be eating with
you and He will be speaking to you. Turn around and see Jesus.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”4

References

Johnson, Luke Timothy; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of Luke,
Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The
Liturgical Press, 1991).

4
Philippians 4:7.