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Matthew 28:1-10 Good morning! This is a good morning, isn't it? I am a morning person. I like to get up early and get to work. I would guess that most of you are morning people too. Most mornings I wake up and I say "Good morning Lord!" But sometimes I have a rough night. I hope none of you had a rough night. You know one of those nights when you can't sleep and you toss and turn. Sometimes it is due to some physical ache or illness but sometimes it is because of something emotional. On those mornings instead of saying "Good Morning, Lord," I say "Good Lord, its morning." The women in our gospel lesson this morning were "mourning people." I am sorry. That is m-o-u-r-n-i-n-g as in to mourn, not morning as in before noon. I imagine they had had a couple of rough nights. On Friday they had watched as Jesus died on the cross. They had not had time to properly prepare Jesus' body for burial so he had been hastily wrapped in burial cloth and laid in Joseph of Arimethea's tomb. So on Sunday morning they came to mourn. They came to look upon and touch death. They came to finish preparation for the body to be left to decay and then Jesus' bones to be gathered with his ancestors. They came in sadness and mourning. But God had other plans. God decided to shake things up. Quite literally. There was an earthquake. And the stone that in their grief they had forgotten to make arrangements to have removed, was rolled back. And instead of looking down into a grave at a corpse, they were looking up a heavenly creature glowing in an unearthly way. For two days everyone they met offered sympathy and said things like, "We are sorry for your loss." But this angel said, "Jesus is not here. He has risen. Go tell the others." In fear and joy they went and on the way met Jesus, alive and in the flesh! And Jesus said, "Don't be afraid but tell my brothers!" These women came to the tomb as mourning people, mourning the death of their Master and friend. But they left as morning people, people of a new day. They came to prepare the body for going down to the earth and they left to prepare their family and friends to receive their risen Lord. Are you mourning people or morning people? I don't know what your heart was like when you came here this morning. You might have come in joy because you anticipated a moving and beautiful service. You might have come out of a feeling of obligation because you through you ought to. You might have come with a heavy heart because of the worries of your life. You might have just had a rough night. Well let's see if we can shake things up! Jesus was a morning person. In fact he was the first fruits of a new morning for creation. He is author of new beginnings. Just as he rose that Easter Morning he can raise you up! By the grace of God you are morning people; people of a new day. It is a new day. Jesus is alive. Say it with me "He is alive." You are morning people because new life has dawned on us in Jesus. Go and tell the brothers and sisters. Let them know that Jesus is alive and that he lives in us. Tell the brothers and sisters that they can be morning people too! John 20:1-18 How do we get to Easter? You know getting places has changed a lot. I can remember when you had to get out a map and find the place you wanted to go and see where the roads went. Nowadays they have these GPS things that tell you where to go and when to turn. Even us old school types usually go to the internet and get turn by turn directions. The reason I ask how to get to Easter is that it seems some people have trouble getting there. They get sidetracked or turn the wrong way trying to get there. Somewhere they take the wrong rode because they seem to miss the whole message of new life in Jesus. If you don't believe me just listen to our Bible reading this morning. The disciples did not exactly wake up on Easter Sunday and say "He is Alive!" Mary saw the evidence and took the wrong turn to the conclusion that Jesus' body had been stolen. Peter and John examined the evidence and took the same wrong turn. It took some spiritual GPS turn by turn guidance from angels and then Jesus to finally get Mary to the proper Easter destination. What do we need to do to avoid the same mistakes? How do we get to Easter? First, you have to go through Good Friday. I know a lot of people take the bypass around Good Friday but if you do that you will end up on the wrong road. I know Good Friday is not a pleasant place. You certainly don't want to stay there. But you have to go through it to get to Easter. It is why Easter means what it does. If you were here for the Cantata last week or attended the Maundy Thursday service or the Good Friday prayer vigil then you have been through Good Friday. If you took time this week at all to contemplate the sacrifice that God made for us by sending Jesus to die, and the sacrifice that Jesus willingly made, to allow himself to be crucified, then you have been through Good Friday. Jesus had to go through Good Friday to get to Easter. He went through the middle of downtown Good Friday, through the worst neighborhoods of Good Friday to get to Easter. Going through Good Friday is so important because the gift of Easter was bought at a price. New life is a free gift to us. But it cost God plenty. Jesus had to come and die for our sins to make new life possible. His death shows us just how much God loves us. If we forget the love of God and the cost of the gift, then Easter doesn't mean as much to us. So to get to Easter you have to go through Good Friday. Mary and the other disciples went through Good Friday. Yet they still got sidetracked. Their problem was they forgot to take the Miracle Exchange. Jesus had said that he would die and on the third day rise. But they didn't dare believe that he actually meant rise from the dead. I mean that would take a miracle of Divine proportions. So when they saw the empty tomb they reached the only logical conclusion that his body must have been stolen. Because they failed to take the miracle exchange they ended up at the tomb with no access to the highway that goes to Easter. Often people hear the Easter story of Jesus rising from the dead and they make the same mistake. They do not take the miracle exchange and the end up on the wrong road which leads to the tomb and nowhere else. They conclude that all this religious talk about Jesus rising from the dead is really all about nature coming back to life in the spring or about something else more spiritual. So, on some level, they disregard the signs directing them toward accepting the miracle. The idea that someone would not only be brought back to life 3 days post mortem, but that they would come back with such power that they would never die again is unbelievable. It would take an act of God! That's the point: Easter is an act of God. If you don't take the miracle exchange you can't get to Easter. If Easter is about new life you have to accept the miracle. How can a person be so transformed that they are no longer the person they were, but a whole new creation. Death is as sure as ... well, death and taxes. How then can we live forever? It required Divine intervention and if you don't believe in the miracle you can't accept the possibility of new abundant eternal life. You have to take the Miracle Exchange. You have to accept that by a direct intervention of God Almighty your old life can be exchanged for a new life: that your mortal existence can be exchanged for an eternal existence. That Jesus' dead body was exchange for a living breathing eternal body. Don't miss the miracle exchange or you will get stuck at the tomb and miss Easter. You may still miss the destination though. You have to take on a passenger. You have to have a Jesus encounter. I know it is dangerous to pick up somebody on the road. But you know this guy. You recognize him. Even if you have never personally met him, someone you know has; otherwise you wouldn't be here today. Somebody had to tell you about Jesus at the very least. Mary Magdalene needed to encounter Jesus to get to Easter. She was there at the tomb in the Garden weeping. Even the angels couldn't comfort her. It took Jesus calling her by name to get her on the right track. That is why we need to have Jesus along for the ride. He can call us back to the right road. If we take a wrong turn he can reassure us and comfort us. He can be a living presence to show us the destination. Like the old hymn says, "You ask me how I know he lived, he lives within my heart." Finally once you arrive at Easter don't forget to celebrate it! Some people seem to get to Easter then they miss the celebration. Maybe some of them took the bypass around Good Friday and so they don't realize its significance. Maybe they missed the Miracle exchange, and got stuck at the tomb. Maybe they forgot to bring Jesus along for the ride, and lost their way. Or maybe they forgot why they made the journey. It's like going to the fair. You know you go through the traffic and the parking and the walking and the metal detector and you stand in line and buy your ticket and then you enter the gate and just stand there. You don't go eat a turkey leg or a deep fried snicker or ride the Ferris wheel or see the sand sculpture or the art work or the animals. It's like you forgot why you came. Sometimes people come to Easter the same way. Celebrate Easter! Shout Alleluia! Sing at the top of your voice. Don't worry if you can't sing well. Just give glory to God.
John 20:1-18 Mary Magdalene was alone. At least that is the way the John tells the story. Perhaps she came just to mourn. But when she got there the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. So she came to the first logical conclusion. It was bad enough that they had taken Jesus life now they had even stolen his body! Mary went and got the other disciples. Peter and John came to see if what she said was true. They found the tomb empty and came to the same conclusion. And they left. Mary was alone again and she wept. As she wept she realized that she was not alone. There were two men in white, angles John tells us, sitting where Jesus' body had been. What were these strangers doing there, had they stolen the body? She was all alone. How could she defend herself? They said, "Why are you weeping?" She replied, "Someone has taken my Lord's body and I don't know where it is." She turned and ran into someone who said, "Why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" She replied, "If you have taken him tell me where he is." Then Jesus said, "Mary." At the sound of her name she recognized him. It was Jesus and he was alive! Mary was no longer alone, Jesus was with her. And he bid her go and tell the disciples. Did you recognize Jesus in the story? Of course John gives it away. He tells us up front that it was Jesus talking to Mary and that she mistook him for the gardener. But would you have recognized him if John had not said so. Many of us have heard the story a hundred times so we know what is going on. Would we have recognized if we did not know what was coming? Mary didn't! Mary Magdalene had experienced the grace of and power of God in Christ firsthand. She had traveled with the disciples and heard Jesus preach on a daily basis. Like the other women disciples she had fed Jesus and washed his clothes and taken car of him. She had been possessed by 7 demons the Bible tells us and Jesus had freed her from those evil forces. Yet she did not recognize him. If in her hour of grief she did not recognize Jesus, what makes us think we would. Maybe that is why John tells us up front that it was Jesus. He was afraid his readers would make the same mistake Mary did and think Jesus was just part of the scenery, an extra in the play. I don't think any of us would have recognized Jesus had we been in Mary's shoes. I say that because so few people recognize Jesus in Easter. They come to church in their Easter ties and bonnets, and then go home. They are untouched by the day. For most people in the world Easter is all about the eggs and the flowers. They don't see Jesus in it. The egg is a symbol of new life. New life comes from eggs, so new eternal life came at Easter. The flowers also symbolize the plants that were dormant coming back to life. So at Easter Jesus brought the dead back to life. Jesus is in that, if you only look for him. He died and rose again. He gives new life. He awakens the dead parts of our hearts and souls! Did you recognize Jesus today? Did you see him when he greeted you? Do you see him in the church today? He is here. It is traditional for Christians on Easter to affirm "The rise Christ is with us." Is that just wishful thinking? I mean are we Christians just delusional? We say that someone who died 2000 years again is here with us. We claim that he rose from the dead on the testimony of emotionally distraught women. We claim that he can give us eternal life. Either we Christians are right and Jesus is alive. Or we are crazy. If we are right that is significant and earthshaking. Did you see Jesus today? Did you see him in the sunrise? Do you see him in the flowers? Do you see him the faces of these young people about to commit themselves to serving Christ? I am not crazy. He is here. He is not dead he is alive. And the risen Christ is with us. He is calling your name just as he called Mary's name. You are not alone! Open your eyes. See Jesus! Acknowledge his presence in your life. Give your life to him. You will never be the same. People might think you are crazy. If you don't see him, I pray that by the time the day is out you will.
Matthew 28:1-10 It all started with an earthquake. An angel descended from heaven. And the Earth shook as he rolled the stone away from the tomb. His appearance was like lightning when it flashes in the darkness and his robes were white as snow. When the women arrived at the tomb it was open and empty. The angel was sitting on the stone and told them "He is not here. He is risen just as he said he would. Go and tell the other disciples that he is alive and that he will meet them in Galilee." Terrified they ran just as they were told. On the way they ran into Jesus. They all fell at his feet and worshipped him. And Jesus told them to spread the news to the disciples. Jesus who was dead was now alive - that is what Easter is all about! Time out! Is that really all that Easter is about? Some guy 2,000 years ago coming back to life. If you stop and think about it that is not particularly amazing. A person who was dead coming back to life. Sure it doesn't happen every day but it is not without precedent. Look in the Bible itself. In the Old Testament the prophet Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead. In the New Testament Jesus raised Lazarus and the widow's son and Jarius' daughter. Even Peter raised Tabitha. Even today resurrections are almost common place. It is not uncommon for a person to stop breathing and their heart to stop beating and for them to be brought back to life. There are probably some people here with us today who were dead and were brought back to life. It is even a standard part of some medical procedures. Doctors intentionally stop people's hearts and put them on heart lung machines so that they repair damage to the heart muscle. I guess in a city with two heart hospitals and at last could 5 emergency rooms; resurrections are an every day event after all! So in a world where people come back from the dead every day, what is so important about Jesus' resurrection? If this were just another resurrection like the resurrection of Lazarus or those who brought back by modern medicine, then there really would be nothing to celebrate. But Jesus' resurrection was of a different order. All those other resurrections were resurrections to a few more years or decades of mortal life. Jesus' resurrection was to eternal life. Those others were resurrections to more of the same. Jesus' resurrection was a resurrection to glory. You see all those other people who were raised from the dead eventually died again. I mean is Lazarus still alive? I am sure if he were still alive on the earth then we would have seen him. If you were clinically dead and were brought back to life I have some bad new for you. You body will eventually wear out and your heart will stop again. All those other resurrections cheated death out of a few more years. Jesus didn't cheat death with his resurrection. He defeated death! His was a resurrection to eternal life. Not to a few more years of earthly life but to an eternity of life in glory. Jesus' resurrection was about defeating death but it was also about more than His resurrection. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. Which means that those who sin are sentenced to death. It also says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Which means all of us have sinned and are sentenced to death. But Jesus died on the cross for our sins. If we accept him as God's gift, we are saved from condemnation. You know when a criminal is sentenced to death the governor can sign a reprieve or even a pardon. Basically Jesus' death is God's pardon for us signed in Jesus' blood. The resurrection is the proof that we are released from the sentence of death. The Bible calls Jesus the "first fruits of the resurrection." His is the first of all who will rise to eternal life at the end of time. So Jesus' resurrection is really about our resurrection. It is about the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of eternal life. Jesus' resurrection is about him defeating death not just for himself but for us too. It's also something that is earthshaking. It is no accident that the Easter story starts with an earthquake. The angel descended and the earth shook. Easter is about God the source of life invading a dead world. It is about God shaking up the order of the universe to bring the dead back to life. If you think that Easter is just about some guy 2,000 rising from the dead, you have missed the meaning all together. It is about God shaking up the order of the universe. It is about God changing the rules, or at least amending the rules, of life and death, of sins and salvation. It is about the dawn of a new day like none other in the history of the world. Easter is about God shaking up the world. If you leave here and your life has not been shaken up then you haven't gotten Easter. If your life has not been turned upside down by the resurrection of Jesus, then you don't know what Easter is all about. If you think that Easter is just about some guy 2,000 rising from the dead then you don't know what Easter is. Don't miss Easter this year. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Admit that you are dead in your sin and in need of a Savior. Recognize that Jesus is the one who has died for your sin and conquered death to make you alive again. Ask him into your heart.
John 20:1-18 Mary came to the tomb early in the morning. I'm a morning person. I imagine I am not the only morning person here. It's not that I don't like to sleep in occasionally. But I seem to do my best work before noon. And I do tend to get up earlier than other people. Mary was at the tomb so early in the morning on Easter Sunday that is was still dark. I am not sure if she was an early riser. It may have been her habit to rise early in the morning. It may also be that she had not slept the night before because of what she had witnessed happening to Jesus. Her own personal emotional turmoil may have kept her awake. Either way, she was there and it was dark. John's comment that it was dark was more than an indicator of an hour. It was a metaphor. Earlier in John's Gospel when Judas left to betray Jesus John commented that it was dark. This was more than the darkness of morning before the sunrise. This was a darkness of the soul. Jesus, the one who said "I am the light of the world" was dead; nailed to a cross and cruelly treated. It was dark. So Mary was there before the dawn and it was dark. When she arrived at the tomb to her surprise she found the stone rolled away from the entrance. What's more the body was gone. So she reached the only logical conclusion that a sane person could come to. Someone had stolen his body! So she ran to tell the others. Have you ever watched a sunrise? Not just seen one but sat down and intentionally watched the sun rise. It doesn't happen in a moment. It is not like turning on a light. It takes time for the sun to creep over the horizon. The truth was beginning to dawn on Mary. But it was a slow process. First she found that his body was not in the grave. Then she ran into Jesus, and finally she heard his voice calling her name. Only then did the light of Easter come over the horizon of Mary's heart. And she knew that Jesus was no longer dead but had come to life! That is the way it is with Sunrises. And that is the way it is with the truth of Easter. Sometimes it takes time for the light of it to dawn on people. Some think that Easter is just a spring festival. They think it's about celebrating the budding of the flowers and the rebirth of nature after winter. Don't get me wrong that is all fine and good. The flowers and such are wonderful symbols for the real light of Easter. You know when you watch a sunrise people wonder at all the wonderful colors. But those colors are not the rising of the sun itself. That is the light of the rising Sun being reflected and refracted by the clouds and atmosphere. The flowers and baby animals and all the other symbols of Easter are but a reflection of a greater light. They are merely symbols or evidence of the real event. The empty tomb was not Easter. It was merely evidence of the real truth of Easter. The real event of Easter was not an empty tomb. The real event of Easter is living body of Jesus Christ risen to eternal life. I am glad all of you have gathered here in the darkness to see the light of a new day. But I am concerned that all you will take away from this service is the beauty of this sunrise and the birds and the flowers. All this is merely the refection of the true light of Easter. And what is that light? That light is that Jesus Christ, who died for your sins, has risen as a pledge and sign of your resurrection. He rose from death and can give you new life, eternal life, everlasting life. New life in that the sins of our past are taken away and covered by his blood. Eternal life in that we can have a never ending depth of life in Jesus Christ through our relationship with the Father. Everlasting in that we will not die but we will be raised to live in glory with Christ.
John 20:1-18 Easter is wonderful! With all the flowers and such. The new clothes and the new growth in the world around us. I always enjoyed dressing my daughters up in their Easter dresses when they were little. How many of you bought Easter bonnets? And then there is the story of Easter. Oh yes, we don't want to forget the story! The disciples had watched Jesus die on the cross just the Friday before. They were all shocked and were mourning the loss of their close personal friend and the man they thought would save them from oppression. Jesus the one who raised others from the dead had been nailed to a cross and died himself. He had fed multitudes and walked on water and calmed the sea but he did not calm the crowd or walk away from their anger and hatred. Jesus was dead and his body was in a tomb. But early in the morning, while it was still dark John tells us, one of the women came to the tomb. Of course it was the women. They had not fled but were at the foot of the cross. The ones who had been over looked in the religious leaders' anger. Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out 7 demons, came to the tomb to mourn Jesus' death. But when she arrived, to her horror, the stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. What could have happened? Obviously just killing Jesus was not enough. They had to dig up his body and further desecrate it! So Mary ran to tell the disciples. Peter and John ran to check out the story and found things just as Mary had reported. Believing his body to be stolen, the men walked away. But Mary stayed there weeping. Suddenly there were two men in dazzling white robes. Perhaps they saw something. "Please help me, they have taken my Lord's body and I don't know where they have put it." Then she turned and there was Jesus. She didn't recognize him, but then he called her name and she knew he was alive! And Mary ran to tell the others: Jesus is Alive! OK, we did the Easter bonnets, he had the egg hunt yesterday and now we have told the story. Is that all? I guess we can all take our Easter lilies home and put the Easter stuff away until next year. Or is there still more? What do we do with Easter after Easter Sunday is over? Let me give you some suggestions: #1 - Believe it! Easter is not just a pretty story about something that is not real. I know we modern people are often skeptical about stories of extraordinary events. And a man rising form the dead is an extraordinary thing. And we should be skeptical about most incredible stories because they are simply not credible. This story as incredible as it sounds is actually very credible. If it were just the empty tomb we could conclude as Mary the disciples did at first, that Jesus' body was stolen. But it was more than that. There are many eyewitnesses who saw him. And it wasn't just some ghostly apportion seen by isolated individuals. We could easily write that off to grief induces hallucinations. But groups of people saw Jesus at the same time and even touched him and ate with him. You can't just explain that physical evidence away. What should we do with Easter? We should believe it! It is not just a myth or fairy tale. It is not just the creation of grief induced psychoses. There is too much physical evidence. What else should we do with Easter? #2 - We should live it! No, that doesn't mean you should wear your Easter bonnet every day. It means we should take the truth of that story and put it to work in our lives. This story is about more than one man 2,000 years ago coming back to life. It's about the new life that we have through Jesus Christ. Because of the resurrection we have the promise of our own resurrection. Just as Jesus rose, we too will rise to eternal life through him. That is an incredible hope! We know that this life is not the end for us or for our loved ones that have died in Christ. We have the hope of eternal life. But it is also something we experience in the here and now. Because Jesus died and rose again we have forgiveness. Through him we know the grace and love of God on a first hand and personal basis. Not only does Jesus live but he lives in us to give us strength and guidance. That is what living Easter means. It means living with Jesus at the center of our lives. What do we do with Easter? We live it! We should believe Easter. We should live Easter and #3 - we should Share it! No, I am not saying you should give your Easter lily to a friend. Although that is not a bad idea, but it is more than that. Easter is about new life. It is about joy and hope and the promise of Jesus living in us and giving us eternal life. We should share that new life with other. We should allow rays of "son"-shine to emanate from us. If we know joy because of Easter then we should share joy. If we know hope because of Easter we should bring hope to others. If we know forgiveness and love then we should forgive and love others. But most of all we should share Jesus. He is the reason we are celebrating to begin with. That is what Mary did. When she came to believe that Jesus was alive she ran to tell others. In the same way we should run from here today to tell the world, "Jesus is alive!" and he lives in us. So what should we do with Easter? We should believe it! We should live it! We should share it! But you have to have it first. Easter is all wrapped up in Jesus. Do you want the new life were are celebrating here today? Then you have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Do you want the resurrection power of God living in your life and heart? Then open your heart to Jesus today! Only then can you truly believe this incredible gift we are praising God for here this morning. And only when you accept him can you live it. And only when you have it can you share it. What are we going to do with Easter? Believe it! Live it! Share it! John 20:1-18 What's up with Easter? There seems to be some confusion about Easter. Just read the Biblical account. There was a lot of confusion on the first Easter. There are angels and earthquakes and women and men running this way and that. And no one, except the angels, seems to know what's going on. And even when the angels try to tell the people they still seem confused. And the confusion doesn't end with the first disciples. There seems to be some confusion about the meaning of Easter today. There are so many symbols of the season. We see everything from crosses to Easter egg trees. I think it leads to a general confusion. Most people don't get Easter. They are bombarded with so many depictions of Easter that they lose sight of what it is really about. I imagine many end up exclaiming "What's up with Easter!" First of all Easter is not cute and cuddly. I know some things may make you think otherwise. Just go to the seasonal isle of any Wal-Mart or Target and you will see what I mean. You will be inundated with a plethora and fuzzy cuddly stuffed toy bunnies and duckys. Some people may take them as their primary symbol of Easter. But Easter is not cute and cuddly. Easter did not happen in the seasonal isle of a superstore. It happened in a cemetery - a grave yard. In fact it happened in a grave! A place that for three days had contained a dead body! And the overwhelming response of the witnesses was not "Ooooh." The women were frightened and bewildered. The male disciples were perplexed and confused. And the roman soldiers were frightened senseless. Which leads to the conclusion that Easter is not a cosmic warm fuzzy! Easter is not cute and cuddly. It is bewildering and terrifying. Easter is not cute and cuddly and Easter is not a spring celebration. I have to admit that the church has played a part in this confusion. I mean just look at us! We have 75 Easter lilies all over the front of the church and many of you brought wild flowers to place on the flowering cross at the entrance of the church. And the whole business of chicks and baby animals not to mention Easter eggs. It all makes one think that Easter is all about nature coming back to life in the spring But that conclusion has it all backwards. Don't misunderstand me, Easter is about new life. But it is not the mere birth of animals or the flowering of plants. It is about a whole new order of new life. It is about a form of new life that is beyond the new life of this world. You see spring is merely a symbol for what Easter is really about. The new life of nature around us at this time of year symbolizes the deeper abundant eternal life that Jesus won for us at Easter. Yes, we have flowers all over the church especially at Easter. But that is to remind us of the new life Jesus brings us. Easter is not cute and fuzzy, Easter is not a spring celebration, and Easter is not about one man's resurrection. Don't get me wrong! Jesus rose from the dead and Easter. I am not denying that! But Jesus is not the only person to rise form the dead! So did Lazarus, and Jarius' daughter, Tabitha, the widows' son � Jesus raised several people. Before him the Old Testament prophets raised people. After him the apostles raised people. We don't have holidays to celebrate any of those resurrections. That's because Jesus' resurrection was about more than someone's life being extended. It is about more than a mere miraculous event. It is even about more than the power of God or the fulfillment of prophesy. You see ultimately Easter is about yours and my resurrection. It is about the promise of eternal life for all who would believe. Yes God has the power to raise the dead as with all those folks in the Bible that were raised. But they all died again. Unlike them Jesus rose to never die again - he rose to eternal life! You see this is a completely new order of new life! And Jesus is the first fruits of this resurrection to eternal life. He was the first to rise to eternal life. When there are first fruits there is a harvest to follow. We who have been saved are the rest of that harvest. So Jesus' resurrection, or Easter, is about the promise of our resurrection! I imagine there may still be some confusion about Easter out there. That is understandable. After all if was confusing for the women and the other disciples. And Jesus had warned them that this all would happen. They even had Angels to help them grasp the meaning. I have to admit that angels are probably better at explaining these things than I am. But the first disciple did finally figure out what was up with Easter. They figured it out because the ran into Jesus. If you don't believe me just read the Bible. Mary thought Jesus' body had been stolen until she bumped into Jesus. Peter and John didn't know what to think until Jesus appeared to them in the upper room. Do you want to know what's up with Easter. Well, you need to encounter Jesus. Look past the fuzzy animals, the flowering crosses, and the Easter bonnets. And look for Jesus. Then you can see what's up with Easter. John 20:1-18 The first thing that John tells us about Easter is that it was early in the morning. In fact it was just a little after 7 am. Isn't that what your translation says? And Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. Mary must have been a morning person. I'm a morning person. Do we have any other morning people here? I like to get most of my work done before noon. If I stay in bed till 7, I have slept in too long. Mary in her dedication, came to the tomb so early that it was still dark, John tells us. In John this is more than an indication of where the sun is in the sky. The darkness has spiritual significance. In John's account of the last supper when Judas leaves he says, "and it was dark"(13:30). Mary Magdalene was not just in the dark physically; she was still in the dark spiritually. Because she was in the dark, she completely missed the meaning of the empty tomb. She thought that Jesus' dead body had been stolen. And in her sense of duty she ran through the darkness to tell the other disciples. They were in the dark too. But it was morning and the morning is not dark for long. Soon the sun will rise. (That was a pun. Get it? The "son" will rise.) Anyway, as Mary sat there weeping she heard a voice. At first she thought it was the caretaker of the garden. But the truth dawned on her and she realized that it was Jesus. He was alive! I imagine the first rays of the new morning breaking across the horizon as her face lights up. Jesus is alive! Not just the resuscitation of a corpse. They had all seen that before with Lazarus. But the first fruits of eternal life. Death had been defeated and the long night of sin was over. It was then that Mary ran to tell the Gospel truth that Jesus was alive! Don't leave here this morning in the dark. Don't go and tell your friends, "I have been to church, and we sang some pretty songs and saw the sun rise and heard the geese down by the lake." Well all that is true. And what Mary said was true too - his body was gone. But let the truth dawn on you fully. Have you seen Jesus? I have. I have seen him alive in the scripture, in the songs, in the faces of my fellow worshippers. He is alive. So run to your friends and tell them. He is alive!
Matthew 28:1-10 Jesus' mother Mary and Mary Magdalene were all shook up Easter morning. They had believed in Jesus. Jesus' mother had believed when the angel Gabriel came to tell her that she would bear a son who would be the messiah. She had believed when the shepherds and wise men came to worship him. Mary Magdalene had also believed. She had been possessed by demons who tortured her soul. Jesus had freed her of that emotional torment that she had lived in. He had given her the Joy of knowing the Heavenly Father's love. Then he had died. How could the one who brought others back to life die? Jesus was the Messiah the Savior sent from God. Who would save them now that he was dead. It was emotionally devastating. The disciples I am sure were just as shook up. It was bad enough that he died, but the way he died. Like a common thief, publicly humiliated and degraded. Jesus had calmed the raging sea before their eyes, but a sea of hatred had overcome him. Jesus was supposed to save them from the oppression of Rome and now Rome had killed him. Still shaken by the events of the previous Friday, Mary and Mary Magdalene began to walk to the tomb to pay their respects to the dearly departed. At this point God decided to shake things up a little. Suddenly their was and earthquake and the ground shook. This happened because an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, and the angel had rolled the stone away from the tomb. The world was shaken by this act. When the angel appeared in its bright raiment the guards trembled. They shook with fear. Those strong soldiers, comrades of the ones who had nailed Jesus to the cross, now cowered in fear. Matthew says they became like dead men. I suppose he means that they fainted. But Matthew has chosen his words carefully. The one who had been dead, Jesus, was now alive, and the ones who had killed him were like dead men. And God shook things up turning the powers of this world on their heads. Quickly the angel reassured the women. "Don't be afraid, I know you come looking for Jesus, but he is not here. He his risen, just as he said. Go tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee" The women were still shaken, but now they were also joyful. Just as the angel had told them the went to tell the disciples. They may not have fully believed, but they still went. As they went they came face to face with the reality of the resurrection. And Jesus said, "Go tell the followers to go to Galilee and they will see me too." Easter is all about God shaking up the current order of things to create a new order. As Matthew tells the story, Easter started with an earthquake. An earthquake that turned the world as we know it upside down. No longer was death the end. For those who followed Christ is was a new beginning. The tomb became a womb bringing forth new life. But this was no mere earthquake that rocked physical structures. It also rocked and toppled principalities and powers. Those who thought they had triumphed over God's Messiah were shaken. Rome had failed to hold Christ down. They had tried to nail him down. They had tried to shut him up with guards and a stone. But he still rose triumphantly. Even the powers of darkness and death could not triumph over Christ. This was also a life quake. It shook people to the soul. Those who had chosen death were now like dead men. But those who had chosen life in Christ were celebrating the resurrection. God's life quake had given new life and hope to faithful people who moments before had been mourning the dead. Does your life need a divine earthquake, a life quake? Are there thinks that need to be shaken out of place? Maybe attitudes of complacency. Maybe structures of sin and selfishness. Maybe something other than Christ needs to be shaken from the throne of your heart. Maybe your whole world needs to be shaken and turned up side down. Do you live in a world of darkness that needs some light? Like the disciples are you mourning in a state of hopelessness? Do you need something to turn your deadness into life? Jesus the Christ is a mover and shaker. He takes the deadness of our lives and makes it alive again. He turns death into life, darkness into light, cries of mourning into shouts of joy. Come to Christ, and let the resurrection shake your world. Let Christ shake you to your very heart and soul. Actually I believe we all need to be shaken up a little. And the Good News of the resurrection is God's way of doing that. If we are to accept the rule of Christ in our hearts, we need someone to shake the power of sin out of us. We are not strong enough to topple the powers of darkness alone. We need a deliverer who is strong enough. Christ overcame the power of Rome and the power of the Devil himself and he can conquer the evil that tortures our minds and souls. If we are to accept the eternal life that God offers us in Christ, we need to dislodge the death that dwells within us. Oh we can extend life, maybe we can even put people in suspended animation. But immortality is medically impossible. Despite the advances of modern medicine doctors cannot extend life indefinitely. Death has the upper hand over us. But Jesus has conquered death, and he can raise us up to new life also. Ask Christ to shake up your life this Easter. Then with new life and a renewed soul run with joy to tell the others. There are people who are still in the darkness of death. Tell them that there is life in Christ. Tell them that Jesus can shake up their lives too and give them eternal life.
John 20:1-18 Every one of Jesus' followers had a different encounter with the resurrection. To understand Mary Magdalene's reaction we have to get one thing straight. Jesus was dead. D-E-A-D dead. Not asleep. Dead with a capital "D" You see, we all know that Jesus arose. On easter Sunday we sing "Christ the Lord has risen today. But too often I think we forget where he arose from. We just skip over his death. Perhaps we sing "Up from the mumble he arose!, he arose!.." He rose from the dead. That was a very important fact. Mary Magdalene knew that Jesus had died. His death was real to her because his life had made such an impact on hers. He had cast demons out of her and changed her life. He had taught her about a loving Father in heaven Before Jesus all she knew of was a vengeful God who punished the sinner. Jesus' Life changed her life. I am sure his death was an awful shock to her. But she knew he was dead. Most of other disciples had watched Jesus' death from a distance. They could deny the reality of it if it got too real for them. Something in the back of their minds told them that they were watching one of those religious plays that the pagans used to put on. But Mary couldn't deny the reality of Jesus' death. She was close enough to see the blood dripping down from his wounds. And when they took him off the cross she held his cold dead body in her arms and wept with his mother. Jesus had died, and Mary Magdalene knew it. It was the Jewish custom that the women prepare the body for burial. Jesus had died too close to the Sabbath so they had hurriedly wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a tomb. So Mary made her way to the tomb to finish the job. She didn't expect to find what she found. Someone had rolled the stone away. Not knowing what to do she ran to the other disciples. When she got to them she told them, "Someone has stolen Jesus' body and I don't know where they have put it. Who would have done such a cruel thing." Peter and the beloved disciples ran to the scene of the alleged crime and when they arrived they both looked at the evidence before them. The stone had been rolled away. The burial cloth was lying on the slab where Jesus' body was only three days before. And the cloth that had covered his face was rolled up to one side. It says that they believed. They believed that his body had been stolen, not that he was alive. Jesus' followers had heard him say that he would rise on the third day. Yet when they saw the evidence of the resurrection they failed to believe. They didn't run from the tomb hollering "He Is Alive." Instead they walked away, thinking he was dead. And wondering who had stolen his body. Why did it take Mary so long to accept that Jesus had risen? Consider Mary's past. She had a lot to lose by believing that Jesus was alive. Mary had been possessed by demons in the past. She knew that the mind can play tricks on one. She remembered the times when the demons made her see things that weren't there. So she had learned to question things that did not seem realistic. Things like people rising from the dead. If she started telling people that Jesus was alive, they might think she was crazy. It was part of the public record that Jesus was dead. His death certificate was on file in the county court house. People would say that now that Jesus was gone the demons had taken over her mind again. They would say, "The dead don't rise, you're crazy woman." Emotionally it was hard for her to accept Jesus death. It had probably taken a while for her to accept Jesus' death to begin with. She probably hadn't slept at all Friday night. She had probably stayed up all night going through the events in her head over and over again trying to see if it was real. She had been there but it had all seemed like a bad dream. Finally she had gotten to the point where she could accept that Jesus was dead. It was not a bad dream, it was a living nightmare. She knew that she would never see Jesus alive again. She would never again hear her friend call her name, or tell her of the wonderful love of her Heavenly Father. It had been hard to reach that point of accepting his death. What if she did let herself believe that Jesus was alive, and then she found out that he really was dead. She would have to accept his death all over again. She had lost him once, she could not stand to lose him again. I imagine all these thoughts, fears and doubts were running through Mary's mind after Peter and the other left. And in the midst of her doubt she went to look into the tomb again for herself. And sitting there were two angels clothed in white. And they said, "Woman why are you weeping." She probably thought her eyes were playing tricks on her again. After all you don't see angels every day. And only crazy people hear angels talk to them, right? She replied, "I am weeping because they have taken Jesus' body and I do not know where they have laid it." She said this in response to the angels' question. But it was probably also an attempt to assert the view of reality that she thought represented sanity. The view that Jesus had died and that his body had been stolen. He couldn't alive, could he? Then she turned and there stood Jesus. The Bible says that she mistook Jesus as the gardener. Jesus said, "Why are you weeping who are you looking for." Once again she firmly held on to that version of reality which gave her security. She said, "Sir, if you have taken my Jesus, show me where you have put him." Then Jesus said, "Mary." At that moment she knew it was Jesus. Only the voice of her Lord calling her name could cut through all those fear and doubts. Only the voice of her Lord could call her back to the dream that was reality. Only then could she embrace the resurrection. Then Jesus told her, "I have not yet ascended to my Father, go tell the others that I will ascend." Then Mary ran and joyfully told the other that she had seen Jesus. That is when she ran hollering "He is Alive! He is Alive!" You know Mary's journey from disbelief to belief is not that much different from what many people experience. There are many people who have trouble embracing the resurrection. In the world's perspective it is insane to believe in the resurrection. They say, "The dead don't rise." And, "Sane people don't talk to angels." If you try to tell them different they might say that you have lost touch with reality. The world says, "Look at what you have to lose." What if you decided to believe that Jesus did rise from the dead, And then you find out that it was all a pious hoax and that some one just stole his body. Won't you look foolish. Sometimes the only way people can be called from disbelief to belief is by the Lord call them himself. Sometimes only Jesus' voice can cut through all those doubts. And only the touch of his spirit can make us say "He is Alive!" Jesus is calling each of us today. Calling us out of doubt. Calling us out of fear. Calling us out of questions to convictions. Jesus is calling our souls to the realization that "He is Alive" And that realization will free us to go and tell others, "I have seen the Lord, he has risen just as he said!"
HE is alive! He is ALIVE! He IS Alive! That is how my Easter Sundays used to start. When I was in the youth choir, we started the Easter Sunday service with a song from "Celebrate Life" that began like that. Can you picture it? 75 Jr. & Sr. High youth wearing white robes and stoles and yelling at the top of their lungs "He is alive!" while pointing to the heavens. First the boys, excuse me young men, then the altos, then the sopranos would join in and the volume of the joyous song of praise would rise. That is what Easter Sunday meant to me. It was a joyous time of celebrating new life and the eternal life we have in Christ through the resurrection. Shouting and singing for joy was the effect the resurrection had on me as a youth. Even as a young child I can remember those same feelings. On Easter weekend we would go to church with one of my grandparents. I can remember hunting Easter eggs at my grandmother Coots' church and after we had moved to SC spending the weekend at my Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson's. But even with the excitement of the Easter Bunny, going to church and singing about Jesus rising from the dead was always an important part of Easter. Easter has that effect on most of us. For most of us Easter is about new life. And that new life is celebrated with symbols like flowers and butterflies. But the ultimate expression is the historical resurrection of Jesus the Son of God who had died for the sins of the world. That is the resurrection effect. But the resurrection had a different effect on its first witnesses. The first humans to witness the resurrection were the guards at the tomb. Matthew says that the angel, which came to roll back the stone and let the risen Jesus out, appeared like lightening and was robed in white. Matthew also said that the angel's coming caused the earth to shake. The guards who witnessed this heavenly being were terrified. Matthew says they were like dead men. I imagine that means that they fainted. The effect on the women was not much different. The first words the angel said to them was, "Do not be afraid" which indicates that they must have been afraid. Then the angel explained to them that Jesus was alive. It was then that they ran "with fear and great joy." They were joyful, but were probably still trembling. The women did as the angel told them. They told the other disciples. They other disciples said this was an old wives tale. We all remember the stories of the disciples and of Doubting Thomas. The effect of the resurrection on most of the disciples was doubt. So what if is the resurrection effect today? For Christians it is akin to the reminiscences I gave at the beginning of the sermon. The effect of the resurrection is to move us to shouting "He is Alive!" It calls us to joyful singing of hymns of praise and thanksgiving for the eternal life Jesus gives us. We go out of our way to put flowers on the cross or come to church despite disability and hardship. But that is not the effect it has on most people today. Do you think that everyone who is able is in church today? Our attendance of Easter Sunday is close to half our membership. And that is typical. Certainly some of those not in church are out due to health or employment, but I don't think that accounts for half. The resurrection effect on most people is simply that they see Easter eggs and bunny rabbits in people's yards. It is not so much an active doubt like the disciples. It more like a deep-seated apathy about it all. It is not so much that they doubt the resurrection. They just don't care. So how should the resurrection effect us? Paul talked about that to the Colossians. He began by saying, "If you have been raised with Christ..." The first effect is that we should be so devoted to Christ that he has come alive in us. The resurrection should not so much be an historical event, which it is, but it should be a spiritual reality that lives in us. Paul then says, "seek the things that are above...." The resurrection should effect our goals and drives in life. It should give us an eternal perspective that allows us to overlook or look past the problems of life and see the big picture. It should enable us to look past the petty things that life does to us and enable us to find joy in the eternal blessings of God. The resurrection should be so alive in us that our joy goes beyond the bounds of earth! How does the resurrection effect your life? Is it just something that is talked about in church? Or is it a daily reality? Is it met with a yawn or a shout of Joy? The resurrection can come alive in you! The secret is to have the living Christ in your heart. If you have never given your life to Christ I encourage you to do that today. Later in the service some young people from this congregation will be making a public profession of their faith in Jesus Christ. They are only 11, 12, 13 and 14 years old and they have given their lives to Christ. Follow their example. Perhaps you have given your life to Christ but have lost that sense of aliveness. Come to Christ and ask him to bring the resurrection alive in your life. Then go forth and like the women proclaim the joy of eternal life in Christ. Tell the world through your life and your words that Jesus is alive; he has risen just as he said! John 20:1-19 Jesus was different. I guess that is what got him in so much trouble. He was different and that upset the status quo. His differentness threatened the religious elite. But it also attracted the crowds. Not just the fact that he multiplied loaves and fished and walked on the water. It was something beyond that. The way he taught and what he taught was different. They said, "Hate your enemies" and Jesus said, "Love your enemies." Jesus used stories from everyday life the illuminate eternal truths and he taught as one with authority. Jesus was something different. And that differentness attracted a lot of attention. Some rejected him because he was different. But even those who accepted him needed time to understand him. The account of the resurrection is an example of this. Keep in mind that resurrections were nothing new. Jesus himself had resurrected several people. Lazarus who was raised after four days and Jairus' daughter who was raise are two examples. And there are a number of resurrections in the Old Testament performed by the prophets. Even in our day it is not rare to hear of someone who is clinically dead being brought back to life. So a resurrection while still a miraculous event was not unprecedented. But this resurrection was different. You see all those people Jesus raised and all those raised in the Old Testament eventually died again. It was a limited resurrection. They were raised to a few more years of life. Jesus' resurrection was unto eternal life. It was a resurrection that passed beyond the bonds of death. Jesus didn't cheat death for a few years like someone resuscitated by a paramedic. Jesus conquered death once and for all. The resurrection of Jesus was something different. Maybe that is why it took the disciples a while to grasp it. Early on Easter morning Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. We all say, "He is Alive!" But that wasn't her response. She said, "They have stolen his dead body." The other disciples didn't do any better. It says that Peter and the other disciple, probably John, saw it and believed that he had been stolen too. Meanwhile Mary was still weeping. Even the angles did not clue her in to that fact that something different had happened. It took Jesus to bring her to the truth of the reality. The resurrection was so different they just could not grasp it on their own. They needed some help. Easter: Its something different. Oh sure none of the things we do here this morning are unprecedented. Christians have gathered at sunrise for almost 2,000 years. Churches everywhere will have service where they sing hymns and decorate with flowers. People will be baptized and confirmed just as Christians have for millennia. But Easter is something different. The resurrection is about more than a temporary reprieve from death. It is more than a day set aside to celebrate the beauty of Spring. Easter is about not just life but life eternal. It is about the Son of God rising to eternal life just as we will rise at the end of time. But sometimes it takes time for people to get it. I pray that Jesus will touch you just as he touched Mary. Let him help you to grasp the true importance and meaning of Easter. Let him give you eternal life! |