Easter Sunday 2024
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It is so good to be here gathered together celebrating the happiest holiday in Human History! Christ is risen, indeed!
Are you and excitable person? No matter what personality test I take, they all tell me that I am an excitable person. People who know me well will tell you that I love having a great time, and being happy… Much of my pastoral life I spend joining people in their pain and sadness; which I am privileged to do, but today. BUT TODAY! I invite you to join me up here where the air is thick with endorphins and the shear excitement of it all is sure to cause you to celebrate, or put on your protective personality gear of not being too emotional, excitable, or triumphant. but, I hope you’ll join me.
Will you stand and join me in the reading of God‘s word this Easter Sunday morning?
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This week we have bolstered our imaginations and fed our souls with the feast of biblical truth, and church tradition by celebrating Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
in his wonderful book The Resurrection of the Son of God NT Wright penned these words.
“Jesus of Nazareth was bodily raised from the dead… It was at the centre of [Early Christian] characteristic praxis, narrative, symbol and belief; it was the basis of their recognition of Jesus as Messiah and lord, their insistence that the creator God had inaugurated the long-awaited new age, and above all their hope for their own future bodily resurrection.” ~NT Wright
Jesus was crucified between two robbers, but the only thing Jesus hoped to rob was the grave
Join with me in celebrating!
For celebrating to mean something,
we must do more than just celebrate.
We should contemplate the evil
to celebrate the victory over it.
To enjoy the spoils,
we might fight the battle to understand,
and when understanding runs out,
we must run the race marked out
for us in faith.
Thursday night was the most contemplative delight in human History
as we read what Matthew writes
about God the Son participating in ancient rites,
but giving them new meaning.
mulling on, and anticipating what He will do,
for me and you,
he tells his disciples, and BILLIONS
Who have listened in since
what actions will mean
His body will be broken from the beating,
but his brokenness will mend us
from all that is wrong with us.
This is my body, He teaches, it is for you.
My flesh in place of your flesh. .
my death in exchange for your life
My blood poured out for the covering of your sin
yes, My blood given for the washing of your soul!
Thursday night is when we contemplight what death
can mean for each human being if they place their faith in Him
Stay up late to celebrate the passover
They’d done it all their lives
They’d talk of how God had rescued them from Eqypt
and was their comfort in the wilderness,
But Jesus longed for their comfort that night,
His disciples didn’t even seem to fight the sleep that came over them,
Jesus was lonely, have you ever been lonely?
have you ever been betrayed? Jesus was!
Have you ever been falsely accused? Jesus was!
Have you ever been denied? Jesus was!
The uniting experience of Human beings is suffering
have you ever suffered? Jesus Has!
Have you ever been crucified? Jesus Has
He was crucified, and he Died, and someday so will you.
Friday is a malady like no other
The creator dies
the Maker, undone
The King is killed…
for being the king
God is mocked,
not worshiped
Government is ordained by God
and the government ordains God’s crucifixion.
His kingly clothes shows those who want them
what he just might be worth.
But would those clothes be worth
the conscience cost of Murdering God?
So, we pause…..
We stay silent for a while.
In the absence of knowing,
we dread,
in the silence of Saturday,
we learn to wait upon our God.
He is not in a hurry to show His power
But show His power
He does and He will!
Sunday morning is a delight
for those of us who like to excite
ourselves and others with that which is most right is all of human history
We don’t just want good; we want great
Even great feels like a compromise
look into my eyes, some of us want to experience the best
and we won’t rest until we have searched for that which is unparalleled
lesser things repel us to find the better
bitterness compels me to taste the sweeter,
and the sweeter is insufficient when only the sweetest will do!
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, not just sweet, but the sweetest!
Not just good, but the best
not just right, but the righteous one!
He bodily arose, he reclaimed victory over his creation,
this physical world that we live in is His.
He’s not just a spirit with a conscience existence, he has a physical body, like us, but unlike ours in our current condition.
everything sad is coming untrue
those who are mad can be made anew
Christ makes glad in the depth of our souls
His resurrection proves all He said is true
You might think it’s just a fairy tale
A time in history where records have failed
to think so means your soul stays jailed
to disbelieve his hands were nailed
so, I warn and invite you
join me in celebrating Easter today
don’t simply eat drink and be marry for tomorrow we die eat the body of Christ with the people of Christ
eat the body of Christ with the body of Christ,
take Christ to yourself and believe in him; arisen
don’t simply drink for tomorrow we die,
but drink the draught of the blood of Jesus,
and trust Him for resurrection,
for only in Him we might be bodily raised to eternal life,
and tomorrow we might die.
The Resurrection of the Son of God Part Five: Belief, Event and Meaning
HEROD: He raises the dead?
FIRST NAZARENE: Yea, sire, He raiseth the dead.
HEROD: I do not wish Him to do that. I forbid Him to do that. I allow no man to raise the dead. This Man must be found and told that I forbid Him to raise the dead. Where is this Man at present?
SECOND NAZARENE: He is in every place, my lord, but it is hard to find Him.
Oscar Wilde, Salomé