EASTER 2012
READINGS: ACTS 10:34,37-43; COLOSSIANS 3:1-4; JOHN 20:1-9
I. What Has Happened?
A. The Scriptures transmit to us the feeling of awe and wonder that the disciples felt on that first Easter. Awe, wonder, and confusion. They had not been present at the Resurrection so they weren't sure what happened. They wondered as we wonder: What happened at the moment of the Resurrection. Don't you wish you could have been there?
B. It's worthwhile picturing what probably happened, if for no other reason than to recapture some of that awe and remember the great message of Easter.
II. At the Tomb
A. This is the story of a garden filled with olive trees, but it is not the Garden of Gethsemani. It is the Garden that Joseph of Arimathea owns. It is the garden where the tomb of Jesus lies. And on that Sunday morning so long ago, there were soldiers at the tomb, Roman guards, who were making sure that Jesus' followers could not steal the body and then claim Christ had risen. And those soldiers were watching carefully.
B. "What is that noise?" they say, hearing a rumble in the earth. And then the quake, and then the blinding light, and then the cracking of stone, and then the thunder which, had they listened carefully, was a cry from the tomb saying, "I can no longer wait! It is time!" And from the tomb steps the Son of God, fulfilling the Scriptures by staying buried for three days, but impatient to rise, eager to conquer death, longing to see his loved ones.
C. The soldiers cannot see him--the light is too bright; the sun's rays too strong. But they hear his passing, and the earth trembles with his footsteps. Where is he going, this God who walks among us? Where is he going, this Christ the Risen One? Where is he going, this Lord of Glory?
III. Christ is Risen!
A. I will tell you where the Christ is going. The story is ancient and ever new of how he appeared before Mary his Mother, the weeping virgin who only hours before had cradled her son in her arms. And she gasps in wonder as he holds her in his arms and all she can say is, "My son, my son, you have returned to me; my son has come back, come back to me." Picture it in your mind, the Son of God laughing again with his Mother, telling her, "It's true, it's true, everything the shepherds heard, everything the wise men saw, everything that the angel's sang so long ago, everything the prophets predicted is true--I live, and death is no more!" That's what he says to his mother that first Easter morning.
B. I will tell you where the Christ is going on that first Easter. The story is ancient and ever new of how he appeared before Peter his friend. There is Peter the guilty, crushed by his denial of Christ, running with John to the empty tomb. There is Peter the Rock, seeing the broken stone of the tomb, bending inside and seeing the emptiness. There is Peter the Apostle, crushed with waves of new guilt as he sees the facts and wonders whether it could really be true. There is Peter the humble, stumbling outside the tomb, hearing his name called and collapsing into the arms of his friend Jesus. "Forgive me, Lord," he sobs. "I am no longer worthy to be your follower." And the Risen Lord, lifts him up and say, "Your sorrow is true, your faith is strong, your friendship is dear to me--be healed."
C. I will tell you where Christ is going on that Easter morning. The story is ancient and ever new of how he appears to you. I know you say you have never seen him. But think for a moment. Those who saw him on that first Easter were desperate people. Mary, the grieving Mother, Peter the failed friend. Mary Magdalene, James and John--the shattered followers of Jesus. Their need opened their eyes of faith. The depths to which they had fallen made them reach for the only one who could save them. Their desperation made their hearing sharper, their vision clearer and they saw. Oh, the soldiers heard the thunder and saw the lightning, but they did not see Christ, because they did not believe. But the Virgin Mary, Peter, and the others saw and heard--because they knew their only hope lay in Christ. Nothing could answer the hunger in their hearts but Jesus. No wealth, not pleasure, not power, not anything! Only Jesus! Once they realized that, Christ felt them ready to see him and he appeared--he appeared to them as the Risen Lord.
D. He would appear to us, too, if we only knew how desperate we are. If we only saw our need for the God who cannot die. If we only knew that Christ is the only answer to the problems, difficulties and burdens we bear. But until we realize this, we shall only be like the soldiers at the tomb--aware of something magnificent just beyond our comprehension, but not really knowing what the magnificent something is. But if we realize our need for Jesus, then we shall meet the Risen Lord and he will call our name and he will take our hand and hold us and we shall be whole, we shall be well, we shall be alive, we shall live forever, we shall be his friends and walk by his side and live in glory. That's the promise of the Resurrection. Christ our Lord is Risen! Open wide your hearts and welcome him for he comes to meet you today! Alleluia!
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