Easter Sunday
Matthew 28:1-10
It is Easter today, and next Sunday
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 sepulcher.
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 upon
it.
3* His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment 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. Lo, 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, "Hail!" 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 brethren
to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is
the risen Christ. Amen
' A preacher was telling the story about the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ to a group of children. He asked, "What did
Jesus say when he came forth from the grave"? He was trying to make the
point that he didn't need to say anything, that his wondrous miracle
said more than words could ever say. A young lady however insisted that
she knew what Jesus said. The preacher finally asked her to tell him
what Jesus said. She smiled widely and said, "Ta Dah!"
Now I don't know that Jesus actually said, if anything at all,
but from a human standpoint I can imagine the excitement of just
defying death and just perhaps Jesus doing something like that, (in
part because I believe that Jesus had a human side as well as a sense
of humor).
We are entering into a time of the year at which most of the
religious world celebrates "Easter". It might surprise some of you to
know that our church doesn't do that. I know that it is hard for you to
imagine someone claiming to be a Christian and yet not celebrating this
very special day. Yet for us, it is no different than any other Sunday.
You see, the Bible tells us to come together the first day of
each week to worship God. The early church did just that, Jesus told
the early church to remember his death, burial and resurrection through
the partaking of "The Lord's Supper" or "Communion" whenever they met
that way, (Matthew 26:26-29). The early church is seen coming together
on the first day of every week to "break bread" or to partake of the
Lord's Supper, (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, 16:1-2).
In other words, we don't need one special Sunday to celebrate the
resurrection of the "Savior of the World". We do it each and every
"First day of the Week", every "Sunday". I know that some of you may
ask the question, "Won't doing that make it something that is no longer
special? My answer is no, not at all, it is a continual reminder of the
sacrifice Christ on our behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye
proclaim the Lord's death till he comes." Not only his death, but
his resurrection, because that is part of what the Gospel is all about,
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
I don't know about you, but remembering "The Great Ta Dah" every
week is great thing and a great comfort to me. My prayer is that you
will see past the "pomp and circumstance" that so many heap upon this
one special day of the year and understand that it is something you can
participate in every Sunday with the same sense of awe.' (1)
This is Easter Sunday the special day that we celebrate the
resurrection of Jesus, but at the same time it is like any other Sunday
as each Sunday we come to this place to celebrate the risen Lord. For
each Sunday is special in that regard. The first day of the week we
come to celebrate the resurrection, the good news of the gospel that
Jesus Christ as risen from the dead. For that is the good news we
proclaim each Sunday. There is no other reason for us to gather
together than that good news of the gospel that Jesus broke the bond of
death and gives to each one who believes in him the hope and the power
of the resurrection.
We celebrate that TA Dah power of the resurrection each time we come
here to worship. Today is special because it is Easter Sunday, but it
not very much different from nest Sunday and the next and the
next. The Ta Dah moment of Jesus resurrection is the only reason
we come to worship each Sunday. The glorious good news of the gospel is
celebrate each Sunday in a different message but with the same
proclamation of the good news that Jesus Christ has risen.
Jesus Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.
Can you imagine what was going on the depth of hell as Jesus lay on
that stone bed on Saturday following Good Friday? Can you imagine what
the devil was saying to Captain Sepulcher as they try to hod Jesus in
the bond of death.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher and his standard bearer
Corruption talking over the situation on the night that Jesus Christ
was buried.
Listen: Corruption says to Sepulcher,"Hold fast to that Man in Joseph's
tomb. There is a rumor that He proposes to break forth, break out from
the grave; do not let Him go until I can securely lay a hold of Him.
But Corruption fails to touch Him during all those hours in the tomb.
Listen: Hell cries out, "Hold fast to that Man. Hold Him, if he comes
out He will make a hole in the walls of death through which all
prisoners of Hell will escape. Hold him Captain Sepulcher, if you let
this man go, you are not Satan's friend.
Listen: I hear the seal break, I hear the watch of death slip away ! I
hear the grip of death breaking it's hold. I hear the door of the tomb
open.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher try to tighten his grip upon
this man, but he cries out in vain, "I cannot hold him, I cannot hold
him. "
Listen: I hear a rustling, a moving, I hear the sounds of new life, I
hear the sounds of death moved aside for the eternal sounds of life,
wholeness. I hear the sounds of the Easter Resurrection, I hear, I see,
I am convinced that Jesus is alive !!
JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN.....HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
Captain Sepulcher and the death could not hold Jesus that Saturday
night. He broke the bonds of death and rose that Easter morning just as
he said he would.
Jesus rose and we celebrate that fact each Sunday when we come and
worship. There is no other reason for us to worship than to celebrate
the fact that Jesus broke the bond of death that Captain Sepulcher
could not hold him in that tomb. Jesus broke that grip and tells
us that we too an break the bond of death in our lives.
We become changed people because of Easter resurrection. Because of the
resurrection we no longer fear death but wait for the reward of
eternity that Jesus gave to us through his resurrection.
We are like the butterfly in the following:
Two butterflies - colorful and majestic monarchs - sat side by side on
a tree limb. Beside them was the ruptured cocoon from which they'd just
emerged. "Come fly with me," said the one.
"Caterpillars can't fly,"said the other.
"But we're not caterpillars anymore," said the first, flexing his new
wings, stretching then their full span till they looked like
magnificently crafted stained glass windows.
"Those caterpillar days are gone forever."
"Don't be silly," said the other. "We were born caterpillars and
we'll always be caterpillars. That's the way it is."
"Well, then, why did the Maker see fit to give us there wings?" said
the one.
The other butterfly thought for a moment and then replied,"I don't
know. Some sort of cruel joke, I suppose. He did the same thing to the
ostrich, you know."
"Nonsense!" said the first. "Look at all the other butterflies. They're
fly-ing. What do you say to that?"
The second butterfly looked out over the meadow and said, "They're not
flying. they're just being blown about by the wind.
Stupid of them,too. Can't they see it's dangerous? Easy prey
for hungry birds and, when they land, mischievous
children as well. I'll stick to crawling and climbing, thank you very
much. It may be slow, but it's safe and sure."
"it may be slow and safe and sure but it's.....well, it's
unnatural. Butterflies fly!!!
That's the way the maker made us. That's our role, our function, our
fit: to dance on the wings of the air; to play tag with dandelions
seeds; to soar; to dart; to float; to light on a
single blade of grass to the delight of all who
see;to inspire awe and wonder; to fascinate; to add a note of grace to
this world's dreary song." (2)
In a sense we were born to be caterpillars, to crawl upon th earth, but
through the power of the resurrection, we become like that butterfly
free to fly, free to be all that God intended us to be. Through the
resurrection we celebrate each Sunday, we become changed people, people
who are free from the bonds of death, free to feel the power of the
resurrection in our lives.
Each time to come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we come
here to partake in the bread and wine, we feel for a moment, a brief
moment the power of the resurrection in our lives. For it is here we
receive a foretaste, nibble of what the resurrection will be like when
we leave this earth and join Jesus in the heavenly mansions.
Each time we come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we hear
the word proclaimed, we have that foretaste of what the resurrection
will be like.
We are butterfly people, people flying in the hope and the assurance of
the resurrection to come as we believe in the power of Jesus
resurrection.
"An elderly woman made her living selling artificial fruit. One
day a customer complained the fruit she sold was not realistic enough.
She pointed to an apple, saying it was too red, too round, and too big
to be a real apple. At that point the artificial fruit lady picked up
the apple and proceeded to eat it.
Jesus is the real McCoy. He really did rise from the grave. He is
alive. He is listening to our prayers. He is always open for business
when that business deals with the human heart in need of a shepherd's
guidance and love.
George Bernard Shaw, the famous playwright, was handed a newly
written play by a fledgling playwright. Shaw was asked to give the
young man a criticism of his work a few days later. "How do you like
it?" asked the author. "I fell asleep reading it," said Shaw. "Sleep is
my comment on your work."
No one fell asleep or yawned that night when the Prince of Peace,
the Prince of Power and the Lord of Love appeared in their midst.
Christianity is real. Christianity is alive. Christianity is anything
but boring. Let us all wake up and smell the roses. Let us resolve to
live our lives as if Jesus were a guest in our homes, workplaces and
businesses. The truth is that the Lord is here, there, and everywhere.
He is alive. His is our Risen Lord to whom we offer our discipleship
with love.
The song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Let
us be about our Father's business as we serve him with joy. Let us show
and tell others the good news of the gospel.
It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the End of
our journey, He is also at every stopping place. "(3)
It is Easter today and next Sunday and the next and the next!
Jesus Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale March 17, 2008
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for
commercial use.
(1) Russ Lawson
Messages From The Heart (http://www.mfth.net)
from thought for the day
(2) Mark Radecke in "In Chirst: A New Creation"
(3) Elisabeth Elliot from Living Life God's Way