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
