For those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are four Scripture readings prior to the Message. Today's Easter Readings are: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2,14-24; Colossians 3:1-4 and Matthew 28:1-10 or Mark 16:1-8 or Luke 24:1-12.
Let us pray O' Heavenly Father it is through your only begotten Son Jesus that we have the gift of eternal life. For He overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that we, who this day celebrate with joy our Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin ...by your life giving Spirit; And Father it is through Jesus our Savior and Lord that we pray.
A Sunday School teacher ... had just finished telling her third graders ... about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb ...... with a great stone sealing the opening.
Then, ...... wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: ...... "And what do you think were Jesus' first words ... when He came out of that tomb?"
A little girl ... in the back of the room shot her arm into the air ... and leaped to her feet and shouted excitedly ...... "I know, I know!"
"Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, Bethany what did he say."
Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!" (Pause)
That story... always puts a smile on my face ... and it is so appropriate for this Day.
Beloved ... The resurrection of Jesus Christ was indeed ...... a "TA-DA".
It has touched the lives of believers throughout the ages.
Yes, ...... "TA DA" Christ is Risen
Today is Easter.
The day ... that that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
A time when Alleluias fill the air:
Beloved ... You know the response:
Alleluia Christ is Risen... The Lord is Risen indeed ...Alleluia.
My Grandfather ... My Father and My Uncle were all Real-estate Brokers ...in my hometown ...of Painesville Ohio.
And they would always share ... that in the real estate business, ...there are only 3 rules to remember.
And these 3 rules... these 3 truths... will determine whether a piece of property ...is going to sell easily ... or not.
And the three rules are these: ... location, location, location.
What matters most ... is where the property is located.
Even if it is old ... and crumbling down ...or has out-of-date appliances, ... it will sell ...... if it is in a desirable location.
Location is the Key.
The Buying and Selling of Real Estate is all about ... location, location, location.
And quite honestly, ... the Scriptures are clear ... everyone will live for eternity somewhere.
And quite honestly, … the Scriptures are clear … everyone will all live for eternity somewhere.
It too is just a matter of ... Location, ... Location ... Location.
Today is Easter Sunday... the highest holy day ... of the church year.
So, ... I would like to share ... something really inspiring... on this incredible day.
In order to do so, I am going to preach an old-fashioned ... 3-point sermon.
That is the traditional model of preaching.
By the way. ......It is also ... very Trinitarian.
The pastor is supposed to fit every important scriptural matter ...into 3 easy-to-remember points.
That way, ... the congregation will be able to hear it, go home and hopefully say: ... "Yes, I still remember the 3 points of the sermon."
I do not always use a 3-point Sermon
But today...because it is Easter... I am sticking with the traditional 3 points.
So here are the 3 points I have come up with ... after great contemplation ... on the Gospel text.
Are you ready?
They are: ...... He is risen! He is risen! He is risen!
Now be aware ... Each of these points are equally important ... so ... I will begin with the first one.
He is Risen.
Our Gospel reading Luke begins on that first Easter morning.
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women make their way to the tomb of Jesus. (Luke 24:10)
What do they expect to find?
I suppose they expect... what you and I would expect ... if we went to visit the grave ... of a friend or a loved one:
That the grave ... the tomb ... would be ... un-disturbed.
You certainly would not expect your friend or loved one ... to be gone!
And yet ... that is exactly what these women encounter!
This event is highly dramatic in Matthew's telling ...... of the story.
There is a great earthquake, ...which shakes up their perspective ...and probably everything else.
And then an angel of the Lord descends from heaven, ...and remarkably this single angel ... rolls back the stone of the grave ...and then sits on it.
Then the angel looks at them... dazzling like a lightning bolt!
Can you imagine how shocking it would be for these two women ... to witness all of this?
It is incomprehensible, ... really.
The guard's behavior ... tells us how disarming it was.
They panic ... to the point ... that they pass out......they become as dead.
But the women, ...... the women keep it together (Perhaps that is why Jesus appears first ... to women).
Then in Mark's telling ... an angel, speaks to them: BIBLE ""Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him." END (Mark 16:6)
The Tomb is empty...... He is risen!
They have come to a place of death ... yet there they found ... life!
This is a game-changer ... this is a life altering encounter...for these women.
Not even death ... could defeat their Lord.
(Slow) He is risen.
Though they remain afraid ... and probably unsure about what this all means for them, ...they know that ...nothing ... nothing will ever be ... the same.
Then, the angel commands them to go quickly ... Go quickly and tell the disciples ... that Jesus is risen.
That Jesus Christ ...... is no longer dead.
The Angel tells them ... that Jesus is going ahead of them ... to Galilee... Go and see him there. And so, ... they respond.
They Immediately......leave the tomb...... filled with fear ... and with great joy... and ran to tell his disciples.
They were surely overwhelmed with emotions. ...... filled with both Fear and Joy.
Much like when you cry and laugh ... at the same time... All emotions come into play.
As humans, we can have a complicated mix of emotions... That swell over us ... at the same time.
The women are afraid ...and yet are filled ... with great joy.
Then Suddenly, in Matthews telling ... Jesus meets them on the road ...and says... "Greetings!"
They are so elated ...... that they come right up to him, embrace his feet.
They understood who he was ... and we are also told they ...worshiped Him.
He is Risen... He is risen...He is risen bodily ... from the dead.
This brings me to my second point: (Slow) He is Risen
Not only have the women witnessed the empty tomb, ...the earthquake ......and the stone being rolled away ... by an angelic being.
But now they have experienced personally...... the risen Jesus.
For them, ... it is completely clear... He is Risen... Jesus is risen.
Then the Lord says to the women, BIBLE "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." END (Matthew 28:10)
Jesus tells them... Go and tell, ... Jesus commands them to ... Go and Tell ... To share the Good News of the resurrection.
Jesus is clear ...he wants all to know the Good News ... he is risen... that death has been conquered.
Beloved ... This Resurrection ... this conquering of death ...is not just for Jesus.
This resurrection ... is for everyone ... everyone who excepts ... who proclaims ... Jesus as their Savior... and as their Lord,
Which brings me to my third point: ...He is risen!
So, ... the women go and tell ...and those in turn who heard...... go and tell ...and those that they share the Good News with ... in turn ... go and tell.
And in this way, ......the message of Christ's resurrection ... is passed down ...... throughout the ages ... through the generations ... to you and to me ... this very day.
We have been given Good News and we are called to... go and tell ... to share ... the Good News.
He is risen! He is risen! He is risen!
Beloved ... It is difficult to fully comprehend ... even one ... of these points?
The fact that Christ is risen ... may seem confusing ...to some, ...and unbelievable ... to others.
It is unbelievable ... yet the Scriptures tell us ... that hundreds ... of men and women ...encountered the risen Lord.
If we listened to the testimony ...... of all the people that Jesus appeared to, ...... we would be here all day, and all night, ...... Monday and Monday night ...... Tuesday ... Wednesday ...... Thursday ... and sometime early Friday morning .... they would be finishing their testimonies.
It would take over 128 straight hours just to hear, just a 15-minute testimony ... from all those that saw ... the risen Lord.
Jesus Christ demonstrated ... that there is life after death.... And there weren't only one or two witnesses ...... Beloved .... there were over 500 who saw the risen Lord.
The Scriptures speak of two or three witnesses required to bring a charge or to establish the truth of an event. (John 8:17 Deuteronomy 19:15 2 Corinthians 13:1)
Here ... there are over 500 ... who witnessed the Risen Lord.
How can the world be ... so blind?
He is risen ... He is risen ... He is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed ... Al-le-lu-ia.
In John Masefield's drama ...... The Trial of Jesus, ...... there is a striking passage ... in which the Roman centurion in command of the soldiers at the cross ... comes back to Pilate ... to hand in his report ... of the day's work.
After the report is given, ... Pilate's wife beckons to the centurion ...... and begs him to tell ... how the
prisoner died.
When he finished telling the story, she suddenly
asks, ...... "Do you think ... He is dead?"
"No, my lady" answers the centurion, ..."I do not." "
Then, where is He?"
To which the Roman replies, ...... "Let loose in the world, my lady, ... where no one ...... can stop His truth."
He is risen... He is Risen ... He is risen...... Beloved ...The tomb is empty:
And Even children ... understand ... that something remarkable ... happened ... on that Glorious day.
I recently read a story from Christianity Today ... about a little boy ... named Philip:
Philip, ... born with Down's syndrome, ...attended a 3rd grade Sunday School class ...with several other ... 8-year-old boys and girls.
Typical of that age, ... the children did not readily accept Philip ...with all his differences, ... and often made fun of him.
One Sunday ......the teacher brought L'Eggs pantyhose containers, ...... the kind that look like large eggs.
Some of you may remember those L'Eggs containers.
Each child was instructed to go outside on that lovely spring day ...and find a symbol ... of new life, ... and put it in ... the egg-like container.
So... after running around on the Church property in wild confusion, ......the students returned to the classroom ... and placed their containers ...on the table.
Surrounded by the children, ... the teacher began opening them ... one by one.
After each one, ... whether a flower, a butterfly, a leaf, ...... the class would ooh ...and ahh.
Then one was opened, ... revealing ... nothing inside.
The children exclaimed, "That's stupid! ...That's not fair! ......Somebody didn't do their assignment!"
Then Philip spoke up, ... "That's mine!"
The children turned on him, saying, ... "O, Philip, you don't ever do things right! ... There's nothing in there!"
Philip insisted, "I did too do it!
It's empty. ...... The tomb is empty!"
Silence followed.
And from that day on ... things changed for Philip... He became a fully accepted member ... of the class.
He died not long afterward ...from an infection ...that most children ... would have lived through.
At the funeral, ... this class of 8-year old's ... marched up to the altar ... not with flowers, ...
But together with their Sunday School teacher, ......each one of them laid on the altar ... (Slow) an empty pantyhose egg. (Long Pause)
Beloved... The tomb is empty...The Lord is Risen.
He is Risen ... He is Risen ... He is risen indeed. (Pause)
This event ... this first Easter ...became the inspiration for a contemporary hymn by Anne Herring ... titled ... The Easter Song.
And The words of this song ... have continually touched my heart.
(Sing):
Hear the bells ringing their singing
That we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing their singing
Christ is risen from the dead.
The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen just as he said
Quickly know go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead
Joy To the world He is Risen Al-le-lu-ia
He is Risen Al-le-lu-ia...
He is Risen Al... le...lu...ia -- Al...le...lu...ia
Only God could have orchestrated that our music this morning would match this message.
Al-le-lu-ia... He is risen ... The tomb is empty.
He is Risen... He is Risen ... He is Risen
Ta Da! ... The Lord is Risen indeed
Amen!
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