With Jesus into Resurrection Life

Easter Sunday

April 4, 1999

Revelation 1:17 Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and of Hades.

My earliest recollections of Easter are in the Great depression of the '30s, when, although I never recall being "poor," I do recall how many times we were literally "penniless." And yet Easter was always special. Easter we boiled eggs and colored them. Easter my mother would somehow always get us to church looking fresh and scrubbed, and in spring colors. Usually we had something brand new to wear, even in the Great Depression.

I got the idea that Easter was important— and of course that the Resurrection was the central thing about Easter.

EASTER REALLY MEANS RESURRECTION

ALL MY YEARS as a Christian pastor I have seen Easter as important, and have seen the Resurrection as the center of what Easter stands for.

But I think there has been a subtle change as I have been growing older. I no longer see the Resurrection as the most important part of Easter. I see the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the heart and soul of all our faith, and Easter is an important part of the Resurrection, and not the other way around. As Paul wrote some twenty years or so after the Crucifixion, in 1 Corinthians 15:14 "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." It is as simple as that.

We praise God for the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. We sing of the old rugged Cross. And that is very vital and true. But the resurrection is the engine that drives all our faith. The resurrection means that all we have to do with that connects with Jesus is vibrant and alive.

I. WE WORSHIP A LIVING SAVIOR

Because Jesus is alive, we have A LIVING WORD
Jesus is our living PROPHET. Jesus IS the Word of God. Our faith is a living faith, and our Scriptures are living Scriptures. If we read the Bible to find Jesus we find that He is there by His Spirit to help us find Him. (We read soteriologically instead of epistemologically.)
Because Jesus is alive, we have A LIVING WORSHIP
Jesus is our living High Priest. He is present in our worship of Him. When we gather in His name, he comes! I feel sorry for those who worship week by week and never make contact with a living God. He is present in the sacraments, yes. But also where two or three have gathered together.
When we worship we do not meet simply to enhance the life we once lived in the flesh. But we meet in the reality of the everlasting covenant. We meet in a union with God that has been sealed by the blood of the Cross.
Because Jesus is alive, we have A LIVING HOPE
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings. We do not yet see all things the way they shall be in the full expression of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is at work on this planet in our time!

II. RESURRECTION LIFE BEGINS NOW, WITH GRACE

This resurrection life is a free gift.
"If you believe in me," said Jesus, "you will never die."
The news seems too good to be true. We can 'connect' with eternal life here and now, today. [Usually such claims are false advertising: if it seems too good to be true, it no doubt is too good to be true. But Jesus stands behind his promises.] How do we 'connect' with eternal life?
1. Do you want to know Jesus? Do you have desire to know God?
  The desire comes from God. It is a measure of his grace. No one can come to me except the Father draw him. The faintest desire is precious; RESPOND TO THAT DESIRE.
2. Do you believe that Jesus is alive? That God has raised him from the dead?
  The faith to believe comes from God. It may come with some struggle. Thank God for "doubting" Thomas! But by God's grace deep down within you can know this is true. This faith is not yet saving faith: it is grace reaching to you: RESPOND TO THAT FAITH
3. Confess with your mouth JESUS IS LORD! Romans 10: 9,10 says: "If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and if we believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we shall be saved!"
This life is too good to keep to ourselves!
A study friend of mine, Fr. Jerry Fuller, sent along a story about a boy named Joey. Joey was one of those scary little kids you come across every once in a while, the type who seems to know much more that you might expect in a child, the beginnings of wisdom in a five or six year old.
(I have a grandson Joey just like that— eight years old, and knows every Red Sox player and his number— can play an entire baseball game in the back yard, playing all positions, all nine innings, all by himself.)
Fr. Jerry's Joey's mother and father had always tried to live up to their responsibility as his first and most important teachers about faith. For a long time, their son had known about Jesus as though he were a member of the family. Joey knew how good Jesus was, how kind he was, how God was at work in Jesus and did wonderful things for all the people through his Son.
That year, during Holy Week, they also told Joey about what had happened to Jesus at the hands of bad people. They told him about Jesus suffering and his death. And on Easter morning, they told him that Jesus rose from the dead.
Joey always enjoyed learning about Jesus, and all during this special week, he was right there with Mom and Dad, seeming to take very seriously the sad story as it unfolded. But he did have a little trouble with the Resurrection. As a matter of fact, what he said was, "Nope. When you're dead, you're dead." Mom and Dad were perplexed, and they tried again, retelling the story. They explained that God acted on behalf of his Son, Jesus, that because Jesus was so true to God and so faithful to all God's people, God gave him new life.
Joey tried really hard to listen, but he was still shaking his head. Very patiently, Mom and Dad assured their son that they believed, and that it was really true.
Suddenly Joey jumped up and headed toward the telephone.
Where are you going? they asked. Who are you going to call?
Joey s face was bright, and eager, and intense. Does Grandpa know about this? I gotta tell him!
Joey had the right idea. The fact of Jesus rising from the dead is so mind-boggling that we immediately feel the need to tell someone. Mary Magdalene felt that need after seeing Jesus on resurrection, and she raced back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles: He is risen! That is something worth sharing!

WILL YOU AFFIRM YOUR FAITH IN THE RISEN LORD AGAIN WITH ME THIS MORNING?

Will you say with me, "Jesus is LORD!"? (Jesus is LORD!)

Prayer

He is LORD! He is Risen from the dead and He is Lord!