Time to Be Happy

April 27, 2014 Acts 2:14, 22-32 1 Peter 1:3-9 “Time to be Happy” Second Sunday after Easter Year A What are the things in life that make you happy? Bacon makes me happy. I hear all of the reports of how bacon is not good for you. But no matter what else I may have for breakfast, bacon makes me happy and starts my day off right. Warm weather makes me happy. Gym shoes makes me happy. Last week was Easter, and I had on a new pair of dress shoes with a heal – that didn’t make me happy. But a good pair of gym shoes that fit – works every time – I am happy today. What is it that makes you happy? THE IMPACT OF OPTIMISM Just a few years ago (2004), Fox News reported on a study that came from the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers studied 1,000 people aged 65-85 trying to determine the importance of a positive attitude in dealing with life. After almost 10 years of follow-up, these researchers found that people who described themselves as optimistic had a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 23 percent lower risk of heart-related death. The study found that optimistic people tend to be more physically active, drink less, and smoke less. They also cope with stress more effectively. (E. Giltay, Archives of General Psychiatry, November 2004, vol. 61, pp. 1126-1135; www. foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137312,00.html) Our attitude makes a crucial difference in dealing with life, and we as believers in Christ have every reason to be optimistic. Our future is guaranteed! We have an incorruptible inheritance and the power of God protecting us until we get to glory (1 Peter 1:4-5). (From a sermon by C. Philip Green, The Holiness of Grace, 4/29/2011) This is the season of being happy I have noticed that with Pharrell Williams new song happy out – everyone is obsessed with being happy. Happy times seems to be everywhere. Everyone is happy. But what is the real source of being happy? Easter makes me happy. Now I am not talking about the bunnies, and the easter eggs and the candy, and the easter lilies. But the true meaning of Easter makes me happy. The good news of the resurrection of Christ makes me happy. The thought of new life and new beginnings make me happy. The thought of a victory so powerful to overcome death makes me happy. The Sunday after Easter This is actually happy Sunday. The day that we celebrate being happy in Christ. For many this is low Sunday – those who think of Easter as just one day. For many, Easter is over – when the truth is that every Sunday is Easter, and everyday that we can come to celebrate the resurrection is a good day – a day to be …happy. Scripture tells us to be happy I choose both of our scriptures for today – because they both talk about being happy – in Christ. In Acts, Peter is preaching to the jews on the day of Pentecost. He is telling them all about the miracle of the resurrection. He is telling them how his life was changed from witnessing the miracle of God himself. He is telling of how God raised up Christ, and that God will raise us up too. But today I am going to focus on 1 Peter – which was written a generation later. Scholars don’t think it was Peter who wrote this. Acts is the story of those who witnessed the resurrection themselves, and are celebrating the difference it made in their lives. 1 Peter was written for those who had not witnessed for themselves, but were depending on what they had heard. 1 Peter was written to a group of people who were discouraged, and unhappy – and needed some words of encouragement. They needed to know how to be happy in unhappy times – like many of us. The first sentence of the verse says it all – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ By his given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, indefiled, and unfading,kept in heaven for you who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to revealed in the last time. Now I know that was a mouthful- and I could preach a sermon series in just that one topic. He had given us new birth in resurrection, we have a living hope, a hope that cannot be taken away from us, but is kept for us in heaven, protected by our faith, that we will finally understand when Christ returns. Today I want to focus on two parts of that sentence – a living hope and an imperishable inheritance. In "Man's Search for Meaning", Viktor Frankl recounts what happened to his friend, a fellow inmate in Auschwitz: "I would like to tell you something, Doctor. I have had a strange dream. A voice told me that I could wish for something, that I should only say what I wanted to know, and all my questions would be answered... I wanted to know when we, when our camp, would be liberated and our sufferings come to an end." "And when did you have this dream?" I asked. "In February, 1945," he answered. It was then the beginning of March. "What did your dream voice answer?" Furtively he whispered to me, "March 30." When my friend told me about this dream, he was still full of hope and convinced that the voice of his dream would be right. But as the promised day drew nearer, the war news which reached our camp made it appear very unlikely that we would be free on the promised date. • March 29, my friend suddenly became ill and ran a high temperature. • March 30, the day his prophecy had told him that the war and suffering would be over for him, he became delirious and lost consciousness. • March 31, he was dead. This shattered hope lowered his body's resistance against the latent typhus infection. His faith in the future and his will to live had become paralyzed and his body fell victim to illness - and thus the voice of his dream was right after all" (p. 97). This is a story of a man who had hope, but it was not a living hope and it was not a hope grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus it was a hope that did not serve him. A living hope is a hope that makes us happy and makes a difference in our lives. If you have a living hope in the living Christ you can deal with your past failures and present difficulties because of your future blessings (CIT) When you understand who Christ is and what Christ has done for you, then you cant help but to be happy, because you cant help but to have an unfailing hope in today – because Christ has guaranteed your future. Whatever happens to you now, is not the final story. Through God’s grace – the battle has always been won. You don’t have to worry about what is going to happen or what God is going to do – because God has already done – through the resurrection. Peter is trying to tell us that is Jesus is alive and well after death, the our hope should alive and well in all circumstances. We as Christians go through the same struggles as anyone else. We ask the same questions, but we don’t have the same answers. Faith in Jesus Christ, means faith that all will work out for those who love the Lord. The Jews live in the promise of Abraham, the Easter people live in the promise of Jesus. Not a different promise, but a better understanding. Inheritance in the bible One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 16 verse 5 says you alone are my inheritance, you make my lot sescure. Lamentations 3:24 says you alone are my inheritance, my hope is in you. Inheriting Faith George and his wife were visiting his widowed sister Elaine in their hometown in Nebraska, Elaines and George’s mother had died two years ago and this was the first time George and his wife had been able to visit Elaine since the funeral. So there was a good deal of reminiscing about their mother and father and life in the farm that they grew up on. They talked about the years of the Great Depression, the dust storms, the drought, the joys of growing up in a large farm family. They always had enough to eat and often wore hand me down clothes, yet in spite of some hardships, they spoke warmly of those earlier years. As their conversation drifted back to their late parents, Elaine suddenly said with excitement in her voice, George, do you know what, when mother died I got that old trunk of hers, and I have never opened it. With a feeling of childlike excitement, the three of them hurried down the basement steps. Sure enough, in the corner of the basement was the familiar old trunk. After they removed numerous items from the top of the trunk, they gingerly opened it so see what treasures it might hold for them. As the trunk lid squeaked open, the three seekers were met with nothing but stale air. The things is empty, so much for our inheritance. After they had returned upstairs and were sipping coffee, the three of them laughed at their peek in the trunk. We all knew that there was nothing in that trunk. Elaine said, we knew good and well that the folks never did have much in terms of material goods, so there was not anything for us to inherit. Doug told her not to jump to conclusions. He said that they inherited things far more valuable then money. They inherited good values, honesty, integrity, hard work. That is far more valuable than money. They both agreed that the most important thing that they got was their faith in Jesus. 1 Peter takes it a step further in reminding us that Jesus , more importantly the resurrection is our inheritance. Kept safely for us in heaven. No matter what else we may have inherited, we have inherited happiness – through what Christ has done for us. he died for our sins, He gave us new life, he showed a better way to live, he assured our future in heaven. In spite of all that is going on in our lives, we have a lot to be happy about. Despondency Changed into Abounding Joy THERE came to me one night at the close of a meeting a man with as sad a face as I had ever seen. He asked me to pray for him. I tried to show him the way of life. He would listen intently but did not seem to be able to grasp it. Night after night he would come to me with the same look of hopeless gloom in his face. I was afraid the man would go insane. In fact, I afterwards learned that he had at one time been in an insane asylum. He would profess to accept Christ, but when I showed him the Word of God that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,” and tried to impress him with the fact that he had God’s own assurance for it that he had everlasting life, he seemed utterly unable to grasp it and would go away with a despairing look, asking me if I would still pray for him. This went on for weeks and I almost dreaded to see the man approaching me. But one night as I was about to strike a match to light the gas Peter N. came in through the front door as I struck the match and lighted the gas. I saw there was a still brighter light in his face. The gloom was all gone. He was radiant. The Spirit of God had shone into his heart. He had full assurance of sins forgiven. His gladness was not for a day, nor for a week, nor a month but continuous. He gave himself to God’s work with an earnestness that I have seldom seen equalled. He was a skillful workman, receiving large pay, but he gave almost his entire income to the Lord’s work, keeping scarcely anything for himself to live on. Indeed I sometimes felt he did not keep enough to live on. Out of working hours, he was always witnessing for Christ in public or in private. Hopeless gloom had been transformed by the power of the Spirit of God into triumphant joy. I will ask you again, what is it that makes you happy? What is the source of your happiness? The source is a living hope and an imperishable inheritance. The resurrection of Christ is the source of our happiness. May we live in the power of the resurrection and truly live a happy life! Amen. How To Find Inexpressible Joy by King Duncan Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-12 • Lectionary: Easter 2 Item 20 of 29 | Back to Results Lesson: Many of you may have tennis shoes or running shoes at home like these. Some of you might have some shoes that say "Nike" on them. It is not my purpose this morning to give a commercial for Nikes. It is the name that interests me. We are told that back before the time of Jesus there were terrible wars just as there are sometimes today. When an invading army approached a city, the defenders would go out to face the army. The fate of the city would be determined. If there was defeat, the men would be killed or enslaved, the women would be abused, families would be torn apart, and children would be sold as slaves. The people in the city had no way of knowing the news of the battle except by a message carried by a runner. If there was defeat, he tore his clothes, put on ashes and cried, "Woe, woe, defeat." People would try to get away but rarely could. When there was a victory, the runner would be stripped to the waist. He carried a palm branch in his hand. As he ran, perspiration would cover his body. He would be shining in the late afternoon sun. People knew the message even before he arrived. He would run through the city gates and cry, "Nike! Nike!" Nike means victory. The runner was shouting, "Victory! Victory!" This is the first Sunday after Easter. This is a time of putting on our running shoes and shouting, "victory, victory." In our lesson from Peter today, we read about "inexpressible joy." That is what Jesus' resurrection brings us--inexpressible joy. Nike. Victory.

Raised With Christ

Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-18 April 20, 2014 Easter Sunday Year A “Raised with Christ” The longest walk They say that the longest walk in the world is the walk that you take when walking away from the burial of a loved one. When you take that walk, you know that you are leaving an important part of your life behind. The Longest Walk The longest walk you’ll ever take is the walk away from the grave of someone you love. If you have never done that, you can’t imagine how difficult it is. –To walk away and feel as if the world has come to an end. –To walk away and think about what used to be and what might have been. –To walk away and realize, “I’ll never be the same again.” –To play over and over in your mind the good times, the laughter, the crazy stories. –To reach out and touch a face and find it gone forever. –To cry until you can’t cry anymore. –To watch them bury your dreams and hopes and all that was good about life. –To know it is over, done, finished, the end, and there is nothing you can do about it. –To walk away to friends who cannot understand and to a world that does hardly cares. It is the longest walk and the saddest day. Every step takes you away from the tombstone of a broken dream. Ray Pritchard, Where Is Jesus When We Need Him? My sister’s broken dreams As I still grieve the loss of my sister, my saddest thought is all of the things in life that she will never get to do. I don’t think that my sister ever travelled very far from home, she will never get to see her children grow up, she will miss her daughter’s graduation from high school this year, she will never get to go back to school or live up to her full potential. It makes me sad because her broken dreams are my broken dreams. I can’t help but to tell God that is so unfair. That must have been the thoughts, the questions, the griefs of Mary Magdelene as she made that long walk to Jesus’ grave. She mourned for his broken dreams. His losses were her losses. And yet somewhere along that walk, Easter just appeared out of the middle of nowhere, and turned Good Friday into Easter Sunday. Easter is where broken dreams meet Jesus resurrection. It is where the disappointment of life meets the angels of heaven. It is where the very worst in life meets the power of God. More Hope than We Can Handle Earlier this week, an old couple received a phone call from their son who lives far away. The son said he was sorry, but he wouldn’t be able to come for a visit over the holidays after all. "The grandkids say hello." They assured him that they understood, but when they hung up the phone they didn’t dare look at each other. Earlier this week, a woman was called into her supervisor’s office to hear that times are hard for the company and they had to let her go. "So sorry." She cleaned out her desk, packed away her hopes for getting ahead, and wondered what she would tell her kids. Earlier this week, someone received terrible news from a physician. Someone else heard the words, "I don't love you any more." Earlier this week, someone’s hope was crucified. And the darkness is overwhelming. No one is ever ready to encounter Easter until he or she has spent time in the dark place where hope cannot be seen. Easter is the last thing we are expecting. And that is why it terrifies us. This day is not about bunnies, springtime and girls in cute new dresses. It’s about more hope than we can handle. Craig Barnes, Savior at Large, article in The Christian Century, March 13-20, 2002 p. 16. Easter is about hope in an unknown future. In John’s version of the resurrection story, Mary comes to the tomb alone to discover that someone has stolen Jesus body, and once again her dreams have been robbed from her. She wanted to at least be able to say goodbye. But an angel appears and tells us her Jesus is not here. She runs to tell the other disciples, two of which come running. But an interesting thing happens in the midst of the chaos. Jesus speaks to Mary – woman why are you weeping? When she recognizes who is speaking to her, she reaches to hug him, but he tells her not to hold onto him. If I could hug my sister again, I would want to go back to the way things were – when everything was normal. I would want to relive our life together. And yet Jesus reminds us that Easter is never about the past. It is a time to embrace the future. When God tells Moses his name, he does not say I am who I am. He says I will be what I will be. The presence of God always heads toward the future. Speaking of Mary weeping. There was a lady who used to cry every time she heard because she lives. Her pastor asked her why she was crying. She thought that every body cried when they heard that song. Easter is not something that you understand – you have to experience in your heart. If we experience Christ, we certainly have a reason to cry. A lot of us may be waiting for Easter to happen to us, when the reality is that Easter is waiting on you- to get it. It is up to us to have a resurrection change of heart. We have to open our hearts to the will of God in our lives. Take a look at Colossians. Our verse for today starts out with a challenge for all who know the resurrection. Paul says so if, so if you have been raised in Christ, then put your sights on the things above. If you have experienced Easter for yourself, then focus you life on the things above. In life we can choose to look up, or to look down. Down there is death, depression, darkness. Up there is life, light, goodness, mercy. The things of God are up above. Easter is a defining moment for each of us who are seeking Christ for themselves. Seeing Christ means believing in him for ourselves. Easter is a new year, a new day, time to recognize a new spirit in the world and inside of you. Yesterday we were an earthly people – today we are the resurrection people. Paul says that of you live in the resurrection of Christ, then you should seek Christ, think Christ and live Christ. Set your mind on the things above. But live Christ. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was born into the musical family of Bachs in 1685. By the age of ten, both of his parents were dead. Early in his friction-filled life, young Johann determined he would write music … music for the glory of God … and this he did. Most of Bach’s works are explicitly Biblical. Albert Schweitzer referred to him as The fifth evangelist, thus comparing him to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. At age 17 Bach became the organist at the church; soon thereafter he was given charge of the entire music ministry. During his ministry in Weimar, Germany he wrote a new cantata every month … EVERY MONTH! And during one three-year period he wrote, conducted, orchestrated, and performed (with his choir and orchestra) a new cantata every week! No one had any idea what a mark Bach would leave. His legacy lives on some 300 years later. You can hear his music at will. At the beginning of every authentic manuscript one will find the letters “J.J.” This stands for Jesu Java (Jesus help me). At the end of each original manuscript you will find the letters “S.D.G.” This stands for Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God). Bach is a reminder that one who gives his life to Jesus and serves Him does not count it a loss. Mk 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Live Easter in everything that you do. I plan to start each daily project with Jesus Java – and end each day giving glory to God. What better way to celebrate Easter. Easter is God’s pleasant surprise in the midst of what would other wise bad day. May God surprise you on this day with the power of resurrection! Mary realized it was time for a change, and Jesus provided that change. Easter is the day where broken dreams meet the angels. Easter is where the worst of lives is neutralized by the power of love. The Risen Christ Pastor Rick Calhoun writes, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was never meant to be proved but experienced. As a matter of fact it cannot be proved, as no one of us was there. We have to take the word of others who were. Those early witnesses were very passionate about their testimonies. Many were to be martyred in defense of their convictions. But ultimately the resurrection is to be experienced not proved. The most convincing evidence of the Resurrection of Christ is the transformation of the people who know Jesus and believe in Him. I decided long ago, the only proof of Easter I will ever need is memory. I remember what my life was like before I met the living Christ and I know what my life is now, as I share it with Him. I would not stand here and tell you I am always the man I should be. But thanks to the living Christ, I am not the man I used to be either. The risen Jesus Christ has made all the difference.” King Duncan, www.Sermons.com Amen. Children’s Sermon Keep Your Eyes On Heaven by Wesley T. Runk Passage: Colossians 3:1-17 • Lectionary: Easter Day Item 1 of 27 | Back to Results Lesson: So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above. Object: A kite, balloon, flower, candle Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't this a wonderful day? Do you all know what special festival we are celebrating today? (Let them answer.) That's right. Today is Easter Sunday -- the day that Jesus rose from the dead. We are especially happy today as Christians because of this wonderful thing that God allowed to happen. Today all of us are supposed to remember that we are special to God, too. We are all going to rise from the dead, like Jesus did, so we should keep our minds on heaven. Paul tells us today that we should always be looking at the things that are above -- the things of heaven. To help us do that I brought some things along that have something in common. (Pick up the kite.) What can kites do, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) Kites can fly high above the ground, can't they? When we fly a kite, where do we keep our eyes? (Let them answer.) That's right. We keep our eyes on the kite, up in the sky, because kites usually want to keep going up and up. (Pick up the balloon.) Here is a balloon. Balloons have something in common with kites, don't they, boys and girls? What do they have in common? (Let them respond.) Balloons like to fly above the ground, too. They help us to keep our eyes on heaven, too. (Pick up flower pot.) Here we have a flower. How did this flower get started, does anyone know? (Let them answer.) Probably this one got started from a little seed that got buried in the dirt. Pretty soon that little seed began to sprout, and it grew up and up until it reached the air. Then it just kept growing up toward the sky until it looked like it does now. So kites and balloons and flowers all like to reach for the heavens, don't they, boys and girls? (Let them respond. Light the candle.) Finally, here is a candle. I want all of you to watch the flame. Which way is the flame reaching? (Let them answer.) That's right. The flame is reaching up toward the sky, also. It is sending its little light right up toward the heavens. All of these things today remind us of Jesus' Resurrection, of his coming out of the tomb and reaching up to his heavenly Father. He wants us to remember that we belong up there, too, with himself and with his Father. That's why I want you to think a lot about heaven this week by remembering this kite, this balloon, this flower, and this candle. In fact, you can probably find a lot of other things that keep reaching toward the heavens, toward God. Let's all try to keep our eyes opened for those kinds of things this week -- and then praise God for this wonderful day of Jesus' rising from the dead. Will you do that, boys and girls? Good. God bless you all. Amen. WE ARE THE CHURCH, Wesley T. Runk, CSS Publishing Company, 1994, 0-7880-0101-9 Back to Results | Item 1 of 27 Extra Material Humor: The Gospel Has Been Proclaimed A first year student in a Catholic seminary was told by the dean that he should plan to preach the sermon in chapel the following day. He had never preached a sermon before, he was nervous and afraid, and he stayed up all night, but in the morning, he didn’t have a sermon. He stood in the pulpit, looked out at his classmates and said “Do you know what I am going to say?” All of them shook their heads “no” and he said “Neither do I. The service has ended. Go in peace.” The dean was not happy. “I’ll give you another chance tomorrow, and you had better have a sermon.” Again he stayed up all night; and again he couldn’t come up with a sermon. Next morning, he stood in the pulpit and asked “Do you know what I am going to say?” The students all nodded their heads “yes.” “Then there is no reason to tell you” he said. “The service has ended. Go in peace.” Now the dean was angry. “I’ll give you one more chance; if you don’t have a sermon tomorrow, you will be asked to leave the seminary.” Again, no sermon came. He stood in the pulpit the next day and asked “Do you know what I am going to say?” Half of the students nodded “yes” and the other half shook their heads “no.” The student preacher then announced “Those who know, tell those who don’t know. The service has ended. Go in peace.” The seminary dean walked over to the student, put his arm over the student’s shoulders, and said “Those who know, tell those who don’t know. Today, the gospel has been proclaimed.” Steven Molin, Four Truths and a Lie Old Clothes When I was a girl, I spent a lot of time in the woods, which were full of treasures for me. At night I lined them up on my bed: fat flakes of mica, buckeyes bigger than shooter marbles, blue jay feathers, bird bones and -- if I was lucky -- a cicada shell, one of those dry brown bug bodies you can find on tree trunks when the 17-year locusts come out of the ground. I liked them for at least two reasons. First, because they were horrible looking, with their huge empty eye sockets and their six sharp little claws. By hanging them on my sweater or -- better yet -- in my hair, I could usually get the prettier, more popular girls at school to run screaming away from me, which somehow evened the score. I also liked them because they were evidence that a miracle had occurred. They looked dead, but they weren’t. They were just shells. Every one of them had a neat slit down its back, where the living creature inside of it had escaped, pulling new legs, new eyes, new wings out of that dry brown body and taking flight. At night I could hear them singing their high song in the trees. If you had asked them, I’ll bet none of them could have told you where they left their old clothes. That is all the disciples saw when they got to the tomb on that first morning --two piles of old clothes. Barbara Brown Taylor, "Escape From the Tomb," article in The Christian Century, April 1, 1998, page 339. Famous Because It Is Empty! If Easter says anything at all to us it is that Jesus will always be with us. The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contained the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned, because in it rests the bodies of English nobles and notables. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones it contains. Arlington cemetery in Washington, D.C., is revered, for it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans. The Garden Tomb of Jesus is famous because it is empty! Don Emmitte ____________________