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 ____________________