Christ Has Risen Indeed

Year C Easter Sunday – regular service Luke 24:1-12 April 20, 2019 Text: Luke 24:1-5 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Materials: No specific materials are required. Message: How many times have you lost something, and no matter how hard you looked, you just couldn't seem to find it? That happens to me sometimes, and it is so discouraging to look and look and still not have that thing turn up anywhere! The other day I had one of my shoes, but I just couldn't find the other one. I ended up looking all over the place - in the refrigerator, in the washing machine, I even looked in the dishwasher - but it was nowhere to be found! Then I was looking for my toothbrush. It wasn't in the car, it wasn't in the bottom of the fish tank, I even looked in my tool box - but I still didn't have any luck in finding it! Can you think of some places I should have looked for these things? (Wait for responses from the children indicating that you didn't find them because you were looking in the wrong places.) If I had looked in some other places, I probably would have had better luck! Did you know that was the same problem Jesus' followers had after He was put to death. They went to the tomb where His body was placed after He died, looking for Him on that first Easter morning. But guess what? He wasn't there because that was the wrong place to be looking! He was alive, not dead. He had won a victory, not suffered a defeat. Therefore the angels said to them: "Don't try to find Jesus here ... for now He lives forever more!" CSS Publishing Company, FROM A MUSTARD SEED, by Mark A. Hultquist Luke 24:1-12 Common English Bible (CEB) The empty tomb 24 Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They didn’t know what to make of this. Suddenly, two men were standing beside them in gleaming bright clothing. 5 The women were frightened and bowed their faces toward the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He isn’t here, but has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Human One[a]must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and all the others.10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn’t believe the women. 12 But Peter ran to the tomb. When he bent over to look inside, he saw only the linen cloth. Then he returned home, wondering what had happened. Footnotes: a. Luke 24:7 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Each Gospel tells a different version of the Eater story. Each teaches a different lesson. But they all agree on one thing – the tomb was empty. Jesus was nowhere to be found. Jesus is not even the main character in the story today. The resurrection is about the power of God, the affect on those around him, the difference that it makes in our lives, not Jesus life. In the weeks to come we will hear stories of Jesus appearance, but today we are left wondering what happened. The story in Luke is by far my favorite version of the story. The women decide to return to the place that they had abandoned just three days before. They come to finish a job. The angel stops and ask why are they looking for a living person in a grave. Mary speaks to Jesus. The disciples come to see what is going on. Once again three days ago, Peter abandoned God, but today he is the first to see what is going on. But what struck me as significant about Luke’s telling of the story is the last part of our scripture. It says that the women ran back to tell the disciples what happened, and scripture says that the disciples thought that the words of the women was nonsense. They did not believe any of it. The word nonsense in our text for today is a euphemism for a bunch of crock. Total insanity, making no sense. It was no outrageous, that only 1 of the 11 even bothered to go to the tomb and to see what was going on. And when he saw the empty tomb, and he saw the linen cloth, he had to take a walk and figure out what was going on. Sometimes I think that is our problem too. We all know that story, we hear it again and again. But we are still struggling with whether it is a bunch of nonsense or not. We don’t struggle with the story we struggle with whether we believe that story or not. Is it fairy tale or is it real. And if it is really real, what does that mean for our lives? Peter struggled with his unbelief even back then. He knew that story too, he was there. When Jesus was in court being tried, he was outside denying that he even knew that man. When Jesus breath his last breath, he ran with the rest of them to hide and make sure that they would not be next. And now his body was missing. If anybody was going to steal his body – it would have been him and the other disciples. And all of them thought this whole story was a bunch of nonsense. But now what would it mean for him if it is not nonsense. What if it really happen. What would that mean for Peter? But more importantly, what does that mean for you and for me? Peter realized that if this story was real, then he would really have to believe in Jesus. And if he believed in Jesus, then he might have to change his lifestyle. He couldn’t be a coward any more. He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t know Jesus. He couldn’t just run and hide. There was no more taking the easy way out. Jesus said Peter if you love me, them feed my sheep. He said that Peter was a rock upon which the church would be built. If this story was more than nonsense, if he was really going to believe this story, then there were a lot of other things that he was going to have to believe also. One biblical scholar made a good point, when he said that the empty tomb and the resurrection has to be the center of our belief. If we don’t believe that, then we are not Christian. It was Billy Graham that said if the devil is going to attack anything about the church, then he is going to attack our belief in the resurrection. He wants us to doubt the story and call it nonsense. Because if it is nonsense, then everything else that Jesus said is wrong. And what Jesus was trying to do for the world has been defeated. This is not something that Peter came up with on his own, and made up on the church. If Peter had not moved from nonsense to truth – the church would not exist, and we would not be sitting here today. But here we are, what difference does the resurrection make today in your life? Let me tell you about one woman who had a special way of sharing her resurrection faith. Her story is told in a book by her physician, Dr. Will Phillips of San Antonio. Her name was Edith Burns. She was an elderly widow who loved Jesus. She would often sit down with someone and say, "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" If they said yes, she would ask them what they believe about Easter. If they talked about Easter bunnies and colored eggs, she had a chance to share with them the real meaning of Easter. Countless people were led to Christ by Edith Burns, including Dr. Phillips’ head nurse. One day Dr. Phillips called Edith into his office and said, "Edith, I’ve got bad news for you. Your tests have come back positive. You have an aggressive form of cancer, and you may not have long to live." Edith replied, "Why Dr. Phillips, you need not look so sad. I have had a full life. Now you are telling me that before long I’m going to see my Lord Jesus face to face. I will be reunited with my dear husband, my parents, and so many old friends." After several months of chemotherapy, it was clear that the cancer was winning the battle for Edith’s life. She went into the hospital. Everybody who met her was attracted by her warmth and positive faith. And if she got half a chance she would say to anyone, "Hello, I’m Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" She picked up a nickname in the hospital—"Easter Edith." But there was one person who was not attracted to Edith. Phyllis Cross was a mean, ornery nurse. She had been an Army nurse for twenty years. She had been married four times. Phyllis told her supervisor, "I don’t want to have anything to do with that religious nut, Edith Burns." One day Phyllis had to go to Edith’s room to draw some blood. Edith said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you too, and I’ve been praying for you." Phyllis said, "Well, you can stop your praying for me. It won’t work and I’m not interested." Edith said, "I can’t stop praying for you. And I’ve asked God not to let me go home until you have come into his family." Phyllis replied, "Then you will never die because that will never happen." Then she walked out. Edith and Phyllis saw each other regularly over the coming weeks. But Edith never asked her the question she posed to everybody else, "Do you believe in Easter?" Finally, Phyllis’ curiosity got the best of her. She said, "Edith, why have you never asked me if I believe in Easter?" Edith smiled and replied, "I asked God to cause you to ask me about the Easter question, and you just did." Phyllis was caught off guard. Her defenses dropped. Edith shared Christ with her. This tough old Army nurse invited Jesus into her heart as Savior and Lord. A few days later Phyllis walked into Edith’s room and said, "Hey Edith, today is Good Friday." "No," said Edith, "It’s Easter. In the life of a Christian, every day is resurrection day. Happy Easter, Phyllis." Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis walked into Edith’s room and noticed a tranquil smile on her face but it was obvious that her soul had departed to be with the Lord. Phyllis placed her hands on Edith’s and said, "Happy Easter, dear." Then she assisted the family in making funeral arrangements. Several hours later Phyllis managed to get a few minutes off duty. She sat down in the break room to have a cup of coffee. One of the new student-nurses happened to be there. Phyllis said, "Hello, my name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"(5) So what about you? Do you believe in Easter? If the story is true and the tomb is empty – how are you going to have to change. If Peter went from coward to evangelist, if the disciples put aside their fear to tell the world about Jesus? What is going to happen to you? If God can raise a man from death to life, then anything is possible. Easter is the first day of the rest of your life – what does God have in store for you? The resurrection is God’s creative response to death. It is new day, a new way of doing things. It is time to put aside old beliefs about yourself, about life about others, It is time to give up old predjudices and to move forward. God has a plan for you and for your life. And just like God left the tomb empty, the holy spirit is working quietly behind the scenes to transform you and your life. You may not believe god’s story, but he believes yours. This is a totally different sermon from the one I told at the sunrise service. But I want to end with the same video. Of how the resurrection affects our life today. The good news for me in that story is that Jesus overcoming death means that our story never ends. It is never too late, we always get a second, or third or fourth chance to be right with God. Now what kind of nonsense it that? On Redemption The catholic priest Erasmus two centuries ago wrote these powerful words. Listen: How much more wonderful the work of redemption is, in comparison with creation. It is more marvelous that God was made man than that He created the angels; that He wailed in a stable than that He reigns in the heavens. The creation of the world was a work of power, but the redemption of the world was a work of mercy. Erasmus That nonsense is the essence of God’s great love for us. Let us pray……. Additional illustrations……. The Easter Formula In April 2002, the well-respected Oxford University philosophy professor Richard Swineburne defended the truth of the Resurrection at a high-profile gathering of philosophy professors at Yale University. Swineburne used Bayes Theorem, a broadly accepted mathematical probability theory and tool to defend the truth of Christ's resurrection. In a New York Times interview, Swineburne said, "For someone dead for 36 hours to come to life again is, according to the laws of nature, extremely improbable. But if there is a God of the traditional kind, natural laws only operate because he makes them operate." Swineburne used the Bayes Theorem to assign values to things like the probability that God is real, Jesus' behavior during his lifetime, and the quality of witness testimony after his death. Then he plugged the numbers into a probability formula and added everything up. The results? There's a 97 percent probability that the resurrection really happened. That's nice to know. It's one more tool in the tool kit of ministry. But the truth is that you and I don't really need that. The church doesn't really need that information. Because we have our own formula. It's the Easter Formula: R+ET+F=LE. The Resurrection plus the Empty Tomb plus Faith equal Life Eternal. That's the Easter Formula. Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. I Want to See Your Resurrection Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally the teacher said: “I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!” Pennington notes that, “With his directness, the teacher was saying what everyone else implicitly says to Christians: You are a Christian. You are risen with Christ. Show me (what this means for you in your life) and I will believe.” That is how people know if the resurrection is true or not. Does it affect how we live? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com 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 The Cape of Good Hope I can still recall a geography lesson from elementary school in which we learned that the southernmost point of Africa is a point which for centuries has experienced tremendous storms. For many years no one even knew what lay beyond that cape, for no ship attempting to round that point had ever returned to tell the tale. Among the ancients it was known as the "Cape of Storms," and for good reason. But then a Portuguese explorer in the sixteenth century, Vasco De Gama, successfully sailed around that very point and found beyond the wild raging storms, a great calm sea, and beyond that, the shores of India. The name of that cape was changed from the Cape of Storms to the Cape of Good Hope. Until Jesus Christ rose from the dead, death had been the cape of storms on which all hopes of life beyond had been wrecked. No one knew what lay beyond that point until, on Easter morning, those ancient visions of Isaiah became the victory of Jesus over our last great enemy. Suddenly, like those ancient explorers, we can see beyond the storm to the hope of heaven and eternal life with the Father. More than that, we dare to believe that we shall experience in our own human lives exactly what the Son of God experienced in his, for the risen Christ says to us, "Because I live, you shall live also." This is the heart of the Easter faith. Robert Beringer, Easter People, CSS Publishing Company Anticipation: What Is Going to Happen Today? In Winnie the Pooh, Pooh and Piglet take an evening walk. For a long time they walk in silence. Silence like only best friends can share. Finally Piglet breaks the silence and asks, "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" answers Pooh and then asks. "And what do you say, Piglet?" Piglet says, "I say, I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" You and I can't really plan to meet the Risen Christ because we never really know when or where He's going to show up. But you can be sure of this, He will show up. If you believe, He will show up. And the attitude you need to meet him is the attitude of Piglet, "I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" Billy Strayhorn, Easter Heart Burn, www.Sermons.com Turning to God on Easter J. Wallace Hamilton, the great preacher of yesteryear, once told the story of a group of American soldiers stationed in London during the first World War. They had received orders that the next day they would be going to the front lines. The church where many of the men attended while away from home hastily gave them a dinner. It was a joyous time and the conversation was light and upbeat. Before the pastor gave the benediction, one of the soldiers was selected to share words of appreciation. He was a man of charm with the gift of speech. As he brought his speech to a close he said, "Tomorrow we are leaving for France, and the trenches, and to die." He did not mean to say that. Looking around with embarrassment, struggling for some better words to say, he said: "Can anybody tell us how to die?" And, nobody laughed or even smiled. There was an awkward pause as though he had said the wrong thing--and then a period of strange silence in which nobody said anything. Then someone walked quietly to the piano where they had been playing and singing fun songs and began to play and sing the old gospel hymns. In the quiet that followed, every man's soul was forced to deal in a serious way with the question of life and death. Without anybody planning it, a party became a prayer meeting in which they had to turn to God. Easter gives us the opportunity, without being morbid to reflect on the ultimate meaning of things. Are we mere creatures of the dust who are here only for a moment--or were we created for eternity? On the southwest coast of Scotland lies the little town of Whithorn. In its ancient cemetery can be found a tombstone with an intriguing epitaph: YOU THINK I'M FORGOT. I'M NOT. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

An Idle Tale

April 4, 2010
Easter Sunday
Psalm 118
Luke 24:1-12
An Unlikely Tale
Year C

Woodrow Wilson’s butler called him one night to tell him that the tax accountant for the government had died. Sir, I was wondering if it s okay with you if I could take his place. Now mind you this is the middle of the night – butler- tax accountant. President Wilson responds – you know it doesn’t matter to me if you want to take his place – but you should probably ask the funeral director if it is okay.
The women in Jesus life have gathered to go to the tomb of Jesus. They want to anoint the body. That’s what you do when you are family – you show love and care to the body by rubbing it in spices. They have been through a hard ordeal, traveling with the teacher, believing and being inspired by his message, watching him beaten and killed for all of the wrong reasons, seeing your family fall apart from the stress, feeling like you have to do something – only to witness the final insult – his body is gone.
Bodies don’t just disappear on their own, they don’t just walk away on their own, - something had to have happened. After all they have done to this man – how could they have deprived Jesus of his final resting place? Seeing two men near the grave – she says – sir if you have taken him, just give him back, so that I can give him that final dignity of resting in peace.
The two men were really angels. And they ask her an important question. A question that certainly should have been asked of Woodrow Wilson – but needs to be asked of us today – why do you continue to look for the living amongst the dead.
If there was a body to speak of everything would be different now. If he had a final resting place- if there was a place we could go to honor his memory – we wouldn’t need to come today or any Sunday.
Even as those who come together to celebrate the resurrection – we still find ways to look for Jesus among the dead. Knowing that we will never find him – but we look anyway.
When we seek comfort instead of righteousness – we are looking for life in the midst of death. When we are in constant pursuit of pleasure and forsake joy – we are looking for life in the midst of death. When we seek security and what is best for us, instead of reaching out to help others – we are looking for life in the midst of death. When we are much more willing to listen to what the world says, and forget what god says – we are looking for life in the midst of death.
Looking for the living amongst the dead. There are times when we have to do that. I think of the recent Haiti disaster. I have a picture here of the cross that survived, when the church was destroyed. (I will pass it around).
There were people in that disaster and many others – who had the task of looking for the living amongst the dead. Who had to go through that rubble of each fallen building – and look for life in the midst of death. Who had to examine every body for signs of life. And at any sign of life, they had to stick with that person until they were taken to safety. No matter how the faint the sign may be- if they are alive then they have to be nurtured back to health. We have that type of obligation to life.
Things would have certainly been different if they had found a body. If we had found a body. Our obligation to death and to life are very different. Death can take care of itself – but it is in life that we have an obligation to carry on. In the midst of our circumstances of life, our troubles, our hardaches, our questions, our destiny. Death can give us easy answers. But when we are still alive, and we don’t know what to do, or what comes next, or how things will work themselves out- that’s when we need a resurrection faith.
Faith in an empty tomb – faith in a promise of new life, faith in divine intervention in a way that makes no sense, faith that death has been conquered, so that we will have to strength to go on in life. Faith that God will succeed and conquer all.
Lenin fashioned himself as a savior of the people. He told them that communism would save them. He told them that there was no need for faith. It didn’t do anything but give false hope. He promised his people a better life, he even took the time to teach people a new way of understanding. And then he died. At his death – the question was asked – what do you do with a God who has failed you? They actually did the same thing that the women at the tomb were planning to do with Jesus. Anoint his body with spices, preserve it, give it a nice home, and put it on display as a monument so that people from generation to generation could come and see death. And yet remember to point he was trying to make. Why do we continue to look for the living amongst the dead.
The empty tomb is a witness to a God who does not fail, but who has won the ultimate victory. The triumph of life over death. There is no body for us to remember and show respect to, there is no principle for us to be reminded of.
There is a life that we are to live. There is a story that we are to tell, there is an event that we are to witness to. There is no body – there are only people. People who choose life over death anyday.
When the women went to tell the disciples what they had witnessed. No one believed them. It couldn’t be- God never intercedes like that, no one has ever been resurrected. No one who had died, has ever come back to life. Peter even went to the grave himself – he saw the empty tomb. He saw the proof for himself that the body was gone – it had indeed just walked away. And yet he didn’t believe. It didn’t make sense. He did not see the life in such a tragic event.
The world is the same – the world sees proof everyday of a god who won – a living faith. And yet they refuse to believe.
It is easier to believe in easter bunnies, and chocolate, and eggs, than it is to believe in life over death. The good news is that Easter is not a day or an event – Easter is life unfolding, and God revealing, each and every day.
Jesus came to each an every one of them – to reveal the truth and to show them proof of the resurrection. With each passing day – they understood a little bit better, and they saw a little more clearer.
The good news is the Easter is still unfolding, God is revealing, Jesus Christ is alive an still appearing to his disciples, and we still get the chance to choose life over death. There is not body – only people. When we celebrate and sing Hallelujah God wins. When we live as if we believe that Easter is a life changing event – God wins. Otherwise this all is just another idle tale- as his own disciples believed long ago.
Let us pray…
Lord,
the resurrection of Your Son
has given us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Ways of Christ.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Amen.