Draw Near Series: Very Large Stones Psalm 103; Mark 16: 1-8

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1 1 Easter/Communion 04/05/15 Avondale Meute Draw Near Series: Very Large Stones Psalm 103; Mark 16: 1-8 Pearl: Resurrection/Redemption when it s not all that apparent. Function: To encourage worshippers with the truth and reality of the resurrection/gospel of redemption even when it is not apparent. (Watch video of the Apparently Kid ) Apparently Jesus rose from the dead! The women went to the tomb early on that first day of the week to care for the body of Jesus. 1. On their way there they were very concerned about the very large stone which they were going to have to deal with in getting to the body of Jesus. a. As soon as they could see the tomb they noticed that it was out of the way! 2. Upon arriving at the tomb they were met by an angel (a young man in dazzling white) who told them, He has been raised go, tell his discples and Peter that he is going ahead of you you will see him. 3. Different from all of the other gospel accounts, Mark ends with these women leaving, paralyzed by fear and telling no one! a. This is why there is an extended ending which is most likely not the original ending of Mark. 4. Even though the very large stone was removed, and an angel appeared to them, and Jesus was indeed alive again, risen from the dead, the women paralyzed by fear, did not experience this truth! The resurrection was and is true. The gospel of redemption is true. We are urged to see it, to go and tell others about it, and to experience it for ourselves even when it is not so apparent! Even though the gospel of Jesus Christ is real and true, we do not always see it for what it is. We are often paralyzed by fear and stuck in the mire of the Pit. 1. The Pit is also referred to as Sheol throughout the Bible. The two words are synonyms. This is the place of the dead, where people retain only the faintest semblance of life (Oxford Annotated Study Bible). In a figurative way many of us retain only the faintest semblance of life sometimes.

2 2 a. With the Psalmist we affirm that our Lord is the one who redeems our lives from the Pit (Psalm 103:4). 2. Jesus own life was redeemed from the Pit, as he was literally in the place of the dead. Yet, He has been raised! Scripture refers to Jesus as the first-born of the dead. As the angel said, we should go to others, tell about it, and know it for ourselves even when it is not so apparent! The gospel of redemption is true but there are many large stones in life which make it difficult for us to live according to this reality. Remember the American Civil War as a major stone for our historical memory. Can you imagine those Easter Sunday services during the era of the Civil War?! 1. President Abraham Lincoln is among our most respected and revered Presidents. Lincoln was a complex man who suffered severe melancholy. Yet he is known as one of the world s greatest leaders. 2. Leo Tolstoy traveled to a remote village in the Caucasus where incredibly the people knew of Lincoln. Tolstoy showed a picture of him and a young man observed: His eyes are full of tears and his lips are sad with a secret sorrow. 3. Joshua Wolf Schenk wrote in his book Lincoln s Melancholy, Lincoln saw the world as a deeply flawed, even tragic, place where imperfect people had to make the best of poor materials. At his worst, the burdens of this vision pressed him into ruts and troughs. At his best, it fueled a passion for redemption. a. Lincoln was no starry-eyed optimist, nor was he the relentlessly positive backslapper so many modern politicians strive to be. He was melancholic, at times even gloomy. b. He never joined a church, although he attended worship regularly. His speeches especially the Second Inaugural Address are full of the sovereignty of God. c. Lincoln steadfastly and humbly resisted claiming that God was on his side. He never gave so much as a hint that he considered the Confederacy an evil empire. d. Lincoln was all too aware that he lived in a fallen world, and that he led a fallen country. Yet, he never gave up on the possibility of

3 3 redemption (Joshua Wolf Schenk, Lincoln s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006, p. 133). There are always very large stones which get in the way of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus and the gospel of redemption through him. 1. Jesus was raised from the dead. The women could not see it. It was true but they could not see it. Their fears consumed them at that time. They likely came around. According to the other gospels they came around. Mark makes it clear that at least at first, they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 2. The Holocaust is one of those large stones! a. A picture circulates around Facebook of emaciated prisoners following the end of the war and the liberation of one of the concentration camps. The caption reads that we are never to forget the Holocaust. b. That horror does challenge the reality of the gospel of redemption! 3. Terrorist actions like the killing of Christians in Kenya a few days ago very much challenge our belief in the reality of the gospel of redemption! We believe that God is making all things new but violent terrorist activity is a very big stone trying to squash that truth. 4. Cultural wars are being fought and waged in this very day. These battles extend even into the church of Jesus Christ. a. They cause division. b. They cause alienation. i. In the midst of all of these very larges stones the angels says, He has been raised. He is not here. Go, tell his disciples and Peter (Peter because Peter was suffering so much the weight of the stone of his dramatic denial of Jesus). He has gone ahead of you. You will see him! ii. The angels says, He has been raised. He is not here. Go, tell his disciples and President Lincoln. iii. The angel says, He has been raised. He is not here. Go, tell his disciples and Kenya.

4 4 iv. The angel says, He has been raised. He is not here. Go, tell his disciples and the families of those on the German airliner which was crashed. v. The angel says, He has been raised. He is not here. Go, tell his disciples and APC. We should listen to the angel of God who said, He has been raised Go, tell his disciples that he is going ahead of you you will see him. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is true! The gospel of redemption through Jesus Christ is true! It is not always apparent, but nonetheless it is true! Two men were seriously ill. They occupied the same room in the hospital. One of them lied in the bed near the only window in their room. Every day he was allowed to spend some time sitting up in his bed to help drain the fluid from his lungs. The other man was forced to spend all his days flat on his back. They talked a lot about their life, families, jobs, vacations. The man who was sitting by the window described in details all that he saw outside the window. His roommate looked forward to those moments, when his world was broadened and brightened up by the world outside. Amazing views of a park with a beautiful lake could be seen from the window of their room. Children delightfully played among ducks and swans. Couples walked arm in arm among colorful flowers. Also the stunning city skyline could be seen. When the man by the window thoroughly described all that was happening outside the window, his roommate would close his eyes and imagine all of the beautiful scenes of life that were told to him. One morning the man, whose bed was near the window, died peacefully in his sleep. His roommate was very sad. After some time, when the nurse came to visit him, he asked if he could be

5 5 moved next to the window. The nurse agreed and kindly made the switch. When she left, the man slowly and painfully propped himself up on one elbow and took the first look at the world outside. He was stunned. The window faced a blank wall. When the nurse came to visit him the next time, he told her about beautiful things outside the window that his roommate described to him. The nurse replied that his roommate was a blind man. She said: Apparently he just tried to encourage you. Whether we see it or not, whether we experience it or not, the gospel of redemption is true! The women said nothing because they were afraid. Jesus was, however, raised from the dead. We will listen to the angel! Go tell others and we will all see and we will all know, even when there are very large stones in the way!

SPIRITUAL SURRENDERING

SPIRITUAL SURRENDERING Prayer: A sermon preached by the Rev. Aaron Billard St. John s United Church, Moncton, NB April 17, 2011 Holy God who hovers daily round us in fidelity and compassion, this day we