2 Corinthians 4:7-18, Matthew 28:1-10 Raised with Jesus Today is a great day of celebration and rejoicing! Easter Sunday is Resurrection Day and as people who put our trust in a risen Savior we celebrate as Resurrection people. All that has led up to this day, the Lenten journey, the last days of Jesus life, the denials, the betrayal, the suffering and anguish, the great feelings of sorrow and sadness have been overcome in the victory of our Lord over the grave. It seems appropriate that Easter this year is also on April Fool s day. You could say that God had the final joke on death, when he raised Jesus from the dead. Have you ever wondered what it was like for those women who were going to the tomb of Jesus very early in the morning. It had to be dark, and they were going to take care of Jesus body. To encounter death in those circumstances had to create a mysterious and somewhat eerie feeling. I guess there s always a certain mystery and even eeriness that surrounds death. It seems like people s sensitivities are heightened and sharpened when they are around the scene of death. I have certainly noticed that at funerals. The things people talk about, the way they behave is often different at the times of one s death. Maybe its because we are forced to look at our own mortality. You never know what someone will say in those moments or what things may happen. I have certainly heard some incredible stories from my colleagues about funerals they ve conducted. I remember one of my pastor friends telling me about a graveside service he was conducting with all the people gathered around the grave, when all of the sudden the coffin which had been set in place, started to slide and the lid popped open. Some did not wait around to see what was going to happen next. Another pastor at a graveside service told me about the time the ground around the grave started to cave in and he found himself sinking part way into the hole. It s made me be a lot more careful doing those services. I guess you could say In the surroundings of death things seem to be and can be different. And now the task is given to these women going to the tomb to take care of the body of Jesus. Women who were heartbroken over the loss of their Lord, but faithful women who carry out this responsibility of burial preparation. And as Page 1 of 5
they approach the tomb they see that incredible sight. An angel of heaven. An angel whose appearance was like lightning, whose clothes were white as snow, sitting there on the tombstone. Whatever sense of control that they had about themselves in these moments must surely have been shaken. They were terrified. And then the angel speaks to them: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. And they are instructed to go and tell the disciples. Well, in the awesomeness of that moment, they weren t going to wait around and contemplate the situation. The Scripture says, the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid and filled with joy. It was a great mystery, but they knew something wonderful had happened. And with fear and also with joy they run to tell the good news of the risen Christ. And here we are over 2000 years later, still sharing the glorious news of Jesus resurrection. Wonderful news that has implications for all of time. And wonderful news that has implications for you and me personally. Because this resurrection victory, becomes our victory. Jesus offered this word of promise Because I live, you also will live. You cannot read the apostle Paul without discovering the application of the resurrection message. Because he describes our faith in Christ in resurrection terms. The powerful message of one of our readings this morning: Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus. Raised with Jesus. Think of that! The resurrection of Jesus changes the outlook of our everyday life. This victory of Jesus over death is a victory we experience not just at death. This victory gives us great hope in the face of all kinds of circumstances. That s why Paul could say: we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned struck down, but not destroyed. And hear this: We do not lose heart inwardly we are being renewed day by day, because our focus is on the power of Christ working within us. That power that raised Jesus from the dead, that s the power that is working in us We are raised with Jesus. That was Paul s theme song: I want to know Christ and the power of the resurrection. Page 2 of 5
I have to ask you this morning. Where do you need to experience the power of the resurrection in your life? Because we all have problems, situations, trying circumstances, and difficult challenges that we are confronted with. Life often presents is struggles and hardships. And we can be tempted to allow ourselves to be discouraged or even defeated. We can feel like there is no way out. And like those disciples who must have thought their hopes in the Messiah had been crushed, we can huddle in fear or feel paralyzed by our troubles. But the message of Easter calls us to lift up our heads and call upon a living Lord. To awaken to a new life! Easter with its resurrection message calls us to rise above our circumstances for we are raised with Jesus As the Easter hymn declares: Born like him, like him we rise. As we put our trust in this risen Lord, we discover the power to overcome the things in life that would try to knock us down. And there are those times when we may not see the answer that we are hoping for, but it is our faith that continues to sustain us and give us the assurance that the ultimate victory is God s. In a sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr. he shares important words about this hope even in the midst of shattered dreams: (God s) creative power is not exhausted by this earthly life, nor is his majestic love locked within the limited walls of time and space.god through Christ has taken the sting from death by freeing us from its dominion. Our earthly life is a prelude to a glorious new awakening, and death is an open door that leads us into life eternal. The important thing is to allow this Easter message to get a hold of us and change our outlook. And to realize that in life and in death we find new life. Being raised with Jesus is like receiving the gift of life all over again. CNN once carried a story of a senior citizen who had been declared dead by the Social Security Administration, even though this guy was very much alive and well. There was some kind of computer mix-up, and it caused all sorts of inconvenient things for this poor man. His checks stopped coming, his credit cards were declined by the stores, and he had trouble with his health coverage. His death notice even showed up in the paper. It took this guy well over a year to get things cleared up, but he was a good-natured fellow and he would tell his story without blaming Page 3 of 5
anyone. He told one news reporter about the mistake, to which the news writer replied: Tomorrow, I going to put your name in the birth column, and give you a fresh start in life. That s what Easter means to us. We are brought from death to life. We are given new life, resurrection life. It is a new beginning for those who look to this living Jesus. The old way of letting our problems defeat us is exchanged for a new position, and new perspective. We are brought from death to live. Raised with Jesus. And the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. What a difference it makes when we truly see and experience the risen Christ. When I was a child, I remember the prayer that I was taught that went like this: Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die, before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. That prayer has been changed in a lot of homes, because of its reference to death. And maybe for good reason for it could be frightening for a child. But maybe also because of our own feelings about the topic of death. Well, I heard about a father who had knelt down beside his little boy s bed as to say their prayers before he tucked him in bed. The little boy began his prayer with the prayer he had repeated many times before: Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should wake before I die then he stopped embarrassed and said: Daddy, I got mixed up. But his dad wisely responded: Not at all, to me that was the first time that prayer was properly prayed. That is my prayer and heart for you: That you wake up before you die. Soon the child drifted to sleep, but the father thought about the prophetic words in his mind: If I should wake before I die. That s it, he thought, That s the promise and hope of Easter. That we wake up spiritually and discover that we are raised with Jesus. That s what this day is all about. Seeing the risen Christ. Seeing life and death from a whole new perspective. Christ s victory becomes our victory! Christ has Page 4 of 5
been raised and we who look to this living Savior are raised with him. Let us sing and shout our hallelujahs on this glorious resurrection day! Page 5 of 5