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Location: Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Resurrection Sunday 4/24/11

Resurrection Sunday
4/24/11
Matthew 28:1-10

Resurrection Sunday is one of the most holy days of Christianity. Most Christian churches will be packed, for some it will be standing room only. We sing those wonderful resurrection hymns, hear the glorious music from those who play the instruments and those who sing in the choir. We leave feeling wonderful. Then the next Sunday comes around and the worst attended Sunday of the year takes place. Churches that were stuffed are almost empty. That is the way it is and it is a sad commentary on the Christian faith.

As I thought about it this past week I came to the conclusion that there can be only one reason for the mass desertion of the Lord’s house the Sunday after Resurrection Sunday. Monday morning reality has set in. People who sang God’s praises, who shouted out to each other “He is Risen. He is risen indeed!” today find that nothing in their life has changed There are still problems and well to be honest it does not appear that the resurrection of Jesus has had no real impact on their lives. Worshiping him, studying his Word, and spending meaningful time in prayer becomes just more things to do and heaven knows there is not enough time to get everything done now.

Oh there are all kinds of excuses, for not attending worship services on a regular basis, some legitimate, but the fact remains that many of those who are hearing the message of Jesus’ resurrection will not truly understand the message that it is only through Jesus’ death and resurrection that they are saved from God’s just wrath and thus able to better live the full lives that God wants them to live here on this earth. They will not get it, for if they did they would desire to live under the kingship of Jesus and Christian Churches would be full every Sunday. It is as if there is some kind of huge stone between them and God’s Word that obscures the Gospel of Jesus.

None of us are immune from spiritual stones. We all have them. Some of them are large, but others are small and odd shaped. For those who don’t believe in any kind of God their heart has become a spiritual stone that will not let God’s Word enlighten the darkness of their heart and mind.

For others their stone is their intellect which keeps them from believing that Jesus is the Son of God who willingly died on the cross for the sins of all people and then rose from the grave. How can that be they ask?

Then there are all the other spiritual stones that are so much a part of all of us that, for the most part we don’t even recognize that they are stones getting in the way of seeing the empty grave and thus Jesus.

So many of us, in fact I would say all of us deal with our stones of self-righteousness, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration. Notice a pattern here? They all include self. The list could go on and on. All are spiritual stones which keep us from seeing, truly seeing the resurrected Savior.

There is another spiritual stone that has plagued humans since Adam and Eve sinned and were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. It is the belief that when a person dies that is the end. We hope for an eternal life, but what we see is death and if you are unfortunate enough to see one a decomposing body.

That is the spiritual stone that the disciples of Jesus were dealing with on Friday, as those who didn’t desert Jesus saw him die that terrible death on the cross. That is what kept them in hiding on Saturday and early Sunday morning.

In fact that is the spiritual stone that stood in way of the women going to the tomb that first resurrection Sunday. They thought, no they believed, even after Jesus had told them all that he would rise from the grave, that they were going to find the dead and decomposing body of Jesus in that tomb. That was the stone that was getting in their way that morning. How do we know that? They were carrying spices and perfumes that were traditionally used to embalm a deceased loved one.

When they arrived at the tomb the stone that covered the entrance to the tomb was removed by an angel of God. And in that physical act the spiritual stone was also removed from their hearts and minds. For the first time they truly saw, if not then, later that Jesus was the Son of God, the crucified one has been raised from the dead. He is alive and they rushed back to the disciples with the Good News.

Some would say that the resurrection is not that big of deal. What is important is Jesus’ life and teachings. That is what we are to remember. But without the miracle of his resurrection we would have nothing more than a dead prophet like the other world religions have.

Jesus resurrection validates who he is, the Son of God, God in the flesh. Everything Jesus said, every claim he made, including his very identity, all stand or fall on the miracle of resurrection.

The biblical witness to this truth is significant. Paul never mentions the empty tomb in his powerful rendering of the meaning of resurrection. Instead, he narrates a sequence of appearances; a litany of people who never visited the empty tomb, but who encountered the risen Christ. The last of these was Paul himself whose life was forever changed by his encounter with the risen Christ.

Luke’s Gospel includes a powerful narrative about two disciples who cannot understand why Jesus was killed. They acknowledge the story they have heard from certain women who claim they saw Jesus alive, but the men remain uncertain. In their case, neither the physical evidence of the empty tomb, nor the testimony of eyewitnesses is convincing. It is only when the risen Christ breaks bread with them, that they recognize that he is indeed alive.

And of course there is Thomas. Thomas certainly found the way to belief blocked by a huge stone. Thomas, like we so often do, demanded proof. He would not believe that Jesus was alive until he touched wounds in the Lord’s hands and side. Thomas was not about to be fooled either by empty tombs or eyewitness accounts.

Jesus gave Thomas what he asked for, and in doing so gave us what we need. Thomas was blessed by Jesus, for seeing and believing. But Jesus told him something else, something for us today, “More blessed, however, are those who do not see and yet believe.”

That is a profound statement. Those who do not see are more blessed than those who saw and touched. Jesus is talking about us whose stones of self and unbelief have been rolled away letting us not only see the empty tomb but to see Jesus himself in God’s Word and Sacraments.

It is a terrible tragedy, for there will be some who hear this message today who will leave as they came; in unbelief; the stone between themselves and Jesus unmoved. Others will leave today changed as the Word of God starts to remove the stone that is blocking their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Still others and I pray that this is true of all of you here in attendance this morning will leave enriched and energized for Christ because they are living in faith and not sight.

He is risen. He is alive. He is your Savior and King, the Lord of your life. Tomorrow when you wake up and the reality of life strikes you once more listen as he calls to you, “Come to me all of you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Will you listen and accept his help? I hope so, for his life is your life, your identity, today, tomorrow, and forever. Amen.