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Morning Message Text: Luke 19: 28-40
The Empty Tomb
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.
4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,
7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Morning Message:
Job 19: 25 says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” What comfort this sweet sentence gives! We proclaim in the Easter hymn today: He is risen! The friends of Jesus found comfort in this sweet sentence, do you? Mary Magdalene wept at the tomb of Jesus until she heard his voice and saw him alive. She responded when Jesus called her by name. Jesus calls every one of us by name at some point in our lives. Have you heard him? Are you listening for his call? Others soon rejoiced to see their risen Redeemer and friend. I wonder, is your heart rejoicing this morning, on this glorious day of celebration? Did you come here today because your heart is full of the joy of the Lord? Did you come to celebrate the fact that your redeemer lives? Is He your redeemer and friend, or just an acquaintance that you pay homage to on special days? Can you joyfully say, “He is Risen?” Can you proclaim with Job this morning, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth?”
This is the most important day of celebration for Christians. This is a celebration that we, as Christians, should have every day. I know that you know these things, but bear with me because on Easter I need to make sure that everyone understands the importance of this day. You’ll have plenty of time today to enjoy your Easter baskets, your Easter eggs, your Easter dinner with your families, and walk around in your Easter bonnets. Okay, that one is a little dated. Does anyone wear Easter bonnets anymore?
In John 11: 25-26, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” This is what Easter is about. We all need to be reminded. I don’t care if you gave your life to Jesus sixty years ago or just yesterday. The world tries to take Easter away from us. Tell me if you have noticed this as well. The world does everything in its power to make it difficult for us to celebrate Easter. This is the most important day for Christians living in what is supposed to be a Christian nation, and Easter is not even a legal holiday. Don’t even get me started on some of the things that we do celebrate in this country. I consider myself a football fan and there is talk about making the day after the Super Bowl a holiday. That’s great, but what about Easter? Colleges give no consideration to Easter at all; in fact it seems like they do everything they can to keep students too busy to celebrate.
During the Lenten season we have been reading a daily devotional together. Today, the author of our devotional, Henri J. M. Nouwen says this, “We are preaching Jesus Christ as the risen Lord of life. This is not an idea. It has to become very concrete, very real for us. We have to dare to affirm life wherever we see it. Celebrate life and lift it up.” I don’t know if this is his story or if he borrowed it from someone else. Listen to it and realize why Easter is so important. “My wife died on a Sunday morning in a hospital bed in our family room. My hand was on her forehead; our son was at her side and my sister and brother-in-law were next to us. We read Revelation 21 and 22. We imagined the golden streets of New Jerusalem. But there was no imagination involved for her. We trusted that her feet had alighted onto those streets. Her voice had already joined the heavenly chorus. Christ was in her heart for a lifetime, and now he was with her into eternity. We preach Jesus Christ as the risen Lord of life.
Because of our Lord’s resurrection, every person can be made new. The Bible says, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” When you come to Jesus you won’t be the same as you used to be. It’s not an outward change; it happens on the inside. Your thoughts are new. God guides your intentions. You feel differently about your life. There is an unexplainable feeling of hope and joy in your spirit because the Holy Spirit of God now dwells in you. And one more thing: Easter now has new meaning. You want to be here because this is where you feel closer to your Savior, and you know that your Redeemer lives.
The Easter Bunny is a very old rabbit. We can date his birth to 1682, when a German Lutheran named George Franck von Franckenau wrote a story about an Easter hare bringing eggs to children. It’s fun to have traditions our children enjoy, but let’s help everyone around us truly appreciate the historical reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ. Most of all, let’s each come to the empty tomb for a fresh transfusion of joy. John 20: 20 contains a great understatement — “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Imagine the emotion packed into that word glad! They were thrilled, overwhelmed, lighthearted, exhilarated, and rejoicing. We should share their attitude! When you have Jesus in your heart, Easter should be thrilling, and when you can say, “My Redeemer lives,” your soul should rejoice.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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