Easter 2007: The Power of the Resurrection
Sermon Text for April 8:
Luke 24:1-12
I love to preach on Easter because in addition to our regular crowd of faithful believers, there are a variety of other people here as well. There are some who really don’t want to be here, but are here anyway because it is important to someone they love. There are some who believe, but have never felt comfortable within the fellowship of the church, so they stand on the sidelines, declining to make a commitment. There are some who are agnostic or even atheist who are daring us to say something that will tip them toward faith. But the magic of Easter moves people off of the sidelines and into the community at least for an hour or so. If any of these descriptions fit you, then this message is especially for you. I am glad that you are here.
The resurrection is the most wonderful story that the church has to tell, but we haven’t always been clear about who the story is for. For decades the Church tried to contain the message so only a select few could hear. But slowly God changed the Church’s heart so that now we know that the Easter story is for anyone who wants to celebrate the wonder of God’s love.
Almost twenty centuries ago a group of women led by Mary Magdalene made their way to the tomb of Jesus. The last few days were excruciatingly painful for the women and the disciples of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, all who believed in him were devastated. Their grief was deeper than the normal grief at the death of a loved one because when Jesus died, all of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of his friends died with him. The women were operating on automatic pilot that day as they moved toward the tomb. Nothing seemed real except the death of hope; the past no longer mattered, the future seemed impossible, and the present seemed pointless.
As the women made their way to the tomb, I think they secretly hoped that Jesus could reach out from the grave and comfort them. It was a fool’s errand, but even in death the women looked to Jesus for comfort. At least they would find comfort in doing what needed to be done, in anointing the body of Jesus for burial.
But when they got to the tomb, things were not as they expected. The door was open and the tomb was empty. As they peered inside, the women were greeted by angels who asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” …. “Remember how he told you that on the third day he would rise?” The women remembered and ran to tell the disciples that Jesus was raised from the dead, but they didn’t believe. The Bible says that the women’s story “seemed like an idle tale”.
That’s the story according to Luke. For many years those outside of Judaism were not invited into the community of faith. Non-Jews who heard the story, even if they believed, could only watch the community of faith from the sidelines. They were never accepted into the community as a brother or sister. They were considered less worthy than real Christians.
The Church has always had people like this, who exist around the edges either because the church judged them unworthy or because they themselves fail to commit to the church. But before the end of the first century the circle of acceptance was expanded so that all who wanted to be a part of Christ’s family were encouraged to belong.
In the Book of Acts we read of one of the most important moments in the life of the Church. The question this story answers is who can be included in the Body of Christ. In the Mediterranean Sea Port of Caesarea there lived a Roman commander named Cornelius, who is called a “God Fearer.” As a “God Fearer”, Cornelius believed the Jewish story of salvation through God. He expressed his faith as one who could only exist around the edges of the Synagogue. Despite his obvious faith he was never considered a part of the community. We can imagine Cornelius attending special feast days in the Synagogue, always making sure to stand at the back of the gathering, separated from the real Jews.
But all of that began to change one day when God spoke to him and told him to invite the disciple Simon Peter for a visit. The invitation was not easy for Peter to accept. He did not associate with people like Cornelius, and he struggled with whether it was right to share the story with someone outside of the community. But slowly it dawned on Peter that the resurrection story belonged to everyone who wanted to hear, maybe especially to people on the edges, people who have been ignored, even people that some of us find contemptible (as Peter found Cornelius). The story of Cornelius teaches us that God draws the boundaries of the Church wide enough that no one needs to be marginalized.
Peter accepted Cornelius’ invitation and shared the amazing story of the resurrection to his whole household, and the bible says that Cornelius believed. And suddenly he was no longer on the outside looking in. He received the resurrection story by faith, found forgiveness for his sin, and instantly became a part of the community.
If you sometimes feel like Cornelius, as if you only exist on the edges of faith, and the margins of the community, then the story of the resurrection is especially for you. Belief in the resurrection is the ticket into the community of the accepted. When we believe the resurrection story, our loving God embraces us saying, “I’m glad you are here. Welcome home!”
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Luke 24:1-12
I love to preach on Easter because in addition to our regular crowd of faithful believers, there are a variety of other people here as well. There are some who really don’t want to be here, but are here anyway because it is important to someone they love. There are some who believe, but have never felt comfortable within the fellowship of the church, so they stand on the sidelines, declining to make a commitment. There are some who are agnostic or even atheist who are daring us to say something that will tip them toward faith. But the magic of Easter moves people off of the sidelines and into the community at least for an hour or so. If any of these descriptions fit you, then this message is especially for you. I am glad that you are here.
The resurrection is the most wonderful story that the church has to tell, but we haven’t always been clear about who the story is for. For decades the Church tried to contain the message so only a select few could hear. But slowly God changed the Church’s heart so that now we know that the Easter story is for anyone who wants to celebrate the wonder of God’s love.
Almost twenty centuries ago a group of women led by Mary Magdalene made their way to the tomb of Jesus. The last few days were excruciatingly painful for the women and the disciples of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, all who believed in him were devastated. Their grief was deeper than the normal grief at the death of a loved one because when Jesus died, all of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of his friends died with him. The women were operating on automatic pilot that day as they moved toward the tomb. Nothing seemed real except the death of hope; the past no longer mattered, the future seemed impossible, and the present seemed pointless.
As the women made their way to the tomb, I think they secretly hoped that Jesus could reach out from the grave and comfort them. It was a fool’s errand, but even in death the women looked to Jesus for comfort. At least they would find comfort in doing what needed to be done, in anointing the body of Jesus for burial.
But when they got to the tomb, things were not as they expected. The door was open and the tomb was empty. As they peered inside, the women were greeted by angels who asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” …. “Remember how he told you that on the third day he would rise?” The women remembered and ran to tell the disciples that Jesus was raised from the dead, but they didn’t believe. The Bible says that the women’s story “seemed like an idle tale”.
That’s the story according to Luke. For many years those outside of Judaism were not invited into the community of faith. Non-Jews who heard the story, even if they believed, could only watch the community of faith from the sidelines. They were never accepted into the community as a brother or sister. They were considered less worthy than real Christians.
The Church has always had people like this, who exist around the edges either because the church judged them unworthy or because they themselves fail to commit to the church. But before the end of the first century the circle of acceptance was expanded so that all who wanted to be a part of Christ’s family were encouraged to belong.
In the Book of Acts we read of one of the most important moments in the life of the Church. The question this story answers is who can be included in the Body of Christ. In the Mediterranean Sea Port of Caesarea there lived a Roman commander named Cornelius, who is called a “God Fearer.” As a “God Fearer”, Cornelius believed the Jewish story of salvation through God. He expressed his faith as one who could only exist around the edges of the Synagogue. Despite his obvious faith he was never considered a part of the community. We can imagine Cornelius attending special feast days in the Synagogue, always making sure to stand at the back of the gathering, separated from the real Jews.
But all of that began to change one day when God spoke to him and told him to invite the disciple Simon Peter for a visit. The invitation was not easy for Peter to accept. He did not associate with people like Cornelius, and he struggled with whether it was right to share the story with someone outside of the community. But slowly it dawned on Peter that the resurrection story belonged to everyone who wanted to hear, maybe especially to people on the edges, people who have been ignored, even people that some of us find contemptible (as Peter found Cornelius). The story of Cornelius teaches us that God draws the boundaries of the Church wide enough that no one needs to be marginalized.
Peter accepted Cornelius’ invitation and shared the amazing story of the resurrection to his whole household, and the bible says that Cornelius believed. And suddenly he was no longer on the outside looking in. He received the resurrection story by faith, found forgiveness for his sin, and instantly became a part of the community.
If you sometimes feel like Cornelius, as if you only exist on the edges of faith, and the margins of the community, then the story of the resurrection is especially for you. Belief in the resurrection is the ticket into the community of the accepted. When we believe the resurrection story, our loving God embraces us saying, “I’m glad you are here. Welcome home!”
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 5:54 PM
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