Easter!
Commentary
One of the problems the church faces when talking about Easter is to find a way to get around pictures already firmly implanted in our minds. Many of us have attended Easter sunrise services in graveyards and we have heard a multitude of sermons that tell us that Easter means life after death for us. And of course that is true, but it is only part of the story.
Easter also means victory. Refer to the Corinthian lesson for this Sunday and you will discover there a proclamation that all enemies, including death, have been vanquished, defeated. That does not for a moment mean that there is no continuing struggle. What is meant is that final victory is already underway and already assured. Therefore we need not appeal either to our own weaknesses or to the power of our enemies as excuses. The truth is that their stings have been removed. They have no ultimate power over us. We can live resurrected (empowered) lives in the here and now.
Easter also means that he is present with us. Time and again Jesus makes this point with his disciples. That ought to be especially meaningful for us since it means that he is no longer limited either by space or time. He can be with us as fully as he was with them. We need make no pilgrimages or seek out holy places in order to be in his presence. We have his word that wherever two or three of us are gathered in his name, he is there. When we call upon him he will be present and when we go out in his name, we do not go alone.
Make sure that you give Easter a richer and broader meaning on this Easter Day.
OUTLINE I
Preaching the Gospel
Acts 10:31-43
Introduction: Begin by telling the story of PeterÕs experience that led him to todayÕs proclamation or you will find yourself beginning at the end of the story. The background furnishes a backdrop for this early, digested sermon from the church. Surely here we have what Luke considered to be a summary of the Gospel at that time. Note the themes.
A. Universalism. God shows no partiality. And these are words from, of all people, hardheaded zealot Peter who usually has to learn them the hard way. Once he has learned, however, he sticks to what he has come to believe.
B. The Good News. Remember that although it is Easter and many of us assume that the Good News was not fully known until Easter, the truth mentioned here is that in the presence of Jesus and the word that came by John, the Good News is already known. Easter is the validation of his teachings and his life.
C. They put him to death. Peter faces the facts which the early church faced and held no punches.
D. But God. This is the key phrase. What is done here is done by GodÕs power. That is the focus of Easter. Easter is the time when we focus attention on the Resurrection as a manifestation of that power.
Conclusion: We are commanded to preach, witness. Easter is not meant to be just a day on which we glory in the gift and assurance that is ours. It is meant also to be a day when we realize that we are called to take this message to the whole world.
OUTLINE II
The Final Enemy
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Introduction: I sometimes wonder just how many of us realize how blessed we are that Paul wrote letters to address the questions being raised in his churches. They raised the same questions that are still being raised within the fellowship. We are the blessed recipients of what this orthodox Jew, now become a follower of Jesus, has to say.
A. More than hope. Just hoping that there is more to life is surely not enough. What we need is assurance, certainty, a clear word that tells us that the gift is surely ours.
B. But in fact. We do have the certain word. Jesus has been raised from the dead. To put it succinctly, this is the only case we know of where the footprints lead away from the grave.
C. First-fruits. Surely if the claim of death has been broken and its power now gone, the one through whom this has been accomplished is the one who can offer it as GodÕs gifts to us all.
D. All enemies defeated. All that opposes the loving will of God has now been defeated. It has no power over us. We are free to live under his lordship and to gain the life he offers.
Conclusion: Note that at the end, the declaration is made that all enemies have been defeated. We, who sometimes claim that we are defeated by powers beyond our control, are reminded that there are no such powers. We are no longer victims and there is One on our side who enables us to be victorious. Offer the Easter message as a message of that power of God that can come into our lives and not only make us new creatures in Christ but enable us to live lives worthy of his calling in the here and now.
OUTLINE III
Evidence in Absence
John 20:1-18
Introduction: In the Gospel of John, we have the latest record of the discovery of the empty tomb. Now that the Sabbath was past, the women could come and complete matters associated with the burial of the body of Jesus. There is no body. Mary, who here seems to have come alone, rushes to tell Peter and John, who in turn rush to the tomb only to find it empty.
A. No body. No one is recorded as having witnessed the actual Resurrection. Our evidence comes from events such as those reported by John. And especially note who is first to come to the tomb. Peter. Peter the denier. Note that in another gospel Jesus gives the command to go and tell Peter and the other disciples. Here Peter is one of the first witnesses.
B. A New Body. Here is one of those strange events that lead many to wonder about the influence of docetism on the author. Just what does Jesus mean when he does not want to be touched? And what does this mean, especially in view of other reports of his eating and inviting others to touch him? Perhaps the interpretation given by the RSV gives us an out. Maybe he did mean Òdo not hold meÓ or do not seek to keep me here. He knows that they are going to have to get used to his absence. Even so he is clear, especially in chapters 14-16 of John, that even though he is not physically present, he is with them in a very special way.
Conclusion: Easter is more than most imagine it to be. Too many think of Easter as a day which is meant to reassure them of life to come. Here other dimensions appear and we are reminded that Easter means victory over death and the presence of our Lord with us. See theme article.
Easter also means victory. Refer to the Corinthian lesson for this Sunday and you will discover there a proclamation that all enemies, including death, have been vanquished, defeated. That does not for a moment mean that there is no continuing struggle. What is meant is that final victory is already underway and already assured. Therefore we need not appeal either to our own weaknesses or to the power of our enemies as excuses. The truth is that their stings have been removed. They have no ultimate power over us. We can live resurrected (empowered) lives in the here and now.
Easter also means that he is present with us. Time and again Jesus makes this point with his disciples. That ought to be especially meaningful for us since it means that he is no longer limited either by space or time. He can be with us as fully as he was with them. We need make no pilgrimages or seek out holy places in order to be in his presence. We have his word that wherever two or three of us are gathered in his name, he is there. When we call upon him he will be present and when we go out in his name, we do not go alone.
Make sure that you give Easter a richer and broader meaning on this Easter Day.
OUTLINE I
Preaching the Gospel
Acts 10:31-43
Introduction: Begin by telling the story of PeterÕs experience that led him to todayÕs proclamation or you will find yourself beginning at the end of the story. The background furnishes a backdrop for this early, digested sermon from the church. Surely here we have what Luke considered to be a summary of the Gospel at that time. Note the themes.
A. Universalism. God shows no partiality. And these are words from, of all people, hardheaded zealot Peter who usually has to learn them the hard way. Once he has learned, however, he sticks to what he has come to believe.
B. The Good News. Remember that although it is Easter and many of us assume that the Good News was not fully known until Easter, the truth mentioned here is that in the presence of Jesus and the word that came by John, the Good News is already known. Easter is the validation of his teachings and his life.
C. They put him to death. Peter faces the facts which the early church faced and held no punches.
D. But God. This is the key phrase. What is done here is done by GodÕs power. That is the focus of Easter. Easter is the time when we focus attention on the Resurrection as a manifestation of that power.
Conclusion: We are commanded to preach, witness. Easter is not meant to be just a day on which we glory in the gift and assurance that is ours. It is meant also to be a day when we realize that we are called to take this message to the whole world.
OUTLINE II
The Final Enemy
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Introduction: I sometimes wonder just how many of us realize how blessed we are that Paul wrote letters to address the questions being raised in his churches. They raised the same questions that are still being raised within the fellowship. We are the blessed recipients of what this orthodox Jew, now become a follower of Jesus, has to say.
A. More than hope. Just hoping that there is more to life is surely not enough. What we need is assurance, certainty, a clear word that tells us that the gift is surely ours.
B. But in fact. We do have the certain word. Jesus has been raised from the dead. To put it succinctly, this is the only case we know of where the footprints lead away from the grave.
C. First-fruits. Surely if the claim of death has been broken and its power now gone, the one through whom this has been accomplished is the one who can offer it as GodÕs gifts to us all.
D. All enemies defeated. All that opposes the loving will of God has now been defeated. It has no power over us. We are free to live under his lordship and to gain the life he offers.
Conclusion: Note that at the end, the declaration is made that all enemies have been defeated. We, who sometimes claim that we are defeated by powers beyond our control, are reminded that there are no such powers. We are no longer victims and there is One on our side who enables us to be victorious. Offer the Easter message as a message of that power of God that can come into our lives and not only make us new creatures in Christ but enable us to live lives worthy of his calling in the here and now.
OUTLINE III
Evidence in Absence
John 20:1-18
Introduction: In the Gospel of John, we have the latest record of the discovery of the empty tomb. Now that the Sabbath was past, the women could come and complete matters associated with the burial of the body of Jesus. There is no body. Mary, who here seems to have come alone, rushes to tell Peter and John, who in turn rush to the tomb only to find it empty.
A. No body. No one is recorded as having witnessed the actual Resurrection. Our evidence comes from events such as those reported by John. And especially note who is first to come to the tomb. Peter. Peter the denier. Note that in another gospel Jesus gives the command to go and tell Peter and the other disciples. Here Peter is one of the first witnesses.
B. A New Body. Here is one of those strange events that lead many to wonder about the influence of docetism on the author. Just what does Jesus mean when he does not want to be touched? And what does this mean, especially in view of other reports of his eating and inviting others to touch him? Perhaps the interpretation given by the RSV gives us an out. Maybe he did mean Òdo not hold meÓ or do not seek to keep me here. He knows that they are going to have to get used to his absence. Even so he is clear, especially in chapters 14-16 of John, that even though he is not physically present, he is with them in a very special way.
Conclusion: Easter is more than most imagine it to be. Too many think of Easter as a day which is meant to reassure them of life to come. Here other dimensions appear and we are reminded that Easter means victory over death and the presence of our Lord with us. See theme article.
