Apr 5 Easter - The Victory of Christ
At this time that children invited to go with Miss Laura, to hear the scriptures in the way that they would hear, best learning from our great Lord and King. Yes, but especially the one who loves who welcomes with open arms. All especially those who are young and yes, but also those who are older and moving into new life and different ways to invite them to go and hear the word of the Lord.
This morning scriptures are from mainly focused on two passages from John, 20 verses 1 through 22 or describes that that morning they had broken even in the Darkness. And for 1st, John 3:8. Hear the word of the Lord.
Early on the first day of the week. While it was still dark.
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone had been been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciples, the one whom Jesus loved. And said to them, they have taken the Lord out of the Tomb. We do not know where they have laid him. Then Peter and the other disciples set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran, Peter and it reached the tomb first He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and he saw the linen lying there in the cloth that had been on Jesus head not lying with the linen, wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. then the other disciples who reached the tomb first also went in and he saw and believed Where is yet, they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples return to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside of the Tomb. now, she went She bent over to look in the Tomb. She saw two angels and white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying. One at the head and one at the feet. They said to her woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.
When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, sir, if you have carried him away and tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.
Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him and Hebrew rabboni. Which means teacher.
Jesus said to her, do not touch me because I have not yet ascended to my father. go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father to my God and your God Mary Magdalene went and announced the disciples. I have seen the Lord and she told them that he had said these things to her.
And when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, the doors were locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews do this came in this stood, among them and said, peace be with you. I need after he said that she showed them his hands and his side then the disciples rejoiced, when they saw the Lord and Jesus said to them again, peace be with you as the father has sent me. So I send you When he had said that she breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.
And John writes in his epistle or the first of his Epistles, everyone who commits sin is of the devil for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil. This is a Holy scripture of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God.
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine your your place among the disciples on that morning?
Can you imagine being being Mary Magdalene? And Coming to the Garden. Remembering what happened on that Friday night?
Knowing having been there, when Jesus was nailed to the cross.
Having been there as his body had been taken off the cross. With all care.
And his body covered. Taking to the tomb and laid in that restful place. And the stone rolled in front of it.
Can you imagine being her as she woke up early in the morning? Maybe, maybe she didn't even sleep.
Because everybody knows if you care about someone so deeply and so in intently, your mind and your heart may be so unsettled. Hey, you just can't grasp a wink and even when you do, you might wake with a start.
Imagine being married and getting up early it while it was still dark.
Going to the two, making sure that his body would be taking care of thinking on him and where he laid the whole entire time, coming to that garden. And and you see what It's open.
It's open. What are they doing? What's going on? Imagine being one of the disciples hearing this is as Mary tells them and they are running running to that tomb on the morning to see what happened. What? What is happening? What happened to his body? What is he doing?
Run to this place to see his body to take care of the one that they love.
seeing his body removed and yet, and yet, On that morning, it wasn't just a cold and dark tune. It wasn't a cold and dark place where his body laid, it was no longer closed closed and end. Working, but it was opened that stone was rolled away and life was pouring in and two. Angels were sitting there in the place where he had laid no longer with his body there. But yes, they were saying he is risen. He is risen, indeed.
New imagine being one of them. Hearing of what all the happening? Your your your heart is unsettled, you see the grave clothes and get you here. The Angelic message, And you're trying to grasp what's going on. You're trying to understand.
Trying to figure out what has happened. Maybe if it is it's it's less of a mind thing though. And more of a heart thing.
Who wouldn't want to see the new one? They love rice. Who won wouldn't want to see? Want to know that that I had happen.
See over this last season, we've been talkin about the the meaning of the the Cross of Christ. What it really means is people have asked time and time again, all through Christian history. Why did Jesus have to die? how does how does it make any sense to most people to most of humanity who tried to figure it out for their own minds and hearts, it doesn't make any logical sense Yeah, but there have been these various ways that Christianity has tried to try to rationalize it for themselves and it really 10 different ways that we we had talked about it and I'm not going to go over all them. If you would like to hear those messages, we have them available online. If you would like to hear of them into the different ways and then hear that theology. We have, we have four different gospels. In four different perspective of what happened in Jesus ministry and even what happened at the resurrection. And one of the chief understandings and traditional understandings is in the church, is that this whole thing is, is really about Cosmic battle that exists between Good and Evil. All throughout the, the story of scripture, this, this story is told, it's not just about forgiveness of sins, but it's about the battle between light and darkness, good and evil, destruction and renewal in New Life. The cross is it an important moment when Jesus Took the full weight of evil upon himself and then rose again triumphant Victorious over it. We heard from John 3:8. We're done. Is said, giving that description of that epic battle pitted between Jesus against the principalities and powers and and spiritual forces. Whether their Earthly or spiritual? Honestly, as it is, is we give in to those things in our lives. In, in the book that we were studying, why didn't you just have to die by Adam Hamilton? He suggested. Jesus death is not a mechanism. Or some mathematical understanding or some logical approach. But Jesus death was not just a mechanism pipe, a message sent to everyone. And hear the message is loud and clear that no matter what, it sounds like, no matter what. We here in the news, wasn't no matter what we hear from our neighbors and friends, no matter what is going on in the world, evil does not get the last word.
Historian, the soldier missing. Who exposed wrote about the brutalities of Stalin's. Labor camps, wrote the line between the dividing good and evil cuts through to the very heart of every human being, The battle is not only out there in the cosmic sense, in the universe sense. Right now only out there, but it's in here. Then our human hearts. On that Easter morning, the empty tomb was not just the sign that Jesus rose, but it's a declaration that God's lights cannot God's light overcome. The Darkness. Darkness cannot overcome him.
The last few years we've seen as the war in Ukraine.
Begin the war, the world watched. As we saw these terrifying displays of Darkness, Millions of families that were displaced, are displaced from their homes.
Lives lost. And it looks like violence and destruction, might get the last word.
Leaving still almost immediately. The light is pushed back as country as after country is, is is organization. After organization, including Encore the United Methodist committee on relief, one of many organizations in our Global Church activated missional Network to extend, radical Hospitality to make sure the people had food to make sure that they had shelter to make sure that that they would have a place be reminded of their worth.
Many around them, provided sanctuary and shelters. Hot meals, safe Transit, hygiene kits and trauma support
the war was meant to bring destruction. All wars are Meant to bring destruction. What it was met with an unprincipled. Precedented wave a generosity that still continues today. Despite all the politics that might surround it.
That's what it looks like when ordinary people become hands and feet of Christ. It is a living declaration that the empty tomb wasn't. Just a sign that Jesus rose. What is proof that God's like cannot be overcome by Darkness. It shows us that the resurrection power is still working today. When that light Shone from the empty tomb on that Easter morning, it didn't just push back the darkness of the world. It broke into the very power of death itself, declaring that God's old declaring God's ultimate victory. He just took every blow of hates. And cruelty and fear. But when Eros, he defeated even death itself.
That Resurrection morning is is the sign of of of of God's love for us. It is it is his message to us of his love. His, his active working breaking into the darkness of this world and extending light. Broke into the very power of death bringing us, God's victory. Jesus took every, every every single blow and defeated it it is the Risen Christ. Christ is risen, indeed Echoes across centuries as as Christians have proclaimed, this Cry of victory.
We know the message. We hear the story. So, what does it mean as we live it out?
Can you imagine the disciples in that day when when they came to terms with all that happened with the met with Jesus, on that night? Can you imagine what they did? And that, that next week following What kind of things that they would say, how they would act what they would do? How far would they reach with her message to say that Christ is risen Christ is risen indeed, how far would they go with that message? That Christ is risen
Insecure that response for somebody to say to your egg knowledge that Christ had risen. Did they believe that he rose again bringing them transformation and understanding that, the death does not hold all the power, it is not the final word and finest final Authority in this world. That Resurrection is coming for us.
But many ass still.
Still victory over what?
Send. Death. Political foes.
You know full well that darkness is still out there.
The resurrection doesn't erase the pain or remove our suffering. Doesn't remove our grief. But it transforms them. Evil still exists, but it's blunted. Define, if you will. The Bible talks about that Paul talks about removing its its sting 1st, Corinthians 15 and 5. Where oh death is your sting.
one of the great blessings of being a pastor is being with people who are hurting in moving to the ends of their life.
It's It may be difficult to understand why that me, it might be a blessing.
but being in the presence of someone who understands that death is not the end.
That they are, there is still something more to hold on to the hope that they have that they understand that Christ is risen and they will be risen indeed with him. Given that understanding that knowledge. When all is said and done.
They're sure and have that certain hope of their Resurrection as well. Doesn't take away what's going to happen. but it certainly indeed blunts it Define zit. Removes its thing.
Christ. Look defeated on the cross in that day, with all the, the political and even religious power, is it in the moment against him? He look defeated on that night but I guess it was in that morning that he declared with his resurrection, a decisive victory over death, a decisive victory over sin, a decisive victory, over the evil in this world. And is it because of price and victory. We are secure.
We can stand on this understanding. And we can live into it every single day. Teen not beginning our day in in darkness and beginning. But beginning our days and new In the light of God. I did it is in that daily living the resurrected life that understanding that that Christ has given given us New Life by his spirit for John talks about in in his gospel chapter 2021 as the father sent me. So I am sending you feed. Christ gives us a commission mission to be about a transformation of Life are redeemed are restored. Our renew lines are meant to tell a resurrection story. Is meant to tell that there is a change from what we have been to what we had brought a new Why do we have been given the new life? We have been given in Christ in to live an entirely different way? Such that people do not recognize what we look like anymore.
Is Mary did on that morning. You think she didn't know what Jesus look like.
She loved him.
But there was something amazingly different about his entire aspect.
Change how she viewed him.
so, instead of seeing him necessarily as just a teacher, Just a good example.
She sees him as her risen. Lorde.
Saint John, he describes Adam and Humanity as like grains of wheat.
See Jesus died like like a seed, like a weed. Like the seed that is planted in the soil, in the ground and that seed is broken open as it comes to New Life, and they shoot comes out of that broken seed to bring new life and it is that new life of Resurrection that produces a harvest. And you can read all through out acts as the body of Christ, heads, heads and met on that day of Pentecost. And there was that first 120 followers. And then it became cells is in this house has became millions in the millions became billion such that we can know on the opposite opposite. Side of this entire world that Jesus Christ is risen
Hey Matt, he is risen indeed. So how many seeds might you plant in your life? What kind of seed will you plant? Will you plant seeds of Darkness or will you plant seeds of light? Oh my God, use you to Bear the fruits of love and Justice, and hope, and peace in this world. Because I can tell you friends, he's going to water it. He's going to light it up. He's in a fertilizing. Give you good soil to live in. so that you can be part of that Resurrection Life in your community, to
See here in our local Ministry contacts. We are involved with organizations around our community. We are giving and supplying as much as we can with his that beer with our time or with our money and various different ways, is one of the ways that we do that here in Bucks County is gathering up food. So we started building the first. We did a mini Pantry in the parking lot man and the end building out with that with food so that people in our community who need immediate need for food and just go there and get it. And, and this week people were in need, it was empty again. So we had to fill it up, man. Inside the doors of the church with providing some space in the church, in order to gather up some foods that we might continue to give that to the local Bucks, County Housing group in their pantry and we give away 100. Isn't that right? Then has hundreds of pounds of food, what per month? Get hundreds of pounds of food per month. Sometimes it can be like, what fix 600 that say about there. Yes, no. Yeah. Isn't that a few hundred pounds of food a month to give to the the pantry and make sure that that people aren't getting food because these are seeds. Planted hope in our community. Every time we do something like that. When we when we gather for You do for the my calling and different services that wouldn't that we do we we arranged that do service in our community so that people can see that they are loved that hope is shared for them, this is the way we spread the Light of Christ and tell him that our Resurrection story. When people ask us why we do these things we tell them our Resurrection story. I was like this, I was selfish I was hurting people, I was
You tell your story.
You told your story of what you have been. Then you tell your story of what you now are in Christ. And I promise you people are drawn to that message, that message of Hope and life that message that gives people New Life, the message that draws them to pray, so they can be renewed, restored Redeemed by his love as well.
The resurrection is indeed a dramatic event in the story in history that that has indeed changed the world. But it starts while it's still dark.
And it moves and people's hearts.
Know, where do you see? Jesus get up and get in the middle of public. In the middle of Jerusalem and make a giant speech to all the people. After his resurrection, you met with his disciples. In private places, small areas. But it was there. The disciples found their Resurrection stories.
They went out and shouted to everyone around them. Christ is risen.
Hey man, that is the power of the Cross. Thanks be to God for the power of the cross in the message that he sent. So that we haven't messages, hope, let's pray.
Christ, do you are risen?
You have given us new life and do Lord. We try to understand it, we try to explain it. in our own words, God,
Yes, you send us this message. To our hearts, to let us know that it is love. That winds.
Lord help us to remember, even now in the darkness that still might reside in places of our hearts.
Lord remind us of your love that. Your light might shine fully. that when we might realize, the light that we have to give to everyone in this world, we ask this, we ask that you resurrect us in your name, man.
The praise team is going to come now.
