The Return of Hope

The Easter We Never Knew We Needed

Sometimes in life we distinctly know what we need.

When Payson is crying in the middle of the night and I get up to go check on her. If I walk into her room and am greeted by a serious smell. I know she needs a new pull-up. See a need, or in this case smell a need, meet a need.

Other times we have no idea what we need, but we know we are in need of something.

I can remember one time we were driving back to Oklahoma, this is a few years back when we had just moved to Marshall. We were driving on the turnpike and suddenly the car starts to overheat. Its starting to rain and so I pull over on the shoulder. I get out trying to be the car guy that in no way I am. Beth and 1 year old MaKenna still in the car. I don’t see any obvious leaks, no loose hoses, so I get back in the car wait a few minutes crank it back up and drive down the road. A little while later same thing. car starts to overheat so I decide I’m going to go slower but keep going. What is usually a 5 1/2 trip turns into an 8 hour trip but we finally make it. I still have no idea what is wrong with the car but at least we are there. I knew something was wrong, but I had no clue what I needed to fix it and instead of staying put and getting help I tried to do things on my own. It turns out something from the road had knocked a hole in our radiator during the drive. Something that I couldn’t have fixed even if I had wanted to in that moment.

There is still another situation we can find ourselves in that is more dangerous than the first 2. We can need help. We can be in serious need, but we don’t know it. “Ignorance is bliss, until its not.”

The women —> They need a body. They need to finish the burial ritual. They need to make this right.

The disciples —> They don’t know what to do so they are bunkered down, hiding. They need a leader.

the rest of us —> The world needs a savior, a connecter, a redeemer, the world needs Jesus. They just don’t know it yet.

CAT. 1 —> The women —> the doers

—> you need this Easter so you can slow down. Mary is on a mission. I need a body. I have a job to do. I will finish this right. For some of us Easter is an event. Its the Pastor’s Super Bowl. We get so wrapped up in all the different things surrounding Easter and forget about the MAIN EVENT.

John 20:11–16 ESV

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 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.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Mary is so intent on doing the right things that she doesn’t even recognize Jesus. Some of us have been missing Easter for years. We look right past Jesus because the eggs have to be hid, the dinner has to be cooked, no one better get their new Easter outfit dirty before the picture. All these things and Jesus is standing right there. This year we finally hear him say, “Mary” We have finally been forced to stop long enough to hear his voice, and just like that our hope is given new life.

That’s the first group of folks that need an Easter like this.

Cat. 2 —> The Disciples —> the followers

You need this Easter to be reminded that you have a leader. Jesus hasn’t left you stranded, and hopeless, he just needed you to focus.

John 20:19–21 ESV

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

How appropriate that most of you today are probably watching this from inside your home possibly with the doors locked. Not necessarily in fear of the Corona Virus but certainly giving it some healthy respect. We are waiting for something. Beth and I talk about when we think we will get to go back to some kind of normal everyday. When will they roll back the restrictions and open things up again. I’ll bet the disciples were having those same type of discussions. Do you think they’ve stopped looking for us? Maybe if we stay here another week we can sneak out next Sabbath.

But then it changes, it flips because Jesus is here. Jesus is back and he has a message for the disciples. “Its time to get to work.” John’s gospel is a little hasty in the gifting of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t here we wrong and go out saying, Pastor David said Jesus is alive so we need to get back to normal. That’s not what I’m saying. Jesus is Alive and calling us to work. However, he also tells his disciples, these same disciples in Luke and Acts to wait and get ready. There is a time of preparation before the work is to begin in earnest.

Cat. 3 —> The Others —> the oblivious

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This is the Easter for all those that may never have heard the Gospel. The truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Sent from Heaven to Earth make for us, simple human beings, a way to be reunited with God for eternity. This Easter people are hearing this message for the first time. This Easter people are getting a chance to connect with God through Christ in real and meaningful ways that would not have happened this year without the coronavirus and all that goes with it. Churches are doing more to engage their communities and the world than they ever have before. This year the message of the resurrection will be heard by more people than ever. It will be heard in more languages, in more unique and relevant ways, than we could have imagined.

We didn’t know this was the Easter we needed, but God did. God loves us enough to meet us where we are. God loves us enough to share his son, his only son with us. And not just share him but allow him to suffer and die so that we can all have life, everlasting life with God. Jesus died to make that a possibility, Jesus rose to bring it to reality. Friends, this is Easter!