From the Wilderness to the Garden: Easter Sunday

Greeting/ Prayer/ Intro

Would you pray with me?

Good Morning Church! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

I am so excited for this morning from the sunrise service this morning to the beloved Easter Hymns, Easter is my favorite celebration in the Church Calendar. Easter is truly the most amazing celebration as we remember how 2000 years ago Jesus rose from the dead.Besides the fact, that very few people have risen from the dead this is the pivotal point of our faith as Jesus followers, because it proves what Jesus said and did to be true.

It means that He is the Son of God, He is the Way the truth and the Life, He came into the world to bring light, life and forgiveness. He is the way back into relationship with God and the bringer of God’s reign and justice on earth! That is what makes Easter so important, without Jesus none of those things are true! and without the Resurrection Jesus would still be dead and as writes our faith would be in vain and we should be pited most. .

This is also an important day for our sermon series through Lent called in the Wilderness. We have been exploring this theme of wilderness in several ways!

Can someone share what themes or people we have looked at in the series? Just shout out the answers!

This day, marks a transition from the wilderness to the garden.

Intro: This morning, you may have noticed a change in the scenery around you it has gone from barren wilderness to spring bursting forth with new life. In many ways this sanctuary looks like a garden. This theme of new life and the garden is something that we will be exploring in today’s scripture text.

In the text this morning we are going to see some themes will hopefully stir our hearts and souls.

Graves turn into gardens

We will see the night turn to day

Death lead to New Life

A new creation and order

A new message about to Share!

If You havent done so already please turn in your bibles to John Chapter 19 verse 41 as we unpack the events that happened on the first Easter Morning!

Walking through the Text: Scripture Speaks to US

Location is Important here for John (Vs 41-42)

Garden- Back to Eden

Tomb- Death in the Midst of the Garden

Point back to creation story

The writer is painting a story of a new Garden where life overcomes death and the path to eternal life is restored!

Scene from Night to Day, Somber to Panic (Verses 1-3)

It is very early in the early in the morning as Mary comes to prepare the body with other women.

She sees the stone rolled away - Reaction is to Panic and run to tell the others!

Peter and John Panic too and Run-

Not sure why John takes a jab at Peter by saying he got to the tomb first as if it were a race.

The Grave Linens (verses 4-9) - the two disciples explore the tomb

The linens are important because they create conflict- They reveal the body wasnt just picked up and taken

If the body was taken, why would anyone unwrap a rotting corpse to steal it?

Furthermore if they were unwrapping a corpse why would they take the time to fold the face covering?

So it leaves the disciple trying to figure out what happened to the body.

Lets look at the disciples responses for a moment

Mary Panicked at the sight of the empty tomb

Luke’s account tells us that Peter walked away confused..

John writes that He believed. -

On the surface it could mean he believed Mary that Hes been taken, but in John’s gospel to believe is always connected to faith in Christ.

verse 9 says they didnt understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead- So John couldve believed Jesus rose from the dead, but not the larger biblical/theological significance.

Question: I want you to picture yourself in the disciples shoes.

You found the tomb, stone rolled away, linen clothes still there.

How would you respond?

What would you be thinking?

What would you do?

Transition: Then the disciples leave in verse 10, but the scene zooms in on Mary Weeping at the tomb. Lets take a look at what happens next because I think its pretty powerful!

Mary’s Conversation with Angel’s and Jesus (11-16)

Mary is so focused on the fact that Jesus is gone that two angels show up and she doesnt even bat an eye!

They ask why she is crying: I dont know if Angel’s are smart, but if I were Mary, I wouldnt have responded so nicely.

They have taken my Lord away and I dont know where they have put Him.

I think this scene reminds me of Hagars experience in the wilderness, remember how desperate Hagar, imagine how desperate Mary is!

In verse 14, Jesus enters the scene in verse 14. and asks Mary the same Question the angel’s asked, If I were Mary I wouldve lost it by now.

I want to unpack the fact that Mary Thinks Jesus is the Gardener in verse 15. I think John is being intentional here! This scene started in a garden, could it be a coidence that she thinks Jesus is the gardener?

Remember Location: The garden! You see Mary isn’t completely wrong when she calls Jesus the Gardener because in many ways Jesus being present at creation is a gardener! Yet, even more so now, as he is the Gardener of new creation.

John wants us to recognize that Jesus is the New Gardener in the New Creation!

Mary’s Response is quite Bold, if you have taken him away, I will get him.

A woman is so desperate to be with Jesus that she would carry him herself.

It makes me wonder am I that serious about my relationship with Christ that I would attempt something beyond my physical ability if it meant I could be closer to him.

Then Jesus reveals himself in verse 16, and Mary Exclaims clinging to Him!

Then Jesus establishes a New order of things in verse 17

New Order here: Although she calls Jesus Teacher, he does not refer to her as student or disciple but siblings.

God is no longer just Jesus’ Father but he is the Disciples father there is now a personal connection with God for the disciples.

There is also a new order among the disciples. Jesus has established God’s new family in the new Creation!

Jesus Gives Mary a New Message to Share!

Mary becomes the first person to see the risen Christ, that is the first qualifying factor to be an apostle

Mary has actually been referred to as the apostle to the apostle, but the Message is the most important part here! Mary runs to the other disciples with a new Message, not the body is Gone, but Jesus is alive and Everything Changes Now! (That is perhaps the best way to describe the Message of Easter)

Jesus is alive and everything changes now!

Transition: This Easter story was packed with a whole lot of new for the disciples and the whole world on Easter Morning, but I think this story speaks into our lives today! Lets talk about How this Jesus’ resurrection changes our lives in this very Moment.

Application: Jesus Changes us today!

On the very surface, the Easter story changes what we know and think about God!

God is not dead, but alive. God is not detached but present and working

Because of Easter we know that God is bringing new life!

We know that God is making a new creation and a new family.

We know that Jesus is Alive and Everything Changes! Amen? Amen!

The Easter Story Invites us to reflect and hope

Reflect on the Ways that God is bringing New in our personal lives

For me: New house, New life situation, New opportunities, a renewed sense of passion for the Church, a season full of New

What arae some new things that God is doing in your life?

For the Church: We have new life (Madilyn Rose), New Bishop (Meet Next Week), A new district, New approaches to our worship space.

What are some other ways we have seen God make things new in our Church family?

Hope- God will continue to bring new life and make things new!

Paul writes that Jesus is not only the first born of the new creation, but the first fruits as well!

That means that there is more to come Amen!

Easter gives us hope that God will continue to:

Turn Graves into gardens

turn night turn to day and darkness to light

Bring Life even from Death

A new creation and new family!

God didnt stop doing this after Jesus, no here Just started with Jesus, How much more hope will we have that God will make all things new today!

The Easter Story invites us to Re NEW

Faith in Christ as the Risen King of the Universe

Personal relationship with God

Leave the tomb behind and embrace new life in Christ. (Some of us need to here its okay to step out of the tomb)

Renew our commitment to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ! We are a family, Part of celebrating easter is recognizing the God’s new family

Renew our commitment to share the same message that Mary did!

Jesus is alive! He is risen!

Not just the same message but same enthusiasm

The whole world must know that Jesus is alive and Everything Changes Now!

Would you pray with me?