Sermon Tone Analysis
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Empty is Everything
Mark 16:1-8
Well, $4 gas is here, again.
One of two things will be true for you.
Either your gas tank is full and your
wallet is empty, or your wallet may have some money in it and your gas tank is empty.
Regardless, we think
full is good and empty is bad.
Given a choice, we prefer full to empty.
Full sounds positive; empty sounds very
negative.
Empty implies want and need, whereas full suggests abundance and blessing.
Well, today I am here
to tell you that Easter is not for "full people," especially people full of themselves.
Easter is for "empty people."
There are two types of people in this world, full people and empty people.
If we took a poll and asked
the question, "Which would you rather be: full or empty?" most of us would probably say, "Full."
Right?
Think about it.
"Full" is good.
- Full Easter egg basket?
Good.
- Full church on Sunday?
That’s real good.
- Children full of respect and manners?
Good.
- A home full of comfortable, plush furniture?
Good.
- A life full of laughter and love?
Good and good again.
- A full stomach?
Good.
- A full bank account?
Very good.
- A full pantry?
Good.
- A full gas tank?
Expensive.
You get the point.
A person who is "full" is one who's able to look at her or his life and say, "I have
arrived!
Every need is met, every fear is silenced, and every obstacle is overcome."
Most would say, "That's
what I want.
That's what I'm aiming for!"
Maybe your life is pretty full and complete, then again, maybe not so
much… Are you full?
Let's be terribly honest.
If we believe that we're complete, that our lives are as they
should be, then this day, this message, this reality of the resurrected Jesus Christ, just isn't for us.
Here's the deal: Easter is not for full people.
It isn't for the "have-it-all-together-life-is-good" people.
No, Easter is for empty people.
Allow me to explain.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is for those who have
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figured out that in this life, "full" is a fleeting feeling.
As an example, looking at the spending habits of
American families reveals that the vast majority of income is spent on items that need constant replenishing.
We spend almost all of our treasure on food that will be eaten, gas that will be burned, clothes that will wear out
and entertainment that lasts a moment.
Some of us realize that no matter how many pounds of ham you put away or deviled eggs you down
later today, come Monday morning, you'll be hungry again.
Maybe you've discovered that on this side of
eternity, the beauty of spring always fades, turning into a summer likely going to be hot and humid.
The cutest
Easter dresses on your daughter will be grown out of by next year, or stained and even dirty before you get to
grandma's house this year.
Now I may sound rather dour for the moment, but the good news is coming.
Some of us have felt the emptiness of losing someone close.
Others know what it's like to have your
health fading or your family fighting.
Raise a hand if you have (well, you don’t have to raise your hand, just
make a mental note to yourself…) Do you have…
- a prayer that's unanswered,
- a fear that still haunts you,
- a depression that's lingering,
- a faith life that's stagnant,
- a job that's struggling,
- kids who are crazy,
- in-laws who are nuts,
- or a future that's uncertain.
We could ask those questions, and others, and it's possible that eventually every hand would shoot up.
Yes, there are those who know that fullness is fleeting and what it feels like to be empty.
The good news is that
for all who fall into that category where life is tenuous, fragile, questionable, or uncertain; they are the ones
Easter is for.
Easter is not for full people.
Easter is for empty people, or at least unfulfilled people.
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Listen again to these words from Mark's account of the Easter story.
"And [the angel] said to them, 'Do
not be alarmed.
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has risen; He is not here.
See the place
where they laid Him.
Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee.
There you will see
Him, just as He told you.'
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had
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