Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Monday after Easter Sunday. The Lord blessed us with an incredible weekend to celebrate, and to worship the Risen Lord. Sunita, Andy, Jessica, Tom, and Laureen all came home. We were blessed to have each one of them for this glorious weekend. Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada could not come, as the kiddos were sick.
The Lord blessed us with a glorious musical celebration Saturday Evening at the First United Methodist Church. On Sunday morning worshippers began to gather at 6:15 AM Easter Morning for our Easter Sunrise worship. This was the first time in a long time we met outdoors for Easter Sunrise service. It was a glorious morning. Our worship began at 6:30 AM and brilliant Sun began to rise at 6.34 AM. It was a cloudless and glorious morning. So many, both young and old, came for this service. Hope led the worship in music, Mr. Katchdorian played the trumpet, and Pastor Marshall Sorber brought the Easter Message. It was a cloudless morning with abundant sunshine. As we were singing I could hear the birds sing, along with a couple geese flying by and joining us with a holy honk. Those who attended the Sunrise service then gathered for a very hearty breakfast prepared by Jim Holmes and family.
We gathered for worship at 8:30 and at 11:00. The Adult Choir sang, as did a combined youth-children choir during both services. A women's choir sang at Wesley during their 9:30 worship. It was a glorious day. We praise the Risen Lord.
I preached from John 20. The women came to the tomb to grieve Jesus’ death and to properly prepare his body for burial. They were Mary Magdalene, Mary, and her sister Salome. The women approached the burial chamber and exclaimed, “O no, someone has rolled away the stone.” They went inside that vault where two angels, two messengers from God, said, “He is not here. He has been raised from the dead by the powers of God just like he told you it would happen.” The women were astounded and astonished, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded. They ran quickly to report the news to Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, John himself, the eyewitness among the four gospel authors. Only John’s gospel, written by an eyewitness, gives so many historical details. The women found Peter and John and told them about the empty tomb. Peter and John ran as fast as they could to the burial crypt. Young John arrived first and then older Peter. Peter walked into the crypt first and John followed. There the linen shroud and the napkin that had covered Jesus’ face were neatly folded. The disciples must have looked at each other astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded. The two disciples left.
Mary Magdalene remained there alone, weeping, crying, perplexed. She thought that she was speaking to the gardener and asked where he had put the body of Jesus. Jesus spoke one word, “Mary.” She knew the voice. She knew his voice, the voice of Jesus. As she turned around she became the first person on earth to see the resurrected Christ. She was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded at his presence. Jesus said, “Do not touch me because I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
On Easter we need greater words than "surprised". We need strong words to try to capture what happened that day. We need words like astounded and astonished, like amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded because the event was so incredible, beyond belief.
We live in a good Friday world. We live in the midst of despair, disease, and death. People live in fear and cynicism. Deep down inside of human beings is a deep-seated fear that "this is all there is", so we come to the graves of death. We are greeted with wonderful words, " Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is Risen as He said." Come and see; go and tell. When we meet the Risen Lord, He fills our emptiness with His fullness. He wipes our tears. He turns our mourning in to dancing. We can proclaim, "Weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes in the morning".
In John Masefield’s drama, "The Trial of Jesus", there is striking passage in which the Roman centurion in command of the soldiers of the cross comes back to Pilate to hand in his report of the day’s work. After the report is given, Pilate’s
wife beckons to the centurion and begs him to tell how the prisoner died. When the story had been told, she suddenly asks,"Do you think He is dead?" "No, lady" answers the centurion, "I don’t." "Then where is He?" The centurion replies, "Let loose in the world, lady, where...no one can stop His truth." The gospel of the resurrection is an indisputable fact, an indispensable faith, and an irresistible force.
wife beckons to the centurion and begs him to tell how the prisoner died. When the story had been told, she suddenly asks,"Do you think He is dead?" "No, lady" answers the centurion, "I don’t." "Then where is He?" The centurion replies, "Let loose in the world, lady, where...no one can stop His truth." The gospel of the resurrection is an indisputable fact, an indispensable faith, and an irresistible force.
Christ is Risen,
He is Risen Indeed.
In Him,
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