1 Corinthians 15:12-20, John 20:1-18

1 Corinthians 15: 12-20

John 20:1-18

Easter Means …

April 8, 2007

Easter (Communion, Youth joining Church)

Part 1 of Hopewell 2007 Easter Season series on The Meaning of Easter

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Today is the most joyously celebrative day in the Christian year.

You can tell it in the beauty of the sanctuary.

You can tell it in the beauty of the music.

You can tell it in the joy we have as we celebrate 8 young people joining the Church.

You can tell it in the beauty of the service we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion.

You could tell it in the joyous fellowship we shared with fellow Christians as we gathered with fellow Christians this morning to celebrate the resurrection at our community Easter Sunrise Service this morning.

All these elements work together to make this day the high point of the Christian year for us.

But what really makes it the high point of the Christian year is the fact that this is our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus – and the new life He gives us — new hope for new life in heaven as well as new hope for new life here and now.

What really makes this day special is the fact that

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Our lessons for this Easter day witness to the amazing fact that God is making our lives – and our world — new.

God is up to doing something that is new and marvelous.

God is changing us — and our world — by the resurrection of Christ.

By the resurrection of Christ our lives — our world — can be changed — they can be made new.

The message of Easter is a message of hope and joy — especially when it is least expected.

Easter means you can be forgiven – you can have hope – and you can have new life – especially when it seems that forgiveness is impossible – life is hopeless – and a new life is only a dream.

We’re going to be looking at these aspects of Easter for the next few weeks – looking at Paul’s proclamation of the hope and reality of Easter in 1 Corinthians 15:1-20 – and at some of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus – as we see how the resurrection gave forgiveness – hope – and new life to the original disciples – and can give forgiveness – hope – and new life to us, also.

Listen to God’s word as we gather on this joyous Easter day from 1 Corinthians 15:1-20 and John 20:1-18:

Read Scripture

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Cristus was a resident of the great Greek city of Corinth in the first century BC.

Like some others in Corinth, Cristus had devoted his life to the teachings of a certain Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Apostle Paul and others had come to Corinth and had proclaimed as the Messiah – the Son of God – the Savior of the world.

Paul had preached persuasively in Corinth and in so many other cities that in Jesus God had come into the world – taught His ways – had been crucified – and then had risen from the dead. Paul had made the point that – because God had come into the world through Jesus and been crucified for our sins – we have salvation – and because Jesus rose again from the dead – we have new life.

Cristus and many others rejoiced in the message of salvation and new life Paul preached in the name of Jesus – they lived in new ways because God had forgiven them of their sins – and looked forward to Jesus’ promised return.

But – not everyone in Corinth believed Paul’s message.

Some scoffed at the idea of God coming into the world in human form – dieing for our sins – rising again – and promising to return.

“Sounds like more ancient Greek myths” some said.

“Surely you don’t believe such a tale” others scoffed.

And others said “It’s crazy to believe such things!”

Cristus and other Christians began to wonder about all that Paul had taught them.

Were they believing in something that was not true?

Was their faith futile?

For example — Paul had told them that Christ had risen from the dead – and that those who believed in Christ would rise from the dead also.

But Cristus knew many believers who had died – but there was no evidence that they had risen.

Indeed – was their faith futile?

Was it just a myth?

They sent word to Paul with these questions – and awaited his response.

Finally they got their response from Paul.

Paul agreed that if what he had told the Christians in Corinth and in so many other places were not true, they had a futile faith and he was a liar.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

But – Paul assures them that this is not the case.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep

Paul knew the truth.

Paul knew that – if Jesus had not risen from the dead – then the faith he had and the message that he was preaching was false.

But Paul also knew that the truth was that Christ had risen – and the faith he had and preached was reality.

Paul knew what Easter really meant.

Paul knew that God was up to doing something that is new and marvelous in the event of Easter.

Paul knew that God was changing people — and our world — by the resurrection of Christ.

Paul knew that — by the resurrection of Christ – peoples lives – in fact the world — was being changed – being made new.

Paul knew that the message of Easter was a message of hope and joy — especially when it is least expected.

Paul knew that:

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Paul had experienced this new life and hope for himself.

He also knew some people who had experienced this new life and hope in their own life.

People like Mary Magdalene.

People like the Apostle Peter and John.

People like the Apostle Thomas.

People who thought that their lives were ruined and there was not anything else to hope for.

People who had given their lives to following Jesus – but had their hopes and dreams crushed on a Friday afternoon as Jesus died on the cross.

Mary knew this feeling of despair and hopelessness as she went to the tomb of Jesus early on that morning of the first day of the week.

Jesus — whom she had followed and in whom she had placed all her hopes and dreams — was dead — and it must have seemed that all her hopes and dreams of a better way of living — a new life — had died with Him. All her hopes and dreams must have seemed to have been buried with Jesus. She must have felt alone — and like there was no way that she could get new hope for her life.

But then — she encountered the risen Christ.

There was new hope.

There was new joy.

There was hope for new – a different way to live.

Just when she least expected it — God gave her new life — and new hope.

There was hope for a different life — life that was much more meaningful and joyous than she had ever dared imagine before.

As Mary ran back to the disciples with the news that she had seen the Lord she may have been confused — maybe incredulous — maybe even scared — but she also must have felt hope.

Hope that Christ was with her.

Hope that things could truly be different.

Hope that her life could truly be changed.

Can you imagine what hope and excitement must have been in her voice as she announced to the disciples:

“I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!”

There was real hope.

There was real joy.

There was a real sense that her life could be different – because she had seen the Lord!

It would no longer matter to her what others said.

They could scoff and laugh at her and her faith if they wanted.

She knew now what was true.

She knew what she had experienced.

She knew that she had seen the Lord.

She knew that – as Paul put it years later:

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep

Easter is full of meaning for us.

Easter means that God is up to doing something in our lives and in the world that is new and marvelous.

Easter means that God is changing us — and our world — by the resurrection of Christ.

Easter means that by the resurrection of Christ our lives — our world — can be changed — they can be made new.

Easter means that hope and joy — especially when it is least expected.

Easter means you can be forgiven – you can have hope – and you can have new life – especially when it seems that forgiveness is impossible – life is hopeless – and a new life is only a dream.

Mary learned what Easter means.

Paul learned what Easter means.

So did Peter and Thomas.

We’re going to look at Peter’s and Thomas’ stories in more detail in the next few weeks – but today I want to ask you a question.

What does Easter mean for you?

Does Easter have real meaning for you?

Do you think that Easter means that new life if possible for you?

Do you believe that Easter means that God is up to doing something in your life that is new and marvelous?

Do you believe that Easter means that God is changing you by the resurrection of Christ?

Do you believe that Easter means that – by the resurrection of Christ — your life — can be changed – that it can be made new?

Do you believe that Easter means that hope and joy — especially when it is least expected?

Do you believe that Easter means you can be forgiven – you can have hope – and you can have new life – especially when it seems that forgiveness is impossible – life is hopeless – and a new life is only a dream?

If so, celebrate it!

If not, believe it!

Paul was right – if the event of Easter has not happened –

our preaching is useless and so is your faith

If there is not real life changing power of the risen Christ that is at work – that can give us new life – forgiveness – and hope – especially when we least expect it – then we might as well close the doors to the Church – make this a museum with a beautiful cemetery – and I might as well look for another job – because my preaching and your faith would be useless.

But – here’s the good news – Paul was also right when he wrote:

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Easter means that our lives can be made new by our God who makes all things new — even when — or maybe it‘s better to say especially when — we least expect it.

Have you ever been sailing?

If so — even though you may not realize it — you may have encountered one way to illustrate the hope of Easter — the new life and new hope God gives us — even when we least expect it.

Paul Willis, pastor of The Cathedral Of His Glory in Greensboro, NC tells a story of sailing with his grandfather off the coast of North Carolina when he was a young boy. One day as they were sailing the wind stopped — the sea became a dead calm — and their sailboat began floating aimlessly in the water. Try as they might, they couldn’t get the ship to head in the direction of home — and it was getting dark. Young Paul panicked — and did not know what to do. He knew they couldn’t swim to shore — they were much too far out.

What were they going to do?

His grandfather knew that all they could do was wait — and — being an experienced sailor and fisherman — he knew the wind would begin blowing again.

Darkness fell — and still no wind.

Young Paul knew they were doomed.

Grandfather knew that the wind would come back in time.

Finally — late into the night — grandfather woke Paul and told him to trim the sails. Paul did not understand why — the wind was still not blowing — but off in the distance he heard a faint sound. The sound became stronger and stronger until finally he could feel the wind. With the sails trimmed, the boat made its way home.

Willis likens the unexpected — to him — wind to the new life God offers us.

Just when you think things are at their worst — there is the wind — the Spirit — of God — giving you new life — new hope — for your life.

It happened that way for Mary and the disciples.

It happens that way for us.

Indeed, that is what Easter means.

That is the meaning of Easter.

Feel it.

See it.

Believe it.

Experience it.

Live it. Amen