Easter 2010

“He is NOT Here! He has RISEN!”

Isaiah 65:17-25 & Luke 24:1-12

Preached by Linda Jo Peters at Sunrise Service

Easter ~ April 4, 2010 ~ 7:30 AM

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION
Isaiah 65: 17-25
Isaiah is always writes with rich symbols and images. Commentator Anna Grant-Henderson points out that Isaiah 65 is built around images that has proclaimed “ I was available to my people, I was rejected and I shall create new heavens and a new earth for those who are faithful".


God desired a relationship with his chosen people, Israel. But, when God said, "Here am I", the people continued to turn away. There is a sense of both sorrow and indignity that is expressed by the repeated "when I called, you did not answer" which is found in the first part of this chapter, compared with the feeling of hope when God announces he will answer the faithful before they call in our reading for today. Today we remember that in Jesus Christ we have God’s answer to the call which often remains silent until we meet him and realize what has truly been absent in our lives.


For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on my holy mountain, says the Lord.


Luke 24:1-12
For grieving family and friends, it would have been painful not to be able to attend to the body of their beloved straight away. But Jesus had been buried just as the Sabbath began so the women wait till the Sabbath is past and the light of the new day is dawning – so that they can see what they would be doing - before coming to the tomb. They came together doing what women often feel called to do, support one another, and say their final good byes to Jesus who they loved and admired. Some would of cried themselves to sleep the the night before. Others had no tears left. Some were young and new at this caring for the dead. Others had done far too many. Listen you can almost hear them walking up the path to the tomb. They are talking quietly together…


But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.


HOMILY
The women came expecting what usually happens; they do an unpleasant but necessary task and expect no one to notice. Like mission work all over the whole, quiet simple service often goes unnoticed and we can feel we are not making any difference. But I was struck by


Rev. Kearns writes about his work with our denomination’s Self-Development of People, which is one of three areas that receive assistance through our giving to One Great Hour of Sharing. He writes:

One of the most vivid images associated with Good Friday is the image of darkness… Darkness conjures up an ominous image that easily elicits emotions like fear and dread. The wonderful thing about the story of Christ is that it neither dwells on nor concludes with the theme of darkness because, thanks be to God, darkness is highly susceptible to light. Indeed, the darkness of the crucifixion is utterly shattered by the light of Jesus’ resurrection, and as a result, the power of darkness is lost, lost in the redeeming light of God’s love.

I learned firsthand about the magnitude of darkness in our world. I learned about the murder and intimidation the Guatemalan people faced at a dark moment in their history; I learned about the darkness that encompassed the people of South Carolina’s Sea Islands, where the descendants of former slaves struggled to maintain dignity and sustenance in the face of the powerful forces of encroaching development; I learned about the darkness of displacement as urban dwellers fought to hold on to a place to live in the face of rising costs and growing homelessness.

Miraculously, the powers of darkness did not overcome the spirit of the people in these situations. Their knowledge of the resurrection infused them with strength and hope, and the church, through its mission, helped fuel the light that broke the darkness in their lives. Mission is a vital element of the light the church brings to a world frequently immersed in darkness; it is the church’s active response to the initiative God takes in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We are children of the light in all that we do and say. As we come to this feast of celebration we remember the cost and when all seemed lost, and we each know our own times of darkness and loss, but the light the breaks through because he is not in the tomb, HE HAS RISEN! Amen.

“Rolling Stones Away”

Psalm 118:14-17 and Matthew 28:1-8

Preached by Linda Jo Peters

Easter Service April 4, 2010 ~ 10:30 AM

Psalm 118:14-17 (read responsively)
Last week we read the end of this psalm which was probably an entrance liturgy to the Temple, and apply fits the celebration of Palm Sunday. Today we return to this Psalm to read the middle section. Martin Luther had a passion for the whole of 118. While in hiding in the Coburg Castle during 1530, he wrote an extensive commentary on Psalm 118. On the wall of the room where he worked verse 17 was written. "I shall not die, but live, and recount the deeds of the Lord" (118:17). Luther saw this as the central message of the Psalm. It applies to Jesus and, through him, to all believers.


14The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
15There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
16the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
17I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

Matthew 28:1-8
I don’t know about you but Easter is when the ordinary and expected news that good people are persecuted and killed by powerful people, became the extraordinary and surprising news of resurrection. So when Judy Brett came to me and shared Marcrina’s poem and that the choir would sing her anthem of that poem, I was delighted. Because every time we share our gifts, a little bit of heaven breaks through in this world. Each Gospel writer shares the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection out of their own gifts. Matthew’s is the most dramatic and fit well with the poem. Because there are stones hiding our gifts that the world needs to hear and share.


After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. 4For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.


SERMON
Jesus makes use of flawed people in his mission. He wants the disciples to know that they will meet him in Galilee. What is so amazing about that is that Jesus thereby forgives them for their betrayals. He even calls them his "brothers," though they had deserted and denied him at the time of his trial and death. But now he restores them as his emissaries and trusts them once again to represent him. And so it is with us. We are like the disciples. We are flawed persons and have failed him often as individuals and as a church. But Jesus continues to call his us to follow him into the world and to represent him. May the stones continue roll away!

What are our tombs made of? There the obvious ones of hate and fear. Those keep us locked away from others and even from God.
But tombs can also be made of our very being. Tombs can be formed of our gender, finances, race or health. We say to ourselves because I am a man, I cannot show my emotions. Or people just like me, just because I’m wealthy. Or my skin color means there are fewer jobs for me. Or I cannot walk up a flight of stairs; therefore I cannot see my grandson’s ball game. Do you hear the stone rolling closed over the tomb? Something radical has to happen to roll away these real heavy stones. If disciples had let the tombs of prejudice, fear, envy even illness stop their witness to Jesus Christ, we would not be worshipping today. We would never have heard the good news. But over and over disciples find ways to roll the stones that keep us from our God given mission to proclaim the good news.

One commentator noted that the actual resurrection had already taken place, while the tomb was still sealed. By the time the women get there the tomb is empty. The transformation of the physical body to the spiritual body has taken place apart from human view. That has to happen to each of us. Apart from human view, we have to let the power of the Holy Spirit into our tombs to transform us from death to life. It has to happen to our congregation as well. When did the food pantry become so vital to our ministry? Can you remember when it was transformed from something a few people were working on, to something we are all committed to doing? It became part of who Unity is. What happened? The power of the Holy Spirit happened.

Our small group has been watching RightNow Conference DVDs. One of the speakers is Matt Chandler pastor of The Village in Highland Village, Texas. I was struck by his comment about the drastic change that comes over the disciples after Pentecost. These have been very frightened people hiding from the authorities. Now they are out telling the news of Jesus, fearlessly facing ridicule and persecution. He asks, “What happened?” The power of the Holy Spirit happened. Their tombs where broken open. Let the Spirit into your life. Pray for it to fill you and our congregation.

As Macrina Wiederkehr wrote, as our choir so beautifully sang:
“Easter is standing at your door again, so don’t you see that stone has got to go?” AMEN!