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Sermon for 03/23/08
Easter, Sunday's A comin Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN Main Theme: God’s story in Christ is an amazing story, but it only gets better as your story and God’s are woven together to become an even greater story. Like the disciples, there are rough times in your life – you have your Fridays and Saturdays – and they always appear to be “grave” situations. But if Jesus has taught us anything on Easter, it’s that “Sunday’s a comin!” The resurrection experience is the new pattern for our lives! 1) WATCHING! I have to confess to being a bit strange in that I have on many occasions daydreamed of time traveling back to experience the original Holy Week! How amazing would it be - watching Jesus triumphantly ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday! Imagine walking through the busy streets following Jesus and the disciples – listening to Christ’s Words, maybe even talking to Him, asking Him questions, watching the events of the week unfold. That kind of 2) Sunday’s a comin! As we watch them suffering, this is where we might want to stop being merely an observer. This is where we might be tempted to step in and let them know, “Hey everything is going to turn out alright! This is only Friday – ‘Sunday’s a comin’!!!” But would they even understand what that meant? Could they believe it? You and I, from the future, know that Easter’s coming! But how could they, in their ‘moment of despair’, begin to understand what Glorious miracle was going to happen on Sunday? For them it is simply Friday – a black Friday: when the world they knew …fell apart. 3) Mary/ Apostles/ Satan. Keep daydreaming – look around. * It’s Friday, and Mary, Jesus’ mother, is * The apostles wander aimlessly, or hide in their rooms – depressed - really down and out. Jesus, their leader and friend, has been killed by evil men. Their hopes in Him as Messiah had been dashed upon the rocks of death. Don’t you want grab them by the shoulders and shake them saying, “Snap out of it! It’s only Friday, and Sunday’s a comin!” * Satan’s in the corner laughing with delight. He’s celebrating his victory. “You thought you could outwit me,” he’s declaring, “but I’ve got you now!” Wouldn’t you like to walk boldly up to him, stare in the eyes, and say, “Hey, it’s only Friday and Sunday’s a comin!” 4) IT’S ONLY FRIDAY! You can feel the hair going up on the back of your neck as you absorb the dark scene at the cross. Evil has triumphed over good. Jesus is dying up there on the cross. The world …has turned upside down. In the eyes of so many around you, you can see they know this isn’t right. This shouldn’t happen! And for one last time you want to scream at the top of your lungs, “People listen to me! It’s only Friday, and Sunday is a comin’.” 5) a grave situation. But you don’t, because they wouldn’t understand. How could they? Even if they were to have heard your words, they wouldn’t have believed your wild claims and predictions. The man was dead. This was a grave situation. What you (from the future) might want to claim …goes against the pattern of life as they knew it. No, in this grave situation… you have to keep you mouth shut, and wait patiently. Alone in your knowledge you comfort yourself with the fact, “It’s Friday now, but Sunday is a comin!” 6) Sunday COMES! And come it did! The existing patterns of life are shattered on this morning as Christ rises from the grave. * SUNDAY COMES and… Satan cries out in disbelief that he does not have the final say in our lives! * SUNDAY COMES and… the power and love of God momentarily takes our breath away as we struggle to comprehend that the miracle of salvation has been released into the world. * * SUNDAY COMES and… Sin, Satan, and death loose their control over us. * SUNDAY COMES and… love, faith, and hope pour into our lives! Jesus embraces us, accepts us, dwells within us, and makes us His children – and despite our brokenness, and the brokenness of this world, life is good! Friday had us going there for a while – but Sunday comes! 7) Fridays? Does that mean there will never be Fridays in your life? Oh, no! Sin, Satan, and death may not have the final say in your life, they may never be able to separate you from the love of Christ, but that doesn’t mean they’re giving up. You may be walking with Christ, but the journey is still taking place in a broken world. And that brokenness would still like you to believe that Easter Sundays are illusions, and that Fridays are the norm:
* A teenager is walking the streets, or in jail, or hooked on drugs. And a parent asks “How did this happen to my precious baby? How could something so right go so wrong!” This is a grave situation. But , hey…it’s only Friday, and Sunday’s a comin. * Too many years pass while a couple tries wantonly to have a baby. Then, no sooner than the joyous words “I’m pregnant!” were spoken, they were soon followed with the tearful cry “We lost the baby.” Miscarriage was not a part of their dreams, so what went wrong? This is a grave situation, but remember, it’s only Friday, and Sunday’s a comin. * The doctor said “We need to talk about the test results” and she goes on to use the “C” word – CANCER. You can hardly breathe as the fears, anxieties, and denial overwhelm you. “This happens to other people – but not to me”! It looks like a grave situation, but it’s only Friday, and Sunday’s a comin. * You were a couple in love! Five years you dated! Five years you invested in that relationship, and suddenly comes the unexpected suggestion, “Maybe we ought to date other people!” You’re devastated! And suddenly - very much alone. No doubt, it seems to be a grave situation, but… it’s only Friday, and… Sunday’s a comin. * You’re staring at the divorce papers – but they don’t seem real. What happened to “Until death do us part”? And what about the kids? And the house? “And how can I afford to be a single parent? God, what did I do wrong to deserve this?” Another grave situation, and all you know it that it’s definitely Friday, but… (say it with me) Sunday is a comin. * You started your business, and it has served you well… until the recession started. How could you have known? And more bill collectors are coming in than customers. The writing is on the wall – things look bleak! It’s a grave situation. Still, it only Friday, and… (Congregation) Sunday’s a comin. * You thought the merger of the two parent companies would be great! You had no idea that 17 years of dedicated service would be rewarded with a pink slip as the company reshuffles management. Now what will you do? Another grave situation: but maybe it’s only Friday, and (Cong) Sunday’s a comin! * The funeral …is over. The one who spent decades by your side lies buried now, a victim of a heart attack. Everything has changed. The house seems… empty. And the pieces of your heart will never be put back together. Despite the friends and family, you’ve never felt so alone. It’s a grave situation in deed. It’s definitely Friday, but… Sunday’s a comin. 8) Grave situation! One thing is for sure: This morning God dealt decisively with a grave situation. He did the impossible – at least we thought it was impossible. His Son, our Lord, took all of the sins of the world upon His shoulders and died on the cross for us. And then… He rose again, and defeated sin, Satan, and death! No one else could have done it. But suddenly …our broken world is impacted in a way that defies description. And every grave situation – doesn’t look so …final. To every grave situation… comes hope! 9) WE’VE TRIED! You and me, a broken people, were in bondage to sin, Satan, and death, …and despite our best efforts, have never been able to “free or save ourselves”. We’ve tried, …and failed, to earn our way to heaven. We’ve tried being our own “Self-made” god’s. We’ve tried chasing the world’s busyness, glitter, latest fades, and materialism in an attempt to find happiness, and yet the void and emptiness in our hearts remained. 10) TODAY! CHRIST HAS RISEN! Until today. Because today is not Friday. Today is not Saturday. It’s Sunday – and <1>Christ has risen! A grave situation has melted away before the brightness of the Son’s resurrection. Hope has been restored, and a sacrificial love has been experienced … one that makes every other love we have experienced pale in comparison. This is unconditional love! ?Suddenly we begin to understand what a love combined with grace could look like. It’s a love that declares to the world, and to you and me, that there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more, and nothing you can do to make God love you less. He just loves you! Accepts you. Embraces you. Cleanses you. Heals you. Renews you. Cherishes you. And …desires to grow closer to you each and every day. We know that, because this is today, Sunday, and Christ has risen! 11) An Amazing story! It’s an amazing story! God’s story in Christ is an amazing story, but it only gets better as your story and God’s are woven together to become an even greater and more amazing story. Why? Because the broken world around you keeps trying to create a monthly calendar filled with Fridays. But …take whatever dark Friday you are experiencing today, and let God weave His love and resurrection story into yours, and suddenly His resurrection experience becomes the new and life-giving pattern for your life! Suddenly every Friday is promised a Sunday. Every grave situation is promised a resurrection. That which you cannot do for yourself …is placed in the powerful and loving hands of your Savior! And so …as your story gets woven into Christ’s story …it becomes an even greater and more amazing story! 12) A new pattern of resurrection. I hope as you leave here, today that you understand that because He loves you, resurrection Sundays can happen all through the week. Resurrection Sundays can happen through out every month, through out every year. Constant resurrection is the new pattern in your life!!! Easter happens again and again in the lives of God’s children. And so… * He invites you daily to find a prayerful time and climb up in His lap and be embraced in His love. * He invites you to share with Him your hurt and pain, your doubts and fears, your confusion and need for guidance. * And there in the intimacy of prayer He fills you with His Holy Spirit that you may be assured in your heart that He will take care of you, wash away your sins, shatter the dark cloud over your head, and bring you new life through a growing and deeper love. You won’t always be able to predict “when” your Fridays will be washed away in the grace and hope of Christ, but you can be assured that it will happen!!! Constant resurrection is the new pattern in your life!!! 15) RESURRECTION Promise: Sunday is a coming! Remember Friends, Jesus knows exactly what is happening in your life. And He comes to you this morning to assure you; He knows your faults and weaknesses, and He’s still madly in love with you! He knows your pain and suffering – remember He’s had His own dark Fridays - He’s been there – He understands! He comes and asks you to once again look at His life, His sacrifices, and the cross… and understand just how much He loves you! And He wants you to know, (to carry this truth deep down in your heart), that whenever you face a grave situation, whenever it seems like another dark Friday, “Sunday is a comin!” And that’s aresurrection promise you can count on! PRAISE GOD! AMEN! Sermon/Confessional Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that we forget that we are a resurrection people. We spend too many days panicking when brokenness invades our lives. In our warped desire for independence, we’ve tried repeatedly to fix everything ourselves, and when we fail, we live in fear, despair, and darkness. Forgive us for not immediately turning to you with every challenge. Forgive us for not trusting in your promise to turn Fridays into resurrection Sundays! Help us Lord to grow closer to you, to trust you, to lean on you, and surrender everything we are and have into your hands. Lord, on this day you have freed us from the powers of sin, Satan, and death. But we have not lived our lives growing in your grace. We have not loved and served our neighbors as you showed us. We have been self-centered and forgotten the joy that comes from pouring our lives out for others. We have not worshipped you regularly – though you deserve it. We have not prayed enough, read your Word enough, or served you enough. Forgive us and please, help us to change. Wash away our sins, and make us new creatures in your likeness. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and empower us to grow in our faith. Deepen our relationship with you more and more and help us to follow you wherever that may be. And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and made anew. (Silence) Lord, you have brought us new life. You bring us hope, and the promise of resurrection: daily resurrection, spiritual resurrection, and eternal resurrection. Help us Lord, to make your grace, acceptance, and unconditional love our greatest treasure, and to live our lives reflecting your awesome heart to those around us. In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN Assurance of Forgiveness: Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who died and was raised to bring you true life, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. May everything in your life be raised again anew. And may you walk without fear knowing that because of His Love, Fridays never last, and “Sunday is a coming.” Amen Opening prayer: Easter, MATTHEW 28:1-10, Dear Heavenly Father, we don’t even know where to begin – how to thank you for this special day and the love that has made us your children. Whether we have heard the resurrection story once or a 100 times, we are awed by the sacrifice of your Son for our sakes. You have done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. You have ignored our faults and weaknesses and chosen to love us unconditionally. Your grace leaves us in breathless wonder. Nothing in our lives compares to your sacrificial love. You wash us clean, you heal our wounds, you guide us with wisdom, and you enable us to do what we cannot do on our own. Nothing we have ever done, or could ever do, could pay you back for our blessings. It was you, and you alone, who sought us out and brought us here. It is you who provides the way to new life. Comfort us and assure us this morning, that because you rose victorious over the powers of sin, Satan, and death, so will we. Listen to our hearts, receive our praise and worship, and draw us closer to you. Transform us as individuals and as your church to become the children of Easter, and help us to bring new life to those around us. In Jesus Name we Pray! AMEN |
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