Easter Is Life

HE IS RISEN. HE IS RISEN INDEED. ALLELUIA.

A Sunday school teacher was talking with her class of five-year-olds. “Can anyone tell me what Easter is?” The teacher asked. One little boy raised his hand, “Easter is when you go door to door and ask people to give you candy and eggs.” “No.” The teacher responded. “That is Halloween when you get the candy. Who knows what Easter is?” A little girl spoke up. “Easter is when you get the tree and decorate it with lights and everyone gets presents.” “No.” The teacher said. “That is Christmas. Who knows what Easter is?” Finally another little girl said, “Easter is when Jesus comes out of the tomb.” And before the teacher could say anything the little girl added, “and if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.”

The little girl is half right. Easter is when Jesus comes out of the tomb. Not to look for his shadow, but to show that he is victorious. In his victorious resurrection we see that Jesus has destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil. And he gives life everlasting to all who believe. This is the message of the Gospel. This is the good news. This is the message of the church, of you and me. This is the message that comes into our lives and is so profound and life changing that you are not the same person you were before you heard it.

There are so many things in our lives that demand our attention. It can seem like life is nothing more than moving and jumping from one set of problems, trials and temptations, to another. We get ourselves through by saying, if only I can… If only I can make it to the next paycheck. If only I can get past this assignment. If only I can make it through this surgery. It is not a very fulfilling way to live. Simply trying to get by does not do anyone much good. And besides we were made to live for so much more than just surviving our problems. We were made to experience life, and life as it was meant to be lived.

So what do we do? I mean this all sounds good, and it looks good on paper, but where does the rubber hit the road, what does this look like in real life, out there in the real world. It may sound good in these four walls, but does it mean anything when we leave this building? The technical theological answer is, “Yup.” Because we find in Easter not just a hope for life after death, but a life that is now, a life that has meaning and purpose and even hope. A life where Easter is the final word.

When our dear Pastor Koch passed away, it was a time of many many questions from David, my six year old. Just about every day he would ask, “Dad, why did Pastor Koch die?” And every time he would ask the question, my head would flood with theological responses. I was thinking about how the effects of sin in our world has made our world broken. Therefore things just don’t work the way they were intended to work. So because of sin in our world, there is sickness and suffering, pain and death. And this not that these things happen as a result of our sins, God is not zapping us for our sins. He’s not petty like that. But when sin entered into the creation, the creation broke. And the result of that brokenness, pain, suffering, sickness, separation, death.

But how do you explain that to a six year old. After wading through those in my head, I would say something to the effect of, “Well, he was very sick. But you know what? He is not going to stay dead, because when Jesus comes back, then Pastor Koch will come back to life. That is what Easter is all about.” You could just look at my David and see him processing the information. If he was a computer his little hard drive indicator light would have been flashing. Then he would say, “I miss Pastor Koch.” And then he would be off on his way playing. It strikes me how much differently children process information than adults do.

Several weeks after that discussion. I was hanging up my coat after a typical day of work. But my movements were much slower than normal. I felt as if I had been weighed down with grief and still very much missing a very dear friend, mentor, my own pastor. David saw me and asked, “Dad what is wrong?” I replied, “Daddy misses Pastor Koch.” David, without missing a beat said, “It’s OK , Dad. Remember Easter?”

He got it. It blew me away, it shouldn’t have, but it did. He knew that Easter is the final word, and that because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, death is not the end, death does not get the final say, death is only temporary. And we proclaim that loudly, boldly and confidently as we declare; HE IS RISEN. HE IS RISEN INDEED. ALLELUIA.

You see, Easter is not just a day, it is hope and life for us. Where does one find the strength to face the problems and struggles of life? Easter. Because in that is the promise of restoration. Where does one find the strength to deal the with the trials and struggles that come up in our relationships? Easter. Because in that is restoration. Where does one find the ability, the motivation, the courage to work to make this world a better place? Easter. Because in that is the promise of renewal.

The struggles that we have in life, the problems we face at school or work, at home, in life in general, these things in the light of Easter have nothing to look forward to but being gone. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, our sins have been paid for, our relationships restored. We have been bought and brought into the Kingdom of God and are able to live in that now. And are able to be about the work of spreading that Kingdom, now. Easter is the last word, because all that is broken and hurting and suffering in our lives and in our world will be healed. Even death is not the final word. Easter is.

The book of Revelation is probably the most misunderstood book in all of the Scriptures. We are studying it on Thursday mornings, and it is absolutely amazing. In Chapter 3 our Risen Lord Jesus describes himself as “the one who is the Amen – the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation.” Where we normally reserve “Amen” for the endings, Jesus here uses it as the beginning. He is the firstborn form the dead. He is the first to be part of the resurrection. He is the first to have gone through Easter. And because Easter is the last word, Amen. Then Jesus, who is faithful and true, begins the new creation of God, that is the restoration, reconciliation and renewal, he begins those things with Easter. Jesus is the Amen.

We find in this then the motivation and the strength, the abilities and the hopes to live our lives in a way where Easter is the last word. When it is so easy for life to feel like there is not much meaning. When it is tempting to simply move from one problem to the next. When you look at the problems in your own life, and in the world around us and say, “What difference does it make? There is always going to be something.” It is in Easter, in this final Amen. In this promise of restoration and renewal that we find the strength and ability to move and work and live in order to make a difference. We can work to make this world a better place, because we know that work will not be done in vain. And then, in this, in Easter, in this final word, we find purpose and meaning, and hope. Who doesn’t need those things in their life?

And so this morning. We proclaim boldly, knowing that in this resurrection the price of our sins has been accepted, that we have life that never ends, that we have purpose and meaning and value and hope. We know that Easter is the last word, not death. And so we boldly and confidently, and full of hope proclaim, HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELULA!, and what else is there to say, but AMEN.

Have A Blessed Holy Week

The word “Passion” is used to describe the final events of Jesus’ life. Namely his suffering and crucifixion. Although the word itself comes from the Greek and Latin, it is interesting to note that for us in English “passion” is also a word that denotes powerful and compelling feelings, especially feelings of love. How appropriate that that word would describe these events.

We are now into Holy Week. It is a time for us to revisit the story of Jesus' passion. Not in order to be morbid and to feel bad. It is not meant to manipulate your feelings and make you feel guilty. Instead, see it as a reminder of the great love that our God has for you. See it as a chance to be immersed in the story anew and fresh knowing that Jesus wasn’t tricked into this. But he willing chose to do this. He did not have to. At any point he could have called upon legions of angels to come to his rescue. He did this for you.

Out of his great love for you, and his desire to be with you, he endured these events. This story is ultimately a love story. It is very real, very personal and very much for you. This week you will have opportunities to spend some time immersing yourself in this story. You will hear it read. You will see it in the worship services of the week. You will hear it in the music that is sung.

It is my prayer that this time would prepare you for the upcoming celebration of Easter. That you would find in this Holy Week a new understanding of God’s great love for you. That you would be reassured of his forgiveness and mercy and the life that he gives to you for the sake of Jesus. That you would be renewed in your desire to live your life in a way that reflects his love and grace and mercy in how you see yourself and how you see others in your lives.

Jesus endured his Passion out of the passion that he feels for you. May the story be a great blessing to you as we find ourselves immersed in it today, this week, and beyond.

A Picture, A Preview and A Promise

A little boy was having a conversation with his mother. “Mom,” he said, “Why doesn’t the Bible tell us the names of the other three people Jesus raised from the dead with Lazarus?” The mom answered her son, “What are you talking about, honey? Lazarus was the only one in the grave when Jesus raised him from the dead. Where did you get the idea that there were three other people?” The little boy said, “Because mom, when Jesus called out to him he said, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’”

What a great story. What a powerful story. What a kind of long story. But what a great story nonetheless. What we have here is a picture, a preview and a promise.

This story is a picture of Jesus and we see him as he describes himself in his own words. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus who falls ill. Jesus gets word and after two days makes his way to Bethany. Now this is no small matter. Remember this is in a day an age where there are no hospitals to take people to when they become sick. This would be a very dangerous situation for Lazarus. On top of that Jesus’ own life is in danger as the religious leaders are ready to have him stoned.

But he goes anyway. And while he is on his way, Lazarus dies. When Jesus arrives in Bethany he is greeted by Martha. Eventually her sister Mary comes. Jesus seeing their grief, and most likely feeling some of his own, responds by weeping. This is a tender moment and one where we see the humanity of Jesus in a big way.

Of course, the question that is on people’s minds is, “Couldn’t he have done something about this? I mean, he did heal a man born blind, this sickness that Lazarus suffered, well it was unnecessary that he wound up like this. If only Jesus would have showed up sooner.

But that is kind of the point here isn’t it? You see, Jesus isn’t just a person who can heal sick people. He isn’t just somebody who drives out demons and heals the lame and the blind. He is not merely a faith healer and miracle worker. He is somebody more. Much more. He is God in the flesh. Truly 100% a human being, but also truly 100% God and he is the resurrection and the life.

If he had healed Lazarus earlier, then it would not have been any different from any of the other healings and miracles he performed, and people would not see the demonstration of who he really is. But now when Jesus arrives at the tomb there is no doubt that Lazarus is dead. There are no tricks or sleight of hand here.

He orders the stone removed. And Lazarus’ sisters are a little apprehensive here. Remember people don’t just raise others from the dead, at least not after they have been dead for four days. But they remove the stone. Jesus offers up a prayer for the sake of those around him and then he calls to Lazarus. “Lazarus, come out.” And Lazarus comes out and they unbind him.

What a powerful picture we see here. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is able to call out and raise the dead back to life. If you weren’t amazed by the things that you saw before, well look out because this is certainly something special.

But we don’t just see a picture of Jesus as the resurrection and the life here. We also see a preview. We see a preview of what we will begin celebrating next week. We see a preview of what is know as Jesus’ passion. Here the word “passion” is a reference to the sufferings and crucifixion that Jesus endured.

Now calling it a celebration might seem a bit morbid. And indeed it would be if all we were talking about was the death of an innocent man. But what is actually happening here is so much more and so much bigger than that. We are talking about something that Jesus endured so that he, who is the resurrection and the life, would forever defeat the powers of sin, and death and the devil.

What we saw with his calling out of Lazarus was proof that he could bring people back from the grave. Proof that he is the resurrection. Proof that he is the life. But this is also a preview of what he himself will do as he willing gives up his life. Lays it down so that you and I and all the people of the world might have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. He died himself and in so doing gave a death blow to death.

He rose victoriously from the grave. Thus death’s days are numbered. There will be a day when death will die, and then there will be no more death. This resurrection and life Jesus made available to the whole world so that whoever believes in him will not perish. So that whoever believes in him , even though they may die, will live. And whoever lives and believes in him will never die.

In the picture of Jesus calling out Lazarus from the tomb we see his power over death. We see a preview of him being victorious over death in the cross and empty tomb. We also see in this picture and preview a promise for you and for me.

This promise is that we will have life everlasting. We will have life in Jesus. We will have life lived in relationship with our God. Death does not get the final say. Death does not get the victory. That belongs to our Lord, and because we belong to him, therefore it belongs to us as well.

This promise is real and certain. You can count on it. You can be sure of it. Because it is not dependant upon you or anything that you can do. You have it because of and for the sake of Jesus. And when God does something, he always does it right. Right? Right!

Jesus is for you and me the resurrection and the life. Life. Real life. Life the way that it was meant to be lived. Life lived in relationship with our God. This is life before death and not just life after death. It is life where we see our God active in our lives and in our world.

So that as we come together to hear and to study his word, we know that he is present and that he is working through that to strengthen our faith and to enable us to grow in our relationship with him and understanding of who he is.

We see him at work in the waters of baptism. Where his word came together with the water. He washed away our sin and gave us his Spirit. Making us his own dearly loved sons and daughters. We are his. We belong to him. And he loves us more than we could ever understand.

We see him at work in bread and wine as we receive his body and blood. Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. As we eat and drink we receive forgiveness and life and salvation. For wherever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

He gives us one another to live life together. To support and care for each other. As we love one another and live life together we reminding each other of God’s love for us. As our friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers and fellow students see the way that we live life together they see a witness to the difference that it makes when people live life in relationship with God.

It’s not that we are any better than anyone else. That is not the case at all. What we have is a gift from our God. He gets the credit for it. Not us. But what we have is life. And it is a wonderful gift.

Not only that, but our God enables us to join him in the work that he is doing in the world. He allows us to be a part of his mission of reconciling the world, the creation back to himself in Jesus. So that we share the love of God with the people that we come into contact with as we serve them or help them; as we listen to them; as we share our lives with them. It is really an awesome thing.

And if all of this were all there was that would certainly be enough. But there is also for us the promise of a new creation. When Jesus comes back there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We will live forever with our God in that new creation. We will live in new resurrected bodies that do not get old or sick or suffer from sin. There will be no death. It will be better than anything we could ever begin to imagine. And this is yours.

How do you know? Because in the story of Lazarus we see a picture, a preview and a promise. Because of the story that this story previews it is a picture and a promise for us of the life that our God so lovingly, generously, graciously and mercifully gives to us.

As we prepare to enter into Holy Week, don’t let it be a time that is just depressing. But let it be an opportunity to bask in the story and to know of the gift of life that our God gives to us. He was willing to go through great lengths for you, because he loves you so very much. May that love be something that you feel in a strong way during that week and always. Amen.