Holy Week 2010: Easter

Do not be afraid!

Matthew 28:1-10

 

Opening words: There is an old Greek Orthodox tradition, the day after Easter was devoted to telling jokes. Why? They felt they were imitating the cosmic joke that God pulled on Satan in the Resurrection. Satan thought he had won, and was smug in his victory, smiling to himself, having the last word. So he thought. Then God raised Jesus from the dead, and life and salvation became a reality.

 

This is Sunday morning. However this is no ordinary Sunday morning. This is Easter morning and on Easter we remember how Christ conquered death, itself. How important is the resurrection of Jesus? It is the very foundation of our faith. It is the one thing that separates us from the rest of the world. Your belief in the resurrection is not just important, it is indispensable. Let us hear Matthew’s version of the resurrection. It is found in the first ten verses of the twenty-eighth chapter. May God give you ears to hear. Let me call this message Do not be afraid!

 

Matthew 28:1-10 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

 

History tells us Black Bart was a professional thief. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence, including a black mask, was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard. Have you ever noticed how fear has a way of paralyzing us? Do you know anyone who is afraid?

 

What is your greatest fear on this glorious Easter morning? There is no shortage of fear in our world. Is anyone here afraid of loosing their job? Unemployment is dangerously high. The unemployment rate is approximately 14% in our little corner of the world. Is anyone here afraid of getting sick? You haven’t felt quite right for a few months but you haven’t gone to the doctor because you are afraid? Is anyone here afraid to relocate? You have called the Mahoning Valley home for a long time but you need a job. Or you want to be near your children or grandchildren who left because they need a job. Is anyone here afraid of being alone? Is anyone here afraid making a mistake? Is anyone here afraid of the future because our national debt is so high? Is anyone here afraid to open their credit card bill because it is so high? This is the hardest question. Is anyone here afraid of dieing? Have you ever noticed fear has a way of paralyzing us? So to speak Black Bart is standing in front of you and you are paralyzed by fear.

 

This is my word for you today. Do not be afraid! Those are not original words. They are the same words Jesus spoke to those two women on that first Easter morning. They went to the tomb to pay their final respects and made a discover that changed the world. Jesus had been resurrected! Think about this for a moment. With all the things the resurrected Jesus could have said to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary why did he say? “Do not be afraid!“ Just think of the things Jesus could have said. He could have said, “Don’t you look nice today! Have you lost weight?” He could have said, “I life what you are doing with your hair.“ He could have said, “What are doing here so early?” If I would have been Jesus I would have said, “Surprise! I’m back!” Jesus doesn’t say those things. What does Jesus say? The first thing that the resurrected Jesus said to them was, “Don’t be afraid!” Why wouldn’t they not be afraid? After all, Jesus had come back to life. They must have thought they were first looking at a ghost or a zombie. That is why Jesus said, “Do not be afraid!“ Our generation knows better. We have had two thousand years to wrestle with the resurrection. We know the resurrection changed everything.

 

Today on this glorious Easter morning before we come to the communion table I want to talk how the resurrection wiped three basic fears in our society. I will be quick. You have a full day scheduled. So if you are ready to begin say, “Amen!”

 

Past

The resurrection gives us the power to conquer the fear of our past mistakes. Everyone knows the first light bulb was created by Thomas Edison. It took him and an enter group of men 24 straight hours to make the first one. The story goes that when Edison was finished with that first light bulb, he gave it to a young boy, a helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. When he got to the top stairs he dropped the bulb smashing it into a million pieces. It took the entire team of men another twenty-four hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That time he arrived safely. Thomas Edison gave him another chance. Do you anyone here feel like you need a second chance at life?

 

The resurrection reminds us that we get a second chance at life. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. You can receive forgiveness simply by asking for it. Acts 13:38 says, “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” So to speak God is handing you a light bulb and saying, “I know you will do better this time.” There is no need to fear your past mistakes. The resurrected Jesus changed everything! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Present

The resurrection gives us the power to conquer our fear of present disappointments. Abraham Lincoln is considered to be the greatest president our country has ever known. Contemporary presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, have tried to learn from him. However there were periods of his own life when “Honest Abe” felt life a failure. For example, in 1858 he was running for the U.S. Senate against Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln won the popular vote by a small margin but the Illinois legislature—using an obscure statute—sent Stephen A. Douglas to the Senate, instead of Lincoln. To say the least Lincoln was disappointed. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.” Has anyone here every felt like crying because life isn’t treating you fairly?

 

When the women showed up at the tomb they were disappointed. They believed in Jesus but now Jesus was dead. They were wrong! Jesus was alive! The Easter story reminds us that God has the power of turning complete defeat into absolute victory. Don’t let your disappointments defeat you. It isn’t over until God says it is over. The worst thing you can do is stop trying. There is no need to fear present disappointments. The resurrection changed everything! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!“

 

Future

The resurrection gives us the power to conquer our fear of the future. When we die everyone of faith goes to heaven. Dr. David Seamands tells of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. "Some of his friends asked him, 'Why have you become a Christian?' He answered, 'Well, its like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn't know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive--which one would you ask which way to go?'" The Christian faith is different from any of the other world religions. All other religious leaders are dead. Jesus is alive! Christianity is the only world religion that offers us hope in the face of death.

 

The very heart of the faith, itself, is the resurrection of Jesus. When the women went to the tomb what did they discover. Jesus had been resurrected. He defeated death, itself. Who do you miss on this Easter morning? Who used to share Easter table with you that is now gone. The resurrection gives us the hope of being reunited with them again! There is no need to fear death, there is no need to fear the future. The resurrection changed everything! If you believe in the resurrection and would like to spend eternity in heaven say, “Amen!” Let me end with this quick story.

 

History tells us Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was paranoid. He so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.

 

This is the Good News for today. You can sleep tight tonight in your own bed. You don’t have to be afraid. We believe in a living Savior who conquered all of our fears. He conquered your fears of the past mistakes. Would you like to have another chance at life? He conquered your fears of your present disappointments. It is not over until God says it is over. He conquered your fear of the future. Someday we are going to heaven. And all of God’s faithful people said, “Amen!”