Sermon

Christ is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

How is your life be any different because of Easter? Is Easter a day on the calendar or the unveiling of great hope?

The resurrection of Jesus, breaking the power of sin and death, reveals that God's power and purposes far surpass human expectations.

The women who went to the tomb that morning were prepared to anoint Jesus' cold, dead body. They were confounded and confused to not find Jesus' body where it had been laid.

It wasn't until the two men (angels) asked them a key question, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."

The women then remembered all that Jesus had told them, about how the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.

Their mourning was turned into dancing as they raced to tell the others that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Approaching the Cross

Walk with Jesus from his time of prayer and betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, through his trials, suffering, death on the cross, and burial in the tomb, using the words of the Gospel of John.

You are invited to listen to the words of Scripture, not just with your ears and mind, but especially with your heart and imagination as we walk alongside Jesus.

The word Tenebrae means darkening or shadows. In a Tenebrae service, as the scripture approaches Jesus' death, candles are extinguished and the darkness grows. People traditionally celebrate this type of service on the Thursday or Friday preceding Easter.

We encourage participants to designate four lights (or sets of lights) to extinguish at times designated on the screen -- moving your room into deeper darkness. Ideally when you extinguish the fourth light, your room will be mostly dark apart from the dim light of the screen for the final readings and musical piece.

Exceeding Expectations

Jesus, Son of God and the Messiah, taught, healed, lived, suffered, died, and was raised, not so things would improve, but so that all creation would forever be different.

Many in the crowds shouting, "Hosanna!" welcomed Jesus as God's means of removing Roman rule and restoring Israel to its glory. Instead, Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, on the way to the cross and resurrection, is a work of God's great love and grace, offering new and eternal life and revealing the kingdom of God.

It isn't that we expect too much from Jesus, but that we expect too little.

Unless You Become

If Jesus taught and did so many things the religious elite didn't expect, why are we surprised when he invites us to do what we may have never expected?

Rather than being a hindrance to Jesus' work, Jesus elevates the heart of a child as essential to entering the kingdom of God. 

Jesus took the children up in his arms, laid his hand upon them, and blessed them, and he longs to do the same for us.

Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of Life

I would rather know the ways of life than avoiding death, the ways of heaven than the way away from hell.

I would rather live entranced by God’s love drawing me toward him than to spend my life running from evil.

I would rather live each day following Jesus than hiding from the sins of my past.

The good news is that this is the life to which Jesus calls us, a life paid for on the cross, a life we are to share with others

By declaring himself as the lord of the Sabbath, Jesus offers an invitation to life, rather than a burden to bear.

New Life

God’s grace leads us to new life, not just a better life. Rather than recreating the past, Jesus calls for us to live fully in the present, looking forward to God's future.

May we be like new wineskins, receiving God’s mercies that are fresh every morning.

Expectations

It helps to know what you’re looking for if you want to find it. As we search, wrong expectations often mislead us.

If we want to know the reality of God’s love, presence, and power in our lives, we must look past our expectations of Jesus to see who he truly is.

Dare to Live Faith

Often, the very things we think are interruptions are exactly where God is at work. All too often we expect God to do things the way we think he should, and if we do we can easily mistake God's purposes and presence as an interruption rather than the whole point.

In today's scripture Jesus' preaching is interrupted, but the interruption reveals Jesus as the Son of God.

Jesus Chooses

The many choices we make every day, both big and small, reveal what is most important to us. A man with leprosy says to Jesus, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Jesus chooses to do something others were afraid to do, he reaches out and touches this man others regarded as untouchable and heals him.

Jesus' choice to touch an unclean outcast reveals a powerful truth about the value God places on those in need, people regarded as unclean, and humility.

May we receive this grace for ourselves and generously share it with others - particularly those others avoid.

Into the Quiet

We live in the midst of a busy and chaotic world with never ceasing demands for our attention and efforts. Faced with demands and expectations, Jesus found a quiet place and prayed. May we do likewise.