[The following is a manuscript of my Easter Sunrise Service meditation, Sunday morning, the 27th of March, 2016.]
1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
--Matthew 28:1-9 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, this is the most holy day, the day when You resurrected our Lord Jesus, when You brought Him bodily from the grave so that He could defeat death. And You and Jesus did it all just for us. Your Son suffered, and You had to stand by and watch it, just so we might enjoy eternal and everlasting life in paradise with You both… if we only believe in Him and follow His voice. We believe, Lord Jesus. We believe that You are the one true Son of God, and we believe that You rose bodily from the grave. We are here this morning to celebrate that glorious day. Bless us Lord, and help us to better serve You and to never falter in our belief and faith. In Your sweet name, Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.
Jesus of Nazareth was executed on a cross and buried on Friday. The following day was the Sabbath, the day of rest. On the third day, the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses went to the tomb to try to anoint the body of their Master with oils and spices. The tomb had been sealed by a huge boulder, so they likely could not have gotten inside, but I’m sure they would have remained outside a while, probably weeping and remembering the times they shared with the Son of Man while He lived.
And that shouldn’t seem too unusual to us, since we often visit the graves of our loved ones who have gone on to their reward before us. We go, pay our respects, maybe place some flowers or some small token of our affection, probably shed a tear or two because we still miss them. We do this knowing full well that our loved one is not there. Even atheists know that nothing is there but the remains of the person that once lived. We Christians understand that the soul of the person we love has gone to be with Jesus. The only thing left in the grave we stand before is the container that once held that soul. Someday, that soul will be given a new body, just as we will.
Well, the Mary’s didn’t understand this promise, nor did the disciples, not yet. Jesus had spoken of this a number of times, but they didn’t quite get it. All they knew was that He was dead and they went to visit His grave. And what they found completely astonished them – an empty tomb, the huge stone rolled away, shaking, speechless guards, and an angel whose countenance was like lightning.
“Don’t be afraid”, the angel told the women. I bet he didn’t say that to the guards. “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified, but He is not here; for He has risen.”
Now we know the angel meant that Jesus had been raised from the dead, had risen from the grave. But He had not yet risen – ascended – into heaven to be with His Father. He still had to prove His resurrection to over 500 people before He could go home.
The Mary’s came to the now empty tomb seeking Jesus and found He was no longer there. Where do we seek Jesus? Or maybe the question should be, are we still seeking Jesus? Are we looking to get to know Him better, to build a better relationship with Him, to serve Him in more meaningful ways? I feel that many of us are, as are many believers.
But what of the rest? And especially, what of non-believers? It’s been my experience that people who don’t seek Jesus look for other ways to fill the holes in their lives. They listen to the enticements of the world, and the ads on TV, and try to fill those voids with things, thinking that will make them happy and satisfied. They are looking for Jesus - although they don’t see it quite that way - and they’re looking in all the wrong places. If they only believed, they could grasp that the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus, will more than fill those holes in their life! He will fill the holes and all the little nooks and crannies and hollow spaces and overflow out of them and onto all those they meet.
And you know, if we are truly seeking Jesus, we don’t have to go to some tomb in a far off land. We don’t have to drive over to the church and sit in the pews for an hour or so on Sunday. We don’t have to go anywhere. All we have to do is pray, and the Holy Spirit within us will show us our Lord. Jesus is here, all around us, no matter where we are. He is within us in the person of God’s Holy Spirit. He is in heaven sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And some sweet day we will stand before Him, face to face, flesh to flesh, because He has risen, and we will too. Jesus promised that to us, and I believe Him.
The angel said of Jesus, “He is not here”, meaning in the tomb. Our Lord conquered death. His Father, our Father – God - resurrected Him from the grave. He was no longer there, confined to a hole in the ground, bound by death, constrained by earthly ties. But because of that, He is here! He is here all around us. He is here within us. Our Lord lives even to this day! And for that, we rejoice! For that, we worship Him!
Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Amen.
Let us pray… Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Master… We stand before a representation of the cross upon which You suffered and died, but You are no longer there. We see in our mind’s eye the tomb where they laid Your lifeless body, sealed it with a huge boulder, and placed armed guards in front of it. Yet Your grave is empty! The stone has been rolled away, the guards shake in their stunned fear. We hear the angel’s words and we look inside… and awe fills us. Too amazed to believe what our senses tell us, we hear You speak: “Rejoice!” And all we can think to do is to sing Alleluias and worship you.
You sacrificed everything for us, You died for us, You were buried for us. You bore no sin of Your own so You carried all the sins of the world to the grave and left them there, just so we might be washed clean when we stand before God at our last.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, and we thank You! Words alone could never convey just how thankful we are, so we give You our hearts in gratitude. We give You our lives – take and use them as You will.
In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.
And now, Father God, hear us as we pray to You as Your Son taught us…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Jesus of Nazareth was executed on a cross and buried on Friday. The following day was the Sabbath, the day of rest. On the third day, the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses went to the tomb to try to anoint the body of their Master with oils and spices. The tomb had been sealed by a huge boulder, so they likely could not have gotten inside, but I’m sure they would have remained outside a while, probably weeping and remembering the times they shared with the Son of Man while He lived.
And that shouldn’t seem too unusual to us, since we often visit the graves of our loved ones who have gone on to their reward before us. We go, pay our respects, maybe place some flowers or some small token of our affection, probably shed a tear or two because we still miss them. We do this knowing full well that our loved one is not there. Even atheists know that nothing is there but the remains of the person that once lived. We Christians understand that the soul of the person we love has gone to be with Jesus. The only thing left in the grave we stand before is the container that once held that soul. Someday, that soul will be given a new body, just as we will.
Well, the Mary’s didn’t understand this promise, nor did the disciples, not yet. Jesus had spoken of this a number of times, but they didn’t quite get it. All they knew was that He was dead and they went to visit His grave. And what they found completely astonished them – an empty tomb, the huge stone rolled away, shaking, speechless guards, and an angel whose countenance was like lightning.
“Don’t be afraid”, the angel told the women. I bet he didn’t say that to the guards. “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified, but He is not here; for He has risen.”
Now we know the angel meant that Jesus had been raised from the dead, had risen from the grave. But He had not yet risen – ascended – into heaven to be with His Father. He still had to prove His resurrection to over 500 people before He could go home.
The Mary’s came to the now empty tomb seeking Jesus and found He was no longer there. Where do we seek Jesus? Or maybe the question should be, are we still seeking Jesus? Are we looking to get to know Him better, to build a better relationship with Him, to serve Him in more meaningful ways? I feel that many of us are, as are many believers.
But what of the rest? And especially, what of non-believers? It’s been my experience that people who don’t seek Jesus look for other ways to fill the holes in their lives. They listen to the enticements of the world, and the ads on TV, and try to fill those voids with things, thinking that will make them happy and satisfied. They are looking for Jesus - although they don’t see it quite that way - and they’re looking in all the wrong places. If they only believed, they could grasp that the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus, will more than fill those holes in their life! He will fill the holes and all the little nooks and crannies and hollow spaces and overflow out of them and onto all those they meet.
And you know, if we are truly seeking Jesus, we don’t have to go to some tomb in a far off land. We don’t have to drive over to the church and sit in the pews for an hour or so on Sunday. We don’t have to go anywhere. All we have to do is pray, and the Holy Spirit within us will show us our Lord. Jesus is here, all around us, no matter where we are. He is within us in the person of God’s Holy Spirit. He is in heaven sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And some sweet day we will stand before Him, face to face, flesh to flesh, because He has risen, and we will too. Jesus promised that to us, and I believe Him.
The angel said of Jesus, “He is not here”, meaning in the tomb. Our Lord conquered death. His Father, our Father – God - resurrected Him from the grave. He was no longer there, confined to a hole in the ground, bound by death, constrained by earthly ties. But because of that, He is here! He is here all around us. He is here within us. Our Lord lives even to this day! And for that, we rejoice! For that, we worship Him!
Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Amen.
Let us pray… Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Master… We stand before a representation of the cross upon which You suffered and died, but You are no longer there. We see in our mind’s eye the tomb where they laid Your lifeless body, sealed it with a huge boulder, and placed armed guards in front of it. Yet Your grave is empty! The stone has been rolled away, the guards shake in their stunned fear. We hear the angel’s words and we look inside… and awe fills us. Too amazed to believe what our senses tell us, we hear You speak: “Rejoice!” And all we can think to do is to sing Alleluias and worship you.
You sacrificed everything for us, You died for us, You were buried for us. You bore no sin of Your own so You carried all the sins of the world to the grave and left them there, just so we might be washed clean when we stand before God at our last.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, and we thank You! Words alone could never convey just how thankful we are, so we give You our hearts in gratitude. We give You our lives – take and use them as You will.
In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.
And now, Father God, hear us as we pray to You as Your Son taught us…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
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