Easter 6 "Itching Ears and Idle Chitchat"
Acts 17:22-31
April 27, 2008
Listen to this sermon (mp3 format)

No matter how modern or contemporary we may think we are, always remember one thing. Technology changes but human nature doesn't. Today, people snap up the tabloids and watch gossip TV. They want to know the latest scoop, find out the latest fads and be in the loop. This isn't anything new. Paul found a similar attitude in the people of Athens. Their interest was in the latest ideas in philosophy. Ancient
Greek society was similar to ours characterized by "itching ears and idle chitchat."

Acts 17:22-34 (ESV)

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does
not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for " 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, " 'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this."

Athens has a beautiful, cosmopolitan city. Its architecture was stunning. The city was adorned with beautiful temples dedicated to many different gods. The city was also the intellectual center of the Roman empire. Greek philosophy originated here. In the absence of TV and the internet, the active discussion of ideas occupied their time.

Paul was well versed in Greek philosophy. As a visiting scholar, he was invited to address the crowd at the Areopagus about the novel ideas about Jesus Christ and His resurrection that he had been discussing. Because it's easier to engage an audience by making a familiar connection, Paul pointed out the altar dedicated to the
"Unknown God." He then proceeds to tell them about the Lord God, creator of all things.

In spite of their cultural polytheism, many of the philosophers acknowledged a supreme spirit while others we atheists. First Paul makes an appeal to the natural knowledge of God revealed in creation. Then he makes a further connection by quoting Greek poets.

Once he has their attention, Paul introduces the concept of the resurrection. While this was part of the Jewish belief system, it was a foreign and new one to the Greeks. With the mention of the resurrection, many in the audience lost interest. They scoffed. This pretty much ended the lecture session. Just because they were curious about these new ideas Paul was introducing doesn't mean that it held their interest.

For many of the audience, this talk of the resurrection was an idea so silly that it required no more investigation. Who could believe such a thing? That was interesting for the moment but now let's move on to something else. The conversation about the resurrection was not deemed worth pursuing. The group was ready to move on to the next idea. Their attention span was short. The proclamation of the resurrection didn't soothe their itching ears. They wanted to move on to some other, less meaty, chitchat.

The important footnote is that some were intrigued by what Paul was saying. They sought him out to learn more. From this group, the congregation of Athens was formed.

When it comes to the proclamation of the Gospel, why should we be surprised when the Good News doesn't hold the attention and interest of the world? The Gospel doesn't tell people what they want to hear. Most people in our society are more itching to hear idle chitchat and gossip about the celebrity of the moment than they are to hear about the coming judgment in the resurrection.

The itching ears of people draw them to the superficial, the silly and the passing. We saw that in the recent visit of the pope. When he didn't tell the media what they wanted to hear, they sought to marginalize him and his message. How odd that the politicians who are most vocal in their support of abortion on demand and partial birth abortion, were so eager to receive communion at the papal mass. They weren't interested in the message only the moment. It was their time to see and, more importantly, be seen.

Like the Athenians, they lose interest after the proclamation of the message. They're ready to move from that photo-op to the next. Our society is becoming more and more superficial. We no longer seem interested or drawn to things of substance. We're more consumed with the pursuit of idle chitchat than searching the depths of faith.

Even American evangelicalism is more interested in the personal testimonies of individual Christians, especially those with a checkered past, than they are in the testimony of Scripture. It seems these evangelicals are more eager to snag a celebrity for their testimony than in sharing the Gospel of Christ. When that celebrity's story is old, they charge on searching for another, juicier story.

With Paul, we simply preach "Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles." [1 Cor. 1:23] This preaching was folly to many of the Athenians. It's a stumbling block and folly to many today, even among church going people. Yet, Paul also reminds us, "to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than
men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." [1 Cor. 1:24-25]

By God's grace, we are like those in Athens who wanted to hear more. By God's grace we believe and testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We rejoice that He comes to us in the Word and in the sacrament this morning. He comes to bring us the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, to strengthen our faith and help us live as His people in an itching ears, idle chitchat world. Amen.

Easter 5 "A Holy Nation Among the Nations"
1 Peter 2:9, 10
April 20, 2009
Listen to this sermon (mp3 format)

Ok, how do you identify yourself? The politicians like to tell us that we are a nation of immigrants. When our ancestors first came here, they tended to settle with family and others who shared their language and country of origins. As the generations became more Americanized, people began to intermarry outside of those immigrant communities. How many of you can say that your family background is still 100% German? We have become a nation from among many nations.

Now, suppose you're sitting next to someone this morning who is new to town? How do you introduce yourself? You describe who you are by
explaining your connections with family, friends and community. By doing this, you are showing how you belong.

It's a human need to belong. Yes, there are a few solitary individuals
who can and maybe choose to live without social contact with others.
These are by far the exception to the rule. Yes, there are many truly
lonely people in the world. They long for some connection with others.
Belonging to a group gives sense of identity and offers a feeling of
security. Those who don't belong feel isolated, depressed and are often ill.

Peter speaks to this need for belonging and identity. Using the imagery of the Old Testament, Peter writes: [Text: 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)]But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Since Peter was a Jew and raised in the tradition of the Jews, he uses
words and the images from the Old Testament: a priesthood, a chosen people, a holy nation, a Temple. These were identifying points for both Jews and Gentiles. Although there are no longer priests or a Temple, they remain a part of both the history and hope of Israel.

Nevertheless, these were there only to testify to the fullness of the
reality of Christ and the salvation He would bring to His people. The
difference is that this identity is not based on ethnicity, gender or
culture but in Jesus Christ. In Christ, Paul reminds us that we are:
"neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." [Galatians 3:28]
Is it possible to be Chinese or Iraqi or Mongolian or Tibetan or Jewish
and still be a Christian? Yes.

The Christian church is now a nation among the nations. What does that mean? It means that the church transcends ethnic, cultural and political boundaries. The church is everywhere in the world. The head of the church is Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have a new sense and understanding of our belonging.

Belonging to Christ gives us a new sense of identity and meaning. We
believe that the Lord calls us by name and gathers us into His church.
Usually, this happens in our baptism.

Luther rediscovered the understanding of the priesthood of all believers. What's that?

In the Old Testament the people could only approach God by bringing their sacrifices to the priests. The priests would make intercession for the people to God. Now, we have direct access to the Lord in prayer without having to go through a priest. We can pray for our needs and, more importantly, we intercede for the needs of others.

As a priesthood, we are God's holy people living for the sake of the world in both our lives of prayer and sacrificial love. We are part of the living Temple of Christ for we carry the presence of God into the world. As Christians, our identity is to be first and foremost as the children of God. We are also citizens in world of the nation where we live. Because of our belonging to Christ, we seek to serve and work for the well-being of those with whom we live.

Peter says that once we had not received mercy but now we have. How's that? It means that until we hear the Gospel, we do not know or experience the mercy of God.

That mercy is revealed to us in the cross of Jesus Christ. Without the
sacrificial death of Christ, we would have no way to approach God. Our attempt at good works wouldn't do us any good. We are never as good as we want everyone else to think we are.

Mercy comes to us in the cross and with it forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration.

In the mercy of Christ, we have a new identity and meaning for our lives. We are no longer to live for our personal selfish desires. Rather, as the blessings of God flow into our lives, they also flow from us to touch others.

We are told that when one part of the body suffers, the whole body
suffers. You know that if you have something as minor as a paper cut. In the same way, when one part of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body suffers. This is why the Lord uses us to minister His hope and healing to one another. The church as the body of Christ, comforts the suffering, encourages the despairing, gathers the lost and lonely, feeds the poor and shares the Good News.

We may live in small town middle America but we are an important part of the Body of Christ. We may identify ourselves as Germans or Norwegians or Heinz 57. We may say we're St. Ansgar Saints, Iowa Hawkeyes or even (good grief!) Packer fans. More than any of those, we belong to Jesus Christ. Our identity and meaning are in Him. Our lives of service to others flow from Him. So it is that we truly are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Easter 4 “Of the Shepherd and thieves”
John 10:7-10
Good Shepherd Sunday, April 13, 2008
Listen to this sermon (mp3 format)

Today is the Sunday of the Good Shepherd. This should be an easy sermon to preach because we all know who the Good Shepherd is. Maybe we need to take another look at the Good Shepherd and ask the Lutheran question, “what does this mean?” What does it mean when Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd? What our Lord says about Himself doesn’t always jive with what others say about Him.

John 10:7-10 (ESV)

So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus doesn’t simply say “I am the Good Shepherd.” He specially warns us to be aware of the thieves. What about those thieves? Who are they? How can we recognize them?

Some are easier to recognize than others.

The thieves that are easiest to recognize are those who actively set out to persecute the church and destroy the faith of its people. The church over the centuries has experienced persecution from governments and other outside forces such as Islam. The Romans, the Nazi’s, the communists, and a myriad of dictators have tried to kill off the church.

There are other thieves. Islam has invaded Christian nations with the simple desire to steal, kill and destroy. Today, the Muslims are moving into the west. Because of the stupidity of political correctness, Muslims are allowed all kinds of benefits that Christians are out and out denied. Muslims are getting tax payer money for their charter schools. Can you imagine the outcry if Christians schools were given tax money to establish schools?

Instead of accommodating the demands of Muslims, we must witness to them. No, we do not worship the same God. No, we do not believe good works will save us. Yes, they need the hope of the Gospel revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. He is God incarnate, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Without Him Muslims will never know the love of God.

At least evil governments and Muslims are easy to recognize. The sneakier thieves are those who are harder to recognize. They don’t look or even act like thieves. Who are they? They are the ones who try to make the Good Shepherd something that He is not. Perhaps, they make Jesus sound more like The Good Therapist or the Good Buddy or the Good Sugar Daddy. The thieves want to make Jesus into something that will serve only to enrich themselves.

When Jesus is reinvented as the Good Therapist, He simply listens non-judgmentally. At the end of the session, you are reminded to try to do good and be better but it’s with one of those “wink, wink” chuckles. Everyone silently snickers, “like that’s going to happen.” The therapist may hear your confession but there is no demand for repentance. Without repentance there is no forgiveness. Jesus is not your Good Therapist.

If Jesus is reinvented as your Good Buddy, He becomes your pal. While it’s true that our Lord calls us “friends,” He is still God. We are friends as opposed to enemies. We no longer need to be afraid of Him but we must always retain an awe filled respect for Him. Yes, we may come to Him in every need but we dare not reduce Him to a “slap on the back, have a beer” pal. Jesus Christ is not your Good Buddy.

Then, there’s our Lord reinvented as the Good Sugar Daddy, He promises to give you stuff. Here’s where so many false teachers gain their biggest audiences. They tell people what they want to hear. What’s that? People want to be told that they are so loveable that God can’t help but reward them with all kinds of good stuff. It’s interesting that Jesus reminds us that in this life we will have tribulation but the good news is that He has overcome the world. No, Jesus is not your Good Sugar Daddy.

What’s the danger of trying to make Jesus more accessible by bringing Him down to our level? The problem is that we distort who Jesus Christ is. If we portray Jesus as the great lovable cosmic teddy bear, how are we to reconcile this image with the statement in the creed that says He will come again to judge? If He’s my therapist, He doesn’t judge me. If He’s my buddy, He won’t judge me. If He’s my Sugar Daddy, He just laughs at my silly antics.

Here’s the deal. Don’t listen to these people. They are thieves who come only to steal, kill and destroy. They may not come to confiscate your property or threaten to kill you. They may not even appear to be a threat to you and your family. That’s what makes them all the more dangerous. As our Lord says, if the house owner knew when the thief was coming, he would have been prepared. Sadly, many Christians are unprepared for the coming of the thieves who want to snatch you from the care of the Good Shepherd.

In order not to be deceived and suckered by them, you have to be well grounded in your faith. You need to know who the real Good Shepherd is. Jesus is the Christ. He was spoken of by the prophets. He came to live the perfect life we could not live. He died on the cross for our sins and was raised again for our justification.

He did not come to sooth your self-esteem. He did not come to assure you that you’re ok and everything will be just fine if you just try to live a good life. He is NOT your therapist, buddy or sugar daddy. He is your Lord and Savior. He is the Good Shepherd who calls His sheep by name, guides them to safe pastures and gives them life abundant. No that doesn’t mean you’ll have lots of stuff. It means that in Him your life will have meaning, purpose and be filled to overflowing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It means no one will be able to steal, kill or destroy His love for you because He is your Good Shepherd, now and always. Amen.

Easter 3 “Whatever? . . or . . Yes!”
Luke 24:25-33
April 8, 2008

It seems that much of life could be described as “whatever.” Whatever is blah, “ho-hum,” couldn’t care less. When was the last time you had a “YES!” moment? It’s when everything comes together in a clear, very fine way. For the two on the road to Emmaus their “YES!” moment came when Jesus fully revealed Himself after the most extraordinary Sunday Bible class of all times.

Jesus meets up with the two as they are traveling from Jerusalem. As they journey, they talk about the events of the last three days. They know Jesus. They are part of the larger group of disciples who have followed our Lord. They know He was crucified, died and was buried. But, they’ve heard the rumors that He is alive! They’ve heard the report of the women who saw Jesus. They also knew Peter and John went to the tomb but did NOT see Jesus. Whom to believe? What to believe? It is at this point that Jesus joins them.

Read text: Luke 24:25-33 (ESV)

And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"

Why didn’t they believe? For one thing we don’t believe everything we see or hear. Our human intelligence will see or not see what the inner personality desires. This is why you can offer convincing evidence to people who still refuse to believe it. We’ve become so bored and callous that almost everything is met with a shrug and “whatever.” It seems little excites us any more. Rare are those moments when things fall together in such a way that we want to shout “YES!”

Our Lord wonders aloud why these guys so slow or sluggish to believe. In other words He is asking why their hearts are so unresponsive. They’ve learned the Scriptures early on and yet they don’t understand the prophetic word. They’ve been with Jesus. They’ve heard Him teach and explain the Law and the prophets. That ought to awaken their faith. Yet, they still haven’t been able to piece it all together.

So, as they walk along, our Lord once again explains everything beginning with Moses. He emphasizes to them two vital facts. The messiah must suffer and then enter into glory. The disciples and the people had either forgotten or chosen to overlook the suffering part. They’d fast forwarded to the glory. This is why the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus was so baffling and confusing to them.

Why did the Messiah have to suffer? Why couldn’t He simply take the short cut to glory? Without the suffering and death of the perfect Lamb of God, there would be no glory. Christ had to suffer. Only His suffering and death would expiate the world’s guilt. By His bloody death on the cross He would win forgiveness of sins for you and me. His death brings us reconciliation to the Father.

After the suffering, we behold His glory. With His resurrection Christ reveals His victory over the powers of sin, death and the devil. As the Victor about to enter His glory, Jesus begins the most wonderful Sunday Bible class ever conducted. Beginning first with Moses and then the other prophets, Jesus reveals Himself in the whole of the OT.

As Jesus speaks, the pieces fall together. These two are having their “YES!” moment.

As they approach the village, Jesus acted as if He was going to continue further on His journey but the two urged Him to stay. They wanted more.

Jesus is more than willing to stay with them. They settle in for supper and what they hope will be more revelation. Indeed, it will be just that. As Jesus takes the bread to bless it for supper, the eyes of recognition are opened and they recognize our Lord! Although they have been with Him throughout the afternoon, they now fully recognize Him. The rumors and reports are true! He is alive! He has risen! It’s one of those wonderful “YES!” moments! It’s the joyous time when everything comes together.

They can’t hold their excitement in. The news is so good, so wonderful, so extraordinary that they have to share it with someone. They know exactly where to go and to whom they needed to share this good news. When they arrive, they find not only the Eleven but others. As the group shares all the events of the day, the Lord gives them a group “YES!” moment when He appears on their midst.

By the end of that Easter evening, these disciples no longer viewed the Scriptures and Jesus as “whatever.” They understood all of the Law and the prophets were truly fulfilled in Jesus Christ. From that point on the things of faith were no longer “whatever” but “YES!”

Today is an “YES!” moment for us. Just as our Lord acted as the host when He broke bread with the two as they sat together, so He is our Host this morning. His invisible presence is ours not only in the Word but also in the sacrament this morning. He speaks to us in the Word. He comes to us in His supper. In the great mystery of all things, He joins Himself in, with and under the bread and wine to give us His true body and blood. In this supper we receive wonderful blessings: forgiveness of sins, strengthened faith and grace to live as His people in the world.

By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit will fill in the gaps and holes in our faith understanding. Today He will move you from “whatever” to the joy of “YES!” The grace and peace of the Lord be with you now and always. Amen.

Easter 2 “Doubting what? Believing who?”
John 20:24-29, 31
March 30, 2008

Listen to the March 30 sermon

Put yourself in Thomas’ place. How would you have reacted to the news of the other disciples? Would you have believed them? Think about it. What did Thomas want?

He wanted the same experience the others claimed to have seen.

Oh what’s a person to believe? We are bombarded with so much information, much of which contradicts itself, we have to wonder what to believe. Can anyone say presidential politics? Too much information can overload the circuits. This was part of Thomas’ problem. He heard things that his human experience found unbelievable. Could he believe everything he was hearing about Jesus or not? Could he believe his friends? What and whom could he believe?

Read text: John 20:24-29, 31

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Today, “diversity” is the name of the game. We are surrounded with all kinds of new cultures and religions we only knew about from textbooks even 20 years ago. Pilate’s question to Jesus, “What us truth?” resounds among Americans today. Everything is relative and nothing is absolute.

The new religion of today is “green.” Everyone is to think and live “green.” It’s not enough to think in terms of being good stewards of the earth, the water and air. The earth is your mother. “Green” advocates often lapse into neo-paganism. They worship the earth as if it is a living being. But, as one of my favorite pundits reminds us: “The earth is not your mother.” We are to work to keep our soil, water and air as clean and pollution free as possible. We do this for our benefit and for the generations to come. God expects it because He made us stewards of the earth to use and pass on to our children.

Because you are so bombarded with opinions and varying points of view, what and who do you believe? Do you believe those who say that the earth is your mother? Is the earth a living, conscious being to be worshiped and adored or is the earth simply the jewel of God’s creation given to us as home?

Is it any wonder that people today can identify with Thomas? Can we believe everything people tell us? Can we believe even the things our closest friends tell us? Where’s the proof? Like Thomas, we want more than a mere testimony. We want concrete proof. Without it, we simply cannot and will not believe. If we have our doubts, what can we say to others to convince them Jesus rose from the dead and is their living Lord and Savior? Witnessing to unbelief seems like talking to a brick wall.

Sometimes we give up too easily. Maybe you get discouraged when you talk about your faith in Christ to people who “don’t get it.” Maybe you’ve invited someone to church who came but didn’t “get anything out of it.” Don’t be surprised. Don’t give up! Why do we think a one or two time exposure to Jesus is going to make Christians out of people? Look what it took to convince the disciples. Look what it took to convince Thomas that Jesus was alive and risen from the dead. Since we don’t have the Lord here with us in His glorious resurrected body, we depend on the Holy Spirit to work faith in the hearts of those to whom we witness and invite to worship.

Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas. Even though Thomas seemed more entrenched in his unbelief than the other disciples, Jesus didn’t give up on him with a “well if that’s the way you feel about it” attitude. Jesus kept loving and reaching out to Thomas. It’s all he asks of us as well. Keep reaching out and loving your friends and relatives who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Don’t give up even if you become discouraged. Yours may be the only Christian witness they have in their lives.

The message of the resurrection competes with other claims on religious truth. Mormons, Muslims and Moonies; Jehovah Witnesses and modern wiccans; gurus and goddess worshipers all claim to have special insight into “truth.” Who can be believed? Even Pilate scoffed at Jesus by asking. “what is truth?” People continue to ask that very question: “what is truth?” How do you answer them? Jesus made a very strong, and to some, an obnoxious claim, when He stated, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” As St. Paul says, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block and foolishness,” to those who cannot or will not believe.

We believe Jesus rose again. Only Jesus has over 500 eyewitnesses of His resurrection. Only Jesus has fulfilled all of His promises. Only Jesus can change the skepticism and unbelief of our hearts into faith.

He comes to us today as He did to Thomas the other disciples. He comes to us in His Word as He speaks to us. He comes to us in His holy supper as He unites Himself to us to touch us with His love, strengthen our faith in Him as our Savior and help us to live as His faithful disciples.

Conclusion: What’s a person to believe? We believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again for us. Only the Holy Spirit can create saving faith in our hearts. We are nurtured on the Word and on the sacraments. Not only does the Holy Spirit sustain our faith, but He enables us to keeping telling others. As Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This what we believe and confess to the world today. Go in peace. Amen.

Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of our Lord “Resurrection Joy!” Isaiah 26:19
March 23, 2008

Listen to the Easter Sermon

This last week I was looking at a magazine that had an article about various ways a family could celebrate Easter. It had all the usual stuff: things to do with eggs, candy, feasts with food and bunnies. No where was there a mention of church. No where was there a mention of the resurrection. One would be led to think that Easter is some sort of spring festival.

Maybe it’s time to dump the name “Easter.” Of course the older name “Pascha” sounds strange to us as well. So, we’d be left with the formal title for today: The Resurrection of our Lord. It’s long but, in the end, it clearly states what today is all about. We are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, that’s good news and certainly more of a reason to celebrate than bunnies and eggs. If all we were doing was to mark the return of spring, today wouldn’t be a good one—especially when it’s still so cold outside, there’s still snow on the ground and there aren’t even any flowers blooming.

Today is more than a celebration of the return of spring with eggs and baskets. The resurrection is the proclamation of hope and joy. Belief in the resurrection of the body isn’t something that originated with the early Christians. The Jews have from early on professed belief in the resurrection. Hear the words of the prophet Isaiah writing some 700 years before the coming of Christ.

Read: Isaiah 26:19

Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Isaiah was writing during a difficult time for Israel. Fear, doom and gloom were abounding. The people had little hope. Life seemed to be summed up in the bumper sticker line: Life is hard and then you die. Where’s the hope and joy in that?

The prophet gave the people hope by pointing them to the joy that would be theirs in the resurrection. Not only would they know the joy of the resurrection, but they would have the added joy of reunion with their loved ones.

As Christians we believe there is more to life than what we see and experience here and now. We believe that there is life eternal with the Lord. Although we don’t know all the details of what that means, we believe that there is not only life after or beyond death but it involves the resurrection.

Jesus not only testified His belief in the resurrection of the dead, He actually brought the dead back to life. Shortly before our Lord was crucified and died, He raised His friend Lazarus from death. Although Jesus had been traveling to Jerusalem, He didn’t arrive until four days later. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, He was met by the dead man’s sister Martha. In spite of her grief, she expressed her belief in the resurrection.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus then added words of comfort. Jesus said to her, "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. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." [John 11:21-27]

After her confession of faith, Martha saw the miracle she had only hoped to see in her wildest dreams. Jesus brought her brother alive from the grave. We can only imagine their joy. What had been deep sorrow and heart-rending grief turned into almost inexpressible joy. Lazarus, who was dead, was restored to them alive and well.

We are told that in the resurrection we will sing for joy. In the resurrection we will know one another. In the resurrection we will be restored and reunited with one another. We can only begin to imagine the great joy that will be ours.

None of this would be possible without Good Friday. Without our Lord’s passion and death, there would be no resurrection, no Easter celebration. The Christian celebration of the resurrection is the very underpinning of our cultural Easter celebration. Even if people ignore the Christian belief in the resurrection, they are celebrating it today by default. Without our Lord’s resurrection, the eggs, bunnies, baskets and bonnets associated with today would have even less prominence.

This isn’t to say you can’t enjoy the baskets, bunnies and foods associated with the Easter celebration. Simply remember what they are indirectly reminding us of: our Lord’s resurrection. Jesus died. It’s a fact. Jesus rose. That’s also a fact. His enemies didn’t deny it. They simply tried to cover it up. Those who despise the cross still try to explain away the resurrection. Try as they may, they will be no more successful than our Lord’s enemies. The message of Easter cannot be hushed. It cannot be swept under the carpet. It cannot be pushed aside or buried under other diversions.

The message of Easter endures through all generations. The message is plain. The message is simple: “He is not here in this tomb. He is arisen!” Jesus lives! The victory is won! We’ve heard the Good News. Tomorrow, life goes on. Yet, we can now live as people of hope and joy for Jesus is risen. His victory over the power of sin and death is now ours as well. That is Good News. Rejoice! He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Amen.