Sermon Illustrations for Easter Day (2019)
Illustration
Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18
In many European countries, early on Easter Monday, the girls come out of their homes wearing traditional red, black and white folkloric dress. The young men walk down the streets, also in traditional dress of high black boots, black hats, white shirts and cream-colored trousers. The men follow the girls playing instruments and the older women of the village have prepared a cornucopia of food.
A young lady is pulled from the crowd and held by two young men, as a third throws a bucket of ice-cold water on her just drawn from a well. This Easter rite is called “sprinkling.” The purpose is to secure beauty, health, and even love for the young lady. When the ritual has been completed, everyone gathers for a community banquet. Sadly, in the early twenty-first century, as Europe has become increasingly secularized, this Christian religious ritual of community acceptance and fellowship is only practiced in small villages.
Ron L.
* * *
Acts 10:34-43
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. She listened as her friend recited this heinous act. When she finished, her friend anxiously awaited her reply. She, though, acted as if she had never even heard of the incident. “Don't you remember it?” her friend asked. “No,” came Barton's reply, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”
When God forgives, he also forgets. Forgiveness is a wonderful gift from God. Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.” The incredible truth in the text for today is that God’s offer of forgiveness is to everyone, without partiality or favoritism. Peter notes that “all the prophets testify about him.” The message of Jesus Christ is for everyone, but it must be received.
I read about an attorney who became a Christian and decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than six months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent seventeen debt canceling letters via certified mail. Sixteen of the seventeen letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts. How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it but too many people will not even open the letter that explains how.
Bill T.
* * *
Acts 10:34-43
There’s an important point about this meeting between the apostle Peter and the worthies of the Jerusalem Christian Church. When Peter describes what has happened with the Centurion and his family, he is describing something undertaken by the Holy Spirit. He is therefore not asking for their permission for Gentiles to be baptized. Nor is he asking for forgiveness for having taken the initiative. By describing what has already occurred through the power of the Holy Spirit he is at most asking for their blessing and cooperation. This is something the Holy Spirit is in charge of, and has already accomplished.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Easter. There is a sense in which it defies common sense. Martin Luther made that point in contending that in order to believe the Resurrection we must transcend what reason tells us:
For reason does no more than merely to observe the facts as they appear to the eye, namely, that the world has stood so long, that one person dies after another, remains dead, decomposes, and crumbles to dust in the grave. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, p.69)
When you realize that this is all there is to life, then deep in your heart there will be the awareness articulated that by the famed existentialist Albert Camus, that what you do in life is nothing more than what you do to prevent the awareness of death, “whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.”
Easter breaks this cycle. Jesus overcomes the death and decay, rescues us from death and from the meaningless games we play in order to distract us from thinking about death.
Therefore, if you believe in Christ, you must not flee from Him or be frightened; for here you perceive and see that His whole heart, mind, or thinking are intent on rescuing you from all that assails and oppresses you and on placing your with Christ over everything. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, pp.139-140)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Death is destroyed. As much as we are people of the book, the Bible, we are more people of the Resurrection. Today the darkness is lifted! Today there is hope! Today there is life! God kept God’s promises and we, too, share in those promises. Whether you understand resurrection, and really who can completely, or not, we share in this knowledge: Our sin and separation from God is not the end. This human body, with its frailty, is not all there is. Death doesn’t win. Through Jesus we have an entrance into eternal life — we, too, will conquer death through faith, through the sacrifice of Jesus, and through the love of God. Jesus lives! We live!
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
So Christ is the second Adam. By his death and resurrection he has given mankind a second chance so don’t go for the fruit in the tree. When we turn to God our slate is wiped clean. We have our resurrection through Christ who was the first one to rise from the dead. That should give us great comfort and hope.
Yes, Christ was a man. He lived a life on earth as we do. He had a job in his dad’s carpentry shop. He was tempted as we are. He must have thought how nice it would be to marry his girlfriend Mary and support them in his dad’s carpenter shop. He was tempted by Satan to rule the world. He was also hungry for food. He must have had uncomfortable nights sleeping on the ground. He had hot days and cold days. He had both good friends and traitors like Judas. He was not always welcomed home by his community. Finally, he had to face execution and death.
The most important day for all mankind is not Christmas but Easter. It is nice to receive gifts, but is it much better to get eternal life.
How many sacrificed their lives for their country. That is great while we are alive. Right?
We may all know someone whose father was a bad sinner, maybe even served prison time. In some cases that affected them also. In some cases they felt an obligation to live a different kind of life that would make up for their sin for the sake of their children.
Are church members today suffering for their children?
Bob O.
* * *
John 20:1-18
The beloved disciple arrives second behind Peter at the empty tomb in the resurrection garden. Well, third really. Mary of Magdala was first. Anyhow, the evangelist notes that the beloved disciple looks inside, sees the cloths folded at the end of the stone slab, and believes. Neither he nor Peter, we are told, yet understand the scriptures, but that doesn’t matter. And we don’t understand everything about scripture yet, nor have we stepped into that tomb, but we know the truth of the resurrection in our hearts. There’s more to learn, a richer depth of understanding awaiting us, but first things first. We believe.
Frank R.
* * *
John 20:1-18
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in human history. Our lives and faith hinge on the truth of the resurrection. Lee Strobel wrote, “In short, I didn't become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”
I don’t know that Benjamin Franklin ever was a Christian. In 1790, just before his death, he wrote to Ezra Stiles, president of Yale College, who’d asked him about his religious faith. In that letter Franklin said, “I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That he ought to be worshipped.” He never did comment of whether Jesus was the Son of God. He did, however, pen an epitaph (which he later changed) that is interesting. It reads…
The Body of
B. Franklin, Printer;
Like the Cover of an old Book,
Its Contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be wholly lost:
For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more,
In a new & more perfect Edition,
Corrected and amended
By the Author.
Did Benjamin Franklin believe in the resurrection of Jesus? We don’t know. The question today, though, is do you?
Bill T.
In many European countries, early on Easter Monday, the girls come out of their homes wearing traditional red, black and white folkloric dress. The young men walk down the streets, also in traditional dress of high black boots, black hats, white shirts and cream-colored trousers. The men follow the girls playing instruments and the older women of the village have prepared a cornucopia of food.
A young lady is pulled from the crowd and held by two young men, as a third throws a bucket of ice-cold water on her just drawn from a well. This Easter rite is called “sprinkling.” The purpose is to secure beauty, health, and even love for the young lady. When the ritual has been completed, everyone gathers for a community banquet. Sadly, in the early twenty-first century, as Europe has become increasingly secularized, this Christian religious ritual of community acceptance and fellowship is only practiced in small villages.
Ron L.
* * *
Acts 10:34-43
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. She listened as her friend recited this heinous act. When she finished, her friend anxiously awaited her reply. She, though, acted as if she had never even heard of the incident. “Don't you remember it?” her friend asked. “No,” came Barton's reply, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”
When God forgives, he also forgets. Forgiveness is a wonderful gift from God. Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.” The incredible truth in the text for today is that God’s offer of forgiveness is to everyone, without partiality or favoritism. Peter notes that “all the prophets testify about him.” The message of Jesus Christ is for everyone, but it must be received.
I read about an attorney who became a Christian and decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than six months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent seventeen debt canceling letters via certified mail. Sixteen of the seventeen letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts. How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it but too many people will not even open the letter that explains how.
Bill T.
* * *
Acts 10:34-43
There’s an important point about this meeting between the apostle Peter and the worthies of the Jerusalem Christian Church. When Peter describes what has happened with the Centurion and his family, he is describing something undertaken by the Holy Spirit. He is therefore not asking for their permission for Gentiles to be baptized. Nor is he asking for forgiveness for having taken the initiative. By describing what has already occurred through the power of the Holy Spirit he is at most asking for their blessing and cooperation. This is something the Holy Spirit is in charge of, and has already accomplished.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Easter. There is a sense in which it defies common sense. Martin Luther made that point in contending that in order to believe the Resurrection we must transcend what reason tells us:
For reason does no more than merely to observe the facts as they appear to the eye, namely, that the world has stood so long, that one person dies after another, remains dead, decomposes, and crumbles to dust in the grave. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, p.69)
When you realize that this is all there is to life, then deep in your heart there will be the awareness articulated that by the famed existentialist Albert Camus, that what you do in life is nothing more than what you do to prevent the awareness of death, “whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.”
Easter breaks this cycle. Jesus overcomes the death and decay, rescues us from death and from the meaningless games we play in order to distract us from thinking about death.
Therefore, if you believe in Christ, you must not flee from Him or be frightened; for here you perceive and see that His whole heart, mind, or thinking are intent on rescuing you from all that assails and oppresses you and on placing your with Christ over everything. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, pp.139-140)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Death is destroyed. As much as we are people of the book, the Bible, we are more people of the Resurrection. Today the darkness is lifted! Today there is hope! Today there is life! God kept God’s promises and we, too, share in those promises. Whether you understand resurrection, and really who can completely, or not, we share in this knowledge: Our sin and separation from God is not the end. This human body, with its frailty, is not all there is. Death doesn’t win. Through Jesus we have an entrance into eternal life — we, too, will conquer death through faith, through the sacrifice of Jesus, and through the love of God. Jesus lives! We live!
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
So Christ is the second Adam. By his death and resurrection he has given mankind a second chance so don’t go for the fruit in the tree. When we turn to God our slate is wiped clean. We have our resurrection through Christ who was the first one to rise from the dead. That should give us great comfort and hope.
Yes, Christ was a man. He lived a life on earth as we do. He had a job in his dad’s carpentry shop. He was tempted as we are. He must have thought how nice it would be to marry his girlfriend Mary and support them in his dad’s carpenter shop. He was tempted by Satan to rule the world. He was also hungry for food. He must have had uncomfortable nights sleeping on the ground. He had hot days and cold days. He had both good friends and traitors like Judas. He was not always welcomed home by his community. Finally, he had to face execution and death.
The most important day for all mankind is not Christmas but Easter. It is nice to receive gifts, but is it much better to get eternal life.
How many sacrificed their lives for their country. That is great while we are alive. Right?
We may all know someone whose father was a bad sinner, maybe even served prison time. In some cases that affected them also. In some cases they felt an obligation to live a different kind of life that would make up for their sin for the sake of their children.
Are church members today suffering for their children?
Bob O.
* * *
John 20:1-18
The beloved disciple arrives second behind Peter at the empty tomb in the resurrection garden. Well, third really. Mary of Magdala was first. Anyhow, the evangelist notes that the beloved disciple looks inside, sees the cloths folded at the end of the stone slab, and believes. Neither he nor Peter, we are told, yet understand the scriptures, but that doesn’t matter. And we don’t understand everything about scripture yet, nor have we stepped into that tomb, but we know the truth of the resurrection in our hearts. There’s more to learn, a richer depth of understanding awaiting us, but first things first. We believe.
Frank R.
* * *
John 20:1-18
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in human history. Our lives and faith hinge on the truth of the resurrection. Lee Strobel wrote, “In short, I didn't become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”
I don’t know that Benjamin Franklin ever was a Christian. In 1790, just before his death, he wrote to Ezra Stiles, president of Yale College, who’d asked him about his religious faith. In that letter Franklin said, “I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That he ought to be worshipped.” He never did comment of whether Jesus was the Son of God. He did, however, pen an epitaph (which he later changed) that is interesting. It reads…
The Body of
B. Franklin, Printer;
Like the Cover of an old Book,
Its Contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be wholly lost:
For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more,
In a new & more perfect Edition,
Corrected and amended
By the Author.
Did Benjamin Franklin believe in the resurrection of Jesus? We don’t know. The question today, though, is do you?
Bill T.
