Resurrection Of Our Lord (Easter Day)
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle B
Object:
Seasonal Theme
Alive and out of the grave, the risen Christ is witnessed in the real world.
Theme For The Day
Jesus out of the grave and in our church alive.
First Lesson
Acts 10:34-43
Inclusive Preaching
For the next eight Sundays the First Lessons will come from the book of Acts. These passages can be seen as the alive body of Christ out in the world and among God's people. Not only are these recorded events testimony to the resurrection, but they are examples of his disciples being about his real presence ministry in their real world. In this Acts 10 account we have Peter preaching to the Gentiles, as well as Jews, the gospel. First a summary of what God did in the flesh of Jesus the Christ (vv. 38-41). Then comes Peter's mission to witness to what he actually saw and experiences as an eyewitness and disciple (vv. 42-43). If it were not Easter Day, I would go immediately to the Acts 10:34 and talk about God being race and color and nationality blind. But today the expectation of the resurrection story is so great that we must center our proclamation there. Let's come back to those verses a little later in the Easter season.
In this particular passage, we have the core of early Christian preaching. The listeners are Gentile Cornelius, his relatives, and close friends (v. 24). The message was: The one God had sent to them, Jesus, as a gift, the people killed on the cross. That same Jesus came out of the grave and the preacher is a witness to that. The aftereffect of this all is the forgiveness of sins. We now have a different relationship with God.
Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Resurrection And Apostleship
This is a summary, by Paul, to the Corinthian congregation, of what he had proclaimed to them about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and appearances the weeks after Easter. Paul sees these appearances of Jesus after Easter the basic evidence of Jesus resurrection. The 500 mentioned in verse 6 is perhaps referring to Pentecost.
The last of these appearances was to Paul (v. 8) and because of this, Paul considers himself an apostle, which is defined as one who saw Jesus eye to eye. Because his reason for claiming to also be an apostle is quite different than the rest, he goes on to stress how hard he has worked and that it was God's gift of grace (v. 10b). In preaching this text perhaps we could claim, as Paul has done here, that we are also apostles if the Christ has appeared to us in religious experience.
The Gospel
John 20:1-18
The Resurrection Of Jesus
It is a breathtaking story well told, which I hope we can read well in a style which is narrative and rings with conviction. You might consider reading it in two different portions. First read 20:1-10 and then preach on that. Then move to verses 11-18 as the "rest of the story," as Paul Harvey used to say. There are some delicious characters we can talk about and use as examples:
A. Mary Magdalene who had sinned much and who loved Jesus much.
B. Simon Peter who was the natural leader of the disciples.
C. The "other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2). Perhaps this was the author John, or perhaps it was Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought out of the grave just a week or so before this Easter. Or could we be the "other disciple"?
D. Mary, mother of Jesus, who loved her son even though she just couldn't understand what was going on. They went out to the grave somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m. to finish the embalming, which had to be postponed because of the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath. We get the idea from the Greek language that the body of Jesus had just disappeared from the cloths and they were there still in place. There is a lot of love in this story. Mary's love for her son, Peter's love for his leader, and the love of "the one Jesus loved" for his savior. They really took their hearts to the tomb that early morning.
Mary could not recognize Jesus because of her tears clouding her sight and she had her back to him as she looked into the tomb. William Barclay writes about this: "... we must never fasten our eyes upon the grave and forget the heavens."
It could be that a better translation of verse 17 would be "Do not be afraid." Or, perhaps Jesus is telling her not to tarry there touching him -- but go tell the others. Verse 18 is the heart of a Christian's experience. We can say with Mary, "I have seen the Lord." Not just know about the Lord, but we have seen him, also.
Preaching Possibilities
Unlike almost any other Sunday's scripture readings, we can use all three, use any one of the three, or even any two of the three. It's a slam dunk this week.
A. The Acts account -- Easter is for all people and the message is still the same for us today.
B. The Corinthian account -- We are also "Easter People" because we have seen the Lord.
C. The John account -- As Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the "disciple Jesus loved" lives were forever changed, so are our lives.
D. I also like the account of Mary looking for Jesus in the tomb rather than in the world. That's our temptation in our day as well. We might not recognize him either!
Yet another possibility: that of apostleship or discipleship. In the three accounts there is a theme of witness. It just wasn't enough to believe and witness the resurrection. One must also go and tell the good news to others. We ought to be more than a witness of the resurrection -- instead be a witness to the resurrection. That's how Easter becomes real to us today. When we take it and its message to others. Acts 10:39, "We are witnesses." 1 Corinthians 15:11 Paul was a witness. "So we proclaim...." John 10:17b "... go to my brothers" and verse 18b "... I have seen the Lord."
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Let's try an extended metaphor sermon on this Easter morning. That means we will begin by telling a metaphor like the first one under "Possible Metaphors And Stories" and then weave it all through the sermon.
A. Begin by telling the story of the Chinese at Buji church in mainland China during the Communist and cultural revolution. See the first one listed below.
B. Now tell how the disciples of Jesus had been shattered by the events of Good Friday. How, like the Buji Christians, they first wanted to be near the tomb and perhaps touch it out of their love for Christ.
C. Then move to telling how the Buji Christians were probably looking for the Christ in the wrong place (the building) rather than in the risen Christ within them in Spirit whenever they got together. So Mary was looking in the wrong place (or reverse the order of these two thoughts).
D. Move to the present situation at Buji. Since the Chinese government has relaxed a little their regulations on religion -- more than 600 have come to worship and believe. It was true of the disciples also. Out of the witness to this pivotal event of resurrection when it seemed all was lost -- now millions around the world join us in worshiping the Christ on this Easter Day.
E. Tell how the Buji Christians still must struggle under the Communist rule to practice, contrasting that with how easy it is for us in America to gather today.
F. Move to the laws forbidding Christians to witness and yet how they quietly bring more and more to Christ. Look at your own congregation and their witness to Easter Resurrection. Tell how all three of the texts today call for witnesses to this Easter event. Explain how that helped the early Christians believe, helped the Buji Christians believe, and will surely help us believe in this community.
G. Frame the sermon by very briefly telling the Easter story according to John. Then move to the Buji Christians and their resurrection from a few old, old secret Christians to the many today who gather for worship in their old precious building, which used to be a horse stable. Then pray for the Buji Christians and then your own Christians.
Prayer For The Day
We give thanks today, dear God, for faithful Christians who still must take risks and know oppression for the practice of the faith. Bless the new resurrected congregation in Shenzehn, China, that they might continue to be powerful witnesses to the resurrection. And bless us here that we might also be faithful witnesses in a place where it is much easier to do so. Along with Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the disciple Jesus loved, help us also to see you alive and out of the grave. And then send us out to witness. In Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
Missionary Ted Zimmerman of Hong Kong told me of the church in Buji, Shenzhen, China. The building was built by the Basel mission over a hundred years ago. The Communists took it away from them and turned it into a horse stable. When they were not allowed to worship, Ted says, they would walk up the alley on Easter just to be close, and sometimes when no one was looking they would risk reaching out to touch the brick wall. They did this to acknowledge that they were still Christians and worshiping in their hearts.
They got their building back a couple of years ago. Only six very old original members were still alive. From them, the congregation of mostly young people has begun to thrive. I traveled there several times to preach in 1999-2000 and 2001 and there are over 600 to hear the gospel and receive the sacraments! Truly a resurrection of a body of Christ, again.
In candidate for President of the United States Al Gore's concession speech, he told one of his father's favorite sayings during adversity: "Shake the soul and get the glory out."
A story from Margaret in Forest City, Iowa:
A woman died and went to heaven, which was more beautiful than she'd ever expected. She couldn't wait to show it to her husband when he arrived, because he was an eternal pessimist.
A year later her husband joined her, and she took him on a tour. "The sky, the flowers, the music, the people -- heaven is truly heaven, isn't it?" she exclained. He surveyed Paradise briefly, then said, "Sure. And if it weren't for you and your darned oat bran, we'd have been here five years sooner!"
Could it be we avoid death too much? If paradise is really paradise, what is it we so fear?
On August 7, 1994, Dean and Ruth Fardahl dropped off their lunch partners at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West and headed home. A few blocks from home, Dean's heart stopped and he ran the car across the boulevard, into a yard, and into the side of a garage. Ruth was all right with some bruises. They rushed Dean to the hospital where the doctor told me that the airbag had opened and slammed into Dean's chest and started his heart again. I visited him the next day in Boswell Hospital in Sun City, where he was sitting up on the side of the bed dangling his feet. Oh, to start the dead hearts again -- inside and outside our congregations. It's an Easter story.
Note: The Easter season is different than the rest of the year. There are seven celebrations of Easter, so those following Easter are numbered Easter 2, Easter 3, etc. We continue the celebration. Try to refrain from calling them Sundays after Easter. They are Sundays of Easter. If you use the six sermon outlines recommended for the season of Easter, then on Easter 7 there is an outline recommended for use to celebrate the season.
Alive and out of the grave, the risen Christ is witnessed in the real world.
Theme For The Day
Jesus out of the grave and in our church alive.
First Lesson
Acts 10:34-43
Inclusive Preaching
For the next eight Sundays the First Lessons will come from the book of Acts. These passages can be seen as the alive body of Christ out in the world and among God's people. Not only are these recorded events testimony to the resurrection, but they are examples of his disciples being about his real presence ministry in their real world. In this Acts 10 account we have Peter preaching to the Gentiles, as well as Jews, the gospel. First a summary of what God did in the flesh of Jesus the Christ (vv. 38-41). Then comes Peter's mission to witness to what he actually saw and experiences as an eyewitness and disciple (vv. 42-43). If it were not Easter Day, I would go immediately to the Acts 10:34 and talk about God being race and color and nationality blind. But today the expectation of the resurrection story is so great that we must center our proclamation there. Let's come back to those verses a little later in the Easter season.
In this particular passage, we have the core of early Christian preaching. The listeners are Gentile Cornelius, his relatives, and close friends (v. 24). The message was: The one God had sent to them, Jesus, as a gift, the people killed on the cross. That same Jesus came out of the grave and the preacher is a witness to that. The aftereffect of this all is the forgiveness of sins. We now have a different relationship with God.
Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Resurrection And Apostleship
This is a summary, by Paul, to the Corinthian congregation, of what he had proclaimed to them about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and appearances the weeks after Easter. Paul sees these appearances of Jesus after Easter the basic evidence of Jesus resurrection. The 500 mentioned in verse 6 is perhaps referring to Pentecost.
The last of these appearances was to Paul (v. 8) and because of this, Paul considers himself an apostle, which is defined as one who saw Jesus eye to eye. Because his reason for claiming to also be an apostle is quite different than the rest, he goes on to stress how hard he has worked and that it was God's gift of grace (v. 10b). In preaching this text perhaps we could claim, as Paul has done here, that we are also apostles if the Christ has appeared to us in religious experience.
The Gospel
John 20:1-18
The Resurrection Of Jesus
It is a breathtaking story well told, which I hope we can read well in a style which is narrative and rings with conviction. You might consider reading it in two different portions. First read 20:1-10 and then preach on that. Then move to verses 11-18 as the "rest of the story," as Paul Harvey used to say. There are some delicious characters we can talk about and use as examples:
A. Mary Magdalene who had sinned much and who loved Jesus much.
B. Simon Peter who was the natural leader of the disciples.
C. The "other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2). Perhaps this was the author John, or perhaps it was Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought out of the grave just a week or so before this Easter. Or could we be the "other disciple"?
D. Mary, mother of Jesus, who loved her son even though she just couldn't understand what was going on. They went out to the grave somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m. to finish the embalming, which had to be postponed because of the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath. We get the idea from the Greek language that the body of Jesus had just disappeared from the cloths and they were there still in place. There is a lot of love in this story. Mary's love for her son, Peter's love for his leader, and the love of "the one Jesus loved" for his savior. They really took their hearts to the tomb that early morning.
Mary could not recognize Jesus because of her tears clouding her sight and she had her back to him as she looked into the tomb. William Barclay writes about this: "... we must never fasten our eyes upon the grave and forget the heavens."
It could be that a better translation of verse 17 would be "Do not be afraid." Or, perhaps Jesus is telling her not to tarry there touching him -- but go tell the others. Verse 18 is the heart of a Christian's experience. We can say with Mary, "I have seen the Lord." Not just know about the Lord, but we have seen him, also.
Preaching Possibilities
Unlike almost any other Sunday's scripture readings, we can use all three, use any one of the three, or even any two of the three. It's a slam dunk this week.
A. The Acts account -- Easter is for all people and the message is still the same for us today.
B. The Corinthian account -- We are also "Easter People" because we have seen the Lord.
C. The John account -- As Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the "disciple Jesus loved" lives were forever changed, so are our lives.
D. I also like the account of Mary looking for Jesus in the tomb rather than in the world. That's our temptation in our day as well. We might not recognize him either!
Yet another possibility: that of apostleship or discipleship. In the three accounts there is a theme of witness. It just wasn't enough to believe and witness the resurrection. One must also go and tell the good news to others. We ought to be more than a witness of the resurrection -- instead be a witness to the resurrection. That's how Easter becomes real to us today. When we take it and its message to others. Acts 10:39, "We are witnesses." 1 Corinthians 15:11 Paul was a witness. "So we proclaim...." John 10:17b "... go to my brothers" and verse 18b "... I have seen the Lord."
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Let's try an extended metaphor sermon on this Easter morning. That means we will begin by telling a metaphor like the first one under "Possible Metaphors And Stories" and then weave it all through the sermon.
A. Begin by telling the story of the Chinese at Buji church in mainland China during the Communist and cultural revolution. See the first one listed below.
B. Now tell how the disciples of Jesus had been shattered by the events of Good Friday. How, like the Buji Christians, they first wanted to be near the tomb and perhaps touch it out of their love for Christ.
C. Then move to telling how the Buji Christians were probably looking for the Christ in the wrong place (the building) rather than in the risen Christ within them in Spirit whenever they got together. So Mary was looking in the wrong place (or reverse the order of these two thoughts).
D. Move to the present situation at Buji. Since the Chinese government has relaxed a little their regulations on religion -- more than 600 have come to worship and believe. It was true of the disciples also. Out of the witness to this pivotal event of resurrection when it seemed all was lost -- now millions around the world join us in worshiping the Christ on this Easter Day.
E. Tell how the Buji Christians still must struggle under the Communist rule to practice, contrasting that with how easy it is for us in America to gather today.
F. Move to the laws forbidding Christians to witness and yet how they quietly bring more and more to Christ. Look at your own congregation and their witness to Easter Resurrection. Tell how all three of the texts today call for witnesses to this Easter event. Explain how that helped the early Christians believe, helped the Buji Christians believe, and will surely help us believe in this community.
G. Frame the sermon by very briefly telling the Easter story according to John. Then move to the Buji Christians and their resurrection from a few old, old secret Christians to the many today who gather for worship in their old precious building, which used to be a horse stable. Then pray for the Buji Christians and then your own Christians.
Prayer For The Day
We give thanks today, dear God, for faithful Christians who still must take risks and know oppression for the practice of the faith. Bless the new resurrected congregation in Shenzehn, China, that they might continue to be powerful witnesses to the resurrection. And bless us here that we might also be faithful witnesses in a place where it is much easier to do so. Along with Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the disciple Jesus loved, help us also to see you alive and out of the grave. And then send us out to witness. In Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
Missionary Ted Zimmerman of Hong Kong told me of the church in Buji, Shenzhen, China. The building was built by the Basel mission over a hundred years ago. The Communists took it away from them and turned it into a horse stable. When they were not allowed to worship, Ted says, they would walk up the alley on Easter just to be close, and sometimes when no one was looking they would risk reaching out to touch the brick wall. They did this to acknowledge that they were still Christians and worshiping in their hearts.
They got their building back a couple of years ago. Only six very old original members were still alive. From them, the congregation of mostly young people has begun to thrive. I traveled there several times to preach in 1999-2000 and 2001 and there are over 600 to hear the gospel and receive the sacraments! Truly a resurrection of a body of Christ, again.
In candidate for President of the United States Al Gore's concession speech, he told one of his father's favorite sayings during adversity: "Shake the soul and get the glory out."
A story from Margaret in Forest City, Iowa:
A woman died and went to heaven, which was more beautiful than she'd ever expected. She couldn't wait to show it to her husband when he arrived, because he was an eternal pessimist.
A year later her husband joined her, and she took him on a tour. "The sky, the flowers, the music, the people -- heaven is truly heaven, isn't it?" she exclained. He surveyed Paradise briefly, then said, "Sure. And if it weren't for you and your darned oat bran, we'd have been here five years sooner!"
Could it be we avoid death too much? If paradise is really paradise, what is it we so fear?
On August 7, 1994, Dean and Ruth Fardahl dropped off their lunch partners at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West and headed home. A few blocks from home, Dean's heart stopped and he ran the car across the boulevard, into a yard, and into the side of a garage. Ruth was all right with some bruises. They rushed Dean to the hospital where the doctor told me that the airbag had opened and slammed into Dean's chest and started his heart again. I visited him the next day in Boswell Hospital in Sun City, where he was sitting up on the side of the bed dangling his feet. Oh, to start the dead hearts again -- inside and outside our congregations. It's an Easter story.
Note: The Easter season is different than the rest of the year. There are seven celebrations of Easter, so those following Easter are numbered Easter 2, Easter 3, etc. We continue the celebration. Try to refrain from calling them Sundays after Easter. They are Sundays of Easter. If you use the six sermon outlines recommended for the season of Easter, then on Easter 7 there is an outline recommended for use to celebrate the season.
