Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday 17 April 2022 - delivered to St Mary’s Church, Shortlands. The gospel reading was Luke 24.1-12

Note: the church was well attended by visitors and occasional worshippers; my aim was to deliver a short sharp message with a choice!

There was a lot going on during the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 One question that we push aside is: why did Jesus really have to die?  He died so that God could work out his ineffable plan. He really died as you and I will die – as a human man.

 When Jesus died and was laid in the tomb, there were people and others (we’ll come to those in a moment), who thought they had won!

They thought they had messed up God’s ineffable plan! The ineffable plan of God’s salvation for the human beings that he created out of love and to be in loving relationship with him.

 Sadly people reject God and follow their own path – not realising that they substitute the love of God Almighty for a Devil, who we call the Prince of Lies, that only wishes them harm.

 At Jesus’ death, the forces of evil, the Prince of Lies and his minions believed they had out played the hand of God Almighty. By killing God’s Son, they were even more in control.

 The leaders of the Temple and the Government thought they had removed a nuisance and could return to normal.

 Sadly for them Christ Jesus was there at the beginning, and he will be there at the end for the great Reset. The Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to him.

 God knew exactly what he was doing, and Jesus was obedient.  His death allowed God to demonstrate his power.

 Jesus’ death took sin and disobedience to God Almighty and nailed it to that terrible cross. Not just for you and me but for all people.

 We celebrate today that Jesus’ death was not the end. God demonstrated who is boss in the earthly and heavenly realms by raising him from the dead. The Devil did not expect that!  Human kind did not expect that.  God’s power is without compare or competition.  And so is his Love.

 Power and Love. God’s power makes it possible to change the lives, and deaths of his people, all who choose to be his people. The golden thread that runs throughout time as recorded in the bible, becomes our golden thread of new life.

 But God never forces us.  What he does is give us a choice; to come back in relationship with him or to stay as we are.

 We can remain dead in the tomb wallowing around with our substitutes and shadows of life in all its fullness, perhaps living with guilt, shame or resentment.

Or we can choose to burst forth into a new life with the risen Christ.

 Right now all our sins, past, present, and future, all our guilt, regret, disappointment, broken relationships and shame can be nailed right now to that terrible cross.

 And in a moment, the power that raised Christ Jesus him from the dead gives us new life of promise and new possibility, and eternal life in his presence.

 This Easter can be so much more than Easter prosecco and chocolate, although I am open to that idea too!

 It could be the joy and peace of a risen life with Christ Jesus.  It could happen right now for those who have never known Him as their Saviour and those who have drifted away. Not complicated – just a choice. We just have to tell him that we believe and he will do the rest!

 And that is what we call the Good News!