Loving God, you vindicated your Son, Jesus, and appointed him judge of all things when you raised him from the dead. Grant to us thankful and peaceful hearts as we worship you today, strengthening us in our faith through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

It is an interesting mixture of emotions that were experienced on that first Easter morning. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb, experience an earthquake and an angel, and hear that Jesus has been raised from the dead and is going to meet them in Galilee. That’s a lot to take in when you were simply expecting to visit the tomb of your friend and teacher, killed horribly only two days ago. And so, when the two Marys leave the tomb to go and tell Jesus’ disciples, it is with a strange mixture of “fear and great joy” (Mt. 28:8).

Both emotions are relatively easy for us to imagine if we place ourselves in their position. Imagine losing, not just a loved one, but the one person who has given your life meaning and purpose. Imagine losing that person, and perhaps even watching them die in great pain, and then discovering a few days later that they had been raised from the dead. Wouldn’t you be full of joy at the chance to be with them again?

Yet, the fear is understandable, too. What if it was all a big lie, and he wasn’t really alive? Who will ever believe us - that we have seen an angel, and Jesus is alive? Are we losing our minds? Is it just wishful thinking on our part? This is just too wonderful! What is going on here? And just then, Jesus himself meets them in the midst of their fear. It is the one thing that Jesus addresses over and over again as he appears to people after his resurrection. His first words are always something along the lines of, “Do not be afraid,” or “peace be with you.” He has not been raised in order to frighten people, but in order to bring them peace.

Over the next few weeks, and in the pages of Scripture, we hear about many such encounters with the risen Jesus, who shows himself to his disciples, allows people to touch him, eats and drinks with them, and yet is able to appear in rooms where the doors are locked. After many such encounters with Jesus over the course of 40 days, his disciples become convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus has, indeed, been raised from the dead. In fact, they are so sure of this fact that they would stake their lives on it.

And so, from the initial emotional response of fear and great joy, Jesus’ followers join Martin Luther in asking that great theological question: What does this mean? They saw the kind of life that Jesus lived. They saw his wisdom in teaching and his power to heal people. They believed him to be the Messiah and the Son of God. And then their world was turned upside down when they saw him arrested and condemned and crucified. They saw him dead and buried, and believed that all hope had been lost, only to discover a few days later that God had raised him from the dead. What does it all mean?

In order to answer this question, they did what many people still do today – they searched the Scriptures for answers. As they did so, they discovered many passages that seemed to be talking about Jesus. They read in Isaiah about God’s righteous servant who suffers greatly and who makes many people righteous by bearing their sins (Isa. 53). They read in the Psalms about the stone that the builders had rejected becoming the most important building block of all: the chief cornerstone (Ps. 118:22)! They read about God not leaving his holy one – his anointed one – in the grave (Ps. 16:10). All of these passages helped them to understand what was going on with Jesus.

And so, as they thought about God having raised Jesus from the dead, they came to a number of conclusions about Jesus. For one thing, they saw Jesus’ resurrection as a resounding affirmation from God that said, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” to all that Jesus had said and done with his life (Rom. 1:4). God was saying, “See? He really is my Son!” At the same time, they saw in the resurrection a confirmation that Jesus would be the one who would judge the whole world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). Later on, the apostle Paul takes great comfort in this fact, asking how we could possibly be condemned by the same one who died for us in love (Rom. 8:31-34).

You see – ultimately – the resurrection of Jesus has to do with us. The way Paul puts it is this: Jesus “was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). It is through the risen Jesus that we are put right with God. It is through the risen Jesus that our sins are forgiven. It is through the risen Jesus that we are not only forgiven but promised resurrection through our faith in him (1 Cor. 15:21-22; Jn. 11:25).

At the same time, having faith in Jesus Christ is not only about what happens to us after we die. You see, because Jesus was raised and ascended into heaven, he continues to have an active influence in our lives and in the world. He is present now through his Spirit, made visible in the world through the lives of his followers. He ministers to others through his followers. He brings healing through his followers. He teaches people to live in love for God and for one another through his followers.

A concrete example of how Jesus continues to be present and active in our world was lifted up in one of the articles published this weekend about the way of the cross that was held in the North End on Good Friday (Winnipeg Free Press, Sat. Mar. 22, 2008, A3). The walk included stops at various places along the way, including a few different centres that minister to the needs of the people in the area. At each place, it was acknowledged that Jesus is present and actively working through the staff and the volunteers in order to provide refuge and assistance to people in need. Jesus continues to work through his followers, whether at the Andrews Street Family Centre, or the Lutheran Urban Ministry, or the food bank, or New Life Ministries, or other ministries here in Winnipeg.

Jesus does this through the power of the Holy Spirit, while at the same time he spends his time praying for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25)! Could we ask for better help than this on our journey through this world? At the same time, Jesus not only prays for us, but the living Christ has the power to work in our hearts and in our lives in order to bring life. He brings life where there was death, light where there was darkness, hope where there was despair, and healing where there was brokenness. He does this, not as a matter of course, but as we are willing to open our hearts to the one who loves us and who gave his life for ours.

May each person who is here today experience the life-changing and life-giving power of the risen Christ. And, as we experience this power in our own lives, may God continue to work through us in order to make Christ known in the community in which we live. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen.

The Resurrection of Our Lord (A) Matthew 28:1-10
March 23, 2008 Acts 10:34-43
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved