HE IS RISEN! Resurrection Sunday Sermon

Sermon for April 12, 2009; Trinity Church of the Nazarene.

JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!

On Good Friday we mourned the loss of Jesus. He was really dead. He was really lifeless. All hope seemed lost. We felt lost all weekend.

The light of the world lay in a dark tomb.

But today—JESUS IS ALIVE! Hallelujah.

HE IS RISEN!! (He is risen Indeed)

God raised Jesus from the dead!

Death has lost. Darkness has faded. Hopelessness has disappeared.
Life wins. The light of the world shines brightly. Hope prevails.

And because God raised Jesus from the dead (from hopelessness, from darkness), we learn several things.

I. First, we learn that GOD WAS PLEASED WITH THE WAY JESUS LIVED HIS LIFE. It is divine vindication of Jesus’ choices. It is as if God says, “This one I’m pleased with.”

So if God vindicates Jesus’ life, let’s look back. How did Jesus live? And… how did Jesus die?

Because if God was pleased with Jesus, we need to live that same way; Jesus showed us another way to live… and another way to die.

A. Remember last week on Palm Sunday we talked about Jesus coming on a donkey; humbled. He did not ride into town on a white stallion swinging a divine sword. He came on a donkey.

Jesus lived by humbling himself… by riding a donkey; the weirdest animal one could choose.

So the first thing we learn about Jesus’ life—was he lived humbly.

B. And then as we look back on Jesus’ life we remember the words out of his mouth. He said, “I’ve come to bring peace, not a sword.”

Now that’s a weird way to live. If you want to die and have people attack you, maybe live without a sword. Hmm.

And that’s a weird way to die too.

Even when they beat him with sticks, put a crown of thorns in his head, made him carry his own heavy cross, whipped him, scorned him, humiliated him, broke his body, forced him to drink vinegar, and so much more… Jesus still responds with peace.

So we learn… Jesus lives in the most peaceful way at all times; even when it leads to death. He always chooses to live differently.

So the second thing we learn about Jesus’ life—was he chooses to live with peace.

C. We also remember a story Jesus told once; about a Samaritan. EWE. Not a Samaritan.

That would be like saying (whisper) “homosexual” today. Homosexuals certainly couldn’t be good (so say many Christians today) ! Samaritans certainly cannot be good!

But Jesus chooses to use the outcast—to shout loudly “live by loving everyone.” Look at who did the right thing in this story. It was the loser—the one we brand “SINNER.”

When we look back on Jesus’ life we see him loving… even the outcasts of society. We see Jesus lifting up the loser sinner as an example on how to love.

That’s quite radical.

So the third thing we learn about Jesus’ life—was he chose to identify with the outcast.

D. And then after Jesus is already dead and then raised to life—we see Jesus using the WORST possible people ever to be witnesses to his resurrection.

Women.

Women in this society were not considered to be a trustworthy witness. Only men could be witnesses.

BUT WHO DOES GOD CHOOSE TO WITNESS THE RESURRECTION?

Women.

Let’s read together from our scripture passage about these women on Resurrection morning. If you are able, please stand for the reading of the Word from John 20:1-18.

So the fourth thing we learn about Jesus’ life from this passage—was he gave value to the valueless; they held witness to the good news.

E. Wow. Jesus is one crazy, radical guy. No wonder they killed him.
He lived a life that screamed… humility, peace, love of the outcast, and honoring of the least.

What a loser.

But God says… “Uh, uh; Jesus was right. He lived as I intended for you all to live in creation. Jesus lived the better way; follow his example.”

So… the resurrection shouts out—Jesus is not worthy of death. Jesus is not a loser. Jesus was the one who got it right!

F. So the first thing we learn from Jesus’ resurrection is that God vindicated his life. God said- THIS is the way to live

The holy way to live is in self-sacrifice, in humility, speaking the truth in love, giving up yourself, and not acting violently.

For it is when people act violently and refuse to humble themselves, and take whatever they want from others to feel better about themselves… that death pokes its ugly head.

We end up killing—like we killed Jesus.

II. And so second thing we learn from the resurrection is—there is a better way to live. And this is the START OF A NEW CREATION.

A. The old is gone, the new has come. The old way of living like Adam—choosing what we want, choosing that fruit whenever we feel like it—is gone. Now we choose what God wants; even when we do not like it.

We make a conscious choice every day—to choose to do what is best for the new creation, for God’s intention for creation… even if it causes us humiliation—or if we are scorned—or if we are looked down upon.

We now choose God’s Kingdom and God’s Church over ourselves.


B. We also no longer act in a way where we try to conquer one another—where we try to dominate each other. In the new creation we act in a loving way to all people; no matter who they are. We extend grace towards all people and attempt not to conquer them with words or actions.

This new creation, that the resurrection brings, is a creation where violent domination of others is gone.

This is a creation where we work towards equality. There is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, slave or free…

C. We also no longer dehumanize each other in this new creation.

(Leaning heavily on “Liars, Lovers, and Heroes" by Stephen R. Quartz, Ph.D and Terrencde J. Sejnowski, PhD; Chapter 8)

How is it that some people are able to murder others in cold blood? How is it that a high school student can walk into a school and open fire on classmates? How is that one human can murder another human?

Because we dehumanize each other.

When humans work to make other humans less than human… this is dehumanization.

In the new creation—we do not dehumanize others. Every living person who has breath is a human; valuable, and loved by God. No matter their skin tone. No matter their lifestyle. No matter their gender. No matter their choices. No matter what—all people are valued by God.

The new creation is marked by giving people back their humanity—when they are dehumanized.

We work in this new creation to “rehumanize” people—when others tear them apart and dehumanize them.


One of my favorite books (Rob Bell’s “Sex God,” page 30) tells the story of Jewish women in Nazi Germany; battered and torn. Colonel Gonin’s stay at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is described. This is what it says:

“It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived. This was not at all what we wanted, we were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don’t know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the postmortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance.

That lipstick started to give them back their humanity.”

The new creation, after the resurrection, is marked by finding ways to “give people lipstick”—to give them back their humanity.

HOW DO YOU GIVE PEOPLE LIPSTICK EVERY DAY?!

III. Jesus’ resurrection SHOWS US HOW TO LIVE (as Jesus lived) IN THIS NEW CREATION (that began with the resurrection).

We too are to ride our donkeys into the city… We are to clothe ourselves in humility.
We too are to wave olive branches… We are to live in peace.
We too are to care for the Samaritans… We are to care for the outcasts of society.
We too are to believe the women’s testimony… We are to value all people’s words and life as Jesus did.

We too are to find ways to REHUMANIZE when the world dehumanizes.

IV. And what is most exciting… is THIS NEW CREATION SCREAMS “JESUS IS ALIVE” in the way we are—in the way we act—in the way we live.

A. We are a people who are formed differently.
We are a people who have different habits and patterns in our behavior; because we actually ARE a special people.

B. For example: Recently I had to be in the ER with my husband while he got x-rays on his broken leg. Someone came to my house and watched my son; free of charge.

She might as well screamed out “Jesus is alive. Let me watch your son while you are in the hospital.”

Her very actions lived out the new creation and screamed “JESUS IS ALIVE!”

This person who watched my son in the middle of the night… She lives differently. She is a special person with different habits and patterns—the one that lives out this new creation.

C. How do you live? Does your life scream out you ARE different? Do the things you do reflect a pattern of living as a part of a special people—where your actions say “Jesus is alive?”

Does your life work towards the redemption of creation?

Could someone use you as a sermon illustration for this new creation? Could your daily activities and the words of your mouth be a shining example of the new creation because of the resurrection? This new, beautiful creation that is ushered in with Jesus being raised from the dead--

Does your life reveal what it looks like to be a part of the new creation the resurrection brings?

What in your life says “Jesus is alive?” Anything?

If not, what could you do this week to start forming habits & patterns that reflect the message with your life of this new creation?


V. Let us pray:

Lord God, we want to live resurrection lives.

We want the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts, and the actions of our bodies to be pleasing to you Lord; to shout out “Jesus is alive.”

Whatever in our lives does not help restore your creation, forgive us for it. Show us how to live in the way Jesus did; a way that brings about a renewed creation.

We love you, Lord. We proclaim together "Jesus Christ is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He alone is Lord."

Amen.