Worship Service on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
Anyway, an elderly pastor was searching in his closet for his collar before church one Sunday morning. In the back of the closet, he found a small box containing three eggs and $101 bills. He called his wife to the closet to ask her about the box and its contents. Embarrassed, she admitted she’d been hiding the box there for their entire 30 years of marriage. Disappointed and hurt, the pastor asked her why.
The wife replied that she hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. He asked her how the box could have hurt his feelings. She said that every time during their marriage that he had delivered a poor sermon, she had placed an egg in the box. The pastor, seeing that there were only three eggs in the box, felt that three poor sermons at 30 years was certainly nothing to feel bad about. So then he asked her what the $101 bills were for. She said, every time during their marriage, when he had delivered a poor sermon, she had placed an egg in the box. She replied, each time I got a dozen eggs, I sold them to the neighbors for a dollar. So I think all his sermons were not good.
OK, speaking of eggs, you have your eggs. That means you’re going to be part of the message today. So who has number one? OK. You need to open it up and read what it says on number one.
After the Sabbath at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Who has number two? Okay. Tom said they’re kind of hard, so if you break them, we don’t care. Give it to the girls, they know how to do it. Okay, this is yours to read, Jim.
When they looked up, they saw that the stone which was very large had been rolled away. 16:4
Who has number 3. Is that a 3. This 1does not have a number on it. It doesn’t have a number.
Nobody has a 3. Oh, wait, it’s very faint. Is that number three? Nobody has a three? Let me see if it’s what’s next.
Yeah, that’s a good idea.
But when they enter. But when they enter. OK, that was the number three. You see, it’s not good without a faux pas.
But when they enter. They did not find the body of the LordJesus.
Okay, who has number four?
Would that be me? An angel said to the woman, do not be afraid for I know that you are looking for Jesus who is crucified. He is not here, he is risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:5-6.
Okay, so take a break. The rest of you, you’re coming up. Why do you think the angel at the tomb said, “First of all, do not be afraid?
Because back then, as today, we live in a world of fear. Fear is a common experience which haunts everyone coming into this world. Fear is part of the result of sin. The soldiers who guarded the tomb had been stricken with fear that was hard to describe. They had become like dead men, petrified. Possibly they were the same men just a few days ago that had treated Jesus with mockery and cruelty.
Previously, they had felt in control. How abruptly things had changed for them. Also, not surprisingly, these women were gripped with fear when they saw something as unusual as an angel, and they didn’t see Jesus because they were expecting to see Jesus. As proof of the resurrection, the angel tells the woman to come into the tomb and to see where the body of Jesus had laid. Like in his song, The evidence of the stone had been rolled away, even though it was sealed by government officials. That was confusing to the women also, and made them fear just a little bit.
In addition, a special point is made in the scriptures about the place where the body of Jesus had laid in the tomb. The linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus were still in the same form that they had been when they were wrapped around his body, although there was no body in them. Interesting. You would think that if a body was stolen, would the person have just discarded the bandages? They’ve just thrown them or laying them aside? But apparently, according to the scriptures, that was not the case. Only by a miracle could anyone leave those bandages still in their original form.
You might ask why these women were the first people to see the empty tomb, rather than the disciples who would be the future pillars of the church. These women were showing their faithfulness to the Lord. They did not expect the resurrection to take place, for they brought spices to anoint the body of their beloved Master Jesus. The women, bringing spices in their hands, but with hearts filled with love for Jesus, suggested the great truth that the Lord always blesses those who seek Him, those who confess their sins and who need the Lord and want to trust Him.
The women had to see this to realize the miracle had taken place. It means that not only is Jesus no longer in the grave, but also that he is no longer in this world of death. Jesus paid for our sins, therefore death, which is the result of sin, can no longer hold him or us captive. He conquered death, went through the grave, and arose on the other side, the heavenly side.
Okay, who has number five? I do.
Okay.
Mary Magdalene went running to Simon Peter and another disciple and said, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him, John 22.
Okay, number six.
Peter got up and ran to the tomb, and he never saw the strips of linen lying by himself, Luke 24, 12.
Number seven.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying, She saw two angels in white seated where Jesus’ body had been. They asked her, Woman, why are you crying? John 20:11-12.
Number 8. At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was Jesus. John 20.
Number 9.
Jesus said to her, Mary, she turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic
Number 10
The angel said go quickly and tell his disciples They left the tomb and suddenly Jesus met them on their way. Peace be with you. He said they came to him clasped his feet and worshipped him and So Mary Magdalene has arrived at Jesus’ grave intending to attend to Jesus’ body, only to find the tomb open and empty. After Peter and John see the empty grave, they leave and Mary is alone. Apparently, she does not know what it was Peter and John saw or what they were thinking. As she bends down to look into the open, she sees two angels, and soon after she encounters Jesus himself. Mary’s presence in this part of Jesus’ story is important. Why, you ask? In ancient culture, women were usually considered less intelligent and less trustworthy than men.
Jesus’ ministry and teaching lifted women out of those stereotypes. In all the Gospels, now all of them, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first people to realize and proclaim his resurrection are who? Women. Hmm. If this was a made up story during that time period back then, they would never have claimed that women were the initial discoverers of such a monumental truth. Mary Magdalene’s grief. with her tears and confusion, highlights the profound loss she feels after Jesus’ death. She becomes the first to witness and share the news of the resurrection with the disciples. Jesus, appearing to her, emphasizes a mission to proclaim the good news of his resurrection.
As the women, as we read, are leaving the tomb, they encounter Jesus himself. realizing as Mary Magdalene that it is truly him and his comforting words of peace be with you fill them with the reassurance that it is Jesus himself. And they show their appreciation by clasping or kissing his feet. In those Arabic countries feet are very symbolic in shoes.
When my son was in Iraq and he saw the statue of Saddam Hussein fall, the people threw their, excuse me, threw their shoes at it because that was their way of showing that they disliked him. So feet are very important in that part of the country. So they hit it with their shoes and they threw their shoes at it.
So again, the women bowing down and kissing his feet is very important, shows humility, shows how much they love Jesus. He tells the women to not be afraid and instructs them to go, again, women, and tell his disciples that he is risen and they will see him in Galilee.
Okay, number 11. Who has 11?
Now that same day, two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village called Emas. Jesus drew near and walked with them. They did not recognize him. As it was getting dark, they invited him to stay and eat with them. Luke 24:13-28.
When he was at a table with them, he took the bread. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
This event takes place later in the day on Easter Sunday. This reveals to us not only something about who we are, but how Jesus opens our eyes to see him for who he is and about how we can come to know him. In the first part of the story, these two persons, presumably men, have no idea who Jesus was when he appeared to them. The disciples were deeply saddened by Jesus’ death and likely struggling to accept the idea of his resurrection. This emotional turmoil might have made it difficult for them to grasp that that a stranger they were traveling with was indeed the resurrected Jesus.
He must have had normal human features, not superhuman as you might think. Some suggest that Jesus’ resurrected body may have appeared differently than his earthly body, potentially making it harder for men to recognize him immediately, and they did not even catch on to his identity when he interpreted Moses and all the prophets concerning himself. I’ve said this many times, “I can’t figure out why those disciples were so didn’t figure out who Jesus was, they got to be around him all the time, what was wrong with them?”
Anyway, the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus initially because their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
This was likely a deliberate act possibly to allow Jesus to first reveal himself through the scriptures and then through the breaking of the bread. They are aware, however, of the recent events in Jerusalem of the crucifixion. Jesus patiently guided these two disciples from hopelessness to celebration, and also intended to nourish the two disciples’ faith to such an extent that they could see his real presence in the breaking of the bread. Their grief, their disbelief, and the unexpected nature of the resurrection may have also contributed to their inability to recognize him immediately. It may suggest that Jesus himself was actively preventing the disciples from recognizing him until the right time.
Hmm, haven’t we talked about God’s timing? He may have wanted the disciples to understand the resurrection through the Old Testament scripture lessons and not just through personal experience. This is supported by the fact that Jesus later opened their eyes to recognize him when he was sharing bread with them. The story emphasizes that Jesus revealed himself in the breaking of bread, which may have symbolized the Eucharistic meal and the spiritual communion with him. The act combined with Jesus’ explanation of the scriptures likely helped the disciples to recognize him. When our eyes are open, we see resurrection in the world around us.
Okay, we are on number 13.
They rush back to Jerusalem where they found the eleven disciples gathered. They said, it is true. It is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Simon being Peter. Luke 24:33, 34.
Okay, 14.
It was late that Sunday evening and the disciples were together behind locked doors. Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. John 20:19.
Last but not least, number 15.
After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. John 20:20. So you all have participated. in the story of the resurrection. What is the best evidence of the resurrection? Many people refuse to believe in the resurrection, but as the scriptures and history tell us, many reputable eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus. Now, not only the scriptures, but history also tells us this. One of these eyewitnesses, the disciple Simon, told a large crowd that King David was certainly dead and buried, Acts 2.29. Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Then Peter pointed to a prophecy David had made, David spoke of the resurrection of this Messiah in verse 31. He looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay. Peter continued and then concluded in verse 32. This Jesus God raised up again to which we are all witnesses. The best evidence for the resurrection is the changed lives of the eyewitnesses, including Peter. At the crucifixion, the disciples had gone into hiding. They were scared. They were fearful. Peter, as we know, and Peter was always doing something, actually denied Christ three times when he was his biggest cheerleader.
Once they saw Jesus alive, everything changed. Filled with courage, they began to share the truth of the one great hope of the world, the risen Christ. Belief in Jesus as risen Lord is not self-evident in his earliest followers, even after his crucifixion and resurrection. The reason why people back then came to believe in Jesus was that he appeared to them. In other words, it took divine revelation for them to believe. That was true for Peter, and it was true for the men who traveled on the road to Aramaeus. Why is it that some believe and others do not?
Martin Luther had this answer. We cannot believe by our own reason or strength. It is by the Holy Spirit that one comes to believe. For most people to come to faith is Christian worship, which includes scripture and sacrament. It is the place where Jesus, he is here now, continues to reveal himself. The Christian faith is born and nurtured where people share and worship through word, gestures, and earthly means such as personal expressions of mutual care, the smile, the shaking of hands, and perhaps even an embrace. Christian faith demonstrates that Christ’s death was not a finality, but a necessary step in his victory over death.
Little side note, as most of you know, my father-in-law is a Jehovah’s Witness, and they only believe in the crucifixion. Now they kind of believe in the resurrection. Well, we got into a huge, not argument, discussion on this. And I kept telling him, yes, the death is important, but the resurrection is what you have to really hold on to. I could not make him see it. So the next day I said, I’m really sorry, because I got a little animated, so to speak. And I said, I’m sorry for the heated discussion that we had. You know, you’re not wrong in believing in the crucifixion, but the resurrection is important.
So you’re well, I talked to my son this morning and he said, you were wrong. You were wrong to tell him that it was OK, because you are worried about his soul. You needed to stick to your guns and say, You’re not, you’re right, but you’re wrong. So I had a lesson this morning of, hmm, I had my son have to tell me that lesson. So when somebody asks you or comes up to you, stick to your guns. You don’t have to be mean, nasty, but stick to your guns because you’re worried about their soul.
Let me see if I can find my place again. The resurrection is a central faith of Christianity, providing hope and the promise of eternal life for believers. The resurrection established the truth of Christian faith, the importance of discipline, and the enduring power of Christ’s victory over death. Matthew 28, 19, 30 is God’s great commission to his disciples and us, and also his promise of every presence with us. Most of you know this. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And lo, most important part, I am with you always, even till the end of the age. Jesus has promised his presence will be with us until he returns, even though he left earth physically. These passages that we read today are key for understanding the Christian faith. It demonstrates, and I’m going to repeat this, I’ve repeated it once, I’ve said it once, that Jesus’ death was not a finality, but a necessary step in his victory over death. The resurrection is a central part of Christianity, providing hope and promise of eternal life for believers. So, whenever you find yourself self-doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.
Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome, because Jesus’ resurrection has paved the way, and Jesus is always by our side. Amen.
