Easter '08.

Lent, the 40-day period of preparation for Easter concludes. Henri Nowen once described Lent as the season during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance. Others refer to this season as a time of "Bright Sadness". Lent is a time of fasting and mourning, of repentance and renewal, of identifying with Jesus in his suffering so that we can identify more fully with his resurrection at Easter.

Lent reaches its climax during Holy Week, itself a journey within a journey. Easter is the season of hope and for the disciples it was a forty-day long experience.

Romans 6:4-9, 11 says, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism in to death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in a death like this, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Yes, resurrection is for you personally. And we need personal resurrection because we have grown all too comfortable being captive. We celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead and that we too can be raised from the dead.

But our personal resurrection is good news for the world. We must practice resurrection. The world is broken and desperately in need of repair. All that is so dead and wrong will be made right and alive.

Revelation 21:1-7 says this - Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

This is what we long for. This is what we hope for. This is what we ache for. We are giving our lives to leading, loving and living out that future reality now. And for these early Christians, this future reality had nothing to do with leaving this world.

God Makes All Things New! And the first picture we have of this future reality is found in the empty tomb. Sin has lost its power. Death has lost its sting. From the grave you’ve risen, VICTORIOUSLY!

Matthew 28:1-20 says, “After the Sabbath, at dawn of the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

White is the color of Easter and of the resurrection, for it is the color of new, clean, and set apart.

And with that, we come full circle in this journey of lent. Psalms 51 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Read Psalm 51 from Message.

The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid…

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.”

1 John 4:17-18 in the message reads, “God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.”

…for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Jesus can be trusted. Can the church be trusted? I have a dream that people will say of the church, “You’re still here”.

Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed to the mountain Jesus has set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshipped him. Some, though, held back, doubted, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission (Co-Mission: We are not doing anything for God – We are doing it with God) you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded (John 13:34: a new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.) You. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

We have people telling people to tell some people to tell somebody until we ourselves are here being told. So go tell someone about the resurrection, about new life.

Nobody is doing any proving here, only telling. We can’t prove it but we can point to it, by telling the resurrection story and living into its reality and power.

Some things you can’t argue with because they are so flesh and blood they just are. While watching Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Harley asked, “Does everybody die?” And in that moment I talked to my five year old little girl about our bodies dying but that what's on the inside lives forever. I became a resurrection believer in that moment all over again. Because there is nothing right about dads and daughters being separated by death.

To all of them, even the ones full of doubt, go witness to it.

We believe because we see and experience resurrection. We see people leaving Friday for Sunday, death for a life transformation.

So we spread resurrection and hope and life. Resurrection is a reality that a community puts on display for a world that needs it. This early community referred to themselves as the Body of Christ. They believed that through them Jesus was still present.

The Church is a living breathing display of a whole new world God is bringing about right here and now. That’s what the Kingdom is all about, the way things really are and the way things should really be.

The Good news is that God hasn’t given upon on the world. A resurrection rescue is underway. Yes, Jesus is saving us from our personal sin. It starts deep within us and God shows us what it looks like to put flesh and blood on and live the resurrection out.

Who will we bring resurrection to?