TODAY IS EASTER SUNDAY, HOPE IS RESTORED
TODAY IS EASTER SUNDAY, HOPE IS RESTORED
Scripture:
MATT. 28:1-10
This day is a great occasion. It is the celebration of all celebrations,
he feast of all feasts, the centerpiece of the Church year.
There is much to feel good and joyful about this day.
Our sorrowful observance has come to an end and we can finally proclaim, “Alleluia, Christ is risen.
he feast of all feasts, the centerpiece of the Church year.
There is much to feel good and joyful about this day.
Our sorrowful observance has come to an end and we can finally proclaim, “Alleluia, Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!”
In the light of this proclamation, I bid to all of you, greetings, and in particular to those who are visiting us today.
We, as a church, are blessed by the presence of guests and seekers, and we are delighted that you are with us this morning.
Welcome!
We, as a church, are blessed by the presence of guests and seekers, and we are delighted that you are with us this morning.
Welcome!
As I pondered today for this day, a thought kept coming to my mind. It is found in the;
“....let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“....let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This prayer, in so many ways, captures the heart and spirit of Easter.
Old things are dying and being transformed into new things.
Things that are being cast down, are being resurrected or raised up.
Change is in the air when God is involved.
Old gives way to new.
Death gives way to life.
Change is in the air when God is involved.
Old gives way to new.
Death gives way to life.
Deadness is transformed into something new and vital and lifegiving.
Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and about the triumph of eternal life over death.
This is why this day and all that it represents is so important. With the resurrection comes new hope, new possibilities, new life, new promise, and change. We are all well aware that we live in an era of accelerated change.
Institutions that we took for granted are dying or changing dramatically.
Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and about the triumph of eternal life over death.
This is why this day and all that it represents is so important. With the resurrection comes new hope, new possibilities, new life, new promise, and change. We are all well aware that we live in an era of accelerated change.
Institutions that we took for granted are dying or changing dramatically.
How many newspapers around the country have gone under in recent years?
We live in a world where religious institutions – the mainline churches – are numerically in decline.
The changes brought about by globalization, technology and the internet, are an accepted part of our cultural landscape. We see people from all over the world increasingly rubbing elbows and living side by side.
Everywhere we turn, it seems that change is in the air.
We live in a world where religious institutions – the mainline churches – are numerically in decline.
The changes brought about by globalization, technology and the internet, are an accepted part of our cultural landscape. We see people from all over the world increasingly rubbing elbows and living side by side.
Everywhere we turn, it seems that change is in the air.
But change is not simply relegated to the structures and institutions of our common life.
We can see it in our attitudes, our expectations, and our assumptions. Our gospel this morning is a perfect example of this.
When we consider our gospel message, we can safely assume that, the disciples and the women who followed Jesus were devastated by Jesus’ crucifixion.
The loss of a friend and master, The hopes they had placed in him that he was the long- awaited Messiah seemingly were crushed.
When we consider our gospel message, we can safely assume that, the disciples and the women who followed Jesus were devastated by Jesus’ crucifixion.
The loss of a friend and master, The hopes they had placed in him that he was the long- awaited Messiah seemingly were crushed.
But the discovery of an empty tomb that first Easter Sunday morning took them by surprise.
Confusion was the order of the day. Mary Magdalene assumed somebody had removed the body. Peter entered the tomb first followed by the beloved disciple.
We are told that the beloved disciple believed but neither he nor Peter understood what had taken place.
Mary lingered at the tomb and in the midst of her tears as she peered into the tomb, she was startled to find two strangers sitting where the body was.
Confusion was the order of the day. Mary Magdalene assumed somebody had removed the body. Peter entered the tomb first followed by the beloved disciple.
We are told that the beloved disciple believed but neither he nor Peter understood what had taken place.
Mary lingered at the tomb and in the midst of her tears as she peered into the tomb, she was startled to find two strangers sitting where the body was.
But when she turned around, she was confronted by a third stranger she believed to be the gardener.
Mary realized that this person was Jesus when he called her by name.
Mary hurried off to declare to them, “I have seen the Lord.”
Mary realized that this person was Jesus when he called her by name.
Mary hurried off to declare to them, “I have seen the Lord.”
What was cast down that first Easter morning was the devastation of presumed loss of a friend and Lord, and the conventional wisdom that dead was dead, and what was raised up was a shocking realization that God had acted and that Jesus lived on.
For Mary and the disciples, life would never be the same again.
Everything was turned upside down on Friday.
If the resurrection of Jesus is synonymous with change.
Everything was turned upside down on Friday.
If the resurrection of Jesus is synonymous with change.
with the old being transformed into the new.
with things being cast down only to be raised up again,
then this has profound implications for Christians.
with things being cast down only to be raised up again,
then this has profound implications for Christians.
We can conveniently conclude that our God is the God of the new.
This reminds us of the words of God in Isaiah, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, even now it is springing to light. Do you not perceive it?”
The resurrection of Jesus will forever be a reminder to us that God is in the midst of all change bringing about the new.
This reminds us of the words of God in Isaiah, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, even now it is springing to light. Do you not perceive it?”
The resurrection of Jesus will forever be a reminder to us that God is in the midst of all change bringing about the new.
Old forms, old ideas, old ways of doing things will die and pass away, but God will always be there raising new things up in their place.
It means that you and I can face the future with boldness and courage knowing that whatever happens, God is there.
God is doing a new thing in the world around us.
It means that you and I can face the future with boldness and courage knowing that whatever happens, God is there.
God is doing a new thing in the world around us.
He is doing a new thing in our communities.
He is doing a new thing in us.
And as we live in to the change that is all around us, the newness that surrounds us, we too, like Mary Magdalene, can say to the world around us,
“I have seen the Lord.” He is doing a new thing in us.
And as we live in to the change that is all around us, the newness that surrounds us, we too, like Mary Magdalene, can say to the world around us,
By REV. KOFI OKYIRE APPIANING
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