The Strife is O'er....

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Paul’s Anglican Church

Easter Sunday, 2016

V.  Alleluia!  The Lord is risen! 

R. The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!

This ancient Easter greeting reminds us why we are Christians.  Today is the feast of the Resurrection of our and savior Jesus Christ.  It is the feast of feasts, the day of days for us.  Today we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, sin and the grave.  Today we celebrate freedom from the greatest fear of man: death, and of the unknown.  As Christ is victor over the grave, so are we victorious over fear, over uncertainty, and over doubt, for we Christians know where we are going with courage, with sureness and with faith.

How can we have such a bold assertion?  Consider the simple, tender and yet profound words of the children’s hymn: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This little verse tells us that Jesus’ love for us is simple: he loves us for what we are and who we are, without reservation, unconditionally.  It is tender, because the love of Jesus is knitted to the soul of the Christian.  It is profound, in that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption

Consider the following from the Word of God that clearly delineate this love and our eternal destination:

John 11:25  ²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, ¹, I would have told you. I go to ² prepare a place for you.

^KJG Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

On Maundy Thursday, we remember our Lord’s death and were given the Holy Communion. We are fed spiritually each time we partake of the Eucharist.  On Good Friday, Our Lord offered himself as the “one, perfect and sufficient sacrifice” for us.  On Holy Saturday, our Lord’s body rested in the sepulcher.  Today, Easter, our Lord rose from the dead and opened unto us the gates of Paradise.

Today we celebrate our victory with Christ. Those of us who have been baptized into his death also share in His resurrection.   Today is that day.  As Jesus told his disciples: “ John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Today is the day that we have joy like no other, for we know that our Lord liveth and maketh intercession for us.

In the glorious words of Job, chapter 19: “²⁵ For I know that my ¹ redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: ²⁶ And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet ¹ in my flesh shall I see God.” 

We as Christians know this to be true.  As Christ is, so shall we be. Christ tasted death and chilling isolation from God so that we would not have to.  Christ, our Captain of salvation, did this for us.

Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene came to the sepulcher, perhaps to mourn for Christ, or as other Gospel accounts say, to anoint the body of Christ. Expecting to find the tomb sealed, she finds it open.  Immediately, she thinks that Christ has been removed and runs to tell the other disciples.  Peter and “the other disciple”, John, run to the tomb.  John, being younger, outruns the middle-aged Peter.  He comes to the tomb, sees the linen grave wrappings, but does not go in.  He hesitates.  When bold and brash Peter arrives, he rushes into the tomb.  He sees the clothes and amazingly, the head napkin, neatly wrapped and lying by itself. This is not a scene of confusion. It is a purposeful situation where our Lord arose from the dead, neatly wrapped up the cloth that was around His head, and went out.

This passage of Scripture illustrates two approaches to the Christian faith, one symbolized by John, the other by Peter.  Some people, like John, come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ gradually.  They, in effect, look in the tomb to see if they should go in.  Eventually, they make the commitment to believe in Jesus Christ.  John, hesitated; then, seeing the example of Peter, came in and believed. 

Others, like Peter, burst in to the faith.  They receive such an explosion of grace that they seek it, with both hands.  This is OK too.

However one comes to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is vital that we all see the empty tomb and believe.  This is the bedrock truth of Christianity. We have a Lord who died for us, and rose again to new and everlasting life.  As he is, so shall we be.

Some Christians look in the tomb, looking for a dead Jesus.  That is, they look in the tomb to see if their faith is alive.  For some, the answer is mixed.    St. Paul talks of this in 1 Cor. 15, where he speaks of those who doubted the resurrection:  “¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”  

If this were the end of the story, we would have to agree. In fact, woe be to us.  But, the Apostle continues: “²⁰ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

This is the truth of Easter.  This is what we celebrate today.  This is our faith, our hope, and our joy.

^{John 20:8} “Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, and he saw, and believed.”