Thoughts going in, Sunday April 24th

EASTER SUNDAY...
Christ is risen, he's risen indeed! Alleluia!

Matthew 28:1-10
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."


Well, it's only ten verses from Matthew, but there are SO MANY things that we can take from this text!

vs 1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week...I'm routinely asked how it is that the Christian religion (with its Jewish roots) chose SUNDAY as its day of worship, rather than Saturday, the Sabbath. Verses such as Matthew 28:1 are the answer. Very early, even while the "church" was still predominantly a Jewish offshoot, had a special name for Sunday: "The Lord's Day." Textual & historical evidence shows that 1st generation Jewish Christians continued to keep Sabbath as part of their cultural heritage, but they also honored the Lord's Day with special worship. As the church became more & more of a Gentile institution, Sabbath observance went by the wayside, but the first day of the week (Sunday) remained The Lord's Day.

vss 6-8 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples This trio of verses definitely speaks the loudest to me. "He is not here." "HERE" is such a useful and powerful metaphor. HERE can be lots of places. He is not HERE = he is not here in this tomb; he is not *dead* (anymore). Here = he is not, & we can not, consign him to the pages of history. Here = flash-in-the-pan; Here = irrelevant; Here = has-been, pretender, or never-was. **NONE** of those "heres" apply to Jesus. HE IS NOT HERE. HERE, ultimately means wherever the voice of NON-FAITH & UNBELIEF would look for Jesus......and HE WON'T BE THERE....because the angel on Easter Morning proclaimed "he is not HERE, he has RISEN."
And that point, that reality of being 'risen,' flows nicely into the next salient detail: "He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you." The greek for the verb in this sentence, 'prosagei' literally means he is 'leading on ahead of you.' But the fascinating part is that it is a PRESENT TENSE verb--a highly theologically weighted present tense verb, for we believe, teach and confess, that our risen Savior CONTINUES to 'prosagei' ....he continues to lead on ahead of us. Through his word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, and most certainly through the sacramental life of his Church, the Lord has not abandoned us but continues to lead on ahead.
Then finally, comes the *response* of the women: vs 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy . "Afraid, yet filled with joy." That's the Christian life in a nutshell. It is TRUE, none of us knows what tomorrow brings; None of us can tell or say for sure when the next routine doctor's visit will bring us dreadful news; None of us can tell when the same ol' mundane trip to the office will be our last. Fear is always paralyzing, and there is much in this life to be afraid of. Yet, in the reaction of the women on Easter Morning, we see nothing short of THE PARADIGM of the Christian life: **fear with joy**. The natural & ordinary fears of this life are tempered and overcome with the joy of the resurrection. Because Christ has been raised, and as the Scriptures teach, this guarantees our resurrection.....eternal life for those who believe in him....we have been **released from life's fears and can live to the fullest in the joys of the resurrection!!!

cheers,

TM