DISCOVER Easter

I hope you were able to discover Easter in a fresh way this year. As you peered in the empty tomb, I hope you were able to proclaim, “Jesus is risen!” Easter begins with the discovery that Jesus is alive but it continues with the proclamations that Jesus is messiah and Jesus is Lord. You can listen to the message at http://www.mediafire.com/file/vlwnyujnmej/Discover Easter 2.mp3 or read the text below.

The journey of Easter continues this week as we look for God and God’s activities in the world. Join us as listen to the country favorite, “I Saw God Today” and hear several stories from Scripture. We can discover God in this crazy world if we learn to look. Have a blessed week and we’ll see you Sunday!


“Discover Easter”
Brimfield Faith UMC
April 4, 2010

Luke 24:1-12

INTRO - DISCOVER
Easter Eggs got me thinking this week about the age old question: which came first the chicken or the egg? This is of course an unanswerable question. Some argue the chicken, others the egg. I have a similar question that can be answered this morning in regards to the sermon. See we distributed 1000 fliers over the past couple of weeks with a picture of a little girl looking at an Easter Egg with the word discover across the front. You will also notice that the title of the sermon this morning is “Discover Easter!” An inquisitive mind might wonder which came first the sermon or the flier. Well, I have to confess that the flier came first. I was looking through choices and I liked this one so I picked it.
As I began to prepare for the message this morning, I began to think about this word, discover and I decided I really like it. Discover isn’t a word that we use a whole lot these days. We live in an age where it feels like almost everything has been discovered. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, explorers were some of the most famous people in the world. Our history books as kids were filled with accounts of explorers. Names like Columbus, Cortes, Pizarro, and Balboa captured our imagination as we read accounts of them discovering new countries, new people, and new treasures. They were in the business of discovery. Their lives were driven by the desire to discover.
In recent years, I think the draw of discovery has lost its charm. Going on the internet and looking for something on Google, just doesn’t have the mystic that sailing across the sea to discover a new land has. Many of us might think that everything in the world has already been discovered. Thankfully, this is not the case. There are indeed always new things to discover. When it comes to a life of faith, discovery, and not only discovery but personal discovery, is a key word. When it comes to faith we can read something on Wikipedia, but it doesn’t mean we really know it. To know something in terms of faith, we must discover it. We must invest ourselves into the pursuit. Just as the explorers of old, we must commit our entire selves to the journey of discovery. Personal discovers of faith never end. They continue to lead us and compel us to a deeper place in God.
So this morning, I want to invite you on the journey of discovery. Today’s journey takes place around two thousand years in the past in the area in and around Jerusalem. It is the journey of the first Easter. Typically on Easter we focus on the first events of the morning, primary the empty tomb. Today we are going to briefly explore the entire day’s activities. In Luke 24, Luke tells three stories that are interrelated and seem to happen on that first Easter. Therefore, instead of simply focusing only on the discovery of the empty tomb, I would like to explore each of the stories in hopes of making some personal discoveries.


DISCOVER THE EMPTY TOMB
The first discovery of Easter was the empty tomb. It happened early in the morning when some of Jesus’ female followers took prepared spices to tend to his body. His body had been quickly placed in a tomb before the Sabbath began and they needed to treat the body. When they arrived at the tomb, the stone had been rolled away. While they were probably confused at this, the true shock came when they found the tomb empty. Upon seeing an empty tomb, their initial response was probably confused, upset, and broken hearted. The officials had already killed their Rabbi and now they couldn’t even give him a proper burial. Things couldn’t get any worse. It was all over. Everything they had devoted their lives seemed to be gone in an instant.
That was about to change as they peered deeper into the empty tomb and saw two men that gleamed like lightning. The men announced, “Jesus is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” As the women heard these words, they remember. As they remember his words, they were able to proclaim that indeed, “Jesus is risen.” What had begun as a tragic discovery of an empty tomb was transformed into a glorious proclamation.
The journey to church this morning is similar to the journey the women went on to the tomb. They were filled with an array of emotions. They weren’t sure what they’d find. They weren’t sure how they’d feel. Regardless of when we last made the journey here, whether it was last week, last month, or last year, we have to opportunity to discover something new. The yearly celebration of Easter gives us the opportunity to discover the empty tomb and to proclaim Jesus is risen. As we have sang and prayed and praised God this morning, will you peer into the tomb and discover it empty once more? And as you discover the empty tomb, will you join me in proclaiming, “Jesus is risen!”?

DISCOVER THE SCRIPTURES
The second discovery of Easter was the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. Later in the day, the word has spread the Jesus is risen, but the full ramifications of it haven’t set in. Two of Jesus’ followers who had been in Jerusalem for the Passover and had witnessed Jesus’ death are heading home. They are depressed, dejected, and downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, explains to a random traveler that Jesus was killed. Jesus had been their hope to redeem Israel. While the women had found the tomb empty and two angels proclaim that Jesus was alive, it didn’t cheer them up. The two men didn’t understand the Scriptures.
That was all about to change. The random stranger is Jesus and he is going to explain the Scriptures about the messiah. At the end of the seven mile journey, the men invite the strange teacher into their home to have a snack. In the breaking of the bread, they discover the truth of the Scriptures and they discover Jesus. As they discover the Scriptures and ultimately Jesus, they proclaim, “Jesus is Messiah.”
The proclamation that Jesus is messiah is a significant one. Jesus had showed them what the Scriptures actually said about what the Jewish messiah would be. The received a fresh understanding of their sinfulness and their need for forgiveness. They learn about how Jesus made the path clear for them to have a personal relationship with God. They understood how Jesus would redeem them spiritually and not just physically. Jesus’ teachings began to take a different shape now that they had discovered Jesus alive and the Scriptures concerning the messiah. They can proclaim both that Jesus is risen and that Jesus is the Messiah.
We have already made the proclamation that Jesus is risen, but without a further understand that proclamation is empty words. We need to discover the truth of the Scriptures and understand how Jesus works in the world and in our lives. This discovery of the Scriptures reveals to us our own fallen nature and sinful ways. It demonstrates the truth that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It also shows us that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is what it means to discover the Scriptures concerning the messiah and to proclaim that “Jesus is Messiah.” Just as we proclaimed Jesus is risen, let us also proclaim together that “Jesus is Messiah.”

DISCOVER PURPOSE AND POWER
The third and final discover of Easter was purpose and power. As the first Easter day, has unfolded, the disciples have gathered together to discuss the events of the weekend and of the day. Were the women to be believed? What to make of Cleopas’ account of Jesus teaching them on the road to Emmaus? If Jesus was really alive, did that mean things were back to normal? There was turmoil, anxiety and confusion among the disciples. They were tired and distraught, and then they thought they saw a ghost that looked a lot like Jesus. Jesus sensing their uneasiness said touch me. Then he asked for some food.
In these moments, the disciples rediscovered the empty tomb and began to understand the Scriptures. They were able to proclaim both that Jesus is risen and Jesus is the messiah. The disciples discovered a third thing in that moment. They discovered their purpose and God’s power. Jesus said to them: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus’ didn’t just rise from the dead in order to save the disciples from sin and death, but he rose to give them a purpose and power.
As they discovered their purpose and God’s power, they proclaim “Jesus is Lord.” It is this final statement that radically and forever changes their lives. To proclaim Jesus is Lord was to surrender their entire lives to service of God. It was to acknowledge that Jesus was God’s only son, God in the flesh. With that surrendering, they receive an abundance of gifts from God. They will receive the Holy Spirit some fifty days later at Pentecost and start a movement that would chang the face of the world. There were called to carry on the teachings of Christ. They were called to make disciples of the entire world. They were called to baptize and to teach.

JESUS IS LORD
Jesus is Lord is the most life altering statement a person can make in their life. The first proclamation is Jesus is risen. To proclaim that Jesus is risen and alive is to acknowledge the evidence of that first Easter. It makes no claims on your life. It is a simple admission of fact.
To proclaim Jesus is the Messiah begins to make claims on our lives. It is an admission of your sin and guilt. It is to acknowledge a need for a savior. The statement Jesus is messiah can functional work like fire insurance. Many people will say Jesus is their savior in order to get into heaven, but the belief doesn’t radically change their lives.
The statement that Jesus is Lord radically changes your life. We see how it directed and dictated the lives of the disciples. To make the statement Jesus is Lord comes with a cost but it comes with great reward. When you proclaim Jesus is Lord, you receive a power from on high. You are able to perform miracles, to gain insights, to live life with heavenly authority. When you proclaim Jesus is Lord, you are called to a higher purpose. Your life has new meaning. You have a fresh calling. These are just some of the things that Jesus calls us to as we proclaim Jesus is Lord.

CONCLUSION
The first Easter day was a day full of many discoveries and important proclamations. While the proclamation that Jesus is Lord is the most radical, it cannot be made without the first two. Notice that only one of the discoveries of Easter was made in the morning. The other two were later in the day and centered around meals. As you leave this morning, the journey of faith and the discoveries of Easter are just beginning. I believe that you will make additional discoveries of faith later in this day. Perhaps around a meal as the two in Emmaus did. Regardless of whether you discover Jesus is Messiah and Lord this morning, later today, or next week, they are some of the most important, life altering proclamations that you can make.
Luke ends the chapter and the Gospel with one final Easter scene. The disciples go to Bethany and Jesus blesses them. As he blesses them, he ascends to heaven and they continue to worship him. As we conclude this morning, I want to give you one last opportunity to proclaim that which you have discovered along your faith journey.

If you discovered the empty tomb, proclaim “Jesus is risen!”
If you discovered the Scriptures concerning the messiah, proclaim, “Jesus is Messiah!”
If you discovered purpose and power, proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!”