Matt Nelson - April 9, 2023
Easter Sunday: Living the Resurrection
EASTER Living the Resurrection 4.9.23 Resurrection does not have to do exclusively with what happens after we are buried or cremated. It does have to do with that, but first of all, it has to do with the way we live right now. But as Karl Barth, reminds us: “Only where graves are is there resurrection.” We practice our death by giving up our will to live on our own terms. Only in that relinquishment or renunciation are we able to practice resurrection. – Eugene Peterson Matthew 28:1-10 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.” Holy week gives us a pattern for our lives: Palm Sunday – hope, expectation, excitement Good Friday – death, suffering, disappointment Saturday – doubts, disillusionment, unmet expectations Sunday – resurrection, joy, hope Two key questions about the resurrection: Do I believe in the resurrection of Christ from the dead and his victory over sin and death? Will I live in the power of the resurrected Christ? Every time we experience death we can stay in the grave or we can experience resurrection and an empty tomb. May we leave behind us a string of empty tombs Romans 8:18-25 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Living the Resurrection (a reflection on Romans 8:18-25) Does an empty tomb change our reality? To the mom in Syria mourning the death of her 4-year-old son. To the 19-year-old girl in St. Petersburg working the streets just to survive. To the couple living in a suburb of Chicago who just discovered they are unable to have children. To the hungry 8-year-old boy in Congo running through traffic trying to sell what he could find. Does an empty tomb change his reality? To the 78-year-old man in Japan waiting out his days after a terminal cancer report. To the young man in the bustling streets of Mumbai whose mother passed away the night before. To the mentally diseased woman who sits on a Los Angeles street corner asking for money. What does an empty tomb mean for them? Does it change their reality? Does it speak to their time and place? Does it redeem their brokenness, their life, and their situation? All of creation looks up and turns its head in eager anticipation. Creation is on its tiptoes. Waiting. Leaning in. All of creation; the entire cosmos, longing for redemption. Does my life matter? Does my suffering have meaning? Does anyone see me? Will anyone remember me? We wait. We groan. We hope. All of us. All of creation. Everywhere. Father, make it right. Make it new.