March 23, 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n David Brubacher<\/strong><\/p>\n Text:<\/strong><\/p>\n Matthew 28:1-10<\/strong><\/p>\n Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Introduction:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 If had been a chaotic week. Yet in the middle of everything, I experienced something profound. I think of it as the power of Jesus\u2019 resurrection. It was the week my mother died.<\/p>\n On a Saturday morning twenty-three months ago my mother was admitted to hospital with what seemed like routine gallbladder systems. On Monday she was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. She died Saturday around noon.<\/p>\n In that week I did not know how or where to be. It was pure chaos. I was working half-time as interim pastor at the Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church. I was also remodeling a kitchen which was totally torn apart. I wanted to be with my work at the church. I wanted to get the kitchen reassembled for my clients. I wanted to be with my mother. Emotionally I could not be present anywhere. I have never felt so out of control.<\/p>\n After receiving the diagnosis and the word that there was not much time, Mom said, \u201cNow that I know what it is, I hope it will not be long. It is all in God\u2019s hands.\u201d And it was. But it did not feel like it at first. As a family we agreed we only wanted mother kept as comfortable as possible. We fought the battle between heart and head. It soon became difficult to communicate. We expressed our love, thanked her for being our mom, and even though it seemed way to soon, we told her she did not have to hang on for us. She died peacefully.<\/p>\n It was in the middle of more emotional chaos than I have ever felt that I experienced God\u2019s profound presence. Family conversations around my mother\u2019s bed, extended family support and the out pouring of good wishes from the community, while exhausting were also life giving. The pastors of the St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, including Mark Diller Harder provided excellent pastoral care. I have never felt so well cared for. I felt like I was being held in the arms of God.<\/p>\n For the funeral, the hymn, When peace like a river<\/em>, was chosen. The echo of the refrain, \u201cIt is well, it is well, with my soul,\u201d captured what we felt as a family. When it came to choosing an inscription for the tombstone we chose, \u201cAll is well.\u201d Indeed it is.<\/p>\n I say I experienced the power of Jesus\u2019 resurrection for two reasons. In my mother\u2019s words, \u201cIt is in God\u2019s hand,\u201d she pointed us clearly to the resurrection hope we had been taught to see in Jesus. In the profound support and care of family, pastors and friends we were helped to find a way where we could not see a way. That feels like resurrection to me.<\/p>\n The first Easter morning, the day of Jesus\u2019 resurrection as recorded in Matthew 28, also come after a chaotic week. It actually began some time earlier when Jesus determined he must go to Jerusalem. A ripple of mixed emotion moved through the crowd that followed him with eager anticipation as he made his way from Galilee towards Jerusalem. Some feared for his life. Others had high hopes that Jesus would lead a revolt against the Roman occupiers. Any hope there may have been was dashed when Jesus was crucified along with two common thieves as an enemy of the Roman Empire. Now what?<\/p>\n After his death Jesus\u2019 followers were numbed with fear and uncertainty. Early one morning two women named Mary decided to go and sit by the tomb where Jesus was buried. Maybe being there in solitude would bring some peace. Maybe something of Jesus\u2019 teaching would return to offer a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n As they rounded the last corner on the path they saw the Roman guards placed at the tomb. They hid in fear. In Jesus\u2019 presence they did not fear Roman soldiers. Now everything was changed.<\/p>\n They had just taken cover behind some olive trees when there was a loud noise. It was an earthquake. The soldiers fell to the ground. What appeared to be an angel calmly rolled the stone from the tomb\u2019s entrance and sat on it. The soldiers were incapacitated by fear. The women shook with fear and anticipation. Surely this was a sign; but, of what?<\/p>\n The angel noticed the women and said. \u201cI know you are looking for Jesus. He is not here. He has been raised; just as he said. The women turned to each other, \u201cCould it be? Is this really what Jesus meant?\u201d Fear gave way to anticipation, even elation. With a swirl of confusing emotions they looked into the tomb at the angel\u2019s invitation. The tomb was empty. The burial clothes were still there but Jesus was not.<\/p>\n \u201cGo,\u201d the angel directed, \u201ctell his disciples that Jesus is alive. He will meet them in Galilee.\u201d The women looked around. To whom was the angel speaking? Surely not them? They were women. Who would believe that they spoke with an angel, an angel who rolled away the stone to show the tomb was empty. Jesus, alive? That was another thing. Any suggestion of a resurrection would raise all kinds theological and philosophical questions. But they knew it was true. Maybe they could also convince Jesus\u2019 disciples.<\/p>\n Running with their heads down in the early morning light, they almost ran into him. Could it be? It was. It was Jesus. \u201cGood morning!\u201d he said. Now they were sure. \u201cJesus was alive indeed!\u201d Music filled their beings, but they did not yet have words. Exhausted and elated they fell at Jesus\u2019 feet. They gave praise to God. In the middle of all this chaos, God was clearly opening a way. Then Jesus spoke again, \u201cDo not be afraid; go tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n They got up to leave. It was a holy moment. One minute they were gripped with fear and confusion and could not see a way forward. Now, where there once was no way, God opened a way that suddenly seemed filled with endless possibility. Yes, Jesus is alive! All is well.<\/p>\n According to Matthew\u2019s gospel the resurrection of Jesus is an act of God in human history. Some argue that the resurrection of Jesus takes place outside of history. Followers of Jesus, like the two women, who have experienced a life changing holy moment with Jesus, affirm the ongoing impact of the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus whom we call Lord of life.<\/p>\n People on both ends of a continuum empty the resurrection of its impact on human history. Skeptics may dismiss the empty tomb as a pious legend. Easter, by such, is perceived a At the other end of the continuum are Christians who see the resurrection as automatic. Such assume that Jesus rose from the dead because he was divine, as if it was due to Jesus nature. As Matthew records Jesus\u2019 resurrection, all the details point to the majesty and power of God, the unseen leading actor in the drama.\u00a0 The empty tomb is not so much proof, but a sign of the resurrection; the angel\u2019s arrival is accompanied by an earthquake; the angel rolls back the stone and sits on it almost as a snub against those responsible for Jesus death. The resurrection is not about a dead body coming to life; it is about God whose mighty life giving acts are known and felt in human history. Yes, even in the most chaotic and darkest times of life.<\/p>\n Easter is first and foremost about God. Not God as an empathetic but ineffective good friend or some inner experience, but God who creates a way where there is no way. God raised Jesus to life just to show us who is in charge.<\/p>\n When the earth shook, God sent an angel to settle the women\u2019s fear, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. He isn\u2019t here. He\u2019s been raised.\u201d When the earth shakes in our lives God still comes to us saying, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. Jesus is alive! There is a way.\u201d The great contemporary preacher, William Willimon, says it this way in a sermon based on Matthew 28, \u201cOn the cross, the world did all it could to Jesus. At Easter, God did all God could to the world.\u201d Today the earth still shakes where God opens a way and we come to say, \u201cAll is well.\u201d Resurrection is today.<\/p>\n How do you explain something like that? \u201cYou don\u2019t,\u201d Willimon says, \u201cyou witness it.\u201d The women in Matthew\u2019s gospel fell at the feet of Jesus in reverent awe and gratitude. They went on to tell others. God touches us in the middle of the chaos that is life. We give witness to what God is doing when we invite others to join us on our journey of faith.<\/p>\n Sometimes I wonder how the cross came to be the universal symbol of Christian faith. I think the empty tomb is a much more powerful symbol of God\u2019s gift of new life. The cross was a cruel method of execution and remains a dark symbol of all our death-dealing ways in the world. The empty tomb stands as a powerful symbol that death is not the last word. Jesus came back to forgive those who turned their backs on him, some who joined the crowds to shout, \u201cCrucify him!\u201d The way of God\u2019s world does not turn on vengeance, but on forgiveness. When the stone is rolled back and we see the tomb empty, we catch a glimpse of God\u2019s world; a world where God\u2019s self-giving love reaches out to all to say, \u201cDo not be afraid. He has been raised!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Conclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 God\u2019s way, the way of the empty tomb opens new possibilities even in the middle of life\u2019s chaos. Sometimes we are surprised in how and where the resurrection power of Jesus touches us.<\/p>\n I like the way Gary Harder says it in the conclusion of his book, Dancing Through Thistles in Bare Feet<\/em>. Gary reflects on the Easter choir he led here in 2005. He had selected music that glorifies a war hero, because he felt there is more than enough to celebrate resurrection in the power of music coming together with the words\u00a0 \u201cO praise His holy name forever more.\u201d<\/p>\n Gary then concludes: \u201cBut I celebrate God\u2019s way of making peace \u2013 a way of suffering and of crucifixion and of resurrection. God, through Jesus, keeps on inviting us to join the weavers, putting new threads into the peace tapestry. This Jesus keeps on inviting new singers to join the choir\u2026 We can weave and sing with hope, not despair. Resurrection happened and continues to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, resurrection is today. As the choir sings, Praise and Honour,<\/em> let us celebrate God who creates a way in the chaos of life. AMEN!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Resurrection Today March 23, 2008 David Brubacher Text: Matthew 28:1-10 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 \u00a0 Introduction:\u00a0\u00a0 If had been a chaotic week. Yet in the middle of everything, I experienced something profound. I think of it as the power of Jesus\u2019 resurrection. It was the week my mother died. On a Saturday morning twenty-three months ago my mother was admitted to hospital with what seemed like routine gallbladder systems. On Monday she was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. She died Saturday…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons-a-worship-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1150\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\ns an embarrassing fraud. Admittedly, if the resurrection were to be a case tried in a court of law there would be some serious flaws in the legal case. But as people of Biblical faith, the resurrection is not a case to be brought before a jury; it is a story of faith. On the side of faith the resurrection of Jesus is God making a way where humanly speaking there is no way.<\/p>\n