Easter is Over but Not its Power

For some Easter has come and gone – as far as a calendar event – it is over. Some of the finer clothing we saw last Sunday is back in the closet, the colored eggs have disappeared. The candy has been gobbled. The guests have all gone home. For us at LFC it was simply amazing. Four services in all, a Saturday night service and three AM services. I applaud our staff and our team – they all did an excellent job and many things were started weeks in advance. The hospitality team did an excellent job serving others with the most incredible breakfast spread we ever had and even cake and beverages on Saturday night – the video testimonies were moving and gave credence to the “Power Of God’s Transforming Love.” People love people stories – and they were treated to some very moving ones – our drama team – amazing – the band and choir – tech team were exceptional and the pastor – he was not too bad either. We saw 1,252 people come to church and 64 children and adults said “Yes” to Jesus.
I thought I would remind you that the Power of Easter is not over. One of my dear friends preached a sermon the Sunday after Easter called, “Jesus is Alive – Are You?” In the message he was so concerned that people would wait a full year to celebrate a risen Savior but also that His resurrection would be celebrated but not applied to their own lives. How about you? Are you alive? Has the Holy Week passed by and you now seem to be a bit foggy about it all?
It was June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the Allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral. Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D--." Just at that moment one of quickly moving English fog made it impossible to read the message. The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. People throughout the land were sad and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog lifted, and it was discovered there was more to the message. The message had four words, not two. The complete message was: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D---T-H-E--E-N-E-M-Y!"
It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy, defeat was turned into victory! The same thing happened when Jesus was laid in the tomb on the first Good Friday afternoon. Hope was dashed even in the hearts of Jesus' most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on the friends of Jesus. They had "read" only part of God’s amazing message. Some of them forgot what they were told and they lived in a state of "Christ defeated" was all that they knew. But then on the third day – Easter Sunday – the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message:
“Christ defeated death!"
Defeat was turned into victory; death was turned to life! Question: Has the fog already hit you since you last shouted and celebrated the Resurrection? Has thoughts of hopelessness already come into your soul or are you so focused on the living hope of Jesus that you don’t have time to get bogged down by that which is dead? Remember the women at the tomb were told and if you were with us Sunday you heard me proclaim it over and over –
“Why do you seek the living among the dead – Why do we look for life among dead things?”
There is an old legend of a priest who found a branch of a thorn tree twisted around so that it resembled a crown of thorns. Thinking it a symbol of the crucifixion, he placed it in on the altar in his chapel on Good Friday. Early on Easter morning he remembered what he had done. Feeling it was not appropriate for Easter Sunday, he hurried into the church to clear it away before the congregation came. But when he went into the church, he found the thorn branches blossoming with beautiful roses.
The message of Easter always turns sorrow into joy, thorns into roses, death into life, and defeat into victory. For the disciples and followers of Christ, Easter was a wonderful and beautiful surprise. It caused a great surprise for many – even though Jesus proclaimed He would rise again. The resurrection was a surprise to death, sin, and to mourning disciples! His power is amazing. Jesus said He came to give us "life to its fullest measure." Here's the bottom line: The reign of death is over! The tomb-stone has been rolled away! Don’t forget what He has done for you. Don’t forget His power and grace.
Easter is a day but the resurrection is our life – our hope and our future. We too will rise with Him.
Now, we must get up, loose ourselves from the clutches of death and a weekend filled with much activity and for many of us, lots of work in providing power services for our church and community. Let go of the stone and move from the tomb and walk away! He is Risen! He still is Risen!
We are beyond the tomb and beyond Easter - Jesus is alive!
Let’s live in Jesus’ power and for His sake,
Pastor Bernie
Scripture Verses you can link to: John 20:1-18.

John 10:10 Colossians 1:27 Genesis 2:7-3:19 John 11:24-26 Romans 5:12-17 Hebrews 2:14-15