3rd Sunday Easter
Luke. 24:13-35
"Eye Openers"
13* That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
15* While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
16* But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
17* And he said to them, “What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
18* Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19* And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20* and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
21* But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened.
22* Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning
23 and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
24* Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.”
25* And he said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26* Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27* And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28* So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further,
29* but they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
30* When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them.
31* And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32* They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?”
33* And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,
34* who said, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. RSV
Grace and peace to you from our risen saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. amen
Our gospel lesson this, morning is the well known story of the two followers of Jesus who journey to Emmaus on Easter evening discussing the events of the 3 previous days. As one reads this lesson, one is struck with how different moods are in this .story.
In the beginning of story, the mood of these two men is one of being downcast and of being in despair. When the stranger approaches them and asks them what they are talking about, the text says they stand still, and,looking sad they explain to this stranger what has happened. These men were sad because of friend of theirs, Jesus ~ Nazareth had been crucified and lay moldering in a tomb, they believed.
'They were sad because they believed this man was a special person; one who might have come from God. I imagine they thought about all the miracles Jesus did, all the people he healed, all the perplexing ,questions he confronted the scribes and pharisees with, all the statement he made about being the Son of Man. They were sad because they had traveled with this man for some 3years, they got to know.. him real well. They saw him cry when a mutual. friend Lazarus ,died.
They saw him enjoy himself at a party for a bride and groom. He even made more wine for the party so that the groom would not be feel bad because he had not planned ahead for so many people. 'They saw him become angry, with a righteous angry at the deplorable things that were going on in the temple in God's name. He.became so angry at all the corruption, that he threw over tables and chased out those who were cheating the people. Yes, these men were sad because their friend who they had come to know real well was dead, they would not have his friendship any longer.
They were sad because they had heard some confusing news as they were ready to leave Jerusalem that morning Some news that the body cf their friend, Jesus, was
missing from the grave. They were .sad because they could not understand who would want to take his body, for what purpose. Yes these men were sad, so sad in fact that they walked slowly, with heads bowed down, with their eyes looking down, walking in a hunched over position, like they were carrying all the weight o the world on their shoulders. .
As they talked to this stranger who approaches them out of what seems to be no where, this stranger can sense in their conversation a sense of despair,
especially when they say, "But we had hoped' that he was the one to redeem Israel." 'These two men were in a state of despair, because they had hopes dreams for this leader, this friend of, theirs. They had hoped they had dared to. believe, this might be one man to bring their nation out of slavery, out of bondage, out of the hands of the Romans. They believed this might be the man to restore to the nation of Israel to its own destiny. They had hoped he would be the Messiah, the one whom they had been waiting for,to come from God for years, for centuries. But, after they saw him die. on the cross, after they helped put him in the tomb, after they saw the large boulder rolled in front of the opening to the tomb, all of these hopes, all of these dreams were dashed to bits, dashed to pieces.So yes they were in a state of despair, in a state of hopelessness.
This stranger who walked with these two men, could see their sadness, feel their despair, could sense in their conversation their.hopelessness, their sense of failure, their confusion, their grief about their friend, this Jesus of Nazareth.
Then this stranger begin to..talk he tells them they are foolish, because they don't understand about the-ways of God that was. explained in Moses and the prophets. He tells them that the Christ, the Messiah, should suffer all of these things because that. was the only way he could enter into his glory. He explains the plan of salvation that God laid out in scripture, which is the Old Testament. He.explains I would imagine, that all was not lost, there is still hope. He must have done a convincing job, because when they drew near to the village, the two me ask this stranger to stay with them to stay and have supper and to stay with them the
night.
Their mood of sadness and despair were changing because of this man and what he had said to them. they wanted more, they wanted to understand more about what
he was talking about. So they asked him to stay.
Then it happened They went into an inn to eat supper, they sat down together, and Jesus taking the common ordinary elements of most meals into his hands bread and wine, broke the bread and was ready to bless the wine, when these two men discovered who He was, their friend, Jesus. Their eyes had been opened. They would now see. Jesus had broken bread gave it to them and now they could see. The text says that they could now even understand all he was telling them as they walked with him. Their mood changed from one of sadness and despair, to one of joy, to one of hopefulness, to one of excitement, to one of amazement, to one of excitement. The text said they arose that same hour and. went back to' Jerusalem. I imagine they didn't walk, back slowly, with heads bowed and eyes fixed upon the ground, they walked, almost ran back to tell their other friends about what had happed,to tell the others that Jesus had risen, that Jesus had done what he promised. They went' back with a complete different mood. They were now happy, they were excited, they were hopeful.about the future, they knew they were no longer alone, their friend, their teacher their Saviour was alive and with them. They were now excited, happy and amazed. .They had their eyes opened
Our eyes can be opened too. When come to worship with all brokenness of this world shutting our eyes to 'God's love, we .can come here to have them opened, to see again his great love for us. Many of us enter God's house with the same kind of sadness and despair that the men who walked the Emmaus way did. We are sad because of grief, pain, hurts, broken relationships that we encounter everyday in our lives. We come in a state of despair because of our failure to live up to our own expectations or those of others. We come in despair because life has not gone the way we wanted, or the way we expected. We come with all the weight of the world on us, not fully knowing if we can bear up or if we want to bear up.
To all of this Jesus comes to us through the scripture and explains to. us each Sunday that he is our God, he is the one who suffered and can release us from our burdens, can help us carry our loads, can lead us down the path of life. He opens our eyes to the miracle of Easter that says he is risen for us, he is. with us, we are not alone in this world, but we have a Saviour who walk with us, who cares about us who loves us very much.
Yes, Jesus opens our eyes, puts a burning feeling in our hearts as we listen to his words and the stories about him each time we come to, his house to worship him.
But he doesn't stop there. He comes to us in a meal like he came to the men at the inn in Emmaus. He comes to. us with the breaking of bread and drinking wine assuring us that he is risen that he has conquered death, that he is with us, that he is in our very bodies and souls.
As we come to eat and drink this- morning, Jesus is opening our eyes to his presence with us, he is showing us in a very dramatic way, in a very physical way that he is the risen lord of our lives'. Jesus is opening our eyes this morning-to the reality of the resurrection. He is changing our moods .from the sadness and despair of' this world, to the joy and excitement that we have a, risen Lord who cares I loves and comforts his children with not only his words but with his very presence. Today we encounter
,our Saviour who brings joy and love into our lives.
He comes and tells us and shows us we.are not alone, we have him, we heed his invitation to participate in this meal, to partake of his presence, to partake of his 'body to drink his blood, to take his very being into our bodies and souls. We 'take him with us 'into our everyday world, to take him with us into our reality of pain, suffering, guilt, broken relationships and our hurts and to our sorrow.Yes our eyes are open this morning to the .excitement ,of the risen Lord in our lives.
Jesus comes to us this morning and assures us he is our risen lord, he is with us in our everyday world, he is the lord of our everyday life.
amen
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Easter Sermon
Easter Sunday
Matthew 28:1-10
It is Easter today, and next Sunday
1* ¶ Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher.
2* And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
3* His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
4* And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5* But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6* He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7* Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you."
8* So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9* And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the risen Christ. Amen
' A preacher was telling the story about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to a group of children. He asked, "What did Jesus say when he came forth from the grave"? He was trying to make the point that he didn't need to say anything, that his wondrous miracle said more than words could ever say. A young lady however insisted that she knew what Jesus said. The preacher finally asked her to tell him what Jesus said. She smiled widely and said, "Ta Dah!"
Now I don't know that Jesus actually said, if anything at all, but from a human standpoint I can imagine the excitement of just defying death and just perhaps Jesus doing something like that, (in part because I believe that Jesus had a human side as well as a sense of humor).
We are entering into a time of the year at which most of the religious world celebrates "Easter". It might surprise some of you to know that our church doesn't do that. I know that it is hard for you to imagine someone claiming to be a Christian and yet not celebrating this very special day. Yet for us, it is no different than any other Sunday.
You see, the Bible tells us to come together the first day of each week to worship God. The early church did just that, Jesus told the early church to remember his death, burial and resurrection through the partaking of "The Lord's Supper" or "Communion" whenever they met that way, (Matthew 26:26-29). The early church is seen coming together on the first day of every week to "break bread" or to partake of the Lord's Supper, (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, 16:1-2).
In other words, we don't need one special Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the "Savior of the World". We do it each and every "First day of the Week", every "Sunday". I know that some of you may ask the question, "Won't doing that make it something that is no longer special? My answer is no, not at all, it is a continual reminder of the sacrifice Christ on our behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he comes." Not only his death, but his resurrection, because that is part of what the Gospel is all about, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
I don't know about you, but remembering "The Great Ta Dah" every week is great thing and a great comfort to me. My prayer is that you will see past the "pomp and circumstance" that so many heap upon this one special day of the year and understand that it is something you can participate in every Sunday with the same sense of awe.' (1)
This is Easter Sunday the special day that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but at the same time it is like any other Sunday as each Sunday we come to this place to celebrate the risen Lord. For each Sunday is special in that regard. The first day of the week we come to celebrate the resurrection, the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ as risen from the dead. For that is the good news we proclaim each Sunday. There is no other reason for us to gather together than that good news of the gospel that Jesus broke the bond of death and gives to each one who believes in him the hope and the power of the resurrection.
We celebrate that TA Dah power of the resurrection each time we come here to worship. Today is special because it is Easter Sunday, but it not very much different from nest Sunday and the next and the next. The Ta Dah moment of Jesus resurrection is the only reason we come to worship each Sunday. The glorious good news of the gospel is celebrate each Sunday in a different message but with the same proclamation of the good news that Jesus Christ has risen.
Jesus Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.
Can you imagine what was going on the depth of hell as Jesus lay on that stone bed on Saturday following Good Friday? Can you imagine what the devil was saying to Captain Sepulcher as they try to hod Jesus in the bond of death.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher and his standard bearer Corruption talking over the situation on the night that Jesus Christ was buried.
Listen: Corruption says to Sepulcher,"Hold fast to that Man in Joseph's tomb. There is a rumor that He proposes to break forth, break out from the grave; do not let Him go until I can securely lay a hold of Him.
But Corruption fails to touch Him during all those hours in the tomb.
Listen: Hell cries out, "Hold fast to that Man. Hold Him, if he comes out He will make a hole in the walls of death through which all prisoners of Hell will escape. Hold him Captain Sepulcher, if you let this man go, you are not Satan's friend.
Listen: I hear the seal break, I hear the watch of death slip away ! I hear the grip of death breaking it's hold. I hear the door of the tomb open.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher try to tighten his grip upon this man, but he cries out in vain, "I cannot hold him, I cannot hold him. "
Listen: I hear a rustling, a moving, I hear the sounds of new life, I hear the sounds of death moved aside for the eternal sounds of life, wholeness. I hear the sounds of the Easter Resurrection, I hear, I see, I am convinced that Jesus is alive !!
JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN.....HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
Captain Sepulcher and the death could not hold Jesus that Saturday night. He broke the bonds of death and rose that Easter morning just as he said he would.
Jesus rose and we celebrate that fact each Sunday when we come and worship. There is no other reason for us to worship than to celebrate the fact that Jesus broke the bond of death that Captain Sepulcher could not hold him in that tomb. Jesus broke that grip and tells us that we too an break the bond of death in our lives.
We become changed people because of Easter resurrection. Because of the resurrection we no longer fear death but wait for the reward of eternity that Jesus gave to us through his resurrection.
We are like the butterfly in the following:
Two butterflies - colorful and majestic monarchs - sat side by side on a tree limb. Beside them was the ruptured cocoon from which they'd just emerged. "Come fly with me," said the one.
"Caterpillars can't fly,"said the other.
"But we're not caterpillars anymore," said the first, flexing his new wings, stretching then their full span till they looked like magnificently crafted stained glass windows.
"Those caterpillar days are gone forever."
"Don't be silly," said the other. "We were born caterpillars and we'll always be caterpillars. That's the way it is."
"Well, then, why did the Maker see fit to give us there wings?" said the one.
The other butterfly thought for a moment and then replied,"I don't know. Some sort of cruel joke, I suppose. He did the same thing to the ostrich, you know."
"Nonsense!" said the first. "Look at all the other butterflies. They're fly-ing. What do you say to that?"
The second butterfly looked out over the meadow and said, "They're not flying. they're just being blown about by the wind. Stupid of them,too. Can't they see it's dangerous? Easy prey for hungry birds and, when they land, mischievous children as well. I'll stick to crawling and climbing, thank you very much. It may be slow, but it's safe and sure."
"it may be slow and safe and sure but it's.....well, it's unnatural. Butterflies fly!!!
That's the way the maker made us. That's our role, our function, our fit: to dance on the wings of the air; to play tag with dandelions seeds; to soar; to dart; to float; to light on a single blade of grass to the delight of all who see;to inspire awe and wonder; to fascinate; to add a note of grace to this world's dreary song." (2)
In a sense we were born to be caterpillars, to crawl upon th earth, but through the power of the resurrection, we become like that butterfly free to fly, free to be all that God intended us to be. Through the resurrection we celebrate each Sunday, we become changed people, people who are free from the bonds of death, free to feel the power of the resurrection in our lives.
Each time to come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we come here to partake in the bread and wine, we feel for a moment, a brief moment the power of the resurrection in our lives. For it is here we receive a foretaste, nibble of what the resurrection will be like when we leave this earth and join Jesus in the heavenly mansions.
Each time we come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we hear the word proclaimed, we have that foretaste of what the resurrection will be like.
We are butterfly people, people flying in the hope and the assurance of the resurrection to come as we believe in the power of Jesus resurrection.
"An elderly woman made her living selling artificial fruit. One day a customer complained the fruit she sold was not realistic enough. She pointed to an apple, saying it was too red, too round, and too big to be a real apple. At that point the artificial fruit lady picked up the apple and proceeded to eat it.
Jesus is the real McCoy. He really did rise from the grave. He is alive. He is listening to our prayers. He is always open for business when that business deals with the human heart in need of a shepherd's guidance and love.
George Bernard Shaw, the famous playwright, was handed a newly written play by a fledgling playwright. Shaw was asked to give the young man a criticism of his work a few days later. "How do you like it?" asked the author. "I fell asleep reading it," said Shaw. "Sleep is my comment on your work."
No one fell asleep or yawned that night when the Prince of Peace, the Prince of Power and the Lord of Love appeared in their midst. Christianity is real. Christianity is alive. Christianity is anything but boring. Let us all wake up and smell the roses. Let us resolve to live our lives as if Jesus were a guest in our homes, workplaces and businesses. The truth is that the Lord is here, there, and everywhere. He is alive. His is our Risen Lord to whom we offer our discipleship with love.
The song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Let us be about our Father's business as we serve him with joy. Let us show and tell others the good news of the gospel.
It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the End of our journey, He is also at every stopping place. "(3)
It is Easter today and next Sunday and the next and the next!
Jesus Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale March 17, 2008
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.
(1) Russ Lawson
Messages From The Heart (http://www.mfth.net)
from thought for the day
(2) Mark Radecke in "In Chirst: A New Creation"
(3) Elisabeth Elliot from Living Life God's Way
"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell
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"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell
Matthew 28:1-10
It is Easter today, and next Sunday
1* ¶ Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher.
2* And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
3* His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
4* And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5* But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6* He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7* Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you."
8* So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9* And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the risen Christ. Amen
' A preacher was telling the story about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to a group of children. He asked, "What did Jesus say when he came forth from the grave"? He was trying to make the point that he didn't need to say anything, that his wondrous miracle said more than words could ever say. A young lady however insisted that she knew what Jesus said. The preacher finally asked her to tell him what Jesus said. She smiled widely and said, "Ta Dah!"
Now I don't know that Jesus actually said, if anything at all, but from a human standpoint I can imagine the excitement of just defying death and just perhaps Jesus doing something like that, (in part because I believe that Jesus had a human side as well as a sense of humor).
We are entering into a time of the year at which most of the religious world celebrates "Easter". It might surprise some of you to know that our church doesn't do that. I know that it is hard for you to imagine someone claiming to be a Christian and yet not celebrating this very special day. Yet for us, it is no different than any other Sunday.
You see, the Bible tells us to come together the first day of each week to worship God. The early church did just that, Jesus told the early church to remember his death, burial and resurrection through the partaking of "The Lord's Supper" or "Communion" whenever they met that way, (Matthew 26:26-29). The early church is seen coming together on the first day of every week to "break bread" or to partake of the Lord's Supper, (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, 16:1-2).
In other words, we don't need one special Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the "Savior of the World". We do it each and every "First day of the Week", every "Sunday". I know that some of you may ask the question, "Won't doing that make it something that is no longer special? My answer is no, not at all, it is a continual reminder of the sacrifice Christ on our behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he comes." Not only his death, but his resurrection, because that is part of what the Gospel is all about, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
I don't know about you, but remembering "The Great Ta Dah" every week is great thing and a great comfort to me. My prayer is that you will see past the "pomp and circumstance" that so many heap upon this one special day of the year and understand that it is something you can participate in every Sunday with the same sense of awe.' (1)
This is Easter Sunday the special day that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but at the same time it is like any other Sunday as each Sunday we come to this place to celebrate the risen Lord. For each Sunday is special in that regard. The first day of the week we come to celebrate the resurrection, the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ as risen from the dead. For that is the good news we proclaim each Sunday. There is no other reason for us to gather together than that good news of the gospel that Jesus broke the bond of death and gives to each one who believes in him the hope and the power of the resurrection.
We celebrate that TA Dah power of the resurrection each time we come here to worship. Today is special because it is Easter Sunday, but it not very much different from nest Sunday and the next and the next. The Ta Dah moment of Jesus resurrection is the only reason we come to worship each Sunday. The glorious good news of the gospel is celebrate each Sunday in a different message but with the same proclamation of the good news that Jesus Christ has risen.
Jesus Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.
Can you imagine what was going on the depth of hell as Jesus lay on that stone bed on Saturday following Good Friday? Can you imagine what the devil was saying to Captain Sepulcher as they try to hod Jesus in the bond of death.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher and his standard bearer Corruption talking over the situation on the night that Jesus Christ was buried.
Listen: Corruption says to Sepulcher,"Hold fast to that Man in Joseph's tomb. There is a rumor that He proposes to break forth, break out from the grave; do not let Him go until I can securely lay a hold of Him.
But Corruption fails to touch Him during all those hours in the tomb.
Listen: Hell cries out, "Hold fast to that Man. Hold Him, if he comes out He will make a hole in the walls of death through which all prisoners of Hell will escape. Hold him Captain Sepulcher, if you let this man go, you are not Satan's friend.
Listen: I hear the seal break, I hear the watch of death slip away ! I hear the grip of death breaking it's hold. I hear the door of the tomb open.
Listen: I hear terrible Captain Sepulcher try to tighten his grip upon this man, but he cries out in vain, "I cannot hold him, I cannot hold him. "
Listen: I hear a rustling, a moving, I hear the sounds of new life, I hear the sounds of death moved aside for the eternal sounds of life, wholeness. I hear the sounds of the Easter Resurrection, I hear, I see, I am convinced that Jesus is alive !!
JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN.....HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
Captain Sepulcher and the death could not hold Jesus that Saturday night. He broke the bonds of death and rose that Easter morning just as he said he would.
Jesus rose and we celebrate that fact each Sunday when we come and worship. There is no other reason for us to worship than to celebrate the fact that Jesus broke the bond of death that Captain Sepulcher could not hold him in that tomb. Jesus broke that grip and tells us that we too an break the bond of death in our lives.
We become changed people because of Easter resurrection. Because of the resurrection we no longer fear death but wait for the reward of eternity that Jesus gave to us through his resurrection.
We are like the butterfly in the following:
Two butterflies - colorful and majestic monarchs - sat side by side on a tree limb. Beside them was the ruptured cocoon from which they'd just emerged. "Come fly with me," said the one.
"Caterpillars can't fly,"said the other.
"But we're not caterpillars anymore," said the first, flexing his new wings, stretching then their full span till they looked like magnificently crafted stained glass windows.
"Those caterpillar days are gone forever."
"Don't be silly," said the other. "We were born caterpillars and we'll always be caterpillars. That's the way it is."
"Well, then, why did the Maker see fit to give us there wings?" said the one.
The other butterfly thought for a moment and then replied,"I don't know. Some sort of cruel joke, I suppose. He did the same thing to the ostrich, you know."
"Nonsense!" said the first. "Look at all the other butterflies. They're fly-ing. What do you say to that?"
The second butterfly looked out over the meadow and said, "They're not flying. they're just being blown about by the wind. Stupid of them,too. Can't they see it's dangerous? Easy prey for hungry birds and, when they land, mischievous children as well. I'll stick to crawling and climbing, thank you very much. It may be slow, but it's safe and sure."
"it may be slow and safe and sure but it's.....well, it's unnatural. Butterflies fly!!!
That's the way the maker made us. That's our role, our function, our fit: to dance on the wings of the air; to play tag with dandelions seeds; to soar; to dart; to float; to light on a single blade of grass to the delight of all who see;to inspire awe and wonder; to fascinate; to add a note of grace to this world's dreary song." (2)
In a sense we were born to be caterpillars, to crawl upon th earth, but through the power of the resurrection, we become like that butterfly free to fly, free to be all that God intended us to be. Through the resurrection we celebrate each Sunday, we become changed people, people who are free from the bonds of death, free to feel the power of the resurrection in our lives.
Each time to come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we come here to partake in the bread and wine, we feel for a moment, a brief moment the power of the resurrection in our lives. For it is here we receive a foretaste, nibble of what the resurrection will be like when we leave this earth and join Jesus in the heavenly mansions.
Each time we come here to celebrate the resurrection, each time we hear the word proclaimed, we have that foretaste of what the resurrection will be like.
We are butterfly people, people flying in the hope and the assurance of the resurrection to come as we believe in the power of Jesus resurrection.
"An elderly woman made her living selling artificial fruit. One day a customer complained the fruit she sold was not realistic enough. She pointed to an apple, saying it was too red, too round, and too big to be a real apple. At that point the artificial fruit lady picked up the apple and proceeded to eat it.
Jesus is the real McCoy. He really did rise from the grave. He is alive. He is listening to our prayers. He is always open for business when that business deals with the human heart in need of a shepherd's guidance and love.
George Bernard Shaw, the famous playwright, was handed a newly written play by a fledgling playwright. Shaw was asked to give the young man a criticism of his work a few days later. "How do you like it?" asked the author. "I fell asleep reading it," said Shaw. "Sleep is my comment on your work."
No one fell asleep or yawned that night when the Prince of Peace, the Prince of Power and the Lord of Love appeared in their midst. Christianity is real. Christianity is alive. Christianity is anything but boring. Let us all wake up and smell the roses. Let us resolve to live our lives as if Jesus were a guest in our homes, workplaces and businesses. The truth is that the Lord is here, there, and everywhere. He is alive. His is our Risen Lord to whom we offer our discipleship with love.
The song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Let us be about our Father's business as we serve him with joy. Let us show and tell others the good news of the gospel.
It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the End of our journey, He is also at every stopping place. "(3)
It is Easter today and next Sunday and the next and the next!
Jesus Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale March 17, 2008
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.
(1) Russ Lawson
Messages From The Heart (http://www.mfth.net)
from thought for the day
(2) Mark Radecke in "In Chirst: A New Creation"
(3) Elisabeth Elliot from Living Life God's Way
"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell
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"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell
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