SERMON: Recognizing Jesus

 (Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18) J G White 

10:30 am, Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023, FBCA

 Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed!  This could be all that needs to be said.  It is as simple as that.  Jesus - human and God - is executed, and then is alive again.  Hallelujah!  How have we met Jesus alive? When did you recognize him?

Think again of that amazing moment when Mary Magdalene lingers at the tomb of Jesus that is suddenly empty. What has happened? And then the talks with the gardener; but it is not the caretaker of the cemetery after all. It is the missing Jesus. When He speaks her name, Mary, she knows him at last!

So many days of our year we seem to have complex problems to solve, disagreements to resolve, or personal sins to absolve.  But at the heart of our Faith, and our church community, is a personal God: Jesus.  A God we recognize!

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?” “You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honour him, so we got Palm Branches today.” The little boy replied, “Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up.” (sermon central)  

We celebrate today Jesus who shows up.  Though His appearances are often subtle and subversive.  How has Christ appeared to you in your life?

Today brings us all to Jesus, to point to Him, to enjoy Him, and marvel at Him, to put our confidence in Him, to lift Him up above other things that might seem important.  

Jesus once said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32) He was referring to his execution by being hung on a cross of wood, a common death penalty at the time.  But today we find Him up and alive!  

This day is simply all about Jesus. Jesus, plain and simple. We are here to recognize that fact. Yet when He gets up and is alive again, He is no show-off.

When John the evangelist tells the story, here in chapter 20, he does not mention the spectacle that Matthew does. No earthquake, no angel descending from heaven, Jesus’ described as bright as lightning is not mentioned. The tomb guards shaking and the fainting dead are not noticed by John. Jesus is simply there, not even attracting attention. Not even being recognized at first, by one of His dear friends. Jesus Christ is simply present, alive, with them.  

Perhaps you have experienced moments and ways Jesus has appeared to you that were simple, almost ordinary. And yet, your recognized Him. And when we recognize the presence of the Son of God, we see Him for who he is.

Christ is greater than the angels. Those angels who opened the tomb, or any other impressive spiritual creatures.  Hebrews chapter 1 speaks at length about this.

Christ is greater than bunnies & chocolates & Easter dinners.

Christ is greater than the pagan origins of “Easter” or “Christmas,” and any other troubles with our religion.

Christ is greater than the Passover and the Jewish sacrificial system out of which He lived His life. 

Christ is greater even than the sacrificial atonement theories of Christianity. He is our ransom, our substitute, He pays our debt, He inspires by example, He wins a victory. all of this, & more.

Christ is greater than the best churches we’ve got, with the best vision statements, leaders, preachers and teachers, ministries, and music.  And Christ Jesus is better than the worst of Churches and Christian history.  

You know one of my own favourite themes about Jesus and what He offers.  He is available; the Kingdom has come near.  This is one of the best ways to put it. God and the good life is available to people - no matter what is happening in their lives.  Amid all the personal problems and disasters, and all the successes and happy moments, the best thing going is Jesus.

A wonderful Roman Catholic Priest colleague of mine (Michael Walsh), years ago, said this at a community Good Friday service: Jesus Christ died for me personally so that I might have life forever.  But unless I experience this salvation as a personal gift to me, my response to Jesus will always be less than wholehearted.  In order for Jesus to give me life, I must be open to that life and live my life for Him.  Jesus wants to give me life and salvation is a gift.  But it is a gift that must be received and Jesus is always waiting to open our hearts so that we will receive the gift of salvation.

One way to respond to the events of what we call Good Friday and Easter is to look for Christ in others. Remember, as you look around the pews, here or any pews, each other person you see is on some journey with God. From delightful obedience to desperate struggle, we are a variety.  Remember to look for God in the life of the other person. The person you idolize, the one you appreciate, the one who doesn’t attract your attention, the one you dislike, the one you’d rather never ever meet up with. Remember, theirs is a personal experience of the Spirit, different from yours.

Another thing to do is to take the joy and glory of Easter Day and enjoy it 52 times a year - every Sunday an Easter.  It was exciting this morning at 7 am to gather in Victoria Square, next door, with other believers, and then have joyful fellowship in here. It was a joy to walk with a cross and bless some places here in town on Friday morning.  But on every ‘usual’ Sunday, shall we anticipate a special time with our living Saviour?  Yes!

A third thing to do is seek His Lordship over every project in our lives. We plan a vacation... with Christ. We raise our children: with the Master’s guidance. We seek a medical doctor’s care: with the Great Physician at our side. We befriend a neighbour: in the name of our Saviour and Friend, Jesus.  

Christ as the centre, around whom everything revolves.  Lift Jesus Higher, says one gospel song.  For Jesus once said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32)

Author and evangelism professor, Leonard Sweet, says: “We lift Him up and He does the drawing…  It’s not ‘come to church,’ it’s ‘come to Christ’.”  But Sweet finds, in his American context, that Christ is often missing from the churches, and he is missing Christ.  That breaks his heart.  

Jesus Christ is alive.  So our gospel, the good news, is alive today.  What is the Gospel? 

There is a Kingdom, of sorts, that is God’s.  It has come near, it is available, people can enter this kind of life that is with God and from God.  The opportunity to turn around and receive it is here. Jesus speaks of this, Jesus lives it, He is it, He provides it. 

We people can be saved from evil, sin, wrong, pain, injustice, even death.  The reality of Jesus Christ is the way.  

We can be saved for good works - to do well and make a difference in this life. We can be saved for eternity with God and God’s people, and God’s new creation.  

And our Gospel is rooted, simply, in the story of Jesus: crucified and risen. That’s how it happens. What He does. So today, we celebrate the Jesus we recognize. We, now, get to be the witnesses of all that He did, in Judea and in Jerusalem, in Yarmouth and Middleton and Tidnish and River Hebert and Amherst.