Early Easter Sermon

Easter (Early Service)
April 4, 2010
John 20:1-18
I Have Seen the Lord

In the name of our Risen Lord Jesus, amen. Everybody has a story. According to amazon.com, in the month of February, there were 200 autobiographies published. Not all of these autobiographies are of the celebrity variety. Average Joes and Janes are writing their stories down and putting them on the market. And February is the shortest month! With new and different ways of publishing, everybody can get their story told. Grandparents are writing their stories for their grandchildren, for the following generations. Everybody has a story.

And this is great news for God’s people. Though we are living in the midst of an increasingly unchristian world, it is not becoming harder to tell the Christian story, but easier! Society is shifting, and I think you are aware of the shift. The shift is from the provable sciences to authentic, truthful personal expression. Authentic, truthful, personal, expression. And that is the great news for us. We have a story because we know the story. Christ is risen!

But storytelling is not as easy as it seems. We have a hard time telling others about the faith and the hope that makes us who we are. Does the political correctness of the world have you tongue-tied over the word “Jesus”? Do you think that there is no room for the Redeemer’s name? Then simply tell your story, share yourself. Tell the story of your hope, your faith, your joy!

People are listening. They value an authentic and sincere story from the heart. And there is absolutely no reason for us to be afraid. Mary Magdalene at first didn’t know what to say and the angel gave her the message, gave her the words. So Mary was able to say, “I have seen the Lord!”

You too will be provided with the words. No, you’re not going to be given a script, but you will be given the words. Were you baptized as an infant, an older child, or an adult? There is a story there. When chaos breaks loose in your life, who do you cling to, what is your response? There is a story there. When your day ends, do you simply fall asleep or do you say a prayer for your family, your loved ones, and the situation at hand? The stories of your life are a witness to what God has done for you. God doesn’t ask us to become street preachers. We are not asked to put a sandwich board on and walk down Main Street proclaiming the end of the world. Share your story in the same way that Mary did. I have seen the Lord! Christ is risen!

Apparently the eyes are the windows the soul. You can determine a lot about someone through their corneas, pupils, and lenses. With the Easter message, we tell the story of the Resurrection with our I’s. God has gathered us together this morning to celebrate the story of the triumph of Christ. My story and your story shares something in common, and it is the story of Jesus, the story of forgiveness, love, hope. It is this story of Jesus, crucified, buried, and risen that keeps us going in this life.

And we get to tell this story. It is not a have-to but a get-to. It is a story of life for today that is a life lived together that will be lived eternally.

Telling the Easter story with our I’s does not make the story about you or me. Telling the story with our I’s is not saying that the Christian faith is true because of all the great faith experiences I have had. Our faith is founded upon the Word of God, the living and eternal Word, the living and eternal Lord Jesus. Christ Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Telling our story with our I’s is a genuine way to witness what God has done. After all, it was the apostle Paul who says to us, how can the world believe in Jesus if they haven’t been told about him?

Tell your story, for you have seen the Lord. You see the Lord in the Word. You see the Lord in the waters of Holy Baptism. You see the Lord in the communion meal. You see the Lord as you study the Word together, as you serve the community together, in your prayers, in the kind deeds that flow from a heart of love. We tell our story of hope and joy that carries us through the difficult days and rough patches. We share the story of our faith that solidifies a shaking world. We believe, for we have been told with certainty that our God is not dead, but is living and is loving.

Mary Magdalene had a story to tell. The other women had a story. Peter and John and the rest of the disciples had a story. And we do too. We tell the story with our I’s because our story is the story of Christ living in you.

Everyday we tell the Easter story. We announce to the world that we have a joyous story of eternal life that energizes our life today. We have been forgiven. We have been saved. We have been given a story to tell, that Christ is no longer dead. Christ is risen! Amen