Easter Sunday
April 11, 2004
Luke 24:1-12
1 Corinthians 15:19-26


This morning we gather in excitement and joy to celebrate the power of Christ's resurrection. It's a special day the world over. It's the day that we've been preparing for all these may weeks of Lent. And It's the day we've been preparing for all weekend – and not spiritually either, but with cooking and baking and shopping. Even in Greenpoint, the home of a million bakeries, I couldn't find a single baked good last night at 4:30 pm. Today is special. For it is today that we sing together "Christ the Lord is Risen Today."

Yes, there is something wonderful about Easter. But there are also some extremely powerful and rather threatening things about meaning of this day as well. These are the things that we don't particularly want to rack our brain over as we're dying eggs or biting into a sugary spongy Peep. Because, no matter how much we like to think about Easter as the time of eggs and bunnies, this is the day in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. And quite honestly, I would rather face the consequences of eating ten boxes of Peeps than have to fully, deeply and wholly take in the power behind the holiday of Easter.

You see, the power of Christ's resurrection lies in its challenge to us as human beings. While it certainly does something for us, on our behalf, it really does something to us – it changes us. And when someone or something changes us, there is bound to be some discomfort, some anxiety, some challenge. Like Peter, we, too, go home from Easter Sunday amazed.

For this morning, I'd like to highlight three of the challenges posed to us by the power of Christ's resurrection. These are but a few of the reasons that we're amazed, but they are three of the hardest things to fully take in and understand and believe.

The first is that in Christ's death and resurrection we have the assurance that God really, honestly understands what it's like to live as a human being. In taking on the flesh and bones of humanity, God experiences both the highs and the lows of being like us.

What is the challenge here? The challenge lies in our relationship with God. How often in our lives do we want to shake our fists at God and say in an angry, obnoxious voice (reminiscent of when we were 14) "God, you just don't understand." God, you just don't understand how bad things are. You don't understand just how deeply I've been hurt and betrayed. God, you just don't understand how much I miss that person I loved who died or who is sick and in pain. God, you just don't understand how lonely or sad or anxious or brooding I feel. God, you just don't understand me.

It's incredibly difficult for us to fully believe that God does understand our pain. God knows just what a difficult life this is to live. God knows what it means to be in pain – emotional, physical and spiritual. God knows what it's like to suffer.

But the challenge of Easter lies in the truth that just as God knows what it's like to suffer as a human, God also knows what it is like to transcend such suffering. And in Christ's resurrection, we experience the hope of new life. Christ died and was buried and on the third day rose again. And in that rising offers us the promise of something greater than our suffering. Yes, we do experience horrific pain in life. But just like Christ, we too are renewed.

And while many times we see that renewal as coming only in the future, what many refer to as "that great getting' up morning" in the afterlife, we have to be open to the possibilities that Easter and newness can happen in this life as well. If we believe that Christ's resurrection means that he lives on today, means that he is present with us now, means that he is present inside us and works through us, then we have to be open to the possibilities of Easter miracles happening in life today.

This is not always an easy thing. I, for one, find it challenging to maintain the hope of Easter in situations which seem so desperate and impossible. I was reminded of this a years ago with a young girl who participated in the youth group I supervised. Her mother was mentally ill; her father abused her. At 13, her life was chaotic and she experienced little love or stability at home or at school. Desperate for attention, she began participating in some pretty dangerous activities. One evening she called to say that she thought she was pregnant.

I didn't see much hope for her. In fact, I didn't see any hope from her. With a horrific amount of anger at God for having allowed her to go through life with little love and care, I called up a friend to confess just how mad I was at God. The friend's response was life changing for me. "Do you believe in Easter?" she asked.

"Of course I believe in Easter," I responded. "but how is Easter going to fix this situation."

"Easter isn't going to fix it," she said. "But if you believe in Easter, you have to believe that there is a possibility of an Easter for this girl."
In my brain, I could see that the possibility of an Easter for this girl was only out numbered by the possibility of winning the lottery or of the Detroit Tigers winning the World Series.

My friend went on to challenge me to pray for an Easter for this girl. And she reminded me of her own unlikely Easter that occurred in her life. I can't tell you this morning that that girl experienced an Easter, I don't know about that since she ended up going to boarding school. But I can tell you that the challenge of hoping for miraculous Easters in this life has stuck with me ever since.

But I'm confident that if we went around the sanctuary today many of us can point to times to Easter moments – those times when we thought we were dead, and were miraculously risen to new life. It's those times of newness, of hope, of change, that have brought all of us here today. Easter is real, and it happens both in the future of the hereafter, and in the now of today. Resurrection is real.

And the third challenge offered to us by Easter is one of inclusively and welcome. As we read today in the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." Everyone – everyone – ends up in the trap of death. No one can escape it. And in our faith we relate this back to the fall of creation which occurred through one person Adam. Like Adam, Christ is one person, and through that one person of Christ we all – everyone – experience new life. Everyone. And that's a big challenge for us today.

It means that Christ brought new life to those who betrayed him and denied him and killed him. It means that Easter is just as much for the Romans and for Pilate and even for Judas, as it is for me and for you. Christ will make all live. And that means that Christ is will make alive -- even the people who we can't stand, even the people we most despise, even the people who hurt us so badly. They get to experience Easter just like we do.

So on this Easter day, know that God is with you here. God knows just what you're Going through, because God has gone through it. Know that Christ is Risen. Christ is Risen today, for us and on account of that Christ does something to us. Christ's resurrection means that there is the possibility of resurrection in our lives right here and right now. And it isn't just for us, but it's for those around us – even those unlikely people. And that is the challenge of the Easter miracle.