Easter Sunday
Worship Theme: Life Conquers Death
Isaiah 25:6-9 NRSV Bible
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NRSV Bible
Mark 16:1-8 NRSV Bible
The best news ever!
A reading from the Gospel of Mark. . . chapter 16 verses 1-8. The reading is found on page 929 in the pew bible. . . hear begins the reading of Mark. . . (Read Mark) the Word of God for the people of God. . .
(Sponge Bob’s best day ever)
How many of you have ever had such good news that you just couldn’t contain it? I know I have. It seems as if I would explode if I didn’t share the news with someone. . . be it something about myself or someone else. . . I just can’t help but spread the news! How about if you had a great idea that would solve so many issues? It might be an easier way to do something or an idea that would help humanity. . . the possibilities are endless. There is no telling where we might have good news for some one. The only boundary that it may have is our own imagination. We might right now have some good news that needs to be shared. What’s stopping you?
We have come to the end of our Lenten journey. Last week, we heard the seven last words, or statements, of Christ. We also visited the Upper Room and shared a meal and were given a new command from Christ. . . the command to love others not as we love ourselves but as Jesus loved and still loves us. We even sat at the foot of the cross and stood with those who stood by when Christ was put to death for all of humanity’s sake. But here. . . today. . . we celebrate Christ’s victory over death and joyfully. . . with enthusiasm. . . with all of our heart. . . can say “CHRIST IS RISEN”. . . YES HE IS RISEN INDEED!
But is that the end of the story? Are we to just say our thank you’s and good bye’s to the Cross of Calvary? Or, is there something more? My answer is NO! This is not the end but only the beginning of the story, the beginning of the new life. . . the beginning of a new age. Christ went to the cross not just to save you and me but to save all of humanity and there is so many who need the hope and forgiveness of the cross I just can’t imagine Jesus wanting us to keep it for ourselves. God wants all of humanity to be saved and we are here to share the good news so that it is. That’s part of mine and your mission here. . . part of the purpose of why we were created. . . to love, to share, to be Christ for the world.
There are so many in the world who feel that they have nothing but death ahead of them in life. . . they don’t know that there is victory over death in Christ and this victory is and will be ours through and by faith. We will all face death at some point in time. . . we will all experience the death of a loved one at some point on our journey of life and faith. . . we may even experience death to old things in our lives. . . death to things that just don’t “work for us anymore.” But, death is not the end. . . it is a beginning of another chapter in our lives that’s called eternity. . . death can make new things spring forth in our lives and the lives of others. . .
In the Isaiah reading from this morning, the old way had to die in order for God to bring about a new life for His people. In order to spring forth with a new life that would make His people glad and rejoice in His salvation the old life of a shroud being cast over His people. . . the sheet spread over the nations. . . needed to be removed. Death needed to be swallowed up forever. . . now we are not talking about the physical death but the death to the spirit that was present because of sin. Death, O death, where is thy sting?
This promise was accomplished through the death and RESURRECTION of Christ that we heard about in the Gospel of Mark I just read. Victory over sin and death. . . victory in Jesus! Even though Jesus had told the disciples He would be back. . . He would rise again after His death, they still didn’t understand until it was accomplished on the first Easter Sunday morn. Death, O death, where is thy sting?
And the best news ever was when Jesus was actually seen. . . in public none the less. . . by others. These “sightings”; did nothing but only confirm Jesus’ victory over sin and death. They say that seeing is believing and did they ever see. Death, O death, where is thy sting?
Today, Easter Sunday, is not the end of the story. We have the best news ever to share. There are those out there who haven’t heard the good news and it is our commission to share this news with all who will hear. Are there people in your lives or mine that need a little bit of good news? Are there those around us that are suffering with the penalty of sin that need to be freed from their oppressor? Are there people in our live that are frozen in fear because of their uncertainty of their future of the future of their loved ones? Share the good news. . . shout it from the roof tops. . . give others a hope for the future. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Christ has conquered death for you and for me. . . for all of humanity! Alleluia He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
Amen!
edited
April 17, 2015
We
celebrate Christ’s victory – v2
April
8, 2012
We
celebrate Christ’s victory
edited
March 31, 2015
They
found the tomb empty – v2
April
8, 2012
They
found the tomb empty
April 8, 2012
Easter
Sunday!
Worship
Theme: “Life Conquers Death”
Mark
16:1-8
1
Corinthians 15:1-11
Isaiah
25:6-9
Unison
Prayer
Call
to Worship
Prayer
of Dedication (John 20:1-18)
hymn,
“Was it a morning like this” (Choir)
hymn,
“The Angels Rolled the Stone Away” (John 20:1-31)
sermon:
“The Best News Ever!”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook
United Methodist Church
Suncook,
NH
April
8, 2012
Easter
Sunday
“Christ
has Risen. . . He has Risen Indeed!”
Lent
&
Easter
Sunday – Sunrise Service
Worship
Theme: “Christ has Risen. . . He has Risen Indeed!”
Matthew
28:1-10,16-20
The
Great Commission
Luke
24:13-34
The
Walk to Emmaus
Psalm
30
Ezekiel
36:24-28
Service
led by Reverend Jim Howard
First
Congregational Church of Pembroke
and
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook
United Methodist Church
Suncook,
NH
April
8, 2012
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reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 36,790+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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