Resurrection

SUNDAY 'S TEXT

Luke 24:1-12 - EASTER SUNDAY

SERMON NOTES FOR DISCUSSION

Sunday Recap of the week... by Elaine Pierce

Luke 22-Luke 24:15

 "A Lot Can Happen in 7 Days."  

Seven Days.

One Week.

168 Hours.

I saw a on Facebook this week (thank you for sharing it, Mark Locher). It was very simple, and yet I have pondered it all week.

There were four simple pictures.  

A palm leaf.

A crown of thorns.

A cross.

An empty tomb.  

And the words "A Lot Can Happen in 7 Days."  

Jesus' week was certainly an eventful one. It started as he and his disciples entered Jerusalem. He was heralded by the crowds as a conquering king, as they shouted hosanna, hosanna (Save us!). Their adulation quickly turned to fierce hatred, as he was betrayed by one of his closest disciples, subjected to a sham trial, beaten, mocked, and cruelly crucified on a cross between two murderers.

But the week was not over. We will read this morning about the women coming to the tomb and finding it empty. The men "in clothes that gleamed like lightning" who greeted them at the tomb (and, who, understandably, terrified them) said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!"  

What a week. Seven days filled with ups and downs. Praise and worship.  Betrayal. High drama.  False accusations. Incredible suffering. Deep sorrow. Confusion. Fear. And then, incredibly, joy and amazement. He is not here. He has risen.  

I have never experienced a week like this. But I am eternally grateful that Jesus did. How do these seven days impact my life? We will worship this morning.  e will confidently say "He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed." We will greet our family and friends, and then we will head home. We will enjoy an Easter brunch, maybe an Easter Egg hunt. And then, very quickly, it will be Monday. Another week will begin. Seven days. What will be different? How can we carry Easter into the rest of our life?

When Peter comes to the tomb, and he sees the strips of linen lying by themselves, and no body in the tomb, he wonders to himself what had happened (24:12). We know the rest of the story - Peter becomes the rock on which Jesus builds his church. Let us wonder, let us ponder the mystery of the empty tomb.  We don't know what the next seven days will bring, or the next month, or the next year. Ask God to show you how he wants you to love him and serve others. Thank God for this incredible gift of eternal life. Yes, He is Risen Indeed!