He Is Risen

Luke 24:1-12

 “He Is Risen”

16 April 2017 St. Andrew’s Military Chapel Singapore

Seven weeks ago we began a journey with ashes on our foreheads. Ashes of all that remains from a previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations. We spent time reflecting on tough Scripture passages and saw how our lack of noticing and understanding Christ’s purpose on earth isn’t unlike what the disciples experienced even after spending years walking alongside Christ.

The last week has been a busy one in the life of the Church, reflecting the craziness of Christ’s last week walking the earth. While the disciples, and even us, weren’t too sure where Jesus was headed and the reasons for his actions over the last week, he knew all along what was going to happen.

So what exactly occurred over the last week? As we discussed last Sunday, Christ entered Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna from an adoring crowd lining his path. If the fact he rode in on a donkey didn’t clue us in that this wasn’t a typical savior, his actions at the temple on Sunday sure did. He went right into that temple and let everyone know what the Kingdom was about. It wasn’t about making money and rote sacrifice, it was about living out Scripture to the benefit of everyone, especially those society mocks.

The next day he curses a poor fig tree. Sure, it was a symbolic prophetic act, but what did that fig tree do to anyone? Why did he have to take out his frustration on part of his beloved creation?

On Tuesday he focuses his effort into one of the things he is known for, teaching. Jesus regales the crowds with parables directed towards the religious leaders about how the world is about to change and he predicts the fall of the temple. Not surprisingly, those in authority and power, the ones that benefitted from the system he derided were none too happy and vowed to take down Christ.

On Wednesday, we see that someone understands what Jesus represents and this woman’s intuition leads to Christ receiving a memorable anointing while at Simon’s house for dinner. But, things have also taken a dark turn as Wednesday is when Judas arranges the arrest of Jesus.

Thursday Jesus has one final meal with his disciples marking the beginning of a long night. He takes the disciples for prayer at Gethsemane where he is betrayed and arrested. Then we get the beginning of his trial, the first part before the Sanhedrin. Throughout the evening, Peter denies knowing Christ three times.

On Friday, Christ has a trial before Pilate who really doesn’t want to take responsibility for what is happening but still sentences Jesus to death. This is followed by beatings, a walk with the cross towards crucifixion and death around 3pm.

All is eerily quiet on the Sabbath of that Saturday. Though many people have already given up on following Christ, some remain though they may be questioning their life choices over the last few years.

 Now we stand here at the tomb, but he isn’t here.

HE IS RISEN!!!!

            And no one saw it coming. For if they did, the women wouldn’t have been perplexed at the sight of an open tomb. They wouldn’t have assumed his body was stolen. Perhaps the sight of the two men in dazzling clothes would have been expected. Peter might have actually believed their story instead of second guessing their testimony.

We cautiously peer into an empty tomb two thousand years later still perplexed and doubting the testimony of these faithful women. For if we truly believed this first testimony of Christ risen, we’d all (including yours truly) live markedly different lives.

Do our lives testify to the Risen Lord? What testimony are we giving with our actions, for we know they speak much louder than words, bumper stickers, or symbols we wear? We are all called to be a living testimony to the Risen Lord. What testimony are we speaking?

Now, we won’t all share the same testimony, because Christ invited us into the story at different times and in different ways. Maybe we are like these unnamed, yet vital, women who point to the empty tomb saying, “he isn’t there” and are told to quit looking for Christ among the dead. Because he is among the living.

Our testimony could be one of small acts of charity that become spectacular when viewed over the course of our lives. It could be putting our lives on the line for the righting of an injustice. Some of us will testify through spending time with children, patiently helping them explore their faith each week for years. Perhaps our testimony is silently supporting those in the spotlight, keeping them focused on finding Christ among the living and not in the tomb.

Testimony is an action word, not sitting around pondering the beautiful truth of the resurrection. These women are told to look among life for the true life, so they go and tell the disciples their new story, inviting them into the one story that matters, explaining what they have experienced over the last few years. Testimony invites others into the story.

However we share our testimony, we have one because we have witnessed Christ in our lives and the lives of others. Part of that testimony is to invite people into the empty tomb. We need to enter the tomb to know that Christ was there in the darkest corners of life and death and that his light overcame and will always overcome.

He is Risen!

Now let us go forth and live like it.

You can listen to sermons from St. Andrew's Military Chapel here.

Just create a login and download sermons at your convenience.