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5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Luke 24:5 - 6(a) (NLT)
Most of you have come to discover that I am touched by the praise hymn, "The Stone’s Been Rolled Away." I think we’ve sung it at every Easter sunrise service since I’ve been appointed as your pastor. I enjoy it because of the hope and promise we find in the empty tomb on that first Easter morning. Our hope, our promise, all comes down to the glorious proclamation made on Easter morning, "He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" The women who had followed Jesus came to the tomb that morning and found it empty. They were then startled by angels who proclaimed the above message. The message of hope and promise that God could indeed resurrect the dead and give them eternal life just as Jesus had said, and that Jesus would be only the first, we can experience resurrection from this life into the next at the time of our death too!
Another message I believe the Church of Jesus Christ needs to be reminded of occasionally is that "NO TOMB CAN HOLD JESUS." No matter how big the rock, no matter how numerous the guards, Jesus can not be held in any human made space! Over the years the church has sometimes made its buildings tombs for JESUS. They have tried to bury him inside the Sanctuary where they can come and worship him the way they want to when they want to and keep Jesus to themselves. The message of Easter is that Jesus will break free. He will not be constrained or restrained. In every one of the Gospel accounts of the resurrection we find that the story was taken away from the tomb and shared with others.
We have been growing because you have been willing to roll the stone away and take Jesus out of the tomb of the church and share the Good News with others. I pray that as we go forth from another Easter celebration we will roll the stone even farther away from the door and let the full power and glory of the Resurrected Savior loose on the community of Crestline as we too go forth and share the news of the resurrection with everyone we can.
He is risen, He is risen indeed!
Taken from the CFUMC Newsletter
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