GO big: LOVE big. Christ Church Sermon Easter Sunday April 20, 2025

happy Easter happy Easter he is risen he

is risen indeed amen well I'm Pastor

Chris i'm senior pastor here it's so

good to see you and be able to worship

with you on this Easter Sunday good

morning to everybody that's worshiping

online i am so excited to kick off this

new sermon series called Go Big on

Easter Sunday morning as we celebrate

the greatest moment in all of human

history the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead easter is a perfect

example of what it means to go big this

isn't just some story or some symbol

this is the turning point of everything

easter is the day that changed the world

forever but Easter is more than just a

holiday on a calendar it's more than

just colorful eggs or colorful

marshmallows I guess this year it's more

than fancy clothes it's more than big

family dinners easter is about love big

love this love is not the kind of love

that comes and goes this not This love

is not the kind of love that depends on

how somebody else treats us easter is

about big love bold love lifech changing

love the kind of love that we do or is

done when no one else is willing to do

it think of of a moment sometime in your

life where you witnessed love in action

you know when you when you saw somebody

who who did something courageous or

unselfish or full of compassion and it

caused you to stop for a second and say

"Wow that that is love." I mean think

about like firefighters for example

running into burning buildings to rescue

people they've never met in their entire

life think about parents or grandparents

giving up everything so that their kids

and grandkids have an opportunity to

have a better life than they had that

kind of love isn't quiet that kind of

love doesn't hide in the background that

kind of love is loud that kind of love

is big that kind of love is noticeable

and that's what Easter is easter is God

shouting to the world "I love you." John

John 3:16

3:16 says "For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only son that

whoever believes in him shall not perish

but have eternal life." Now that's more

than just a Bible verse that we memorize

when we're kids or a or a Bible uh thing

we see at a football game behind the

goalpost that kind of that verse is the

heartbeat of Easter that's the message

that shakes the foundation of the earth

god gave now he didn't give something

simple he didn't give something easy he

gave his son and then Jesus came and

lived among us loved us died for us and

then rose again from the grave the

resurrection isn't just proof that Jesus

defeated death it's proof that God's

love is real god's love is powerful and

God's love is alive today easter is an

open invitation it's a divine I love you

sent from an empty tomb and sealed with

hope it's a reminder that no matter who

you are no matter what you've done no

matter where you've been God's love is

still reaching out to you so as we

celebrate today I don't want to just

focus on the traditions of Easter those

are important and they're good and we

celebrate those but I want us to fix our

eyes on the cross and on the empty grave

and remember that love that actually

changes everything because remember

Easter is love in its biggest boldest

and loudest form so I want to take a

closer look at the Easter story that

that you heard at the beginning from

Matthew chapter 28 and it starts in

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

darkness with these two women Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary on their

way to the tomb early in the morning

their hearts are just broken cuz the one

that they believed in the one that they

had followed had just died a brutal

death to them all hope had seemed lost

it must have felt like darkness had

actually won and if we're honest we've

all been there in our life right where

we feel like darkness has won where

darkness has has has just defeated us

but then something incredible happens in

verse two we read "There's a violent

earthquake for the angel of the Lord

came down from heaven and going to the

tomb rolled back the stone and sat on

it." Now imagine that moment for a

second an earthquake shaking the ground

a bright and powerful angel appearing

from heaven heaven itself was breaking

into earth god was doing something big

and then in verses five and six the

angel says to the women "Do not be

afraid." Angels always lead with that

"do not be afraid for I know that you're

looking for Jesus who was crucified he

is not here he has risen just as he

said." Those words changed everything

jesus wasn't dead anymore the grave was

empty he had risen just like he promised

amen i mean that's why we're here today

to celebrate the resurrection of Christ

that moment shows us that the

resurrection wasn't just a miracle to

impress people it was God's big love in

action jesus didn't stay in the grave he

defeated sin he crushed death and he

rose to a new life and he offers that

life to you to me and to anyone else who

will believe in him this isn't just

about power this is what it means to

love big jesus went through the worst

pain and suffering so we could be free

he didn't just talk about love he showed

it with his life he showed it with his

death and he showed it in the

resurrection you know I recently read a

story that I think helps drive this

point home and the story is about a

person that fell into a deep hole like a

well and they were stuck in pitch

blackness in the bottom and couldn't get

out and then a rescuer arrives and is

lowered down into that dark hole risking

their own life to bring the trapped

person out of the dark and into the

light that's exactly what Jesus did for

us he didn't stay far away he entered

into darkness he faced death itself so

that we could be saved

that's what true love does it doesn't

just speak it moves it acts god didn't

just say "I love you." He proved it

through the cross and the empty tomb so

this Easter I don't want us to just

celebrate a historical event i want us

to celebrate a personal rescue the

resurrection is proof that God sees us

god loves us

god is willing to go to the deepest and

darkest places to bring us back so if

you are here this morning or worshiping

online and you have ever felt stuck or

you have ever felt unworthy or if you

you have ever felt forgotten remember

that the empty tomb is God's promise

that your story isn't over god's love is

alive and it's reaching out to you and

to me the resurrection not only proves

how powerful love is but it also teaches

us that we are to live that love out in

our own lives in fact in John 13:34

John 13:34

Jesus gives a command that challenges us

deeply he says "Love one another as I

have loved you you must also love one

another." Now that verse is not just a

suggestion that verse is actually a

command and let's be honest it's a

pretty tall order because Jesus set the

bar incredibly high on what it means to

love others his love was sacrificial his

love was big and his love was full he

loved in a way that most of us can't

fully even comprehend and certainly

can't replicate on our own in our own

power so let me break it down for for a

second first he showed us sacrificial

love he loved by giving his life he died

on a cross to save us from sin he didn't

hold anything back sacrificial love is

about putting others needs before our

own even if it's going to cost us

something

significant he also showed us how to

love big you see Jesus's love wasn't

passive he went out of his way to serve

others whether by healing the sick or or

or helping the poor or forgiving sinners

he loved big in situations where most

people wouldn't even go into the

situation he didn't care about the

consequences of showing people love he

only cared about the people he was

showing love to and finally Jesus showed

full love he loved completely even when

it meant enduring mockery suffering and

death on a cross you see he didn't love

selectively he didn't love conditionally

you've heard me say multiple times you

never look at a person who Jesus didn't

die for he loved everyone no matter what

their actions were no matter how they

treated him he his love was constant and

unfailing even when he was rejected

so I wonder who is God calling us to

love even when it's

hard maybe it's a family member that's

hurt you maybe it's a co-orker that

you're frustrated with maybe it's a

neighbor who seems indifferent or or or

hostile or I don't know blows their

grass clippings into your driveway

whatever it is Jesus calls us to love

those that are difficult to love just

like he loved us when we were

unlovable so this Easter I want you to

take a moment and reflect on who in your

life needs to experience the power of

love that comes from Jesus love that

doesn't give up love that isn't selfish

love that changes

lives you see loving like Jesus means we

have to step out of our comfort zones we

need to set aside our pride we need to

love unconditionally it's a radical love

and it's exactly the kind of love that

our world needs to see today god's love

raised Jesus from the grave and that

same love is working in

us think about that for a second let

that sink in the power that brought

Jesus back to life is the same power

that we have access to in order to love

others so when we love like Jesus we

don't just feel good or do a nice thing

we actually change the world when we

love we're not simply meeting a need in

a moment we are participating in God's

bigger story love is just more than a

warm feeling love is more than a kind

gesture

it's an active force that impacts lives

it impacts communities it can even

impact the nation love is a powerful

tool that God gives us allowing us to be

the hands and feet of Jesus in this

world for example Jesus taught us to

feed the hungry not just with food but

with dignity matthew 25:35 says "For I

Matthew 25:35

was hungry and you gave me something to

eat." In our everyday lives love compels

us to respond to the needs of those

around us it's not just about filling

somebody's stomach it's about offering a

sense of belonging it's about caring for

someone who feels forgotten it's what

our Feed the Berg initiative is all

about now sure we're having a

competition between all the different

worship services to see which worship

service can bring in the most food

supplies for Shim that's awesome but

we're meeting that need for food so we

can then have the right to share with

those folks the most important need that

they have which is a relationship with

Jesus love also forgives the broken you

know there's something powerful about

forgiveness forgiveness is

transformative it doesn't just heal the

person who receives it it heals the

person who actually gives the

forgiveness as well jesus modeled this

when he was on the cross and he said

"Father forgive them for they know not

what they're doing." You see love

doesn't keep score love doesn't hold

grudges it extends grace to those who

need it most god forgave us and we are

called to forgive others offering them a

chance for a fresh start no strength

restoring relationships that have been

broken for years and love doesn't stop

there love also brings hope to the

hopeless love is the greatest source of

hope when life feels overwhelming when

the world seems like it's falling apart

love is that thread that holds

everything together jesus came to bring

hope to show us that no situation is

beyond the reach of God's love love

reminds us that no one is beyond hope

even in the darkest of circumstances

light can break through we live in a

world that often overlooks the

vulnerable overlooks the broken and love

can make all the difference and here's

the thing it doesn't have to be this big

grand gesture sometimes the simplest

acts of kindness can have the greatest

impact in people's lives jesus says in

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the

Matthew 5:14

world." Love is that light and in a

world full of darkness our light can

shine brighter than you think you see

it's not just about how much love we

have it's about how much love we're

willing to give and in the same way a

little tiny candle can light up a a

really dark room when we love like Jesus

we can become a beacon of hope and a

light in a world that is dark and it can

make a difference in people's lives so

ask yourself how can you be a light to

someone today who around me needs love

forgiveness hope it could be something

as simple as a meal but again don't wait

for the perfect moment don't wait for

the big opportunity start with what's

right in front of you jesus changed the

world one life at a time our small act

of love can change this world one life

at a time now I want to take a moment

and make this even a little bit more

personal because Easter isn't just about

remembering what Jesus did for us it's

about reflecting that love that changes

us to others jesus's death and

resurrection invites us to a new way of

life a life that calls us to love big in

service to others so how can we love big

like Jesus this week you see when we

look at Jesus's life we see love that is

extravagant it's sacrificial and it's

unconditional now we're called to live

out that love in our daily lives and

when we do it can make an impact in

other people's lives for example let me

go back to our families how many of you

are going to be with family at some

point today for Easter relationships at

home can sometimes be the hardest but

they can also provide the greatest

opportunity to show love maybe there's

someone in your family that you're

holding a grudge against well this week

I want to encourage you to step forward

and offer forgiveness it could be as

simple as letting go of a past hurt it

could be offering a sincere apology

you can also look for chances to serve

your family without waiting on them to

ask for it guys hear that again you can

step out and serve your family without

waiting for them to ask for it sometimes

the simplest acts speak the loudest we

can also love in our community our

neighborhoods are full of people who

need love right we can start small by

reaching out to a neighbor who might be

going through a tough situation you know

a listening ear can make all the

difference in the world you can

volunteer to serve here at the church

and help others who are looking to grow

in their relationship with Christ you

can serve outside of the church in

organizations that are making a

difference in people's lives like Shim

South Hills Interfaith Movement who is

fighting against food insecurity in the

South Hills you might only have one hour

to spare spare every single month but

that one hour could make a huge

difference in somebody's life you can

also love big in school or at your job

and sometimes the workplace and school

can be an environment where kindness and

love kind of feel scarce especially when

people are stressed or just looking out

for themselves

but isn't that just the perfect place to

make a difference by showing others love

by being kind when others are rude or

indifferent by going the extra mile to

help someone who might be struggling or

feel left out offering a word of

encouragement to someone who feels

unnoticed standing up for someone who

can't stand up for themselves and

remember love isn't always easy but it's

often when it's the hardest that it

means the most

and I can't say this enough don't

overlook the importance of the small

gestures when it comes to love again it

doesn't have to be big it doesn't have

to be

dramatic sometimes the smallest gesture

can have the biggest

impact a simple text message to check in

on someone a smile as you pass someone

going in and out of worship or in and

out of the grocery store or wherever you

may see someone could brighten their day

a helping hand if you see someone trying

to do something that looks like they're

struggling and need a little bit of help

those little acts of love over time can

create ripples of kindness in our

world a listening ear can change

somebody's life more than you could ever

imagine never underestimate the power of

that small

gesture so here's your challenge for

this Easter week

find one way to show big sacrificial

love to someone else it could be as big

as helping a neighbor with their

groceries as big as texting someone a

word of encouragement as big as loving

someone who's hard to love as big as

forgiving someone who isn't really

looking for forgiveness maybe as big as

being a mentor to someone who needs a

mentor and anything in between and after

you show that love to that person take a

moment and pray and ask God to use that

act of love to make a real difference in

the life of the person you served trust

that God will work through our actions

no matter how small they may seem to us

you see Easter isn't just about

celebrating what Jesus did it's about

answering the call to carry his love to

the world jesus's resurrection changes

everything because he is alive love is

alive and that love is not meant to stay

confined to the past it is meant to

transform the present and to shape the

future love didn't stay in the grave it

broke free and now it lives inside of us

so let's follow the example of Jesus and

show others what it means to love big

let's pray lord we're so grateful for

who you are we're grateful for the

example of what it means to love big and

may we receive that love that you gave

to us and as we receive that may we

realize that it isn't just for us to

hold on

to it's for us to actually change how we

live it's for us to go out and show that

love to others so that their lives can

be changed just like our life has been

changed it isn't about as about how much

love we have it is about how much love

we are willing to give help us to follow

your lead and love like you loved we ask

all of this in your son's name and

everyone said "Amen