CMLC 2026-04-05 Sermon (Contemporary - Easter)

He is risen! He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.

Alright. Well done. I think you got it down.

Excellent. This is the moment that the entire

story has been pointing toward. All year long.

Every reading. Every hymn. Every reflection.

Everything in the rhythm of the church calendar.

Even Christmas. Every moment has led us here.

We remember the prophets. We remember the ones

in the Old Testament who kept saying time and

time again, God wants you to worship Him, to

follow Him. And the people just kept going and

doing their own thing time and time again. We

can't help but wonder, will anything ever change

as the people constantly fell short? But as we

kept hearing it, there was a hint. There is something

to come. There is someone to come. And then we

see the Christ. We welcome His birth. We see

His life. We see His ministry. We see Him begin

to change everything as He speaks about the Kingdom

of God. That the Kingdom of God is here. showing

a radical teaching that God is not just hoping

to someday find His way here, but that God is

with us. And that with every moment is to restore

what was broken, to take the ways in which sin

has corrupted and shattered our world, and to

go forth in God's name and to make it right.

But to realize that in Him, we begin to see that

we are no longer bound to the old expectations.

We are no longer held to the old pressures, the

old systems, the ways in which people are always

trying to measure up to something that we were

never going to fulfill on our own. Jesus did

not come to add more rules to make us feel that

we were never going to measure up in a world

where we never did. He came to show that the

old system is no more. But then, those who wanted

to hold on to the old ways, they were done with

Him. And they put Him on a cross to be rid of

the troublemaker that shook up everything. And

that, looking like it was the end, as Christ

is up there saying, it is finished. Does that

mean the story is done? Complete? ended the death.

That death, though, would not, could not hold

Him. This is about Jesus being risen. And everything

after this, everything that we do as the church,

everything we hope for, everything we live out,

everything is about what that means. instead

of running from God. And I know many of you still

are. Instead of running from Him, we are drawn

back to Him with forgiveness, with grace, with

life renewed. And it's all here. But even knowing

this, when we hear it, how many of us still have

a moment When we realize a resurrection and say,

what? Where did that even come from? He already

said it was finished when He died. Wasn't the

sacrifice the whole point? Being willing to give

of Himself. Wasn't that all that there was meant

to be? The resurrection still surprises us. We've

heard the stories. We've read the prophecies.

But in the moment, doesn't it still feel so unbelievable?

Sometimes it feels like the story took a turn

that we didn't expect. And here's the thing,

sometimes stories end in ways that make you think,

man, that came out of nowhere. Raise your hand

if you remember happy days. Right? Even if it's

the reruns. Yes. Fonzie, leather jacket, juke

machine, his favorite song every time, flirting

with all the girls. And you wonder year after

year, season after season, where will this story

go until one day you realize that the writers

have no more storylines and put him on water

skis jumping over a shark. And you wonder, where

did that come from? And yes, that's exactly where

the phrase came from. But if we're not careful,

that's what many people think of the resurrection.

It's a last -minute twist for people who want

to avoid feeling defeated after the religious

leaders got the best of Jesus and managed to

get rid of Him. It's like adding the extra section

to the end of the Gospel of Mark and wondering,

were they just trying to make a better story?

But no, that was never how this was. It's not

about going off the rails. This story is still

going exactly where it was always supposed to

go. It's more like nine seasons of How I Met

Your Mother. When you realize after nine years,

that's why the show was always about Robin and

not really about the mother. As we see the conclusion,

everything finally makes sense. The resurrection

is not an improv class. It is the fulfillment

of God's eternal plan. The angel doesn't say,

I've got a new story for you. He says remember

how He told you. We see it in the prophets. God

left breadcrumbs for centuries. Psalm 16, you

will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let your

Holy One see corruption. God's Holy One would

not stay dead long enough to decay. Isaiah 53

describes the suffering servant. After he has

suffered, he will see the light of life. Death

is not the final word. Hosea 6 -2. After two

days, he will revive us. On the third day, he

will raise us up. Jonah. Three days in the belly

of the fish, becoming a sign of Christ's own

time in the tomb. Descent. Confinement. Return

to life. Psalm 22. Beginning with despair, but

ending with vindication. the story of suffering,

becoming a story of hope and proclamation. Even

for those standing at the cross, though, even

with all of those prophets, it was still hard

to see. But could we blame them? Truly, could

we blame them? Life is overwhelming. We're standing

over here with the whole book in front of us.

But how often do we struggle to see the forest

for the trees, even the tree upon which He died?

How could they remember every prophecy, every

word, every sign, every teaching that pointed

to the resurrection? They had just lost someone

they loved. You know what that's like. It's easy

to say, I need to be busy. We need to go to the

tomb. We need to bring spices. We need to stay

in hiding since we might be next. Life keeps

moving even when everything feels like it shouldn't.

And sometimes, we're not willing to face what

we need to face because we just don't have it

in us. There may be grief. There may be fear.

How often is there stress? People were not careless.

They were overwhelmed. Haven't we all been? And

sometimes, sometimes you're just too close to

it. They were in the crucifixion. They were in

the event, inside the story. You can't always

see clearly when you're that close. Could we

really blame them for not putting it all together?

For not seeing how every prophecy, every teaching,

every moment was pointing here that He would

suffer, that He would die. that He would rise

on the third day. When we think about it, how

often do we forget, even in the everyday things,

even in the midst of life, our routines, the

things that we forget. Friendships and loved

ones who drift away from our minds because they're

not right in front of us. Forgetting to care

for the life, the body, what we've been given

by God. how often we're supposed to exercise,

how those New Year's resolutions pan out for

you, the sleep schedule, the eating better. But

more than that, we can't even remember to be

patient. What is it about our integrity, our

character, even the moral compass we were raised

with? We are so caught up in other people's anger

and mortified and completely frustrated. but

also telling these people, telling us which are

supposed to be our enemies instead of our neighbor,

and that we're supposed to turn on them and constantly

look for battles to fights that aren't even there.

And forgetting the very character of Christ,

not in lights, but on a cross. As believers in

Christ, we still end up forgetting what matters

the most. Resurrection. New life. The old being

buried, the new coming back again restored. Whether

you were baptized as an adult, and you said,

hey, this is the beginning of my new life, and

then slowly start to forget as it fades. Or for

those who were baptized as an infant, and you

didn't even have that memory in your mind, and

it doesn't stand out the same way when you stood

up and confirmed your faith. It's not that there's

no sincerity there, but it's not active the same

way. We don't remember what type of people to

be ourselves when life gets loud, life gets busy,

life gets heavy. Yet even when we forget what

matters most, when we forget God's will, God

does not forget us. God's plan unfolded exactly

as He planned. exactly as He promised. Even when

the people were too close to see it, God had

been writing the plan all along. It wasn't an

afterthought. It wasn't a footnote. The cross

was never the final chapter. The tomb was never

the last page. Jesus didn't pause, though, to

wait for everyone to get it. He didn't delay

the plan until everyone was ready. He went to

the cross and fulfilled what was promised to

be done for us. If this had been about trying

just to prove a point, it could have looked a

whole lot different. He didn't die just to guilt

us into obedience. He didn't die to show off

how righteous he was so that we would have to

then prove ourselves somehow. The Gospel is not...

Look how righteous Jesus was and He got punished.

Now feel bad and try to live up to Him. It's

not even Jesus died for you, so the least you

can do is live for Him. And I know how many times

I hear that in a week. That was the old religious

system that Jesus came to challenge. Everything

they tried, the mocking, the shaming, the killing,

could not stop God's plan. Evil could not have

the last word. The Gospel is about life. Life

that triumphs over death. Life that defeats the

sin that we keep committing. He died to defeat

death, to destroy sin, to bring life, everlasting

life, to all who trust in Him. Because life that

is given to us freely, as God said, I will conquer

evil with good. I will end death with life everlasting.

I will begin with My Son whom you crucified and

through Him you will have life too. And if death

does not get the last word over Him, it does

not get the last word over you. This is the start

of everything new. Even if it's today, without

the resurrection, life would be simple, ordinary.

We could just blend in. We could be like all

the other religions of the world. You know, all

the ones that say it's all about just being good

people. You know the ones. Follow the routines.

Do the prayers. Play it safe. Be good people.

Move through the world without thinking that

life is beyond this moment. Focusing on the here

and the now. Man, without a resurrection, we

could be like everyone else. But the resurrection

says no! Our life is more than just this life

now. We have been given life everlasting. This

is the beginning. Even when we die, it is still

just the beginning. And even for those of us

who have lost loved ones so recently, it is good

to know that now is the beginning of where their

new life begins in Christ. Because death is defeated.

Sin is forgiven. Our hope is not fragile. And

it changes everything. The sins you've committed,

the mistakes that you will make, they do not

define you. God has already loved you enough

to raise His Son. He has already seen us at our

worst and loved us so much that when He brought

His Son back to life, that became the beginning

of life for us as well. Because if God could

love us that much, when we were in the midst

of killing His own Son, How much more does He

love us when He has now brought His Son back

to life and death no longer holds the last word

over anyone? You have now heard the truth. Your

life so often distracts us. How often it is that

there are so many things that will try to pull

us down, try to pull us away from that message,

from that reality, from that life. And that's

why we're here today. To bring us back to what

the Gospel truly is. Because the Gospel is the

resurrection. Any number of reasons why you might

be here today. And maybe thinking it's a chance

just to enjoy a holiday. Or this is what my family

does. Maybe you saw the butterflies. Or maybe

you're just trying to make your mama happy. But

today... Today is not just to prove that all

things Jesus said was right. It's not just to

say, good job, Jesus, you win. It's to bring

us into that life ourselves. It is to bring us

not just into the memory of what God has done

or who God is, but to bring us into a story of

life everlasting. Even when you failed, even

when you will fail again, even when you're not

sure that you are ever enough. And doesn't it

get frustrating when we feel like we're never

enough? God has always acted in love. He raised

His Son, proving death does not have the final

word. And through that same Son, He offers new

life to you. The cross could have been the end,

but the resurrection is the beginning. Your life

now carries the promise that everything can be

new. Every day, every choice, every moment is

shaped by the reality of Christ's victory. Even

grief, even fear, even our doubts cannot undo

it. Would you follow Him today? It's so easy

to forget what really matters. To get caught

up in work and relationships, anger and frustration.

to forget the people who matter, even the ones

right in front of us, even the ones right here

with us. We can forget even to care for our own

selves, for our patients, for our integrity,

for our ethics, and then the resurrection bursts

in anyway. And it does not wait for us to remember.

It does not pause for us to catch up. It is a

reality that we step into whether we are ready

or not. The disciples were just as confused,

frightened, overwhelmed, and yet the resurrection

came. God's promise is being fulfilled right

before their eyes. We need reminding just like

they did. The reminder is that Christ lives and

everything is new. There are so many parts to

this. And I realize how many of you who have

maybe been here for so long, maybe have come

recently, or maybe are here for the first day,

and you're wondering what would this even mean.

And what it means is you have everything today

in Christ. So even when we don't understand,

even when life seems too loud, Jesus keeps the

promise. The good news of Easter is not that

we fully understand it all, but that even when

we forget, when we struggle, when we are so shouted

down and confused, when fear feels louder than

faith, Jesus keeps His Word. He goes to the cross,

and then He rises again. The tomb is empty, y

'all. Well, it looked like loss. is a promise

unfolding all along. A resurrection reminds us

of God's promise that you belong to Him. You

are His child, and nothing can take that away.

Sin does not define, and hope is not fragile.

Even grief, even fear, even doubt cannot undo

that, because every day is shaped by resurrection

life. and everything is different because of

what Christ has done. So wherever you may be

today, my hope and prayer is this. Believe what

I say, but trust in the One who gave it. Follow

Him where life is found. Please don't let today

be a footnote in a life where you have forgotten.

Because He is risen! He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.

Thanks be to God.