April 12, 2020 Easter Sunday Worship

     Opening Prayer for Easter Sunday Creator God, you raised Christ Jesus up  and out of the chains of death. Praise and glory to you!   You opened for us the way to eternal and abundant life.  You saved us from sin and the grave!
May our worship and praise be pleasing to you And bring honor to your holy name, that we may be revived again  by your Spirit to serve you in your Kingdom. In the name of our Risen Savior Jesus we pray. Amen.
  Morning Like This       by The Gaithers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAq2lnI94BA
Call to Worship for Easter Morning*         We are not eye-witnesses to an event, as were Mary and the disciples; we have not journeyed through a dangerous city to seek answers or consolation; we have not seen angels gathering at the rim of this day, or wept in the garden this morning because we could not find Him.
But we are here to attest to a story that has not lost its power during twenty centuries of change and conflict.
We are here because those before us carried this story as if it were precious gold; cherished it as if it were the key to a hidden wisdom.
Sisters and brothers in Christ, take your places here today in celebration and in awe. What you are about to hear again, has the capacity to change the world. Your very presence attests to the rising up of life from the tomb of despair, and to the uncontrollable power of God.
It is Easter morning again: and we will celebrate! *written by Ann Siddall, in Lent to Easter liturgies: Year C.   Found at www.reworship.com
Scripture Reading            Luke 24:1-12              Sermon         He is Risen!     It was the first day of the week, and some of the women who had followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry came to the site of His burial tomb.  The tomb was probably carved out of a solid rock, and a stone had been specially carved so that it would fit perfectly in the entrance so that no one could get in.     When the women arrived, they discovered two things:  The stone had been rolled away AND Jesus’ body was nowhere to be found.  Some said the disciples had plotted to remove Jesus’ body to make it appear that he had risen from the dead.  But considering these women, who traveled with Jesus and his disciples, knew right where to find Jesus’ grave, this seems unlikely.  Had there been a plot on the part of the disciples to move the body of Jesus, these women surely would have known about it.     Note that the women still believed Jesus was dead at this point.  Verse 4 tells us that while they were wondering about this, two men, clothed in shining garments, appeared and stood by them.       And the men ask the women this question, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here, He is risen!”     I imagine the women were still perplexed even upon hearing this.   But the men continued by reminding them of what Jesus had said when they were all still together in Galilee.     The men quoted from something Jesus had said to his disciples earlier in Luke 18:31-34, “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.  He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”  The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.”     And then the women remembered that Jesus had said this, and by all Gospel accounts of the resurrection story, they finally understood, and went back to the others to tell them all they had heard and proclaim that Jesus their Lord had risen from the dead.     “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  That’s a good question for us to consider this Easter Sunday.       Because many people are still looking for Jesus among the dead.  I think of scholars who study the words of Jesus and the gospel manuscripts but do not believe in Christ’s resurrection.  I think of the archaeologists who two thousand years later are still trying to find Jesus’ body and bones in the tomb but keep coming up empty.  I think of people who touch the body of Christ on a crucifix but do not know the reality of the living Christ.      These people all have one thing in common. They are all looking for Jesus among the dead.   And if you are looking for Jesus among the dead, you will not find him. Because he is not there.     A man named Frank Morison is a great example of this.  He went looking for Jesus among the dead.      Morison was a British journalist who lived early in the twentieth century.  He was not a Christian, although he admired the historical figure of Jesus and his teachings.  But Frank was a skeptic at heart who believed that these stories about Jesus were nothing more than myth or legend, especially the story of the resurrection.     So, Morison had a brilliant idea. Why not prove that the resurrection never happened? Why not use his research skills as a journalist to dig into history and prove that Jesus never rose from the dead?  He would do his research and then write a book presenting the historical facts about Christ and the events surrounding his death.     And so, Frank Morison went looking for Jesus among the dead.  And guess what? He never found him.      What he did find is exactly what Luke said in verses 2-3: He found the stone rolled away, but he did not find the body of Jesus.  Instead he found the risen Christ and put his faith in him as Lord and savior. Although, Morison did end up writing a best-selling book called, “Who Moved the Stone?”.  The title of the first chapter? He called it: “The Book that Refused to Be Written.”      Frank Morison set out to write a book disproving the resurrection of Christ. Instead, he ended up writing what has become a Christian classic presenting the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.  Morison went looking for Jesus among the dead. But he did not find him there. You will not find him there either. If you want to find Jesus this morning, you must look among the living. And that brings us to the good news of Easter.     The angels proclaimed the Good News in Luke 24:5-6, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”     That, my friends, is the good news of Easter.  Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death and the grave.  He rose from the dead that Easter morning. He is alive and well today. You will not find him among the dead because he lives and dwells within the heart of every believer through his Holy Spirit.      And he offers new life to you and me. The Bible tells us that those who trust in Christ will share in his resurrection.  The fear of death and judgment is taken away because Christ is risen! He turned death upside down. We can all find resurrected and renewed life in him.  That is the good news of Easter. Only one question remains. How will you respond?     If you are a believer in Jesus’ resurrection this morning and you have confessed your sins and proclaimed with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” then your response should be to share your faith with others, just like the women at Jesus’ tomb did.      Jesus died and rose again. That is good news! And good news is for sharing.  We are not meant to keep the good news of Easter all to ourselves. That would be selfish!      Or maybe your response has been more like that of the apostles.  Remember the initial response of the apostles. Look at Luke 24:11: “They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense,”     The women believed the good news of Easter and shared their faith with others.  The apostles did not believe, and so they did nothing. Although I am happy to report the apostles later changed their minds on this matter.      But their first response mirrors the response of a lot of people today.   Because many folks still don’t believe in all this Jesus stuff. It all seems like so much nonsense to them, and so they do nothing. They dismiss the story of Jesus outright and continue to live their lives as though nothing happened that first Easter morning.     I’ll finish by saying this: The angels asked the women that first Easter morning, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  Let me say it to you again. If you are looking for Jesus among the dead, you will never find him because he is not there. But if you look for Jesus among the living, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will know the message of Easter, and you will experience a new, transformed life in Christ:  Jesus Christ is alive. He is risen! And someday He is coming again! May God’s deepest peace be with you this Resurrection Day! Amen.          Closing Prayer* & Blessing         inspired by John 14:15-21 God of all time and space, you initiated the relationship of love and generosity with creation at a time before and beyond all knowing. Through the Word and the Spirit, you continue in eternal love for all beings. Fill us with a deep and abiding awareness of your presence, your call, and your grace in our lives and in our world. Shape us to into the people you have made us to be – poured out in creative mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ in all creation. Amen.
Christ the Lord has risen from the grave, my friends.  May God’s deepest peace rule in your hearts, minds, and body as you celebrate this blessed day!  
*Prayer written by Lutheran Julia, and posted on RevGalBlogPals. 
Christ the Lord is Risen Today                     Mormon Tabernacle Choir     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFjnlBn0K10