Easter Day

A Family Circus comic strip shows the children of the family on Easter morning. One asks, “Who laid all these eggs?” The reply of another child is, “The Easter Bunny.” “Who colored them?” Again the reply, “The Easter Bunny.” The first child asks again, “Who gave us the jelly beans?” The reply, “The Easter Bunny.” The family is then shown going to church. During the service, the minister is preaching, and asks, “They came to the tomb and saw the stone rolled back, ‘Who could have done this?’” And the kid in the congregation yells out, “The Easter Bunny!”

Well, on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene did indeed go to Jesus’ tomb. And yes, the stone had been removed from the tomb. And Jesus wasn’t there. Mary suspects grave robbers and goes and gets Peter and John.  Those guys have a look themselves and find that the tomb is indeed empty.  And we’re told they simply went back to their homes.

But Mary hangs around the tomb. And she has the privilege of being the first person to see (and speak with) the risen Jesus.  And she happily goes and tells the other disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

Yes, he is alive. Christ has defeated the final enemy—death no longer has dominion over us. Christ showed us that death is no longer our enemy. Death has been conquered. Because Christ lives, we, too, shall live. So we no longer need to fear death. 

But Easter also says to us that we no longer need to fear life. Common sense tells us that there are things in life that are even worse than dying. 

In Greek mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, fell in love with Tithonus, a mortal youth. Zeus offered Aurora the gift of anything she wished for her mortal lover. Aurora chose immortality for Tithonus. He would live with her forever. But she forgot to ask that he would remain young forever. And so he just grew older and older and older. And he could not die. The gift she prayed for became a curse. It’s like that old adage: Be careful what you prayer for; you just might get it. What use is life if we lose our dignity as human beings?

Yes, there are things in life worse than death. So what does Easter have to say to us as we face life—life with its heartaches and disappointments, its hurts and frustrations? 

It says, first of all, that God is involved in His world. The God of the empty tomb is also the God of the Exodus. The Deists were wrong. God is not off somewhere far removed from the human condition. The God of the Bible is intimately involved with His creation.

Christian faith is an ultimate love affair with life. That’s why it’s entirely appropriate that Easter should come during the springtime. That’s why we celebrate this day with brightly colored eggs.

Traditionally this has been a day for wearing new brightly colored clothing as well. That is not a custom that grew out of our affluence, as you might suppose. Some of you might remember when the only new dress or new suit you got was at Easter time. Now that did not grow out of a desire to show off. Early Christians, who were not affluent at all, wanted to symbolize the fact that Easter was about new life, new hope, new joy, and so they attired themselves accordingly. God is involved in our world. Christ is alive in the hearts of those who love him!

Easter is also about victory. Christ has defeated the final enemy. Easter belongs to the church. The secular world may have taken over Christmas, but Easter is still a uniquely Christian celebration. Easter tells us that God is involved in our world. Easter tells us that we can live a victorious life in Jesus Christ. 

Why is it important to believe in the resurrection of the dead? Certainly, it is not so that we can believe in God. Creation provides more than enough proof of His existence. In fact, many people believe in God who do not believe in Easter. God’s power and His omnipotence are not at stake here. What is at stake is whether your life or mine has any ultimate significance. Do we live only for a season, then cease to exist forever? Or are we so significant in God’s eyes that even death cannot separate us from His love? 

Christianity is not simply a set of values, a moral code, a style of living, a grand philosophy. Christian faith is Easter faith. It is the conviction that people matter so much to God that he gave his own son on our behalf; that he allowed him to be crucified on the cross for our sins and on the third day raised him from the grave as a sign and symbol that our lives are of eternal significance. God is involved. Christ is victorious. And we really do matter to God. 

That’s why we’re gathered here this morning. That is why the empty tomb is central to our faith. Throughout the centuries men have tried to honor their heroes by erecting lavish monuments: the massive pyramids of Egypt, built as resting places for the Egyptian pharaohs; the glistening Taj Mahal, the tomb of an Indian emperor and his favorite wife;  Mohammed’s tomb under the green dome in Medina, noted for the stone coffin and the bones it contains; Lenin’s Tomb in Red Square, the place where the body of the Marxist leader is preserved by some mysterious process; the burial vault at Mt. Vernon, the site of George Washington’s interred body.

In its stark simplicity Jesus’ grave can’t compare with those costly crypts. But the tomb of Jesus excels in the most important way. It lies empty. For he is not there.

Joseph of Arimathea was a very wealthy Pharisee, a member of the council, and a secret follower of Jesus. It was Joseph who went to Pontius Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body after the crucifixion. And it was Joseph who supplied the tomb for Jesus’ burial.

Well, his wife was still complaining about it a week later, “Joseph, that was a beautiful, costly, hand-hewn tomb. It was meant for the family. Why on earth did you give it to some stranger to be buried in?”

Joseph just smiled and said, “Relax, honey. He only needed it for the weekend.”

The resurrection represents God’s victory over death.  Death is not the end of the story. When we are faced with grief and loss, the resurrection reminds us that death does not have the final word.

Post-resurrection believers live with courage, faith, and hope. And people of hope are living proof that the resurrection is real — not just as a historical event, but as a daily reality in the way we live, love, and serve others.

When we face grave situations, the empty tomb reminds us of an important truth, one that is revisited in the chorus of Bill Gaither’s well-known worship song:

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because he lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know he holds the future,
And life is worth the living, just because he lives.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!