Easter Day - Family Worship 2008

Easter day - Family Worship 2008

Mark 16: 1-8

Service to begin with challenge to children & adults that every time I say ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ they have to shout out loud ‘No He’s alive’.

Talk #1

A quick quiz to begin - hands up if you know who Orville & Wilbur Wright were?

Yes the Wright brothers who made the first powered controlled airplane flights. On 17th December 1908 in North Carolina USA they made their first flight. It is said that they were so excited they telegraphed their sister at home saying "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas."

Their sister Katherine ran to the city newspaper so that they could print this historic news, & gave the telegram to the editor who read & smiled & said to here "Well, well! How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas!”

Isn’t that just how it sometimes, we miss the point completely. It was supposed to be the biggest story of his life but he almost missed it because he didn’t see what was right before his eyes.

The same is true for many people - young & old - about the Easter story. Today in this service I want us to think about some of the mistakes made that first Easter day so we didn’t make them too, because ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

Talk #2

Show the children the props: cans of deodorant, bottles of perfume, air freshener etc.

We all these things to make us or our rooms smell nice, but we do not use these smelly’s when a person dies. Undertakers do the same kind of things for people who have died. When Jesus died the reading said that the women came with spices to anoint His body, which was a mistake because Joseph & Nicodemous had already done it. But it was a huge mistake for an altogether reason because ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

The reading said too that they were very worried about the stone, that they had talked about it - no doubt worried all the way there. Yet the truth was that it wasn’t their problem it was Jesus’ because ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

The next thing they did wrong was look in the wrong place for Jesus. They were looking at the tomb, at what had happened in the past, but they had the wrong idea about Him. Because ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

Sometimes people think that they find Jesus in musty smelling Churches or empty Cathedrals. Or that if we are all stuffy & sing very old hymns. Some people think that Jesus is dead & boring , unattractive & not relevant. But they miss out on the most amazing fact in the history of the universe. They miss out on the truth because ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

Talk #3

The mistakes those women made were all because they either hadn’t listened carefully to what Jesus had said or their faith wasn’t yet large enough to see all God could do. In Mark 16 : 7 the angel on that first Easter day told these women

"But go, tell his disciples and Peter, `He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’".

The words of Jesus are in this book - if we read it we will understand - we will find the truth about Jesus. Then we won’t miss out on the greatest thing in life. Then Easter won’t be about celebrating spring time or eating chocolate eggs. Easter won’t just be about seeing family because we will know that ‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . .

It is my fervent hope & prayer today that we all would meet the risen alive Lord Jesus by the power of God’s Spirit. That we won’t let things or problems or not knowing the Bible properly get in the way. That we won’t be embarrassed about saying in front of our friends & family today that we want to accept Jesus as Lord.

Once we have met Him He will help us with all things - but first we must meet Him, first by faith we need to come & live within me & have your way with me.

Why because once Jesus was dead, now He is alive.

‘Jesus isn’t dead’ . . . Alleluia Praise God! Amen