God's Stimulus Package - He's Not Finished Yet.

“God’s Stimulus Package”

“He’s not finished yet”

District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.

John 20:1-7 “The first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, [and looking in], saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself”

OPENING:- Today we celebrate what we call Easter Sunday. Traditionally we go out buy really nice clothes and come to church for a service and show off our best outfits. Most men have new suits and most ladies get a new hat and dress. Little girls are often dressed in a flowering dress and a cute bonnet, while little boys are often dressed in a suit that often is ripped by the end of service due to the wrestling they would often do outside looking for Easter eggs. There’s nothing wrong with that for that is tradition and it is fun. However, let’s understand the true meaning of Easter and what this day really is.

I know we find the word Easter in the Bible one time in Acts 12:4; however, Easter has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or Christendom at all. There are no scriptures that support the concept of Easter. Acts 12:4 is actually a misinterpretation of the Hebrew word “Pesach” which is the Hebrew word for Passover and Passover could never be interpreted Easter.

Easter is in fact a pagan holiday that celebrated the spring equinox and represented a fruitful life, that’s why the symbols of eggs and rabbits are an Easter thing. The eggs represent life while the rabbit represents futility – hence the term multiply like rabbits. The pagan goddess for which the word Easter comes from was named Esther and has taken on many different forms such as Ostare, Eastre, Ostern, Ostara, Easotar just to name a few. The ritual in this pagan religion is still practiced in a widely spread religion today known as Wicca. The practice is to offer Esther baskets to this futility goddess in the beginning of spring.

Now this doesn’t mean that you take away the little Easter baskets you have for the children all of the sudden. The Bible says my people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge. Now you have knowledge so make sure you explain the true meaning of Easter and the difference of Easter and Resurrection Sunday. I myself love chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, and those Cadbury Cream filled eggs are delicious. I would even be hurt if all the sudden I was not able to enjoy those delightful treats at Easter time. So don’t become so wrapped up in that you don’t enjoy the tradition of Easter Bunnies like Peter Cottontail and Marshmallow Peeps, but make sure you teach the children the true meaning of this day we call Resurrection Sunday aka Easter.

There is a saying that says knowledge is power and that is true. You have now been given a little bit of knowledge and the power to make the proper decision is in your hands.

In Christendom, which is what we are in – in Christ – we call today Resurrection Sunday, because eggs and rabbits have nothing to do with what happened on this day. On this day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. So with that being said I want to wish you all a Blessed Resurrection Sunday and proclaim today that God’s not dead He’s still alive. Someone may say well preacher you weren’t there when He rose from the dead so how do you know He’s not dead? Well I see Him moving in the tress and I feel Him moving in the wind and the breeze. I can feel Him in my hands, I can feel Him in my feet, I can feel Him all over me. I wouldn’t serve something dead, every once in a while I need to feel the moving of His spirit.

I am reminded of a story my father would often use about a young boy and his kite. He would say this young boy had a kite and it was so high up in the air that you couldn’t even see it. An older gentleman came pass the boy saw him standing there looking up into the sky. The man asked the boy what are you doing? The young boy replied I’m flying my kite. The man looked up and didn’t see the kite in the air. He said to the young boy I don’t see a kite how do you know it’s even there. The young boy said because every once in a while I can feel a tug in my hand.