The Beauty of New Life John 20: 1-18 (Year C Easter Sunday)
Introduction
A couple of years ago I heard a story of a boy named Jeremy. He was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life.
One Sunday morning in early Spring Jeremy’s Sunday school teacher told the children the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
The next Sunday morning, 19 children came to Sunday school, laughing and talking and gathered around Ms. Miller as she opened each one to see what was inside. In the first egg, there was a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life.
When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here. "A small girl in the first row waved her arms.”That’s my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Ms. Miller held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and turns into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that is new life, too" little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."
Another egg had a rock with moss on it.; the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My daddy helped me!" He beamed. Then Ms. Miller opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy’s, she thought, and, of course, he did not understand her instructions. She thought to herself, “Perhaps I should’ve phoned his parents.” Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.
Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, she replied, "but Jeremy – your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty and I have new life because of it!"
Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see that 19 children had placed plastic eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
The Cross
Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ… We rejoice in the new life that is available to us because of an empty tomb. Two days ago the Christian world remembered the suffering of Jesus. We looked back at the injustice and misery of the Cross.
Imagine the only sinless and blameless person ever to walk the face of the earth… scorned, mocked, persecuted, and betrayed… At once the teacher of mercy became the man of many sorrows spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
(Isaiah 53:4)
At the Cross of Christ we see the fullness of the expression of God’s grace and mercy as Jesus… a sinless and blameless man… the Son of God… lays down his life … 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love that he laid down his life for us.”
The cross is like a mirror which reflects the love of God toward all of humanity. Christ’s work on the cross is a reflection of God’s immense love and the intensity and wideness of the compassion of Christ.
I grew up in North Central California only a couple hours drive away from Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a natural treasure, filled with rivers and streams, immense mountains, flowing meadows filled with trout, wildlife of every kind, and huge towering rocks.
As a kid my family routinely camped in and around Yosemite. My favorite place in Yosemite is Mirror Lake. In the early days of photography Mirror Lake was made famous by the father of landscape photography, Ansel Adams. As you look into Mirror Lake you see the most wonderful reflection of a colossal mountain, Mt. Watkins, perfectly reflected in the crystal clear water.
At the Cross, the mountainous mercy of God is reflected in just the same way. The Cross is a mirror reflection of the radical love and boundless grace of God.
You see, we are not, in fact, “sinners in the hands of an angry God”… we are “children in the warm embrace of a loving Father.” The cross is at once a beautiful reflection of the love of our Heavenly Father and a place of sorrow where our King demonstrated His love for us… and our need for him…
The Resurrection
And it is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ of that first Easter morning that we receive the presence of God’s love in our hearts. While the Cross reflects God’s love to us… the resurrection makes God’s love real to us… As He hung on the Cross he said, “I love you”… as He rose to new life He said, “I am with you.”
19th Century Pastor, A. W. Tozer, once wrote, “Oneness with Christ means to be identified with Christ, identified with him in crucifixion. But we must go on to be identified with him in resurrection as well, for beyond the cross is resurrection and the manifestation of his presence.”
Far too often the presence of Christ in our lives is spoken of as something far off… beyond our reach. While your busy tending to all of the cares and concerns of life… working tow jobs to make ends meet, picking the kids up from school and taking them to a seemingly endless litany of soccer games, band practices, slumber parties…
While we’re busy tending to the realities of our daily experiences spiritual leaders… me and my colleagues… are busy telling you about a relationship with a risen Jesus which can at times, seem so far out of reach and so far removed from daily life…
But that isn’t the case at all… you and I have new life in Christ in so much as we open our hearts and lives to the presence of His mercy and love in our life. Experiencing the presence of the resurrected Jesus in our lives isn’t difficult and it isn’t complicated…
Experiencing the presence of the resurrected Jesus begins by learning to come to Him just the way you are… if you are happy, come to Him with your song of joy… if you are carrying hurts and disappointments… come to Him with your burdens. His love is immediately available and knowable…
An artist wanted a man for a model who would represent the prodigal. One day he met a wretched beggar, and he thought: “That man would represent the prodigal.” He found the beggar ready to sit for his painting if he would pay him.
The man appeared on the day appointed, but the artist did not recognize him. He said: “You made an appointment with me.” “No,” responded the artist, “I never saw you before.” “You are mistaken; you did see me, and made an appointment with me.” “No; it must have been some other artist.
I have an appointment to meet a beggar here at this hour.” “Well,” said the beggar, “I am the man.” “You the man?” “Yes.” “What have you been doing?” “Well, I thought I would get a new suit of clothes before I got painted.” “Oh,” replied the artist; “I don’t want you.”
And so if you are coming to God, come just as you are. Do not go and put on some garments of your own. Do not try to make yourself more acceptable to God. All your “put on” righteousness is unnecessary. Come just as your are.
Come with all your crimes. Come with your broken vows. Come with your lost opportunities. Come with your hardened heart. Come with your crushing burden. Come, come just as you are. I find it curious that they crucified Christ with arms wide open… because they remain wide open to this day…
Experiencing New Life
The empty tomb of Jesus brings with it the reality of new life. Romans 7:6, “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.”
We experience this new life of the Spirit as we enter into to a personal and loving relationship with God. We enter in personally through a simple yet vibrant prayer life; sharing our thoughts with God daily through simple conversation with God.
Prayer is not so much about articulate speech-making as it is about uncomplicated conversation with your Heavenly Father as you express your heart to His and listen as He expresses His heart to yours.
We also experience this new life of the Spirit as we gather, just as we have today, to encourage one another. G.K. Chesterton once wrote “Make your religion less of a theory and more of a love affair.”
As Christians we are like pebbles at the bottom of Niagara Falls receiving the radical love and grace of God as it crashes over us in immense wave after wave…. Our calling is to reflect that love back to God in worship and adoration and to others through genuine Christ-like love and fellowship.
We experience the fullness of the new life available to us in Christ as our hearts commune with God’s heart and as we come alongside each other in genuine Christian love and stand along side one another… as together we make this pilgrimage that is daily life.
Even though the journey is long and the road is often tough… bearing with one another, forgiving one another, and carrying each others loads, though we may from time to time lose our way, we can experience the new life of Christ… together…
Conclusion
Earlier I shared with you the story of Jeremy, the little boy who understood the meaning of the empty tomb of Easter. I shared with you about how we can experience the new life of Christ because He is risen and immediately available to each one of us through prayer and relationship with other followers of the Jesus, the King of Mercy.
Today, I invite you to go deeper in your relationship with the God of grace. Come to him just as you are. If you’re going through troubles talk to Him about them, if you are full of joy, bring that to Him as well.
The Scriptures tell us that if we draw close to God then He will draw close to us. And let us, here in this place, be known as a place where those who experience the new life of the Spirit gather together to lift up and encourage one another.
As you go from this place today, be reminded of the new life that is freely offered to you in Christ. Be encouraged by the God of mercy who expressed His love to you on a Cross and communicated His presence to you through an empty tomb.
Let us pray.
Divine Father, you are holy and worthy to be praised. Thank you for your endless mercy, help us to draw nearer to your loving presence. Make us followers of the way of the King of Mercy. Fill our hearts with your presence. Amen.
