It happened on an Easter Sunday. The date was April 4, 2010. The time was 3:40 p.m. Pacific Time. It turned out to be the biggest earthquake to hit Southern California in nearly 20 years. The magnitude—7.2 earthquake struck near the border with Mexico in Baja California. The earth shook for 45 seconds. In fact, the earth shook so hard that 20 million people felt it, some as far away as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Over 100 aftershocks followed. Needless to say, this earthquake was a frightening disruption for many Easter gatherings—like those that many of us will enjoy today with family and friends. Thankfully, although there were injuries and destruction of property, only three people lost their lives. And I am sure that on this Easter Sunday many of the thousands of Americans and Mexicans who experienced that Easter earthquake of 2010 will reflect on how their lives were impacted by it.
In our Gospel Lesson for this Easter Sunday from Matthew 28 we heard about a violent earthquake on the first Easter Sunday. It doesn’t sound like it brought any significant destruction of property or loss of life. Instead, it brought disruption. It disrupted a quiet morning for the soldiers stationed at Jesus’ tomb. It disrupted the unspeakable grief of two women who up to that moment believed that Jesus was dead. It forever disrupted the lives of Jesus’ disciples. And I think we can say that it disrupted the history of this world!
Although the earthquake on the first Easter Sunday shook the ground its purpose was to call attention to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead. In that way it “shook people up” I think we could say. It rocked the lives of the soldiers, the women, and Jesus’ disciples. The earthquake at Jesus’ tomb served as a loudspeaker for some earth-shattering news. Jesus is alive! And the earthquake at Jesus’ tomb marked a life-changing moment in time for Jesus’ followers. They would now have a life-changing faith in the living Christ.
It is my prayer for each of us that today we will experience something similar. No, I am not hoping for a literal earthquake that will bring death and destruction to Summerville, SC. I am asking God the Holy Spirit to get our attention this morning and to shake our lives so that we leave this worship service changed forever. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to enable each of us to:
“EXPERIENCE AN EASTER EARTHQUAKE”
I. Hear the earth-shattering news
II. Leave with a life-changing faith
Recall with me some of the details from Jesus’ suffering and death that led up to this earthquake. In the verses just before our gospel lesson Matthew tells us that the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate after Jesus’ death. They warned him that Jesus had predicted that he would rise from the dead after three days. Because of that they asked Pilate to make Jesus’ tomb secure so that the disciples couldn’t sneak in and steal Jesus’ body. They might then claim that he had actually risen from the dead. Pilate ordered this to be done. So, they went and made the tomb secure by putting some kind of official seal on it and posting a guard there. The seal made it a crime for anyone to open Jesus’ grave. The guards were there to enforce that fact. But the Easter earthquake announced that someone with greater authority wanted the tomb opened. Then the earthshattering news about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead could create life-changing faith in those who heard it.
I.
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.” We know from Mark’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel that the women went didn’t just go to look at the tomb. They went there to finish Jesus’ burial. Remember that on Good Friday they had to hurriedly bury Jesus before the Sabbath started at 6:00 p.m. So they brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body according the custom of the Jews at that time. But as Jesus predicted they never got to use those spices. Matthew continues, “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” Don’t you wonder if at least a few of the people in Jerusalem asked each other about the earthquakes that weekend? Remember that there was one on Good Friday. Matthew wrote this in the chapter before our Gospel Lesson that when Jesus died, “The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” And then on Sunday morning there was this earthquake at Jesus’ tomb. It seems like at least a few people would have asked about what was happening.
The angel who sat on the stone that served as the door to Jesus’ tomb had the answer to any questions about the earthquake. “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” For a moment perhaps the women thought they had mistakenly gone to the wrong grave. To head off any such thoughts the angel made it clear that this was indeed the tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed. Jesus, the one who had been crucified, had been laid to rest there. The angel invited the women to take a closer look so they could be sure that they were at the correct tomb. They would see with certainty that it was the one that Jesus had borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea.
That was earth-shattering news. Jesus was alive again and death would never again impact him. And that’s the news for us this Easter Sunday! Romans 6:9 declares this truth in this way, “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.” The ugly monster of death had lost his teeth. The sting of death had lost its venom. Also, consider Jesus’ own words in Revelation 1:18. Jesus said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” Experiencing an Easter earthquake means we once again here that amazing news.
And there’s more to hear. The message from the angel to the women is also meant for us. “Do not be afraid,” he says. But how can we set aside our fear of death? Once again, the Scriptures have some earthshattering news for us. They say this about the One who had occupied the now empty tomb. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15) God’s Son became fully human like us. But of course, with one big exception. He was without sin! He took on the mission to die the death we deserved to die because we have sinned against God. But if he stayed dead his tomb would have been further proof that we have no hope. Thankfully, since he did indeed rise from the dead we have no reason to fear of death anymore.
In the great resurrection chapter of the Bible the Apostle Paul described how the empty tomb takes away our fear of death, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) The empty tomb tells us that there are more resurrections to come. We too will rise from the dead. Even after standing at the graves of his 10 children Job expressed his lack of fear over death. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes -- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27) Believers from every generation enjoy the earth-shattering news from the empty tomb. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again! That is the three-fold truth we celebrate today.
II.
Although the damage caused by the Easter earthquake in 2010 wasn’t as significant as many would have expected it still left its mark. Many were left in fear that an earthquake so close to the massive San Andreas and Hayward fault lines might trigger ones there as well. Thankfully that didn’t happen. However, in Calexico, California– along the Mexican border – the most serious damage occurred downtown. Eighty percent of the buildings there were “red-tagged,” meaning no one was allowed inside them, even to clean things up. The destruction was worse just across the border in Calexico’s sister city, Mexicali. More than 200 people were injured, mostly by falling debris. A vacant parking structure collapsed after the earthquake, but no one was injured. Some government buildings were damaged too, but they were empty for Easter Sunday. Power lines came down. Streets were damaged. Water and sewer lines were severed. Yes, earthquakes bring changes to the landscape and to the lives of the people impacted by them.
So what changes did the Easter earthquake at Jesus’ tomb bring? After hearing the good news from the angel the women heard it from Jesus himself. “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Those women would never be the same again. They now had a living faith in a living Lord Jesus. And that faith was life changing. The same thing happened to the disciples. Jesus met them in Galilee. We’ll be hearing about that next Sunday and in all of the remaining Sundays in the Easter season.
It may be just coincidence, but I find it interesting that the acronym “YOLO” for the phrase “you only live once”, which is often used as a hashtag on Twitter to bring attention to exciting events or excuse irresponsible behaviors. The acronym was popularized in 2011 after being featured in the hip hop single “The Motto” by Drake. In November 2012, the Oxford American Dictionaries included the slang term "YOLO" in its shortlist for the 2012 English Word of the Year. The term regularly trended on Twitter, showed up in Facebook news feeds, and quickly became part of the pop culture vernacular.
Like a modern Carpe Diem, “YOLO!” is the cry of a generation seeking to squeeze all the possible goodness from life. If the end of your one life is death, why deny yourself happiness now? It may seem nihilistic, but it makes sense. If this is our only opportunity to taste life’s fruit, then we should indulge. Even Paul affirms this in his discussion with the Corinthians, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Cor. 15:32). It would seem that, in a closed system in which death is life’s final outcome, “YOLO!” is the only rational response.
But the fact that Jesus rose from the dead changes everything. Here are a couple of ways that Christ’s death and resurrection triumph over “YOLO!” Here is the life-changing faith that I want each of you to take with you today. Christ’s resurrection gives us hope. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”—1 Thessalonians 4:13–14. Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope! Because of Jesus death isn’t a period at the end of our lives; it’s just a comma.
And finally, Christ’s resurrection is a new beginning. In Romans 8, Paul shows us that Christ’s resurrection kicked off a chain reaction leading to the redemption of all things. The Spirit of he who raised Christ from the dead dwells in those who belong to him (Rom. 8:11) making us children of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:15–17). And all of creation, which has groaned under the weight and futility of sin has waited for the revealing of the children of God in order that it be set free from its bondage and corruption (Rom. 8:20–22). Within the resurrection of Christ lie the seeds for the restoration of all things. For those who believe death has the final word, to embrace life from a “you only live once” perspective makes perfect sense. But for those whose lives are lived in the light of Christ’s resurrection, nothing in this life is “worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Rom. 8:18) May I suggest that we change YOLO to YWLF? Instead of the sad news that “you only live once” Jesus’ resurrection declares that “you will live forever.”
So let me ask you this. Have you experienced an Easter earthquake this morning? Since Jesus had predicted and prophesied his resurrection from the dead there is even more earth-shattering news for us to hear. Jesus keeps his word. When he makes a promise, it will be done! If he was able to keep that promise, he can certainly keep all the other promises he made. Promises like these will come true. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) “Because I live, you also will live.” “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” That’s the life-changing faith that Easter brings us!
And what exactly does that life-changing faith look like? Perhaps the words of the familiar song, “Because He Lives” can summarize if for us. “God sent His son, they called Him Jesus / He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon, / An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. // 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. // How sweet to hold a newborn baby, / And feel the pride and joy he gives. / But greater still the calm assurance, / This child can face uncertain days because He lives. // And then one day I'll cross the river, / I'll fight life's final war with pain. / And then as death gives way to victory, / I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives. // 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!” That is the life-changing faith that Jesus puts in our hearts today when we hear the earth-shattering news of his victory over sin, death, and hell.
Today I am sure many folks in Baja California will recall the Easter earthquake of 2010. As we recall the Easter earthquake at Jesus’ tomb, I pray that it gets our attention. It brought earth-shattering news for the women and for the disciples. And through that news they received life-changing faith in Jesus. That is my prayer for each of you that you too experience an Easter earthquake! I pray that your world has been rocked again. Once again, we are invited to listen to the earth-shattering news that Jesus has conquered sin, death, and hell. And then through that news we can leave here with a life-changing faith in the risen Christ. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia and Amen.
