I need the help of a few of you this morning. If you would be willing to open your hymnal to a specific hymn and just read the words that I ask for, please raise your hands.
Thank you!
(first person called upon)
If you would please turn to hymn # 479 and just hold on to that page.
(second person called upon)
I need you to go to hymn # 320 and leave it open to that page.
(third person called upon)
If you would turn to hymn # 327.
(fourth person called upon)
You will have hymn # 332.
(fifth person called upon)
And you will have hymn # 453. Just one more . . . .
(sixth person called upon)
Would you please turn to hymn # 294.
Please hold on to those hymnals, and if a little while I will ask you to please read a portion of those hymns good and loud for us. Thank you.
Please bow your hearts and pray with me:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant, that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
WOW! What marvelous words we have in today’s Gospel lesson! The women went early in the morning to see the tomb, but when they arrived, the large stone was rolled away, and they met an angel who said, “You are looking for Jesus . . . He is not here. He has been raised from the dead, just as he had said.” WOW!
CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!
And what that means is: Jesus conquered death and the grave, and all because of His LOVE for us, God has given us eternal life in Jesus Christ. And we proclaim this fact and we affirm this fact every Sunday, every Lord’s Day, when we gather together in this holy, house of God for worship. But today - - - especially today, Easter Sunday, we affirm the news of the empty tomb, and the PROMISE of eternal life that has been given to us ALL. And it’s not because we deserve it. Far from it. This wonderful gift of God’s Grace is given to us --- simply because he loves us so much. And His love continues to go on and on, eternally --- and it is that kind of love that is revealed to us in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. It is a love that knows no end.
I stand here before you today, this Easter Sunday morning, as your Pastor, to say to you that if you remember just one thing in listening to your many years of sermons, remember this: I believe that Christ was raised from the dead and that we are promised life everlasting, which is his free gift to us. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a resurrection and that there is eternal life. And my belief is based on the words spoken by the women who went to see the tomb early that Easter Sunday morning --- and found it empty.
We have the promise of everlasting life, the promise of eternal life --- all because of the empty tomb. All that Jesus had said about his suffering, his death and resurrection, were true.
He IS the Son of God in whom we are to put our trust and hope. That is the message we hear today, and are to be sending to others. That is the message that Christ has called us to proclaim loud and clear.
Today, we live in an age of great technological advances. Today we are able to send messages in a variety of ways. How many people here this morning have a personal computer at home? (they raise their hands) How many of you send and receive email? (they raise their hands again) I get so much email, you wouldn’t believe it. Some of it from people I don’t know. You would not believe the kinds of pharmaceutical products I get offered online. (smile) Oh, you get them too, huh?
I also have people who send me stories. Do you get these stories too? These stories are pages long, and they are heart rending stories about tragedy and they end with some kind of miracle taking place. My goodness, you could just wring the tears out of these stories can’t you? But they all end the same why, don’t they? They end with the words, “YOU MUST FORWARD THIS TO 5 FRIENDS, AND WHEN YOU HAVE, YOU WILL BE REWARDED.” (allow them to laugh and nod in agreement)
Well, I need your help in making a decision today. Please tell me what I should do with this. Someone sent me this letter, that came in the mail. Here is the envelope (open it and pull out the letter) and here is the letter. Let me read it to you:
WITH LOVE ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
This paper has been sent to you for good luck. The original came from New England. It has been around the world nine times. The luck has now been sent to you. You will receive good luck within four days of receiving his letter, provided you in turn send it out.
This is NO JOKE. You will receive good luck in the mail. Send no money. Send copies to people you think need good luck. It must leave your hands within 96 hours.
An AAF officer received $470,000.00 Lee Eliot received $40,000.00 and lost it because he broke the chain. While in the Philippines, Gene Welch lost his wife 51 days after receiving the letter, he failed to circulate the letter.
Please send twenty copies and see what happens in four days. The chain comes from Venezuela and was written by St. Anthony DeGreap, a missionary from South America. Since the copy must tour the world, you make twenty copies and send them to friends and associates. After a few days you will get a surprise --- this is true even if you are not superstitious.
Do not do the following: Constantine Dias received the chain in 1953. He asked his secretary to make 20 copies and send them out. A few days later she won the lottery of ten million dollars. Carol Dadditt, an officer employee, received the letter and forgot it had to leave her hands within 96 hours. He lost his job. Later, after finding the letter again, he mailed twenty copies. A few days later he got a better job. Dalan Fairchild received the letter and not believing, threw the letter away. Nine days later he died.
In 1987, the letter was received by a woman in California. It was very faded and barely readable. She promised herself that she would retype the letter and send it out, but she put it aside to do later. She was plagued with various problems, including expensive car repairs. The letter did not leave her hands within 96 hours. She finally typed the letters as promised and mailed them and got a new car!
Remember, send no money. Do not ignore this letter. IT WORKS!
What should I do? Should I sit down right after this worship service is over and address 20 envelopes, make 20 copies of this letter and put them in the mail --- or what? It says I have 96 hours --- 4 days before something terrible happens.
Everyone who knows me, knows that I am not superstitious. I walk under ladders without fear. If I spill salt at the dinner table, I don’t throw some over my shoulder. I don’t avoid walking on the cracks in the sidewalk. It is no big deal if I happen to break a mirror. And I’ve actually OWNED a black cat!
But hey, I don’t want bad things to happen either. I don’t want bad things to happen to Christ the King Lutheran Church. I don’t want to lose my job. I can’t afford to have expensive car troubles. And I don’t want me or any member of my family to suddenly get sick and die . . . . all because I failed to mail a letter.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it!?
Now I need the help of those people who have been holding the pages of some hymns. Listen carefully to the words we sing:
#479 – My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
#320 – O God, Our Help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home
#327 – Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling, Naked come to Thee for dress, helpless look to Thee for grace, Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me Savior or I die
#332 – Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, His truth is marching on
#453 – If you but trust in God to guide you, and place your confidence in him, you’ll find him always there beside you to give you hope and strength within, for those who trust God’s changeless love, build on the rock that will not move
And this is one of my favorites:
#294 – My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. No merit of my own I claim, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
Thank you for reading those.
Before I lose my perspective and waste 20 perfectly good 37cent stamps, let me remind all of us, where it is that our faith lies. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! AMEN
The title of the letter is wrong. The title reads “WITH LOVE ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE” The truth is: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
(hold up the letter)
This letter promises good luck, but it doesn’t say what the good luck might be. It is rather vague, and what it offers is temporary I’d say.
Jesus promised that after he was brutally executed, he would rise victorious over sin, death and the devil; and that we would have eternal life with him and God our Father in heaven.
Well, when you put it that way, the answer is simple. I’m going to forget about this letter and I’ll put my faith in Jesus Christ, the Risen Son of God.
Oh, by the way, would you read the date that’s post-marked on the front of the envelope? (hand the envelope to a person near you)
That’s right, 1994! I’ve sat on this letter for 11 years and done nothing with it. And if I’m not mistaken, they have been 11 fabulous years in ministry -- and in that time I have been blessed to be here with all of you. In those 11 years I have seen people come to Lord, we’ve baptized many into the faith and been there instructing others in Bible studies and youth and adult classes. They’ve been 11 years in which I’ve seen every member of my family grow, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Oh, that’s not to say that bad things haven’t happened. There have been serious illnesses and even deaths in the last 11 years. All of us have experienced tragedies of some sort in our lives. But to blame them on our failure to mail a letter within 4 days is ridiculous. You and I are more intelligent than that, and our faith in the promises of God, is stronger than that.
Today, Easter Sunday, is the day we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. He promised he would rise from the tomb, and he did. So when he promises to be with me always, when he promises to be present in the elements of bread and wine, and when he promises to bring me eternal life --- I’m going to put my trust, my hope and my faith in HIM.
(tear up the letter)
How about You?
