The Awe Of Easter

The Awe of Easter

Mark 16:1-8

Rev. Brian Bill

April 19-20, 2025

It comes down to this

Jesus is at the center

He has victory over the grave

There’s one historical reality: the Resurrection of Jesus!

I wonder if we’ve stopped marveling at the miracle of Easter. While our culture is captivated by the Easter Bunny and marshmallow Peeps, a few creative families have been coloring potatoes or painting rocks this year because eggs are so expensive.

For some of us, we’re so focused on being amused and entertained, we’re simply not moved by the enormity of the empty tomb.

Many years ago, thanks to a generous gift from our previous church, our family had unlimited access to a brand-new indoor amusement park for a weekend getaway. Complete with nine full-size rides, flashing lights and loud music, it felt like a county fair, except the rides seemed newer and there were no deep-fried Twinkies.

As we waited in line for the first ride, I announced to the entire family that I was going to go on every one of them. Our girls were amused by this because they know I get queasy on rides.

As I jammed myself into a colorful plane held up by a couple pieces of dental floss, I smiled bravely to our youngest daughter, and we took off. It didn’t take long for me to feel sick, so I took some deep breaths and prayed like mad. When I stumbled off the ride, our girls chuckled as I told them that I was finished at the amusement park.

Later that night, we returned, and hoping I could regain my man card, I eyed a little kiddy ride in the corner and decided to try again. This time my wife and another daughter strapped in next to me and we took off…and so did my stomach. Beth told me to look straight ahead, but when I did, my insides almost came outside. At first, I thought I could make it to the end, but quickly realized I was already at the end.

She tried to get the operator’s attention while I closed my eyes, put my head down and prayed like mad. The worker finally shut it down and I stumbled over to a bench while Beth dragged a garbage can next to me.

My adventures at the amusement park have become part of our family lore as our daughters still remind me that I almost lost my lunch on a kiddy ride.

It strikes me that many today are just going through life wanting to be amused. Some of us are seeking every thrill we can find, while others have realized this quest doesn’t ultimately satisfy and even leaves us feeling a bit sick inside. You and I have a choice to make. We can go through life seeking to be amused, or we can be amazed by awe.

Forty years ago, in his book called, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman argued that our entertainment-driven culture has trivialized public discourse, transforming serious issues into superficial spectacles. We’ve only gone downward from there in the last four decades.

Here’s what I hope we learn today: Instead of amusing ourselves to death, let’s live in awe of Jesus, who came back to life in order to give us life.

When individuals encountered Jesus after the resurrection, they were filled with astonishment and awe. I wonder if we’ve become so familiar with Jesus that we’ve lost our fear of Him. Our awareness of the content of Christianity can numb us to the astonishing nature of the cross and the empty tomb. To say it another way, Easter is not just a holiday; it the holiest of days.

Recently, I came across a new word called, “wonderlessness,” first used by Mark Buchanan in his book called, Your God is Too Safe: Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can’t Control. He defines “wonderlessness” as the state of lacking wonder, awe, or curiosity. It describes a mindset or condition where we feel disconnected from amazement because we’re seeking to amuse ourselves to death. Recent research indicates how scrolling mindlessly through videos on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube can paradoxically lead to increased feelings of boredom rather than an alleviation of those feelings. Wonderlessness is often linked to apathy, cynicism, and complacency, which can dull our senses and lull us into spiritual paralysis.

Those who interacted with Jesus in the gospels were never passive or bored with Him. It was impossible to be apathetic or just ignore Him. Jesus made people angry, astonished, amazed, in awe, or afraid. People fought against Him, or they put their faith in Him. The same is true today. You will reject Him, or you will receive Him. There’s no middle ground.

Here are just a few reactions to Jesus from the Gospel of Mark.