Easter Day

Wingrave Methodist Church - 27 March 2016

Reading Acts 10. 34 – 43

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ ‘We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

Reading 1 Corinthians 15. 12 – 26

The resurrection of the dead
¹² But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Hymn 2

300 Now the green blade riseth

Gospel John 20. 1 - 18

A reading from the Gospel according to John. Alleluia! Hear the Gospel of Christ
Glory to Christ our Saviour. Alleluia!

 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’

‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ ¹⁴ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’

She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).

¹⁷ Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Alleluia! This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our Lord. Alleluia!

Sermon

Many Easter sermons about Jesus or Mary Magdalene — today about Peter.

Peter last seen chapter 18 — denies Christ 3 times. Then Jesus taken before Pilate — scourged by soldiers — crucified — buried.

Women at foot of cross — Jesus’ mother Mary; Mary wife of Clopas; Mary Magdalene — “Beloved disciple” not known — Jesus’ brother James? John?

So when MM finds empty tomb — fetches Peter and “beloved disciple” — first appearance since threefold denial.

Today’s reading — scene opens in darkness and fear. MM overcomes terror and walks to tomb in darkness. Fear occasioned by political background, graveyard at night, spirits of the dead. Plus she is all alone.

Finds stone rolled away — does not say she looked or went in — jumped to conclusion body stolen. Runs back to tell Peter what she believes has happened.

Peter and “beloved disciple” run to tomb — younger outran senior disciple — looked in but hesitated to enter — Peter went in.

Comparison with Lazarus — stench of rotting flesh — Lazarus exited still encumbered by cloth wrappings. Jesus left tomb tidy — not in haste — head cloth separately rolled up and left to one side.

Other disciple followed Peter into tomb — “saw and believed” — what did he believe? — ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 

What disciples believed as a result of what they saw — not momentous. Both “went home” Rest of gospel reading concerns first appearance of Jesus to MM — initially takes him to be a gardener — notice Jesus approaches MM not other way round. MM is first witness of resurrection.

But we are concentrating on Peter. Fast forward to Acts 10 — Acts always read at Easter services. One of most significant moments for Peter and fledgling church.

Winds of change are moving — will Peter follow or once again remain in denial and resist change? Story headed Peter and Cornelius.

What’s so significant about Cornelius? Centurion — God fearer — prays and gives alms. Sees vision telling him to find Peter in Joppa. Significance — Cornelius = Gentile.

Peter also had vision — on roof of house where he was staying — went to pray — was hungry — sheet let down from heaven containing all kinds of creatures considered profane or unclean by Jews. Asked three times to get up and eat — denied three times.

Message from God — “what God has made clean, you must not call profane.” At this moment, messengers arrived from Cornelius inviting Peter to Caesarea.

Peter hesitates — breaks all social and religious boundaries by associating with Gentiles.

What Peter does next is of critical importance for the church — will his and its mission remain a sect of Judaism? — or will the church become worldwide without boundaries, religious, political or social?

Luke who wrote Acts as well as his gospel knows the answer from the start — in Acts 2 Peter himself at Pentecost quotes the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘“In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.

An Ethiopian eunuch was baptised in Acts 8. Even more, these promises began with the opening of Luke's gospel. Simeon declares that Jesus would be both “a light of revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32).

What does Peter do? Holy Spirit has been working since Pentecost — just as he made a speech at Pentecost, so he makes one now.

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ ‘We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

As Peter’s speech draws to a close, we read:

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Momentous turning point — without which we would not be sitting here today. Our lives subject to constant change — the gospel will change with it moved by the Holy Spirit —or we will be left behind.

No date in the church’s calendar is so apt for us to adopt and proclaim once again this message as Easter Day. Jesus’ resurrection violates the natural order of life and death. Contradicts expectations that the Messiah would bring a swift end to the political powers — continually challenges us to examine our faith anew.

For Peter, the implications of the resurrection include the shattering of boundaries between Jews and Gentiles, for “he is Lord of all!”

On this day, when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, it may therefore be particularly appropriate for the church to consider how the Spirit may be moving amongst us in unexpected and challenging ways, and to ask how the reverberations of the resurrection continue to be manifest around us. Amen