Sermon Archives

Easter Sunday
April 4, 2010
Pastor Judy Bangsund

"The Most Important Day of Your Life"
Luke 24:1-10

He is risen! (He is risen, indeed!)

Perhaps you've done this - taken a walk through a cemetery, looking at the headstones, guessing what that person was like, or perhaps the manner of his death. Sometimes the epitaph gives you a clue. Consider the following - all of which are authentic. On Ethan Allen's stone: "Fighter, writer, statesman, and philosopher." That tells us something about this great man. Here's one that refers to the cause of death: "Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake / Stepped on the gas / Instead of the brake." (Or maybe he drove a Prius?) This one that says only: "I don't want to talk about it now." (In caps!) Or this one: "Here lies Ezekial Aikle /Age 102 /Only The Good Die Young."

Well, walking along the rows of gravestones can be interesting. But every so often one of them stops you in your tracks. That's what happened to me. I stopped in front of one gravestone and walked no further. Underneath the name and the dates of the deceased, there was written only one word, simple but profound - a quiet and unassuming word in some ways, and yet nearly shouting its confidence and joy; a single word, and yet it spoke volumes. That word was, "Redeemed."

Redemption is what we celebrate today. You know, Jesus was a remarkable man. Everyone who met him was impressed by him, one way or another. Jesus did and said remarkable things; things that, quite frankly, only the Son of God could do and say. He healed people; he forgave sin. He walked on water, apparently not bound by the laws of physics (as we are). He was gentle to the weak but confronted the corrupt. By all accounts, he was a great man. But - despite his remarkable life - had his death had been the end of it, few would recognize his name today. His epitaph, posted on the cross, was simply this: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." That was it. But his resurrection changed everything, his epitaph no longer needed. When Jesus rose from the dead he was vindicated as the Son of God, along with everything he said and did. The word began to spread and the Church was born. Today Jesus' name is recognized everywhere, as the church continues to grow and the movement continues to spread - because of his Resurrection.

Easter is the most important day in the Christian church, and indeed, for the whole world. But more to the point, Easter can be the most important day in your life. (I read in this morning's paper that the iPad is going to change your life. If that's true for you, you aren't aiming high enough!) If all Jesus did and said is true; if what he accomplished on the cross is real, then...

     ... you can be forgiven the sin that lies behind you;
     ... you are offered a friend who walks beside you;
     ... and you can be freed for a new life before you.

"Redeemed." It sounds like a church-y word, but it's really street language, used in the slave markets in the first century. Redeemed: that's what they called it when someone put down good money - not to own a slave, but to set him free. Imagine, for a moment, that you are that slave, awaiting the dull thud of the auctioneer's gavel, that grim signal that you have been sold to a new owner, not knowing what that will mean for you. Hard work, for sure. Perhaps near-starvation. A degrading life. You hardly dare to look at your new owner's face, fearing what you might find there. But then, to your astonishment, you feel the weight of your chains fall from your wrists, your ankles, your neck as you hear the key scrape against the lock. You can hardly believe your ears when your new owner says that you are free, handing you your redemption papers. You have been redeemed! Not by your own doing, but because someone else paid the cost of your freedom.

When the apostle Paul saw that happen in the slave market, he said to himself, "That's it! That's what Jesus has done for me; he has bought and freed me by his own blood, shed on the cross. No longer am I a slave to sin; I am free in Christ. I am redeemed!"

When you are redeemed, you are forgiven your sin. Pastor Jim and I had the privilege of living in Africa for about 20 years. During the last 13 of those years we were teachers at a university, where we trained young men and women to be pastors. One day, I was discussing with my students the benefit of forgiveness that is given in Communion. African culture is very traditional, and so the question was asked, "Can sinners take Communion?" And I answered, "If you cannot come to the very place that offers forgiveness, where can you go?" I expected some opposition to that statement, so I was surprised when one older student, an evangelist, told of a visit that he made with his bishop to a prison. The bishop preached and then offered Communion. Every inmate was invited to participate. When that invitation was made clear, a big man from the back raised his hand. "What do you mean?" he asked roughly. "I am a murderer. I killed someone. Are you saying that I, a murderer, am worthy to come forward to receive Communion?" The bishop walked over to that man and put his hand on his shoulder. "You may come forward to receive Communion, not because you are without sin, but because Jesus is." The big man looked up at the bishop, not daring to believe what he was hearing, so the bishop went on. "You may come forward, not because you are worthy, but because you are forgiven." Forgiven! What that meant to that prisoner! Released from guilt and shame; free to live in God's grace. And what was true for that prisoner can be true for you, as well.

Today, Easter can be the most important day in your life. Because of Jesus, you can be forgiven the sin that lies behind you. Because of Jesus, you can also have a friend who walks beside you. You see, Jesus is risen! He is alive, and he promised never to leave you. So, during the 40 days following his resurrection, he continued to walk and talk with his friends, to eat and drink with them, to offer reassurance that he was - and is - truly alive. He gave them promises they never forgot, some of which were written down. "I am with you always; to the end of the age." "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." "Where I am, you may be also." These are promises given to you and me, by our risen Lord.

You may have read in the newspaper (this past week) about a guy called "Jesus Man," who lived under a bridge at Hwy 880 and Bascom Ave. He got his name because of his appearance. But that's where any resemblance stops, because this man ran away from all kinds of relationship, all forms of contact with people. He refused all help and all gifts, even though he would have been fed, warmed and made comfortable by the help that was offered him. Finally he was found dead from exposure last December, leaving a blanket untouched, left just a few feet from his body. Many people had tried to care for him but he kept everyone away, until he died. That's what was so sad; that's why the article was written.

The Jesus Man couldn't have been less like the real Jesus, who went out of his way to connect with people, to care for them, giving his very life for them. The real Jesus sought people out. Jesus wants to be your friend - more than that - he wants to be your Redeemer and your Lord.

If anyone is the "Jesus Man" in this story, it's you and me. We tend to resist God's help; we turn away from him; we refuse to believe. And yet, inside we yearn for exactly what he offers: forgiveness, love and eternal life. Jesus is risen! He is the Redeemer of the world; he can be your Redemer, too. If only the homeless man had received the help he was offered. "If only..." might have been the epitaph on his gravestone. What a difference between, "If Only," and "Redeemed!"

Today we have said that redemption means that

      ... you can be forgiven the sin that lies behind you;
      ... you are offered a friend who walks beside you;
      ... and you can be freed for a new life before you.

You have been set free to live. I still remember the story of Rebecca. Rebecca was a young, bright and beautiful woman of the Maasai tribe. The Maasai are a nomadic, polygamous culture in which girls are considered property and cows are the primary form of wealth. Marriages are arranged, and young girls are sold off to the highest bidder. Often, the highest bidder is an old man, already having several wives. "You have no idea what it's like," Rebecca confided to us. "One day a man comes and takes you away. You've never seen him before. You might not even be aware that your father has been taking bids. One day you come home; your clothes are packed; and you are taken far, far away. Even if you could escape, you would never find your way back. And now, your life is very bad."

Well, Rebecca was the only girl among many brothers, and their father was old and ill. So when men started to bid for her, before she had even finished elementary school, her brothers were handling the transaction. However, Rebecca had been an excellent student and had won a place in high school - a rare event. And her brothers allowed her to go, figuring that she would be even more valuable in a few years. In high school, Rebecca's stellar performance won her a scholarship to our university - and she desperately wanted to go. She had become a Christian, and now she wanted to be a pastor. But by this time, her brothers absolutely refused. She was their only sister, and now she was worth a lot of cows. But here the government stepped in, because the law requires every high school graduate to spend a year in civil service. Rebecca soon found herself in the army. And when she finished her year, her brothers were beginning to get desperate. The line of eligible husbands was thinning out, because now, they said, she knows how to use a gun!

And so a decision had to be made. Marry her off now - or let her go on to the university and write off their losses. There was a stand-off. Rebecca - hope nearly gone - appealed to the highest authority: their father. She said, "He is old but he isn't dead. Let's ask him."

It was a risky step. There was no further appeal, no higher court. The brothers went in to the father to plead their case, confident that he would agree. Then Rebecca joined them, to beg him - "Let me go to school. Father, I want to be a pastor." In silence, they stood around the bed, awaiting the old man's word. Finally, he said, "Let her go."

Rebecca told us, "You have no idea what those words meant to me. I was reborn; I had a new life." In that moment, Rebecca's life was redeemed. Instead of an empty existence, hopeless and dried up - life in all its fullness lay before her. Today Rebecca is married to a Christian man of her own choosing. She is a pastor to her own people. Even more, she knows that Jesus is her Redeemer, and she has the promise of eternal life.

That's what the Resurrection offers to you and me! You can be redeemed from the sin that holds you back and ties you up in knots; you can be forgiven. You are offered a relationship with the real Jesus, who seeks you out, who went to the cross for you, who rose again - proving that all he said and did is true. You can be redeemed eternally for a life that begins now, full of promise and joy. But, like that redeemed slave, having been given his freedom, you now have a choice: either to continue to live in slavery, not believing that those words of freedom are true; or you can take your redemption papers by faith, and begin a new life.

What a powerful testimony a single word can give! That day in the graveyard, seeing the word, "Redeemed," written on that stone, I knew just what the life of that person was like: she had been forgiven, befriended and freed to live - even beyond the grave - because Jesus is risen from the dead. Easter was the most important day in her life, as it can be in yours. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen.