Sunrise Service - Why do you look for the living among the dead?

 Read Luke 24

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

By the evidence of all that these women knew, Jesus was dead.  That’s why they came. That’s why they brought spices.  What else could they expect?

The facts as they knew them were that Jesus was dead and they needed to finish the work of tending to the dead.  This would be their final act of devotion.

This would be their last act of service to their Lord.  How could it be anything else.

Some years later, Paul wrote to the church in Rome telling them not to conform to the patterns of this world any longer.

These women—as well as the men—were conformed to the patterns of the world.  He had no more blood left in him.  He had no breath.  The spear pierced his side.  He was dead.  Dead is dead.  There was nothing left to do but to prepare the body the right way.

Or so the ways of the world would tell them.  What else could they go by?

How about the words of their Master that on the third day he would rise?  Would these not set their expectations?  Should they have not expected to find an empty tomb?

He told them ahead of time that he would be turned over to the religious hypocrites, then to other sinful men who would cause him to suffer and die.

He gave his life willingly as our atoning sacrifice, but he described how it would all be played out including rising from the dead.

The angels spoke to the women.

The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

How could they not know?  They remembered the words of Jesus after the angel told them, but the patterns of the world still told them that he was dead.

They told the disciples and Peter rushed to the tomb, found it with only strips of linen within, and could not figure out what happened.

He wondered to himself what had happened. 

We can beat these people up over their disbelief and failure to remember what Christ himself said while he was with them, but they lived this story moment-to-moment. 

We never walked the earth following Jesus all over Judea and Galilee, even Samaria.  We did not sit at his feet and learn from him.  We were not there for the feeding of the multitudes or the healing of so many.

But we know the whole story.  We know of his life, death, and resurrection and are without excuse as to what to believe.

But how many times do we conform ourselves to the patterns of the world.

The past couple of years have been interesting.  Life has changed for everyone.  Even if you did very few things differently, so many around you have been drinking the Kool-Ade and even selling it.

Fear is all around you.  Fear governs the decisions of so many.

Personal connections among so many have lessened significantly.

There is a quiet dichotomy working its way through the world.  Are you made in the image of God or just a carrier of contagion that must be contained and controlled?

It is a subtle dichotomy, unnoticed by most.

This is a time where it seems that the very fabric of our Constitution is under attack.  We must realize that while many of the Framers of this incredible document were Christians; our form of government was not promised to us by God.

Trust me, God was in the framework of this nation.  He was working through the men who forged this nation.  You doubt it?  Read our Declaration of Independence for the apologetics.

Look for it in the Bible and you have to go to the Book of Second Opinions.

Look at the world.  We have been so protected for so long.  Christianity has never really been contrary to the norms of our society until recently.

Being American and being Christian seemed to go hand-in-hand for so long that people thought that I’m American; therefore, I must be Christian. 

Now we see that the world was trying very hard to conform us to its patterns.  It did a good job. 

Our minds are easily swayed and they should be our first line of defense against the wiles of the enemy.

Whoa!  Hold your holy horses there Tom.  We got up early to celebrate resurrection, not listen to all of this doom and gloom.

This brings us to this question.  What are we looking for early in the morning?

Worldly evidence or the promises of God?

There is plenty of the former, most of it is not good news; but it is the latter that comes with the power of God.

Have we come to prepare a dead body or to have Christ live in us?

Jesus said that we would have trouble in the world.  We are not to be discouraged but to take courage for he has overcome the world.

Don’t show up early in the morning to sing He Arose then go home to focus on the darkness and the storm.

We know the story.  We are commissioned to tell the story.

We are to be God’s light in these dark times.

We are to be the salt—the God seasoning of the earth.

We know the story.  Let’s live as people who know the story, remember and believe the promises of Jesus, and want to be known by our love.

Let’s stop looking for the living among the dead.

He lives!  Let us live out his promises, our commission, and be known as his disciples by our love.

Ame