Easter Sunday Sunrise Service: April 12, 2009

Sermon:  "He Arose"

Scripture: Mark 16: 1-8

Reverend Larry M. Gerber

Maybe it's time for some good news, for a change.

When Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome head to the tomb on Easter morning, they aren't expecting to be uplifted. They are bringing spices to anoint the stone-cold, dead body of Jesus, a dismal and depressing task, and as they walk in the early-morning light they are worrying about how they will manage to muscle the heavy stone away from the entrance to the tomb (Mark 16:1-3).

What a surprise it is to see the stone already rolled away.

They enter the tomb and spot a young man, dressed in white, sitting on the right side. Who is this guy? A guard? A gardener? A grave robber? Not knowing who he is, they feel alarmed.

"Do not be alarmed," says the mystery man; "you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here" (v. 6).

There's happy news and there's Happy News. This was capital letter Happy News. He is risen!

But that's not all. "But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee," continues the white-robed messenger; "there you will see him, just as he told you" (v. 7). Jesus is going ahead of them, always ahead of them, and he will be waiting for them in the future. That's a second piece of truly upbeat information.

Jesus is alive. Jesus is ahead of us. That's the Happy News headline for the story of Easter.

We can be grateful that the Bible reports the good news of the resurrection for us, because you won't find this story in any of the other publications of the day. Look at the records of Jewish leaders and the reports of Roman generals, and you won't find any account of Jesus rising from the dead. As far as the official writings of the era are concerned, there is nothing particularly newsworthy about the first Easter morning. It's a day like any other: criminals are being crucified, uprisings are being squelched, businessmen are bribing politicians, the poor are being ignored, and the iron fist of the Pax Romana is keeping everything under a kind of heavy-handed control. For the average resident of Jerusalem, the day of resurrection is the typical grind - breakfast is quickly swallowed, household chores are checked off, grueling manual labor is performed, injury and illness take their toll, and conflicts flare up with spouses, relatives and neighbors. It isn't a big news day for anyone outside the small circle of disciples.

You have to wonder if the same can be said today. Is Easter a big news day, or a day like any other?

HappyNews.com claims that its goal is to "bring you up-to-the-minute news, geared to lift spirits and inspire lives." Its stories are required to be truthful, interesting and positive, and they have to avoid subjects like politics ? or anything likely to divide people into winners and losers. The founder of HappyNews is convinced that good news has been trumping bad news for some time, and he wants the world to know it.

Come to think of it, that's a pretty good message for an Easter sermon. Good news is trumping bad news, and we want the world to know it.

The good news is that Jesus is alive, and he is waiting for us in the future. That's a story too big to be overshadowed by reports of death and disaster, injury and illness, corruption and conflict. When Jesus is raised, he actually succeeds in putting death to death. He smashes the status quo, and turns the tables on those who see violence and corruption and disease and destruction as unchanging constants in the world that we live in. When Jesus leaves the empty tomb, all bets are off and all expectations shattered. He races ahead of us into the future that he is planning for us, and he invites us to follow him in the direction he is going.

At the core of the Christian message is the "gospel" of Jesus Christ. That is to say, our faith is all about gospel - good news.

So you've got to ask yourself why there are too many "bad news" Christians wearing the clothes of the "good news" Christ.

Easter is a call not only to celebrate the good news, but to now be the good news. 

- How can we receive mercy, but not give it in return? 

- How can we accept forgiveness, but not forgive? 

- How can we be loved, but not love? 

- How can we be reconciled, but not reconcile? 

- How can we be accepted, but not accept?

The good news of Easter is that Jesus is alive, and he is leading us to a better future. It was true when the women visited the empty tomb, and it is true today. Whether we are facing a time of grief, a period of personal pain or an experience of hopelessness or desperation, we can look to a Lord who is alive and well and inviting us to follow him.

The Christ who was crucified knows our deepest personal anguish.

The Christ who was lifeless knows the complete desolation of death.

The Christ who was raised knows the life-giving power of God.

The Christ who goes ahead of us knows that the future is full of promise and possibility.

This news, the good news of Easter morning, trumps all the reports of death and destruction that tend to dominate our normal morning updates.

Christ is risen! Christ is ahead of us! Christ will lead us forward!

This report is real, compelling and positive - the happiest news of all. Amen.