Picture of the altar for Easter Sunday 2023.

Christ Is Risen. He is risen Indeed

Let us pray: Almighty God, sanctify me with your truth, and guide my thought and that you would set me apart for your use and glory. In the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today we are celebrating together. Today is the anniversary of the greatest day in all of history.

Happy Easter to you all!

Alleluia Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Praise him, all day long.

Let’s say together what David said in the psalm 118: 24:

This is the day that the Lord has made and let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We have spent a joyful time together this holy week by worshiping God. Three congregations were here on Maundy Thursday in the evening, with our brothers and sisters from Christ Church Easton, to celebrate the foot washing and the Last Supper of Jesus.

On this occasion, your servant highlighted that unconditional love, or agape love, is the main tool to transform St John’s into a beloved community.

We also went to Christ Church Easton on Good Friday at noon to meditate on Jesus’ death,

and venerate his cross. In this worship the Rev Ally highlighted the cross is not a sign of humiliation and torture, but a sign of victory over evil, because Jesus overcame death on the cross.

We are well prepared for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection today. Let’s talk about it.

Easter Sunday or day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an amazing history.

Easter Sunday is the most important event in all of human history.

When the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, walked on the moon in 1969,

the president of the United States, at that moment, declared that exploration was the greatest event in human history.

A protestant theologian named Adrian Rogers said this: no disrespect about what the president said, but this statement is wrong. The greatest event in human history is when Jesus came from heaven to earth spent more than thirty years freely accepting to die on the cross and be raised from the dead on the third day.

The coming of Jesus on earth, his death, and more importantly his resurrection, are considered according to Adrian the greatest events in all human history.

Easter Sunday is a triumphant Holy Day. It is the account of Jesus Christ after being Crucified on the cross and buried in the tomb and raised from the dead on the third day. Further, you will see more evidence about Jesus’ resurrection.

What we do know for now is that Jesus died for our sins.

Jesus was buried.

Jesus rose again on the third day.

For that reason, we need to keep saying everyday what the psalmist said: “This is the day that the Lord has made and let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

What we can also say is that Easter Sunday is not only the center of the Good News that we need to bring to our community and to the world, but more importantly, Easter Sunday must be the center of our daily life. Therefore, that day needs to be celebrated joyfully and gloriously.

This is the main purpose of this gathering. We are here today not for the coffee hour, and to tell you the truth there is no coffee hour today. We are here this Easter Sunday just to praise and to glorify our Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer.

No matter how many calamities, desolations, or deceptions that we may face yesterday, now, and tomorrow, we must celebrate every day with hope and joy, and bring this hope and this joy to those who are sad and in despair.

We must celebrate every day joyfully and gloriously and proclaim our faith in Jesus wherever we are.

We must celebrate every day because it is true. Listen to this piece of history about Jesus’ resurrection:

 Early, on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look inside; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them,

“They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (Which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not

yet ascended to the father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

“I have seen the Lord.”

Christ is risen and he is risen indeed.  The cross on which they crucified him stands empty to the sky, and the tomb in which they buried him, is empty.  What other evidence are you waiting for to believe in Jesus’ resurrection?

I am telling you, Jesus is risen, and he has been seen by more than 500 people on twelve different occasions (first Corinthians 15:3-5)

Jesus also appeared to his disciples in a closed room, and he said to them: Peace be with you …Look at my hands and

my feet: see that it is I. Touch me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (John 20:19-20; Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 24:35-43.)

We must celebrate every day and let the risen Christ live within us so that he can fill us with godly love and godly actions and shape us and transform us forever.

We must celebrate every day and continue to give him honor and glory for he is good. – and his right hand has triumphed and exalted.

With Jesus’ resurrection, our faith must be strong in all situations knowing that the divine power that brought Jesus back to life is now available to us.

With Jesus’ resurrection, we have all that we need to be witnesses to the world.

With Jesus’ resurrection we must be a joyful and lovely person and be able to welcome people and bring them back to Christ.

I strongly support the idea that Jesus came from heaven to earth, died and rose on the third is the greatest event in human history. Jesus, the one who was, who is, and who will be forever and ever.

We have the right to celebrate on Easter Sunday where the cross on which they crucified Jesus stands empty to the sky, and the tomb in which they buried him is empty and today he is present to live within us so that he can fill us with godly love and godly actions.

What do we learn from this event?

The event of Jesus’ resurrection calls you and I to learn two things:

With confidence: death is real, we all are going to die, but this death does not have the final word; second, we can count on the eternal life in which all tears will be wiped away, suffering, desolation, calamity, crying, deception mourning shall be no more, and we will be living in the fullness of Joy, peace and love for all eternity. All that is possible because Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Alleluia. Amen.


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