Rochester, MN UCC "A Life Changing Story" - John 20:1-18

Attending an Easter worship service should be a life changing event.  One can, of course, celebrate Easter in an entirely secular manner- relying on the Easter Bunny, dying eggs, and lots of chocolate.  While these experiences make for lovely family traditions and a good time, they are somewhat less than life changing.  But if you go to a church on Easter Sunday, you will at the very least be confronted with the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Just hearing this story provokes questions about it.  Did this really happen?  Is this story true?  And equally important, what, if any, relevance does this odd story of God’s Son rising from the dead 2,000 years ago have for us?  Unlike eating a chocolate bunny, pondering those questions can actually change your life.

The truth and relevance of Jesus’ resurrection are questions raised in every generation.  In our present moment, with all the pressing crises’ that need our attention- the resurrection can appear somewhat trivial.  What possible difference could Jesus rising from the dead make in the war in Ukraine, in the struggle against racism, or the increasing costs of climate change?  We are surrounded by the terrible consequences of a sinful humanity- the powers of death are all around us, what possible help could this silly, ancient story be?

The ancient and silly story of Christ’s resurrection presents itself as more than just a story, more than just the tale of one man’s rising from the dead. The resurrection claims to be the Truth about God and humanity. God in Jesus Christ, chooses to bear all the consequences of our human sin Himself, He defeats the power of death, and creates a new family of all who do His will. If this is True, if the story of the resurrection is the Truth, as it claims to be, then it couldn’t possibly be more relevant to the challenges we face. For if the resurrection is True, then all the powers of death and evil have already been defeated and are ultimately doomed. War, violence, poverty, pollution, although still real in our present, all of these death dealing forces are doomed to fail. As bad as things may be, we can always find cause for hope and the strength to carry on, when we remember that, all appearances to the contrary, death has been defeated. We can face the challenges before us with the confidence of hope rather than the apathy of despair. Yes, things are grim now, but they have been so before as well. Yes, we face real difficulties, but ultimately, we are assured that the love of God is triumphant. That is a story that can change your life. That is the good news that I need to hear. And it is the good news of the story of Christ’s resurrection.

Rev. Andrew Greenhaw