well let me give a warm welcome to you all to our church family to family and friends who are
gathering to tune in it's great to be able to gather our easter has changed i guess there's
never been an easter weekend like this but our message our hope our joy and the risen jesus has
not changed now let's read the message of the angels that first easter sunday here it is in matthew 28
the angel said to the women do not be afraid for i know that you're looking for jesus who was
crucified he is not here he has risen just as he said come and see the place where he lay
then go quickly and tell his disciples he has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into galilee
there you will see him let's sing a hymn that reminds us of the victory of jesus and the hope
in him let's sing kelvin's going to lead us in the hymn in christ alone
in christ alone my hope is found he is my light my strength my song this cornerstone this solid ground
firm through the fiercest drought and storm what heights of love what depths of peace when fears are still when striving cease my comforter my all in all
here in the love of christ i stand
in christ alone who took on flesh fullness of god in helpless pain
this gift of love and righteousness
scorned by the ones he came to save
till on that cross as jesus died
the wrath of god was satisfied
for every sin
on him was laid
here in the death of christ i lay
there in the ground his body lay
light of the world by darkness slain
then bursting forth in glorious day
up from the grave he rose again
and as he stands in victory
sin's curse has lost its grip on me
for i am his and he is mine
and as he is mine
bought with the precious blood of christ
no guilt in life
no fear in death
this is the power of christ in me
from life's first cry
to the final breath
jesus commands my destiny
the power of hell
the scheme of man
can ever pluck me from his hand
till he returns
or calls me home
here in the power of christ
i'll stand
and now let's pray together
lord this easter sunday
we thank you for the announcement of the angels
that jesus who was crucified for our sins
to give us the hope of forgiveness
the promise of forgiveness
when we trust in him
that he is not dead
that he has risen
we recognize that in christ alone
there is true hope
not just for now but for all eternity
lord we recognize as a world
that we need hope right now
that we as individuals
that stand in need of hope
and lord we thank you that that is found in the life of jesus
we thank you for his perfect love
and his obedience
we thank you for the mercy and compassion
and care that he showed to the helpless
and the broken people
that he met in his day
and we thank you that he is unchanged
in his love and kindness
and lord we thank you
for that death he died
as our substitute
taking our place
and being that sacrifice
who would remove sin
who would remove the anger of god
from us by taking it on himself
so that if we put our trust in him
trust in him
we would have eternal life
we thank you for the hope
that is in the resurrection
the promise of new life
the promise of a restored world
the hope of jesus returning
and making all things new
giving hope of a world free of sickness
and sorrow and death itself
lord we look to you
recognizing that you are a god of power
and you are a god of mercy and love
we are dependent on you
and we ask that you would bring help
to those who need it
we pray once more for our governments
both here in edinburgh and down in london
we remember especially boris johnson
and we pray that you would be with him
lord we ask that you would give them all the wisdom
that our politicians and leaders need
for ruling well in this crisis
for making decisions
lord we also pray for our nhs staff
that we are so thankful for them
and for the the sacrifices that they make
for the love and care that they show
in their different responsibilities
and we pray that you would protect them
lord we thank you for other key workers
in various industries
and for the way they are going above and beyond
to help us to keep our country moving and functioning
and again we pray protection and care
lord we pray for the nations of the world
and we recognize the struggles that some of the poorest countries in the world will be having
with limited health care facilities
and with limited budgets and infrastructure
lord we pray for the poor and the needy
and we ask that you would intervene
lord above all
and we recognize our greatest need is to be right with you
and to enjoy your love in our lives
and so we pray that there would be many at this time who would be seeking answers
and finding them in jesus
that for those who are seeking hope and love and security
that they would recognize that that can be found
ultimately only in knowing you and in jesus you send
so we pray that you'd be with us in the time that we get to spend
listening to and thinking about the bible
help us to understand and apply what we hear to our lives this easter
amen
now we're going to read a passage of the bible
of the bible this is from john's gospel chapter 20
and it's the story of mary magdalene and her experience that first easter sunday
so let's hear the first 18 verses of john chapter 20
early on the first day of the week while it was still dark
mary magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance
so she came running to simon peter
and the other disciple the one jesus loved and said
they have taken the lord out of the tomb
and we don't know where they have put him
so peter and the other disciple started for the tomb
both were running
but the other disciple outran peter and reached the tomb first
he bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in
then simon peter who was behind him arrived and went into the tomb
he saw the strips of linen lying there
as well as the burial cloth that had been around jesus head
the cloth was folded up by itself separate from the linen
finally the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went inside
he saw and believed
and believed
they still did not understand from scripture that jesus had to rise from the dead
then the disciples went back to their homes
but mary stood outside the tomb crying
as she wept she bent over to look into the tomb
and saw two angels in white
seated where jesus body had been
one at the head and the other at the foot
they asked her
woman
why are you crying
they have taken my lord away she said
and i don't know where they have put him
at this she turned round and saw jesus standing there
but she did not realize that it was jesus
woman he said
why are you crying
who is it you are looking for
thinking he was the gardener she said
sir
if you had carried him away
tell me where you have put him and i will get him
jesus said to her
mary
she turned towards him and cried out in aramaic
rabboni
which means teacher
jesus said
do not hold on to me
for i have not yet returned to the father
go instead to my brothers and tell them
i am returning to my father and your father
to my god and your god
mary magdalene went to the disciples with the news
i have seen the lord
and she told them that he had said these things to her
so this easter sunday this is what we're going to think about
we're going to think about jesus resurrection
and the rising of hope
but we need to begin with the day hope died
that was the title of a bbc documentary on robert kennedy
back in 2018 marking the 50th anniversary of his assassination
that's a very striking title
it seems like national hope had been pinned on a single person
the hope that in bobby kennedy there was hope for unity
the end to racism for america
i wonder as you look back over your own life
have you been there on occasions when hope died
perhaps it was the loss of an opportunity
perhaps it was the loss of a job
perhaps it was the loss of a family member
that you loved deeply
maybe today i imagine there will be some of us
who are feeling fearful
feeling hopeless
due to covid 19
maybe this is the day when you feel hope is dying
if we were to ask mary magdalene
and to ask the first disciples
when was the day hope died for you
they would point to the first good friday
the day when jesus died on the cross
did you recognize that as we began our reading
for mary as she first approaches the empty tomb
she sees no hope
the message she brings back to the disciples
is they've taken the lord out of the tomb
and we don't know where they have put him
for mary and those disciples death had won
there was no prospect in her mind of resurrection
she saw the empty tomb and she thought this was the work of grave robbers
she was not naive
they were not expecting a resurrected messiah
nobody saw this coming
which in many ways points towards its truth
this is not something anybody made up
before we go any further let's think who was mary
the subject of our story here in luke chapter 8
another one of the gospel writers luke records that mary
had been possessed by seven demons
and that jesus had delivered her
so jesus has given mary new hope
a new life
further than that mary is an important eyewitness
she was there when jesus died
she was there as jesus was buried
and now she is an eyewitness to the empty tomb
but the question now is
where will her hope come from
now that her teacher is dead
how can she have hope beyond death
how can the kingdom of god come now
perhaps mary was asking
now that the king has died
that first easter sunday
everything for mary in terms of hope
rests on one fact
everything for you and for me
rests on one fact
if we want true hope that will not disappoint
the fact resurrection
there's a bible writer called david helm
and he says the resurrection is hope's burden of proof
in other words if hope was in a law court
the only way it could claim to be speaking the truth
would be if it could present as evidence
the reality of a risen lord jesus
this easter sunday as we spend time in our homes
do you want hope that god is stronger
stronger than fear that you face
stronger than the virus that's taken hold on our world
stronger even than death
do you want good news despite all the bad news that surrounds us
do you want forgiveness from sin
do you want peace of conscience
peace with the god who made you
this week i came across this from an indian christian by the name of bakit singh
he was asked the question what do you preach to those of other faiths
so in india many faiths
and this christian preacher he said i preach the forgiveness of sins
that is what all of us deep down inside are looking for
if that list of things is you today if that's what you look for then you need
the resurrection to be true
not simply i wish it was true because it sounds wonderful
it must actually really be true
now let's move on and let's see how in mary's story she is prepared for hope
i guess many of us know the phrase the green shoots of recovery
and we find ourselves looking for them we go to the media looking for them
so and we see what's happening in china and wuhan opening up and reports of no new cases
or we see in italy the death rate dropping
and they stand for us as beacons of hope
that we cling to perhaps
what are the green shoots of recovery for mary and her hope
and so the story of mary so far she's run in grief from the empty tomb
to share her news with peter and john
peter and john have now run to the empty tomb
and they've returned home
but then in verses 10 and 11
and we find that while they go home mary returns
mary stood outside the tomb
crying
grief is still there but what does she do
as she went
she bent over to look into the tomb
she examines for herself the empty tomb
and let me just ask
have you ever done that
this is a claim about christianity that is so huge
that it cannot be ignored
on our website
our church website you can go to the online services section
and you will find a list of resources
good books to read
videos and articles to access
on the internet that that might help you as you explore
because this is something again that is too important to ignore
or to brush to one side
but having said that let's look with mary
and see what these two green shoots of recovery are
signs to prepare her for living hope for resurrection hope
first of all who's present in the empty tomb
angels are present
she saw two angels in white
one at the head one at the foot
and they asked her
why are you crying
who are angels
angels are God's
messengers so they deliver
messages from God
they also interpret God's activity
in the world
angels are at times sent
to make sense of
out of the ordinary
events
so we can think about another
christian season
we can think about christmas
think about another mary
mary the mother of jesus
and the angels that came to her
to tell her that
though she was a virgin
she would conceive by the power of the holy spirit
and she would give birth to a child
and he would be called jesus
and he would save people from their sins
that was no ordinary event
that was God's activity in the world
in the world in a remarkable way
for our salvation and hope
and angels come to interpret that
and here the angels are saying to mary
by their presence
the empty tomb is God's work
not the work of grave robbers
God's power has invaded the tomb
not grave robbers
their question
woman why are you crying
is challenging mary's interpretation of events
are you right
about jesus
they're asking
are you right to believe
that hope is dead
now for you and for me
it is most unlikely
that we will have
an announcement from angels
angels coming to
interpret God's activity for us
but what we have
is we have the bible
the bible
reveals and interprets
God's actions
in the world
it announces God's plan
God's way of salvation
in and through the sending of his own son
Jesus to become one of us
to live perfectly in our place
to then die for our sins
and then to rise in victory
for our salvation
so let me encourage you to read
and listen to your bible
and to be asking the question
am I right about jesus
in the way that I think
about him
the second green shoot of recovery
is enormous
while the angels are present
in the tomb
Jesus body
his body
is absent
so the angels in verse 12
are seated
where Jesus body
had been
now we said earlier
that the miracle of the resurrection
is crucial
it's of vital significance
it's too big to ignore
it is actually
the miracle that is the standing or falling
of Christianity
Paul understood this
Paul the apostle
in 1 Corinthians 15
he wrote very clearly
to say
as a Christian
he's saying
if the resurrection is not true
then the message of Christianity is a lie
plain and simple
more than that
God is a liar
because God said he would raise his son from the dead
if Jesus is still dead
then we are lost
in our sin
there is no hope of us having a way back to God
Christian faith is useless
and of all people in all the world
we are most to be pitied
and that shows us just how important the resurrection is to the Christian faith
so it is crucial for us to think about this reality
why is the tomb of Jesus empty
so every group at the time of Jesus knew the tomb was empty
so there were the Jewish leaders and they hated Jesus
and they arranged for Jesus to be handed over to the Romans to be killed
they knew the tomb was empty and they paid off the Roman guards
and they began to spread the lie
that the disciples had stolen Jesus' body away
so they knew the tomb was empty
the Romans who had killed Jesus
they had set guards at the tomb
so they also knew that the tomb was empty
and the first followers of Jesus knew that the tomb was empty
particularly when Jesus appeared to them in a real physical glorified body
so we need to think
that the empty tomb is a fact
even the most skeptical
non-Christian historians recognize the empty tomb is a fact
what makes the best sense of that?
if his body was stolen
why did no enemies produce that stolen body
with all the power at their disposal
knowing that they could halt Christianity dead in its tracks
why did they not produce the body?
and it's fascinating to look at the development of the church
and to think how do you explain
for example the transformation of Mary
blinded by grief and sorrow and tears
then full of joy
how do we explain the transformation of the disciples
fearful in hiding
having run away from Jesus
when he was arrested
because they thought it was the end of their hope
how do we then explain them
preaching powerfully and boldly
and being willing to die for Jesus
how do we account for the transformation of a man like Paul
who spent some of his adult life
as a great opponent of Jesus
hated Jesus, hated the church
spent his life trying to kill Christians
imprison Christians and end the Christian church
how do we account for him then speaking for Jesus
and establishing churches
he said he met Jesus on the road to Damascus
and that changed everything for him
how do we account for the empty tomb?
well the empty tomb and the angels
are preparing Mary for hope
that first Easter Sunday
so let's see together
hope rising
hope rises
because Jesus is alive
we're still not quite there yet
verse 14
having spoken to the angels
Mary turned round and saw Jesus standing there
but she didn't realise that it was Jesus
she thought he was a gardener
perhaps because it was still dark
perhaps because she was blinded by tears
perhaps because she had no prospect of ever seeing Jesus again
she fails to recognise him
but note the compassion of Jesus
even before he's recognised
woman he said why are you crying?
who is it you're looking for?
here is Jesus and he has come to help her
in her grief and her pain and her confusion
the risen Jesus there to help and to transform
now already before Jesus died
he had used the reality of resurrection
to speak comfort to his disciples
he said to them
don't be troubled
I'm going and returning to my father
to my father's house
I'm going to prepare a place for you
I'm going to come back and I'll take you to be with me
where I am
and he said I won't leave you on your own
I won't leave you as orphans
I'll send the Holy Spirit
so I'll come to live in your heart
because he would rise from the dead
so Mary initially hope doesn't come from seeing Jesus
because she can't recognise his identity
how does hope come to life in Mary?
we need to go to verse 16
Jesus said to her
Mary
and she turned and cried out
teacher
she hears his voice
here is where hope comes from
she hears his voice
Jesus had described himself earlier as the good shepherd
the good shepherd who calls his sheep by name
they know him
they know his voice and they listen to him
Jesus has died for his sheep and risen again
and so here is how hope rises for Mary
and listen to these wonderful words of hope
for grieving and fearful disciples
she says to Mary
don't hold on to me for I've not yet returned to the Father
you don't need to hang on to me
you won't lose me
this is part of my journey
returning to glory
go instead to my brothers and tell them
I'm returning to my Father and your Father
to my God and your God
ascending to the glory of heaven
ascending to his Father
Jesus promises
that's the same journey
that his disciples will make
his followers will have access
to God
they can call God
we can call God Father
through faith in Jesus
we can know our identity as part of God's family
through faith in the risen Jesus
because death has been defeated
in the resurrection
Jesus victory
power of sin has been broken
Jesus has shown that death could not hold him
it had no claim on him because he is sinless
he came to deal with our sin
to take our sin
so now
by trusting in Jesus we have all these privileges
the privilege of access
the privilege of God's love and God's joy
and God's hope
so what a different message
Mary now brings to Peter, John and the other disciples
verse 18
she comes running in this time
I have seen the Lord
so church begins on Easter Sunday
because now their saviour is alive
for you and for me
where does lasting hope
come from?
maybe this virus has been showing to us
it doesn't come in your well
it doesn't come in your hell
lasting hope is not found in your work
or in your leisure
we can't root all our hope and security
in our politicians
in our medical officers or vaccines
rather
it's the resurrection of Jesus alone
that gives true and lasting hope
both for your life now
and for your eternal future
because through the whole message of Easter
the cross of Jesus and his resurrection
there is forgiveness of sin
there is peace with God
there is life with God
promised when our faith is in him
access to God's perfect love
to that always and forever love
that we long for
and we're so sad when we lose love
here is one love that will never be taken from him
in the cross and the resurrection
we have this path to enjoying life with God
Jesus said the life of one of his followers
one of his followers will be suffering now
and we know that
but by faith it is promise of glorious resurrection life
there is promise of life in the new heaven and the new earth
when everything is made new even us
so as we finish why does the resurrection give hope
it gives hope because one
our great enemy has been defeated
C.S. Lewis in his book Miracles said this
Jesus has forced open a door that has been locked
since the death of the first man
he has met, fought and beaten the king of death
everything is different because he has done so
this is the beginning of the new creation
the resurrection gives hope too because God's purpose has been fulfilled
John in a few verses after writes this
these things that he has written and recorded are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ
God's chosen anointed saviour
the son of God
and that by believing you may have life in his name
believing in the risen Lord Jesus is the pathway to eternal life
is the demonstration that God's saving plan has been fulfilled
and you can be part of that by trusting in Jesus
and the resurrection also gives hope
because it says to us God is with us
and with us always
if you feel today
hope dying
trust in Jesus
if you are facing fear
and struggling with loneliness
then understand that by faith in Christ
though you are lonely you are never alone
what hope is there for a suffering world
there is hope in the resurrection
that Jesus the son of God
he has entered into our broken world
he's entered into our suffering
he's gone into death itself
and he's come through the other side
promising that where he goes
his people will follow
perfect love and love and life and joy
and will be ours so trust in him today
make him your living hope
he will not disappoint
and now we're going to sing another couple of songs
continuing the theme of hope because of the resurrection
first of all we're going to sing from Psalm 16
and then we're going to sing the power of the cross
and again we're very grateful to Cailin for leading us in this
the Lord my God
I'll praise the Lord my God
whose counsel guides my choice
and even in the night my heart recalls instructions voice
before me
I'll praise the Lord my God
whose counsel guides my choice
and even in the night my heart recalls instructions voice
before me constantly
I set the Lord alone
because he is at my right hand
I'll not be overthrown
therefore my heart is glad
my tongue with joy will sing
my body too will rest secure
in hope unwavering
for you will not allow
my soul in death to stay
nor will you leave your Holy One
to see the tombs decay
you have made known to me
the path of life divine
bliss shall I know at your right hand
joy from your face will shine
the Lord my God
O to see the dawn of the darkest day
Christ on the road to Calvary
by sinful men
torn and beaten then
nailed to a cross of wood
this the power of the cross
This the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
To the blame
O'er the wrath we stand forgiven at the cross
O to see the pain written on your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin
Every bitter thought
Every evil deed
Crowning your blood-stained brow
This the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame
Bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross
Now the daylight flees
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its maker
Bows his head
Curtain torn in two
Dead are raised to life
Finish the victory cry
This the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame
Bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross
Oh to see my name
Written in the wood
For through your suffering
I am free
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live
One through your selfless love
This the power of the cross
Son of God
Slave for us
What a love
What a cost
We stand forgiven at the cross
What a love
What a cost
We stand forgiven at the cross
Now let me close in prayer
May the grace
Of the Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Be with us all
Amen
May God bless you
Bless you richly this Easter Sunday
to do