5th Sunday in Easter – Sermon 17
Prayer to Start
May every word and every thought be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ.
AMEN
Introduction
“The evidence that I shall give, shall be the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”
In a court of law that would be one of the first words you would here a witness say in the witness box – before telling what they believe to be the truth about an event or a person.
As Christians we are required to give evidence –
to report what we have seen and heard – and to pass on the good news that we ourselves have recieved to others –
so how do we go about it?
what is the evidence?
How do we convince others that we have a living God – who will rescue us – and bring us to salvation ?-
We are going to look at three witnesses from our readings to see if they can help
Point 1 Our first witness is Daniel
This OT reading is perhaps one of the most familiar stories in the Bible –
Daniel was appointed by King Darius as one of his three chief ministers – but he outshone the rest and they wanted to get rid of him by whatever means possible – they could find no fault in his administration – so they exploited his religious convictions – They persuaded King Darius to declare all prayer except himself – illegal for 30 days – punishable by death in the lions den –
When Daniel learned that the King’s edict had been signed he knew he had been placed in an impossible situation – for He would not worship the King and could not stop worshipping God – Daniel turned to God for help –
Daniels’ faithfulness to God and his unwillingness to stop praying – even under fear of death – gave his enemies the opportunity they had been looking for – He was arrested – and even though Darius admired Daniel – he was too proud to revoke the edict – and gave the order for him to be thrown to the lions –
In verse 16 Darius says
“your God whom you serve at all times, may He save you” –
God protected Daniel in the lions den – and when the pit was opened he was vindicated before Darius and restored to his position of authority
By decree Darius mandated that the people must
“reverence the God of Daniel”
The king had realised that Daniel serves “a living God” – A God who is able to take direct action to save those who are blameless –
Daniel persisted in prayer – despite the circumstance he was in – in face of danger and persecution he visibly turned to God for help – and it was this faithfulness that God was able to use – to lift and encourage others – to persist in their faith –
In the same way we need to show to others that God is active in our lives – and that our strength comes from our prayfulness and our faithfulness to Him –
Daniel’s career near the top lasted for 66 years so that by the time he was thrown in the lions den he must have been in his 80’s – Even though he worked for Pagan kings he never compromised his faith –
Daniel’s story gave courage to many people in the centuries that followed – struggling against overwhelming oppression – He proved to be a huge figure between the pre-captivity decline and post captivity rebuilding of Jerusalem and Judah
Daniel’s people had thought of God in terms of their own small community – their own capital city of Jerusalem and its temple – but God intended His blessings for the whole world – The Jews had found it difficult enough to keep their own faith – let alone spread it to others – and only while they were captive in Babylon under Daniel’s influence – and far from home – did they begin to convince others that God deserved honour
Daniel’s life proclaimed the message that God will sustain all those who remain loyal to Him in the face of
persecution – Few people in scripture exhibited such faith – courage – prayerfulness or wisdom – for the purpose of God’s kingdom –
Point 2
Our second witness or witnesses in this case is the three women at the tomb
Its that first Easter morning – the two Mary’s and Salome were returning to where Jesus was buried after He was brought down from the cross by Joseph
There had been no time to render the last services to the body – the Sabbath had intervened – the women had seen where He had been put and were making their way to perform their last duties for their master – they knew too that the entrance would be sealed by “a large” round stone – too big for them to move – and hoped someone would be there to help them roll the stone away
But when they arrived the tomb was open – and there was a messenger dressed in white – proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead – and was no longer in the tomb
Mark describes the women as being dumfounded
They expected to find a dead body – and didn’t imagine Jesus would come back to life again – even though they had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead only a short time before – and even though he told them many times that – He would be raised –
Mark says the women ran out from the tomb, trembling with amazement – and that they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid – But clearly it didn’t end there – they overcame their initial fears and told the disciples what had happened
Fear is an obstacle we all have to overcome – when witnessing to others – fear of making a fool of ourselves – or of not being listened to – we try to convince ourselves that what we have to say is unimportant – that we have nothing worthwhile to offer – but how wrong we are – God depends on us – like He depended on those women – to tell their story and to pass on their experiences to others – where would we be now if the news of the resurrection had never reached the disciples
Point 3
Our third witness is the young man dressed in white – He shows the women the empty tomb and where Jesus was laid so they can see for themselves that His body is not there
Last year my wife and I were fortunate enough to go to Jerusalem and see the two possible sites of Jesus’ was burial – the “church of the Holy Sepulchre” and “the garden tomb
one was a first century tomb preserved in a tranquil garden – the other had a church built on it described in one book as the most sacred place in Christianity – but totally unrecognisable as a burial site
No one knows which one is the “real” one – and in truth it doesn’t matter – because He is not at either of them – His presence is not on a piece of land in Jerusalem – as the young man says “He is no longer here – He is risen” –
What the women saw was a glimpse of the past – His resurrection is about going forward for the future –
The man in white said –
” go and say to His disciples and to Peter : He is going ahead of you into Galilee : there you will see Him as He told you”
Notice the emphasis on “go” – go tell the disciples – go to Galilee – don’t stay around an empty tomb
and Jesus will “go” before them like a shepherd leading His sheep
the empty tomb by itself gets us no further than saying “Christ is not there” – the evidence for the living Christ is in His people not in a place –
Being a Christian witness is not the same as
being in a court of law – our witness is given and received in love – not under duress – and we are not on our own – Jesus is always with us – supporting and guiding us with the Holy Spirit
The resurrection is central to the Christian faith –
it tells us Jesus is alive and active in the world today – He was crucified so that our sins might be forgiven and through Him we are offered salvation – and the promise of reconciliation with God and everlasting life –
Conclusion
The world desperately needs to understand the message that Jesus brings and to accept God’s offer of salvation – but they will have no grounds for believing it unless they can see Jesus for themselves – through us – see the way Jesus has transformed our lives – We are the Body of Christ – and He needs us to reach out to others – We have to trust Him and allow Him to do His work through us –
Listen to the prayer from St Teresa of Avila
Christ has no body now on earth but yours
no hands but yours
Yours are the eyes through which to look at Christ’s compassion in the world
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing His work
As someone once wrote about the resurrection:
“There’s no evidence only witnesses” –
So for our evidence – the best we can offer is ourselves – in love and service to others –
Closing prayer
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
AMEN