Resurrection Changes Everything
Free Version, Easter Sunday (Principal)- Acts 10:45-43; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18
In the season of Easter, the first readings each week shift from the Old Testament to the book of Acts. You can find the readings for Easter Sunday here. Our notes focus on three readings from the “Principal” service. If you are looking for more in-depth notes including sourcing, quotes, illustrations, and a deeper look at each reading, consider subscribing.
As Christians, we believe that the world is now a different place in light of resurrection.
In such a place, ethnic barriers no longer stand in the way. Our Acts reading (10:34-43) reveals how new creation means exactly that: the Holy Spirit is breaking open the story of blessing and empowerment. He is not only speaking to those previously considered outcasts, but telling the story in and through them. God shows no partiality. Jesus is Lord and forgiveness is available to anyone who believes in him.
In our epistle reading (1 Corinthians 15:19-26), Paul says that Christ is the first fruits of God’s intention for the whole creation. We live in a world where it still appears that darkness, chaos, and brokenness rule. If Jesus rose from the dead, why isn’t everything all better? We live in this strange in-between time where God’s new world has been inaugurated, established. But, we still await its completion.
In our gospel reading (John 20:1-19), Jesus meets Mary in the midst of her grief. Revealing himself through her tears, Jesus shows her a reality beyond the narratives she has believed about the world. Jesus shows himself as the new gardener, cultivating the garden of new creation. This revelation through tears leads Mary to her mission as she becomes the first witness to resurrection.
Being resurrection people means that we see the world differently, and we refuse to be defined by faulty cultural narratives.
We are not primarily defined by how we perform. The gospel is the good news that we can’t fix ourselves or the world by ourselves! For those of us who idolize performance, this reality is maddening. Yet, as we lay down our idol, it is deeply freeing and healing.
We are not primarily defined by the approval of others. You are not defined by what people think of you. In an increasingly on-line world driven by clicks, likes, and shares, everything in our society is telling us that influence as the way to meaning. The approval of the masses is fleeting and shallow. Of course, this is not merely the call to “follow your bliss” and not listen to wise counsel. Rather, the way of Jesus challenges us to share our lives deeply with fewer people over a long period of time, rather than trusting in the fickle whims of crowds.
We are not primarily defined by our wealth. We have all experienced ups and downs and financial uncertainty over the past few years. It is important to remember that money and stuff are fleeting. They are important, but they are poor identity-definers.
We are not defined by our ability to control our circumstances or the world. You can spin your wheels trying to make sure that you plan for everything, that you have the strongest safety net possible, that everyone is safe, perfectly healthy, well-adjusted little scholars. But, as an identity-forming foundation, that will fail us. Our security is in God alone.
As we begin to live by this new story, this new creation, this new identity, we point a longing and grieving world towards a better way. When we take our eyes off of these idols, it allows us to see the light of Christ in the marginalized and the outcast. In a world that seeks to exert control, domination, and manipulation, there is one who suffered it all, who gave His life. This is the kind of story that changes the world.
This witness is then passed on to us today. Mary’s seeing the light then spreads to the disciples. Jesus comes to us in darkness today, in the midst of our weeping, our fear, and our misidentifying his work, and he is the light of the world.