4-12-20 Sermon Notes “Easter Greetings”
Shocked…surprised…seized with fear… Those are some of the emotions that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary experienced that first Easter morning. This may explain why both the angels and the risen Christ greeted them with, “Do not be afraid.” Literally: “Stop being afraid!” Easier said than done!
Let’s recall the Easter story from Matthew’s Gospel:
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matt. 28: 1-10 NRSV)
“Do not be afraid.” But I just can’t help it! Look, we all get scared sometimes. That doesn’t mean we can’t have courage. I think of the story of Eddie Rickenbacker…the famous WWI pilot. He received a Medal of Honor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. When someone asked him if he wasn’t sometimes afraid on his missions, he responded by giving a definition of courage. He said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”
So what does the Easter greeting, “Do not be afraid,” mean? It’s not meant to be a guilt trip on us for feeling afraid. It’s a reminder that we can take a deep breath and remember… Whenever I feel fear creeping over me, I like to remember all the reasons the “Mary’s” were told not to fear: (1) The tomb was empty! (2) The Risen Christ was with them!
Whenever I feel anxious, I like to recall the words of the 23rd Psalm. One of my favorite lines in that psalm is where David says, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why would he say something like that? Because the valley was not scary? No! He said that because of the next line in the psalm… “for Thou art with me.”
The Easter greeting, “Do not be afraid” reminds us that the Risen Christ is with us – and will never leave or forsake us…no matter what life throws at us!
I want to invite you to “join us” by livestream this Sunday for Easter worship, or by going to Facebook Live. We will have two Facebook live services this Sunday: A “Celebration” service at 9:00, and a “Traditions” service at 11:00.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sam