Leader: Pastor Stan Norman
“Behold, I Show You A Mystery”
The New Testament
Willapa United Methodist Church
Easter, March 23, 2008
Stan Norman
Behold, I show you a mystery
In the beginning there was the Word
The Word was with God and the Word was God
The Word was Jesus Christ
The Word became flesh
The Word became human
The Word became a child born at Star’s end
The Word became a carpenter from Nazareth
The Word became Jesus Christ
Who lived among us full of grace and truth
And from whom we have received grace upon grace
He is the Son of the Living God
He is the Christ of our human needs
He is the firstborn of the New Creation
He is the Word of God
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the Bread of Life
Any who come to me shall never hunger
And all who believe in me shall never thirst
And he came to those by the sea
And he said:
Follow me
He came to a blind man
And he restored his sight
He came to a lame man
And he restored his legs
He came to a dead man
And he restored his life
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the Light of the world
Whoever follows me shall never walk in darkness
But have the light of life
Glory be to God and to his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ
In his great mercy God has given us a new birth into a living hope
Through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we find our hope
With this hope we have an inheritance that cannot perish, spoil, or fade
Though you have never seen him
You love him
Though you have never seen him
You know you are loved by him
For God is love
If you have felt this love in any small measure
Then you know the importance of the church
The Body of Christ
It is through the church that God brings forth his love
The church is God’s instrument of grace
The church is God’s covenant people
The church is God’s fellowship of the Holy Spirit
The church is the Body of Christ
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the Alpha and the Omega
I am the first and the last
I am the Living One
I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever
Now the dwelling place of God is with humanity
They will be his people and he will be their God
And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes
And death shall be no more
Neither mourning
Nor weeping
Neither pain
Nor sorrow
For the old order has passed away
And behold
God is making all things new
We are no longer children of Adam
But brothers and sisters of a Living Christ
Sin no longer has a hold on us
We are a part of God’s New Creation in Christ
We may be hard pressed on every side
But not crushed
We may be confused and doubtful
But not driven to despair
We may be hurt by the adversity of life
But never abandoned
We may be struck down
But never destroyed
As Christ lives, so shall we all
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep
Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ
If God is for us
Who can stand against us?
He who did not spare his own son
But gave him up for love of us
Will he not also give us all things with him?
Who shall separate us from the Love of God?
Shall trouble and distress?
Shall adversity and pain?
Shall doubt and confusion?
Shall death and denial?
NO!
For we are more than conquerors through him who loves us
For I am sure that neither death nor life
Neither powers in heaven nor powers on earth
Neither conflicts of today nor conflicts of tomorrow
Neither adversity, misfortune, or loss
Can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Let not your hearts be troubled
Neither let them be afraid
Trust in God, trust also in me
In trusting God there is great love
And because of this great love for us
God
Who is rich in mercy
Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin
It is by grace that we have been saved
And God raised us up with Christ through God’s own desire and not our own
It is by God’s grace that we are saved, and through no merit of our own
Salvation
Which is God’s gift
Which is God’s righteous desire
Which is God’s final judgment
Is ours
And we embrace this gift through faith
It is God’s gracious gift for we are God’s beloved
Created in Christ Jesus to express goodness and truth
We are the New Creation
Founded on grace
And expressed through faith
Therefore, we are no longer foreigners and aliens
But fellow citizens with God’s people
Members of God’s household
How can this be?
Behold, I show you a mystery
And Jesus said:
I am the resurrection and the life
Even though you die, yet shall you live
This is our hope
In the darkness of night
This is our hope
In our struggles over sin
This is our hope
For all that is yet to come
Through faith in God and our redeemer Christ
Death is not the final word
We shall not sleep
We shall be changed
In a flash
In the twinkling of an eye
In a moment of glory
Death is swallowed up in victory
Where, O death is now your victory?
Where, O death, is now your sting?
The sting of death is sin
The sting of death is not trusting in God
The darkness of death is not trusting in Christ
The power of sin is a faithless heart
The sting of death is believing that death is the final word
The darkness of death is believing that God does not love us
That God does not embrace us
That God does not forgive us
The power of sin is the faithless heart that does not believe in the mystery of Christ
How One so abundantly alive with the presence of God
Could become a part of God
How One so abundantly alive could be crucified, dead, and buried
And yet not perish in the darkness of death
How One so close to God could reach out with spiritual arms
And embrace the world that denied him
Betrayed him
Beat and wounded him
Behold, I show you a mystery
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”
God’s love for us extends beyond faith to God’s own desire
How God in Christ could take a loaf of bread
Bless and break it
And give it to the world as a symbol of his abundant life
How God in Christ could take the cup
Bless and share it
And call it his blood
The life essence of a New Creation
A new relationship
A new expression of faint not founded on merit
But founded on God’s love for us
For God so loved the world
The bread and cup are shared forever in remembrance of Jesus Christ
In remembrance of who Jesus was
And who we are
In remembrance of God’s eternal promise to be with us forever
Behold, I show you a mystery
On the first day of the week very early in the morning
The women took the spices they had prepared
And went to the tomb
They found the stone had been rolled away
They found the tomb was empty
They were frightened
They thought someone had stolen the body
But voices were heard to say:
Do not be afraid
I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified
Dead
And buried
And he is not here
He is not dead
He is alive
He has gone on before you to prepare the way
He has gone on before you as the Light that shines in darkness
He has gone on before you the Gift that conquers death
And Thomas said:
I will not believe until I have touched him
Blessed are those who believe but have not touched him
Behold, I show you a mystery
You may not have touched the Living Christ
But the Living Christ has touched you
He has claimed you as his own
Through his wounds you are healed
Through his grace you are forgiven
Through his love you are a child of god
Through his death you will live forever
I once was blind but now I see
I once was lost but now am found
Thanks be to God who gives us this victory over sin and death
Thanks be to God
Amen
Amen
Are you a Mary Magdalene? Are you a Peter? Are you a John? Are you just a gardener? No matter who you are. No matter what you have done, or not done. God has chosen you! The only thing that really matters to God is whose you are. Is this the morning that you will choose to belong to Christ?
He is Risen!
He is Risen, indeed!
Amen.
[1] Carlson, Kenneth, Leading To Easter, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio, 2002, pages 59-71.
E-mail Sermon March 23, 2008 - "Behold, I Show You A Miystery"