March 18, 2008
Read: John 20:1-18
As a pastor, I think that Christmas Eve and Easter are the two most difficult times to preach. It’s a challenge because the texts are so well known and obvious.
It’s difficult to preach on Christmas Eve and Easter because we are taught in our culture to keep things fresh, keep things new, and keep things creative. In fact, it has become a sin to do the same thing twice. We are always seeking to rethink, to revise, to find something new, to push to the next level. Pastors are taught that as well-keep preaching fresh and energetic or people will not come.
After preaching on the birth and resurrection for the past 10 years, I am finding that I don’t have much new to say. Let’s face it…there are only so many ways one can say, “the savior is born.” There are only so many ways to explain, “Jesus is raised!”
Today, I want to say to my fellow pastors, “Thank God for that.”
Sometimes we go overboard with wanting everything to be new, to the extent that we invent interpretations and nuances of scripture to keep our congregations interested. There’s nothing fresh to say. It is time to just let our congregations remember how we got the joy of Easter. It is the time of the year we can just tell again the favorite story.
While the Holy Spirit certainly speaks fresh words, we preach from a book that has been around for thousands of years. That can be a source of comfort for us and for our congregations—the message that Jesus Christ is raised has been preached for almost two thousand years, and will continue to be preached until he comes again.
This Sunday, we can come and hear the familiar, the rock-solid truth that withstood the test of time. Easter Sunday can stand on its own, without the need for drama or doing something unusual to get people’s attention. Jesus already did something totally unusual for us—He rose from the dead.
It’s the same story. Jesus was crucified. He died. He was buried. They thought that he was gone. But praise God…he is risen! Death has been overcome. Sin has been overcome. Jesus has paid the price for us all.
Let’s not make it any more difficult than this. May God bless you during this Holy Week and on Sunday, the Day of Resurrection, “Happy Easter!”
Let us pray.
Lord God, help us to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ our risen Lord to the whole world. Remind us once again that your truth doesn’t need our dramatics to reach out to people. Forgive us when we forget that the greatest story ever told is your love for creation when you gave your only Son to die for our sins. Thank you, O God for knowing the same old story that has transformed our world to follow you in Christ. Amen.
Hymn #118 O Sacred Head, Now Wounded