Sermon at First Presbyterian
Church Lockhart
by James Greene
In this Easter Sunday we are called
into Hope, and Joy as the people of God.
We are called to this in spite
of the trials that we face
in our journey, because Christ has gone to death, and beyond, and “returned”. It is a peaceful joy when we realize that God really is with us! There is Peace,
when understand, how God walks with
us, and cares for us, in the
midst of, all of our journey. Christ
comes,
reconciling us to the Father, that we may have faith and hope in God through Him. He has come showing us God’s intent for us in His work
of salvation, and His work of
reconciliation.
Our Hope and Joy is heard,
in the verses of God’s Word, this Easter Sunday.
In Isaiah this
morning, we see the prophesy in the images,
of a God of action who prepares a
feast for all people, and removes the veil of death that covers
the peoples of all nations. The Lord Almighty “will swallow up death forever.” It is a vision
of Christ’s initiating, and ushering in, the Kingdom of Heaven through His death
and resurrection.
The most important thing is
that we realize that He Is Risen!! He has overcome
the grave. It is the heart and soul of The Good News. It is the heart and soul of our
joy and our belief.
The call across 2,000 years is as important and as joyous to
us here today, as it was
back then.
In
Psalm 114 reveals the focus of God where
In I Corinthians we see, how Christ, in his death and resurrection, has changed the recipe of bread (the recipe of wisdom) for our lives. He has changed our focus from the desire to
give back blow for blow, pain for pain, and evil for evil, to the focus of
wisdom that calls for, a bread (a
wisdom) made (with out, the yeast of sin) which
produces a bread of sincerity and truth.
In Luke we see how Christ literally
shows the two Apostles how he is revealed
in all of the Prophets, and all of the Scriptures. How the
Scriptures outline the coming of
the Christ to redeem all peoples, all nations and the creation.
It really
is a testament for us, to study our Bibles. But it is even
more of a testament to His resurrection, and about His love for us.
If we could
have just been, a mouse in the pocket of one of the Apostles, on this
1
walk, just imagine the notes and understanding we could have gained from the
conversation. It would be a journey of a lifetime. It was a picture of God’s fingerprints revealed on the pages of the Scriptures showing us the way of Christ and the direction to the Father. It literally illuminates all the scriptures for us.
Just as today, Jesus
comes along side of us, in our journey, and walks with us, talks with
us, explaining and showing us the
answers; filling in all of
the gaps in our knowledge of
the facts, of the Good News, as we know
them.
As we continue to read
the Bible in the depth of the
text, we discover the longer we read and the more we read scripture, the more we realize how much
is packed in between the covers of the Bible. Also how little, we truly know and understand
in our journey through the text
and through this life. We need the Holy Spirit to come along side us and teach us. It is through the Holy Spirit in the text that Christ is revealed to us. Christ
is the living Word, in the written Word. Like the Apostles, Jesus is suddenly present with us when he blesses
and breaks the bread. It reminds
us that He is present with us in Communion, as well as in The Word in the
Scriptures.
He is Risen! (Today*) He is Present! (Today*)
It is the Joy of reality that He has Risen, and it is the Good News, in our lives, and
it changes our lives Forever! Just as Scripture tells us, “where ever two or more are gathered in my
name, I will be there also”, He is here. He is
here in the midst of us, as
we worship. Just as God was dwelling in the midst of
Finally, there is the Joy of truly realizing what Christ has done in his word and action. He did Rise from the dead.
This gives us Hope in the Good News. He explained
the fore telling of His coming
and His purpose; laid out in
the Scriptures.
He is Risen! Means to us, today, that we, as the people of God, can
live in certain Hope, and certain knowledge, that as God’s
Children, we too, through faith in Christ, will rise again.
God is a God of action, not in the past, in the Scriptures, but now, Today,
here
in our lives, and faith, because the Scriptures are the about
the Living Word that is alive today. God
reveals his presence now, in the midst of us; just like
God reveals his presence - in Christ’s resurrection!
God’s action
and presence is revealed in the breaking
of bread today, just as Christ did with the Apostles at Emmaus. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!!! ……
In
the Name of … the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen 2