Sermon Text: John 20:1-18

Easter Sunrise April 17, 2022 The Resurrection of our Lord

Easter Sunrise April 17, 2022 The Resurrection of our Lord

Sunday: Easter Sunrise | Sermon Text: John 20:1-18

Easter Sunrise

John 20:1-18 & Various including Revelation 5

April 17, 2022

“Worthy is the Lamb!”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.

That hymn we just sang comes all right out of the book of Revelation. A pastor named John Arthur paraphrased the verses from Revelation and a Lutheran musician named Richard Hillert set it to music. And it’s a masterpiece. Takes a lot of energy to sing it. But it’s great. It’s one of those hymns that lifts you up and sets you on heaven’s soil.

Now we sang in there, “Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain.”  Revelation is why the Church so often pictures Jesus as a lamb. See up there in our stained glass windows. The upper circle, the Hand, represents the Father. The dove, of course, on right is the Holy Spirit. Jesus, on the left, is the lamb carrying his victory flag or banner. Why did we put a lamb up there in the stained glass for Jesus? Because in Revelation Jesus appears over and over again as a lamb. And not just any lamb, but a Lamb who has been slain—killed, that is—and is now alive again. That’s why the Lamb has the victory flag. He’s won. He’s the conquering Lamb. And this is the feast of victory.

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Easter Sunrise April 21, 2019

Easter Sunrise April 21, 2019

Sunday: Easter Sunrise | Sermon Text: John 20:1-18

Easter Sunrise
John 20:1-18
April 21, 2019

“Is God Real? The Real God Rises with a Real Body”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Cubic Zirconia is a replacement for a real diamond. If you can’t afford a real diamond for whatever reason but you want the look of a diamond, then you can buy cubic zirconia which looks like the real deal but won’t last at all like a diamond will. There are other substitutes for diamonds also. But none of them, of course, are real diamonds.

For us to ask the question, “Is God real?” is very much like cubic zirconia saying, “Are diamonds real?” We are fading away in this world, dying, and we’re saying, “God, are You real?” It’s like gold-plated copper asking if gold is real. In this world, there are many things that are the real deal like gold and diamonds and silver and then there are many things that aren’t quite the real thing.

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St. Mary Magdalene July 22, 2018

St. Mary Magdalene July 22, 2018

Sunday: St. Mary Magdalene | Sermon Text: John 20:1-18

St. Mary Magdalene
John 20:1-2,10-18
July 22, 2018

“Mary Magdalene – ‘I Have Seen the Lord’”

Sermon Outline

  1. First, which Mary in the Bible are we talking about?
  2. Second, what has been said about Mary Magdalene that is untrue or unsure?
  3. Third, what is specifically unique about Mary Magdalene?
  4. Fourth, how do you relate to Mary Magdalene’s story?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Mary Magdalene teaches you, by her example, to believe in Jesus and to love Him. We commemorate her today and remember her because she encourages all of us to place all our confidence and trust in Jesus, who died and rose for us. Today we’re taught to place our confidence and trust in ourselves, or in governments, or in science, or in progress, or even, God help us, in socialism. Mary Magdalene would laugh at such nonsense. She had no confidence in herself or her potential or in any government. She knew this one thing—that Jesus saved her. And she trusted HIM. And so should we. …

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