Why I Believe in Easter (Rev. Dr. Charley Reeb)
Dr. John Trent tells about a wedding video he once saw. The video was shot from the back of the church looking up the aisle toward the bride and groom. Because of the camera angle, you could see several members of the congregation. Suddenly, during the vows, a man jumped up from his pew and yelled, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” as he pumped his fist. Then he froze and slid down into his seat–and sheepishly took off his headphones. It turned out he had been listening to a Florida – Alabama football game, and Florida had just scored.
Easter is a day for Christians to pump their fists in the air and say, “Yes, Yes, Yes.” Yes is what Easter is about. God’s yes to humanity. God’s yes to the victory of life over death, love over hate, faith over fear, hope over despair. Everything about Easter says, “Yes!”
Easter is God’s big YES. Jesus Christ did raise from the grave. He is alive. That means the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives and breathes in each and one of us. That means God has the last word. That means love has overcome evil. That means life has conquered death. That means forgiveness has conquered sin. That means God can turn your trouble into triumph.
For the next hour and a half, I want to talk to you more about that. Just kidding. For the next few brief moments, I want to share more about God’s yes at Easter and why it matters. I want to share why I believe in the resurrection and why you should believe in it too.
I know there are some of you in worship today who need to hear this. Maybe you’re at the end of your rope and you desperately need hope. Maybe you are discouraged and you are exhausted and you said, “You know what, I’ll show up to worship on Easter Sunday and maybe just maybe I’ll hear something, I’ll experience something that will pull me out of this pit.”
Well, you’ve come to the right place today, folks, because what I’m going to share with you today just might change your life because one of the reasons Easter matters to us, Easter matters if you’re afraid to die, if you’re afraid of death.
A comedian once said, “I’m not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Well, that’s kind of funny, but whoever said that did not know these words from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die yet shall they live.” In our vernacular, Jesus was saying, “You don’t have to fear death. I have overcome it. Your greatest fear has turned into your greatest hope. You don’t have to fear death.”
It’s like that old country doctor who made house calls like they used to do back in the day with a horse-drawn carriage. He always had his black lab with him everywhere he went. One day he called on a man who was dying and he went up to his bedroom and he checked him out. After he checked him out, the guy said, “Well, doc, how am I doing?” The doctor said, “It doesn’t look good.” Then the man looked up at the doctor and said, “Well, doctor, what’s it like to die?” The doctor thought for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
When all of a sudden his black lab came inside the house, went up the stairs and began scratching on the other side of the bedroom door and whining. The doctor said, “You hear my dog on the other side of the door. He’s never been in this house. He’s never been in this room. He doesn’t know what’s on the other side, but one thing he knows his master is in here and that means everything is going to be all right.” Then he looked at the man and said, “I think that’s what it’s like to die.” We’ve never done it. We don’t know what it’s like. We don’t know what’s on the other side, but one thing we know, the master is there and because of that, everything is going to be all right.
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me, in my father’s house. There are many dwelling places. If it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”
Many years ago Billy Graham said, “Someday you’re going to read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of almighty God.”
Why does Easter matter? Well, Easter matters let me tell you, if you’re afraid to die because Jesus has conquered death. Folks, it also matters, it matters if you value the gift of life. I know all of us do. I mean, as I talked about death earlier, maybe you’re thinking, “Well, healthy people don’t think about death. We don’t want to talk about death, Charlie, we don’t want to think about that.” It’s true. Life is for the living, right? I agree.
Kids certainly agree too. A bunch of nine year olds were asked about death and dying. Listen to this, one of them said, he’s named Chase, said, “When you die, they bury you in the ground and your soul goes to heaven, but your body can’t go to heaven because it’s too crowded up there already.”
A girl named Judy said, “Only the good people go to heaven. The other people go where it’s hot all the time like in Florida.” I can relate to that. Some of you might find that one particularly amusing.
Marsha said, “When you die, you don’t have to do homework in heaven unless your teacher is there too.” Don’t know what she’s implying there.
A little guy named John spoke for many when he said, “Maybe I’ll die someday, but I hope I don’t die on my birthday because it’s no fun to celebrate your birthday when you’re dead.”
That shows that yes, God has instilled in us a desire to live and we shouldn’t be ashamed about it. God created life. God created fun. God created the sun. God created enthusiasm. It was His idea. In fact, Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that you might have life and have it in all of its abundance.” When we talk about eternal life, we think that just means on the other side. No, when you look at the translation, it also means a quality life and adventurous life with God that begins right now. Life as it should be. Go ahead and appreciate your life, enjoy it and know that it’s a prelude to the glory to come. “God is happiest when his children are at play.”
Eugene Smith was a minister who never sang much because he didn’t have much of a voice and couldn’t read music. But one year, on Easter Sunday, his daughter persuaded him to sing along with the choir when it came time for the “Hallelujah Chorus.” And he really got caught up in the last part when they were singing all of those “Hallelujah’s.” He said that as they were singing all of those Hallelujahs, he got carried away. He loved to sing those Hallelujahs and he was just about to sing a couple more when all of a sudden the choir stopped, the director stopped and the organ stopped. He said that they stopped too soon. He said, “Since that time I’ve been going around with a couple of Hallelujahs inside of me just waiting to get out.”
What a way to live – with Hallelujahs just waiting to get out. This is how life is in the light of Easter.
Easter matters. Easter matters if you’re afraid to die. Easter matters if you value life. Maybe most of all, and this is a message that many of you came to hear today, Easter matters a great deal if you’re in the darkness. I know there are days when we forget the truth of this day. There are days when we think that evil has won, that darkness has won that hate has won, that evil has won.
For some of you, your darkness is personal…
Earlier you heard the Easter story from the Gospel of John. And you heard that on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark. Now most of us, when we picture that scene, we picture Mary coming to the tomb of Jesus at sunrise, but that’s not really what happened. When the Bible says “while it was still dark,” that literally means between the time of 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM. That means Mary went to the tomb of Jesus during the darkest hour.
And it truly was the darkest hour for her. Because you know what? Mary was marginalized in life. She had no hope, she had no peace. And yet Jesus came along and gave that to her. He gave her hope, He gave her an identity, He gave her peace, but then all of a sudden they took her Lord away and they ridiculed Him and they tortured Him and they crucified Him.
And all of Mary’s hopes and dreams shattered. And later in the text it says in John that she runs to the tomb to find the body of her Lord and yet it’s not there. And she runs into somebody she doesn’t recognize. Because it is so dark thinks she does not see that it’s Jesus. And what does Jesus say? What does Jesus do? Does He give some great statement of insight? Does He perform some great miracle? No. What does He say, you remember? In verse 16 Jesus says “Mary, Mary.”
On that first Easter morning during Mary’s darkest hour, Jesus called her by name. And I want you to hear that. I want you to hear that during this Easter Day because I know there are some of you are in the darkness and you think you will never see the light again. And I want you to know on this Easter Day, Jesus is alive and He comes alongside of you and He calls your name and tells you the worst thing is never the last thing.
One thing I have learned about Jesus is that he does his greatest work in the dark. Jesus raises us up my meeting us at the bottom. There is no place so low or so dark that Jesus cannot find you and raise you up. That’s what Easter is all about. Jesus walks into your darkness today and calls you by name.
This is why I believe in Easter, because I have experienced it! Easter is meant to be proven, it is meant to be experienced. “You ask me how I know he lives…”
And believe me, it’s real, because I’ve experienced that resurrection power in my life and it’s helped me overcome darkness. It’s helped me overcome pain. It’s helped me overcome discouragement and darkness. There has always been a resurrection power in my life that has lifted me up from the pit.
And I’ve seen other people who’ve experienced it. Oh my gosh, as a pastor and as a Christian, I’ve seen people and I’ve heard people who say, “You know what? I was addicted to this, but I met Jesus and now I’m free.” I’ve met people who said, “You know what? I’ve met Jesus. And before I was lonely and now I know He’s with me.” I’ve met bitter people who have said to me, “You know what? I’ve met Jesus and now I have forgiven.” Jesus’ resurrection power is real. This is resurrection power.
But maybe some of you are thinking, “Well, Charlie, I’ve heard those words all my life. Trust in Jesus. Believe in Jesus. Trust in Jesus. Believe in Jesus. What does that mean?” Well, this morning, this Easter Day, I’m going to share with you what that means, what it truly means, and it just may change your life. Usually when the Bible shows that phrase or those words, trust in, believe men, this is literally what it means: To lean your whole weight upon.
Have you ever been so tired that you just leaned on something? Have you ever been so tired of standing that you just sat in a chair and you leaned back? That’s trusting in that chair, that’s trusting in that wall. Well, that’s what the Bible means. When you trust in and believe in Jesus, you are putting your whole weight, you are leaning your whole weight, upon Jesus Christ. And when you truly do that, when you surrender your weight to Jesus Christ, that’s when you experience the resurrection power of Easter. That’s when things begin to change. That’s when the light begins to shine in the darkness.
I don’t know, some of you need that. Some of you need to do that because you’ve been carrying so much weight for so long, you’ve been carrying that heartache and that guilt and that resentment and that bitterness on your own for too long. And it’s time for you to just give it up and lean all your weight on Jesus Christ. Because when you do that, when you finally lean your weight upon Jesus Christ, you will find your darkness fade.
Gloria Gaither felt that way when she wrote many years ago, a particular song. She was expecting her first child, the Vietnam War was going on. Her husband Bill was seriously ill. They were going through a difficult time. There was criticism about their music and the gospel music industry, and they were at a very low point in their lives. Gloria remembers sitting in a dark room saying to herself, “How can I bring a child into this world?” Then she said, “Something indescribable happened to me at that moment.” She said, “It’s hard to put into words but all of a sudden I felt my fear dissipate. I heard a voice say to me, don’t forget the empty tomb. Don’t forget the empty tomb. At that moment”, she said, “I confessed my faith in Christ again and then I realized, you know what I can face tomorrow because He lives.”
At that moment, she would write these words, maybe you’ve heard them, “How sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy He gives, but greater still the calm assurance this child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because he lives I can face tomorrow. Because he lives all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
Some of you need that today, need to be reminded of the power of life, over death, of hope over despair, of love over hate, and God over your adversity. The only place you’re going to find it is in the empty tomb of someone name Jesus. Easter matters if you’re afraid to die…if you value life…and if you are in the darkness…Easter matters because God has the last word! And this I know for the Bible tells me so.