Sermon Tone Analysis

Hard questions

A very warm welcome to all of you who are celebrating with us today-- here in person or over livestream.

Jesus has risen!

He has risen indeed!

This is the focus of our worship and celebration on this Resurrection Sunday.

Jesus' victory over sin and death is not only about hope for life after death.

Because of the life that we have in Christ right now, we are united with him and invited to join him in healing the world.

He is risen and he is with us!

But we live in this world where sometimes his presence isn't obvious.

It's a world where suffering and joy appear side by side.

Sometimes it's hard to understand.

We Christians have plenty of questions that we would like answered.

Today, on Resurrection Sunday, we might ask, "How exactly does God resurrect a person?"

And that would be a relevant question, but it is a question that we won't have answered right now.

What are some other questions that we would like answered?

Wait for suggested questions or use the following prompts - 1) How is cancer cured?

2) What do we need to do to have world peace?

3) Why does a flamingo's head have to be upside down when it eats?

There are some hard questions that won't be answered until we see Jesus face to face, some things we won't understand until then.

It's not easy living with hard questions, but our joy is in Jesus.

We're not the only ones who have lived without answers to the hard questions.

Today we remember the story of Mary Magdalene at Jesus' tomb and watch her grief turn to joy as her questions about Jesus' death are answered, while at the same time new questions arise about what it means to serve a risen Savior.

Let's watch a short video about the resurrection using the words of today's passage, found in John 20.

See if you can identify the hard questions.

VIDEO of John 20:1-18

Let's take a closer look at John 20 and identify some questions in this passage.

We ourselves might ask these same questions when we are struggling with change, suffering or difficulties in our lives.

Jn 20:1-2

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

(John 20:1-2 NRSV)

Here we observe Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb while it was still dark.

When Mary sees the stone rolled away, she immediately wonders where Jesus is.

Someone has taken him, and we don't know where he is.

Her question is,

Where is Jesus?

How often in life do we ask the same question - where is Jesus?

My parents or spouse or friend has serious health problems.

I have serious health problems.

Where is Jesus?

My car broke down and it's going to cost more money than I have to fix it.

Where is Jesus?

My landlord says I have to move.

Where is Jesus?

I lost my job.

Where is Jesus?

The people of Ukraine are being executed, raped, and their cities and homes are being destroyed.

Where is Jesus?

Hard questions.

Notice that in our passage Mary assumed Jesus had been taken; he was nowhere around.

It seems like a logical explanation for the missing body.

When we're faced with difficult situations, and ask, "Where is Jesus?" it's easy to make assumptions like Mary did, based on our own logic.

She thought, the body is not here.

It must have been taken.

In our own suffering we too might make assumptions saying, "It's my fault" or "I'm a victim of injustice" or "I'm being punished.

But these are only assumptions.

Instead of trying to figure everything out according to our faulty human logic, we should focus our attention on Jesus' words and work.

In Mary's case, when she realized Jesus was missing, she should have focused on Jesus' words that he would be crucified and die but would rise on the third day.

Today, when we wonder "Where is Jesus?" we have Jesus' words in the Bible to remind us where he is... that "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28, NRSV).

He's in us!

Here are some more of Jesus' words:

"I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.

In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties.

But take heart!

I've conquered the world."

(John 16:32-33 MSG)

While we may ask the question "Where is Jesus?" we can live by the truth that he is alive, he is in us, and we live in him.

Where is Jesus?

He's in you and with you, always inviting you to join him in what he is doing.

This is the reason we celebrate the resurrection.

Jesus is alive and in us; we no longer have to ask where he is.

Let's get back to our story in John 20 and identify another hard question.

Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.

The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.

He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples returned to their homes.

(John 20:3-10 NRSV)

These verses tell us what happened when Peter and John made it to the tomb.

We read that John "believed," but at that time he didn't connect the dots that Jesus had told them he would rise from the dead.

Right then, John believed Mary that Jesus was missing.

He and Peter went home.

Why didn't they stay and try to investigate what happened to Jesus' body?

The hard question they were asking was

What do we do now?

Think of the kind of week they'd had.

After 3 years of living with and learning from their hero, the horrible predictions Jesus had made about the end of his physical life came true.

Their hero and friend was tortured, beaten beyond recognition and crucified on a cross.

They were numb with grief.

Their hearts were broken.

Not only had they lost their friend and teacher, they grieved the loss of a future they had envisioned.

They thought Jesus had come to bring the Father's kingdom in their time.

Loss of their hero.

Loss of their future.

Wondering if they would be killed next.

No wonder they didn't know what to do.

No wonder they withdrew to a safe place and locked the doors.

What emotion makes us withdraw?