Sunday's Message: Easter in Seven Words - Life

There are many words and images that we associate with Easter, both secular and sacred. During the Sundays leading up to Easter, we'll focus on seven words that the Apostle Paul used when he described the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. We'll consider the following:

• February 26 – Grace (Romans 5:12-19)
• March 5 – Faith (Romans 4:1-5)
• March 12 – Peace (Romans 5:1-11)
• March 19 – Light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
• March 26 – Spirit (Romans 8:6-11)
• April 2 – Humility (Philippians 2:5-11)
• April 9 – Life (Colossians 3:1-4)

During the last message in this series, we used Colossians 3:1-4 to consider the word LIFE. Below is a copy and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Now I don’t have to tell anyone here this morning that today is Easter. And even though, just like Christmas, some of the more secular and social aspects of the holiday are emphasized a little bit more now then they were in the past, I believe this is still the single most important day in the entire year, because we have the chance to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the hinge on which human history turns. And I’ll tell you, no amount of bunnies or baskets, dyed eggs or marshmallow peeps, jelly beans or plastic straw, none of that stuff will ever be able to squeeze Jesus out of this day.

And you know, because it’s so important, this morning we’re putting a bow on what we’ve been talking about over the last month and a half. You see, since the end of February, during each Sunday service, we’ve been looking at seven different words that Paul considered important as he thought about the resurrection. And during that time, we’ve looked at GRACE and FAITH, PEACE and LIGHT, SPIRIT and HUMILITY. And by-the-way, y’all can find the six prior messages and services on the Sligo Presbyterian Church Facebook page or YouTube channel. Now that’s what we’ve done. And this morning, we’re going to finish this series by talking about our seventh word: LIFE.

Of course, that probably isn’t much of a surprise. I mean, even if you didn’t see it in the announcements or on the bulletin board, it’s really not a stretch to be focused on life today. I mean, whether you’re talking about flowers blooming and bunnies hopping or Jesus being raised and leaving behind an empty tomb, life really is what Easter’s all about, isn’t it? I mean, it’s about renewal, you know, celebrating something that’s fresh and exciting and uplifting. And it’s also about remembering that what was stale and tired and depressing is over, at least for another year. You see, whether you’re a Christian or not, Easter is about life.

And that’s going to be our focus this morning, but we’re going to approach it in a slightly different way. Instead of reading the Easter story from one of the four gospels, we’re going to look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about the resurrection. I mean, instead of talking about grieving women and dazzling angels and empty tombs, we’re going to focus specifically on how the resurrection can affect us. And to do that, we’re going to look at a little passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, and we’re going to use what he said to better understand why the resurrection of Jesus Christ is important to us right here and now and how this single event can shape both how we choose to see ourselves and how we choose to live our lives. You see, according to Colossians 3:1-4, I think Paul reminds us of two things about the resurrection, both involving life and both of which I think we really need to remember as we relate this life-changing event in human history to ourselves. 

For example, first, I think Paul reminds us that the resurrection is about life because, with Christ, we were raised. In other words, when Jesus Christ was raised by God to a new life, so were we. And I don’t think he could have been more clear about this than in what he wrote right at the beginning of our passage, when he said to Colossians, “You have been raised to life with Christ.” [Colossians 3:1, CEV]

Of course, the fact that he said it, man, that’s really not a surprise. I mean, Paul wrote this to the Ephesians:

But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. [Ephesians 2:4-7, CEV]

In fact, a little bit earlier his letter to the Colossians, he wrote:

Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body. And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins. [Colossians 2:11-13, CEV]

You see, according to Paul, just like we died with Christ on the cross and was buried with him in the tomb, when he was raised to new life, man, we were raised too.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something that we need to remember. You see, although we might believe the resurrection is important, well, I’m not sure we’re always clear about what it meant and means. For instance, sometimes we get it in our heads that, as it applies to us, the resurrection is all about the future, you know, that it’s something that we’re going to have to wait for and that it really doesn’t affect us very much right now. But that’s not what Paul wrote, is it? I mean, he didn’t say we will be raised. Instead, he wrote that we were raised, past tense; therefore, right now we have the opportunity for new life. It’s not a promise for something that’ll be fulfilled some day and it’s not a hope that’ll eventually show up. No, for Paul, we were raised, which means it’s a reality that goes all the way back to a rugged cross and an empty tomb. We were raised; now that’s what Paul wrote. And I’ll tell you something else, he also didn’t say “we will rise” or even “we rose,” as though this was something that we could choose to do ourselves. No, instead he wrote that we were raised. You see, without our permission or help, we were raised by the power of God. As a matter of fact, almost two thousand years before we were born, what did Paul say? “God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.” [Ephesians 2:6, CEV] You see, this new life we’ve been given by God isn’t a wage, rather it’s a gift. It’s not based on who we are or what we think, rather it’s grounded in who God is and what God has done. And because of that, it’s not something that we can lose, rather it’s as unchanging and constant as the one about whom Paul wrote, “Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:39b, CEV]: period, close the book, Elvis has left the building. You see, as we consider its life-giving quality, Paul reminds us that with Christ, we were raised. And in our passage, that’s the first thing he wants us to remember.

And second, in these verses, I also think Paul reminds us that the resurrection is about life because for Christ, we can live. And you know, I think we can see this in what he wrote to the Colossians. I mean, right after talking about how they were raised with Christ, Paul said this:

Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God's right side. Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory. [Colossians 3:1a-4, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote.

And just think about what that means. You see, for Paul, because we have life, now we can live and I mean really live for God. In other words, we now have the ability to set our hearts and to direct our minds toward what is good and right and godly. And we can focus our will and our attention on those self-sacrificing values that come from above and not just the self-serving junk that seems to have such a powerful influence here below. You see, because we were raised to new life with Christ, we can turn from those things that often seem to be driving the world and be guided by those qualities that Paul said come from the Holy Spirit. I mean, just listen to what he wrote to the Galatians:

People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.

God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. [Galatians 5:19-25, CEV]

You see, as God’s resurrected people, this is how we can choose to live.

And I’ll tell you, for Paul, that’s possible for us to do because of what happened when we died on the cross in Christ and when we were raised from the tomb with Christ. You see, because those things happened, we are finally free, free from a past that might prevent us from becoming what we were created to be and free to move into the future with confidence and hope. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans:

If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. We know sin doesn't have power over dead people.

As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God. [Romans 6:5-11, CEV]

Now, brothers and sisters, that’s what we can do. You see, Paul reminds us that for Christ, we can live. And in our passage, that’s the second thing he wants us to remember about the resurrection. 

Of course, I know Easter means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, it’s time to celebrate the renewal we can see all around us, as we move from a world that, since Christmas, has become sort of stale and tired and depressing to one that’s fresh and exciting and uplifting. And for others, Easter is one of four stories in the Gospels that describe grieving women and dazzling angels and empty tombs. But for us, along with the renewal and the story, well, we can see something more. You see, we can remember that, for the Apostle Paul, the resurrection really was all about life, because with Christ, we were raised and for Christ, we can live. And we can allow that understanding to shape both how we choose to see ourselves and how we choose to live our lives, both on Easter Sunday and beyond.