Sunday's Message - How to Celebrate the 4th of July at Home

On Sunday morning, Sligo Presbyterian Church gathered for its annual worship service and picnic at the Union Pool Park, in Sligo. Our service began at 10:00 followed by a carry-in picnic lunch. Below is a recording and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, here we are, my fourth church picnic here in Sligo. And although it might be a little damp today, it’s really nothing like it was three years ago, when the Deacons were literally shoveling mud out of the shelter in the back. Do you remember that? And what y’all who came might find interesting is this; I’m not at all sure th ey washed their hands before putting out the food. Well, remember, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

Of course, I’ve always enjoyed church picnics, particularly the ones held right before the Fourth of July. I mean, not only do they sort of put us in a picnicking frame of mind, they also give me something to preach about that’s a little different from what I’ve been saying on Sunday morning. Take this year, for example. We’ve been in a series dealing with Paul’s letter to the Galatians. And even though we’ll pick up on it next week, this morning I can focus on something that really stands alone, and I’m talking about the Fourth of July. 

And you know, it’s interesting, as I was doing some research on Friday, I ran across an article that was published on June 24, 2020, you know, right in the early stages of the pandemic, and it was entitled How to Celebrate the 4th of July at Home. Now in it, the writer suggested doing several different things, you know, like getting “some Fourth of July decorations to bring your home to life in lockdown” and having “some games ready for you and your family /quaranteam to keep you entertained” and making “sure everybody dresses the part and dresses up in spirit for the 4th!” Now those were some of the suggestions, and I’ll tell you, outside of words like “lockdown” and “quaranteam,” personally, I think they’re pretty good with or without COVID crashing the party.

But when you think about it, if you’re talking about suggestions dealing with how we might celebrate this day, it may make sense to go right to the source, and I’m talking about a person who served on the Congressional committee that actually wrote our Declaration of Independence. You see, along with Thomas Jefferson; Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were also members of this Committee of Five assigned to draft a document that would be presented to the Congress, which they did on July 2. And even though no one took any minutes as they were working, we do have a letter that John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail after the declaration was approved. And after giving her a little background information, he offered two suggestions about how Independence Day might be celebrated in the future.

And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, we’re going to listen to what Adams wrote, compare it to similar ideas in the Bible and then we’re going to relate it ourselves. And hopefully, by the end of this little message, we’ll have a good idea about how to celebrate the 4th of July at home.

And like I said, I think we can get a pretty good idea about how we can do this by looking at two very clear and practical suggestions offered by John Adams in his letter to his wife. For example, first, according to what he wrote, we can celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past. Just listen to what Adams wrote:

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Now that’s how this founding father envisioned us celebrating our independence. And you know, what he was saying about how it was a Day of Deliverance, well, that sounds a lot like what Isaiah felt as he thought about what God had done with his people. The prophet wrote, 

You, Lord, are my God!

    I will praise you

for doing the wonderful things

you had planned and promised

    since ancient times.

You have destroyed the fortress

of our enemies,

    leaving their city in ruins.

Nothing in that foreign city

    will ever be rebuilt.

Now strong and cruel nations

    will fear and honor you.

You have been a place of safety

for the poor and needy

    in times of trouble.

Brutal enemies pounded us

    like a heavy rain

or the heat of the sun at noon,

    but you were our shelter.

Those wild foreigners struck

    like scorching desert heat.

But you were like a cloud,

    protecting us from the sun.

You kept our enemies from singing

    songs of victory. [Isaiah 25:1-5, CEV]

You see, both Adams and Isaiah could feel joy as they looked at what God had done for them in the past. 

And I’m telling you, on this Fourth of July, so can we. We can feel joy as we look to the past, our past; particularly when we consider the courage and the wisdom shown by our founding fathers and mothers. Of course, we all know they certainly weren’t perfect; My gosh, they either practiced or condoned racial slavery and our mothers had to fight and scrap to take their rightful place beside our fathers. Still, they had the courage to risk everything they had for a cause greater than themselves and the wisdom to promote ideas that are still developing and being applied in situations they could never have imagined, and I’m talking about principles like liberty and justice and equality. You see, we can feel joy and enthusiasm that such men and women lived and did extraordinary things. And so, following the suggestion of John Adams, I think we can celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past. Now that’s one thing we can do.

And second, we can also celebrate the Fourth of July with hope as we look toward the future. In other words, not only can we feel joy looking at where we’ve been, we can also feel hope as we consider where we’re going. And I think that’s something else Adams wrote in this letter. He said, 

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. – I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. – Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

You see, for Adams, even though the price paid may be great, in the end, it’ll all be worth it. And I’ll tell you, this sounds a lot like what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews had in mind when he said this:

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up. [Hebrews 12:1-3, CEV]

You see, we’re not running this race alone, not as individuals and not as a country. We’re surrounded by a large crowd of witnesses. And even when things seem rough and we feel as though we’re struggling and have lost our way a little bit, we can keep moving forward. We can keep moving forward, because we believe that the world was and the world is and the world will always be in the hands of God. And we can keep moving forward, because we’re confident that “through all the Gloom [we] can see the Rays of ravishing Light” that are illuminating our path. You see, we can keep moving forward, because, if we allow ourselves and our country to continue to grow and mature and not retreat and stagnate, there’s glory just ahead. And I’ll tell you, that’s why I think we can celebrate the Fourth of July with hope as we look toward the future, something else Adams suggested that we do.

Of course, doing this kind of thing won’t be easy. I mean, there are plenty of people who tell us that we should be ashamed of the past and plenty of others that want us to be afraid of the future. But since they don’t control us, let’s make the intentional decision to put these folks over to one side. And then as men and women who were delivered in the past and who are racing into the future, let’s follow the suggestion of John Adams and the examples of the faithful and celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past and with hope as we look toward the future. And trust me, this is something we can do whether we’re at home or away. 

Sunday's Sermon - Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? (The Resurrection Anticipated the Holy Spirit)

Although we all know that Easter is about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we may not be quite as clear about the  meaning and significance of this pivotal event in human history. For that reason, for five Sundays in the months of April and May, we’ll consider this question: Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? During this series, we’ll consider the following topic: 

• April 7 - The Resurrection Provides Validation
• April 21 - The Resurrection Was Physical
• April 28 - The Resurrection Offers Hope
• May 5 - The Resurrection Is Good News
• May 12 - The Resurrection Anticipated the Holy Spirit

We finished this series on Sunday when we looked how the resurrection of Jesus Christ anticipated the Holy Spirit. A recording and the text of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDST)

Now, of course, today is Mother’s Day. I mean, that’s why the Gallagher girls offered that wonderful special number, When God Made Me Your Mother, and then we listened to Emma White describe that special relationship between mothers and daughters. And that’s why the Deacons will give a flower to the women, because in one way or another, motherhood sort of ties us all together. In fact, that’s why Debbie isn’t here this morning. You see, yesterday was graduation day at WVU and tomorrow she’s scheduled to lead some tours around the campus; therefore, Maggie wasn’t able to come up here. And so the one whom God made her mother and with whom she fights every now and then, well, mom went down to daughter. I mean, that’s what mothers do, isn’t it?

But, you know, it’s kind of interesting; for me, the significance of this day has changed since my mom died. You see, in the past on Mother’s Day, I’m not sure I really spent a lot of time thinking about anything deeper than picking a card and sending some flowers. But in the five years she’s been gone, I now recognize that she did something remarkable and I didn’t ever realize she was doing it; she actually enabled me to live a good, compassionate, Christian life without her. In other words, she gave me the tools to be a good person and a compassionate husband and father and a man who looks to Jesus Christ as his guide for both faith and action, knowing that she wasn’t always going to be around to tell me that the stove was too hot or that the traffic was too busy or that the time we have is often too short. But, looking back, now I think that’s exactly what my mom did for me, but I don’t think I’m alone. In a real way, I believe that’s just what caring and loving mothers do. 

But I’ll tell you, it’s not just mothers who do this kind of thing, and that’s really what we’re going to talk about today. You see, this morning, we’re tying up a series we started right after Easter in which we asked this question: Why is the resurrection of Jesus important? And during that time, we’ve talked about different aspects of the resurrection that we just might want to understand, you know, like how it provided validation to Jesus’s life and ministry and how it was physical. And we talked about how it can, if we choose to understand its significance, offer a whole bunch of hope and maybe, because of that, it can shape how we share the good news with others. Now, that’s what we’ve been doing. 

And this morning, on not only Mother’s Day but the one Sunday a year that comes between the ascension, Jesus’s return to heaven, and Pentecost, we’re going to wrap this series up by spending a little time talking about how the resurrection and ascension actually anticipates the Holy Spirit. And do that, we’re going to look at two things. First, we’re going to look at three passages of scripture that really point to what happened, you know, the relationship between the resurrection and ascension with the coming of the Spirit. And then second, we’re going to spend a little time talking about how we can respond, in other words, what we might want to do for God given what God has done for us. Now, that’s the plan.

You see, as I read it, according to scripture, since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has come to us. Now that’s what happened. In other words, if Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead and if he hadn’t ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit would never have descended to earth and filled the disciples, including us. Simply put, without Easter and the Ascension, there would have been no Pentecost. And like I said, I think we can see this established in three different passages of scripture. 

For example, just listen to what John wrote in his gospel as Jesus was right in the middle of his last conversation with his closest friends;

Jesus said to his disciples:

If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don’t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.

I won’t leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. In a little while the people of this world won’t be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. Then you will know I am one with the Father. You will know you are one with me, and I am one with you. If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.

The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, then spoke up and asked, “Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?”

Jesus replied:

If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn’t love me, won’t obey me. What they have heard me say doesn’t really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.

I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. [John 14:15-25, CEV]

Now that’s what John wrote.

And according to Luke, from his Book of Acts,

For 40 days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God’s kingdom. While he was still with them, he said:

Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?”

Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky.

Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them. They said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way you have seen him go.” [Acts 1:3-11, CEV]

Now, that’s what Luke said. 

And finally, just listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. Yet God raised Jesus to life! God’s Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit. [Romans 8:5-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said. 

And I’ll tell you, when we take all three passages together, I think it’s pretty clear that, in a meaningful way, the third person of the Trinity wasn’t really going to shape the lives of the disciples until after Jesus had been resurrected and returned to the Father, marking the end of his ministry here on earth. But since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has come upon us. Now according to these three passages, I think that’s what happened. 

But then, that leaves us with a decision to make, doesn’t it? I mean, since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven and as a result, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, now we really have to decide what we’re going to do about it, don’t we? 

For example, we have to decide if we’re going to listen to what Jesus promised his disciples according to John. In other words, we’re going to have to decide if we’re going to listen to Jesus when he told us that he sent the Holy Spirit to help us do what he commanded us to do. And what did he command us to do? Just listen:

But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. [John 13:34-35, CEV]

You see, we have to decide if we’re going to listen to what Jesus said according to John.

But I’ll tell you, we also need to decide if we’re going to move like Jesus and those two guys in Acts told those disciples to move. I mean, although it might be a whole lot more comfortable to just stand there, with our mouths open, staring up into the clouds, I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when he told his disciples to... 

Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:19-20, CEV]

You see, we have to decide if we’re going to move like we were told to move in Acts.

And finally, we’re going to have to decide if we’re going to change in the way Paul envisioned in his letter to the Romans. I mean, since Jesus was raised from the dead and since the Spirit is in us and since we know exactly how God wants us to live and exactly how God wants us to treat one another and exactly how God wants us to relate to him, we really need to determine whether or not we’re going to do what Paul wrote about when he said, again to the Romans:

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. [Romans 12:9-10, CEV]

You see, whether it’s listening or moving or changing, I think we all face a decision. I mean, since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven and as a result, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, now we really have to decide what we’re going to do about it.

And I’ll tell you, I believe that really brings us back to Mother’s Day and in particular, what I said about my mom. You see, although I didn’t recognize it when she was doing it, whether because I was in Louisiana or Montana or Indiana or whether she’d entered immortality, so much of what she did prepared me for life when she wasn’t around. And you know, that’s really what the resurrected Jesus did for his disciples and has done for us. I mean, since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, something we’ll talk about next week on Pentecost. And since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven and as a result, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, now we really have to decide what we’re going to do about it. And for those two reasons, I believe I’m safe in saying that, along with providing validation and being physical, offering hope and being good news, the resurrection of Jesus really does anticipate the Holy Spirit.

Sunday's Sermon - Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? (The Resurrection Is Good News)

Although we all know that Easter is about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we may not be quite as clear about the  meaning and significance of this pivotal event in human history. For that reason, for five Sundays in the months of April and May, we’ll consider this question: Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? During this series, we’ll consider the following topic: 

• April 7 - The Resurrection Provides Validation
• April 21 - The Resurrection Was Physical
• April 28 - The Resurrection Offers Hope
• May 5 - The Resurrection Is Good News
• May 12 - The Resurrection Anticipated the Holy Spirit

We continued this series on Sunday when we looked how the resurrection of Jesus Christ can shape the way we share the good news. A recording and the text of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDST)

Well, here we are, almost a week into the month of May. And as I remember from when I was teaching, this is a particularly important time for everybody involved in education. I mean, for folks in administration and maintenance, this is the time to start looking forward, and I’m talking about looking forward to some peace and quiet around the office and the school without intrigue from the teacher’s lounge or fights on the playground. And as for the teachers, this is the time to start changing pace, you know, entering final grades and taking stuff off the walls and looking forward to doing something else, right up to that first in-service day in the mid-August. And for the students, man, this is the time to start chilling out and sleeping late and drifting along, that is until your money runs out or practice starts or mom finally says, “Are you going to waste your whole summer doing nothing?” Now, as I remember, that’s what’s about to happen around the school.

And right here, in the church, we’re continuing the series we started right after Easter, one in which we’re focusing on the question, Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? Now, during that time, we’ve talked about how the resurrection provided validation, you know, for the life Jesus lived and the work he did and the mission he’s given us to do. And then we looked at how the resurrection also was physical, showing that the real world into which he was raised really is important because it’s in this world where we can see God’s nature and understand our responsibilities. And then last week, we looked at how the resurrection also offers hope, you know, how, according to the Apostle Paul, even though we're going to die, because Jesus was raised, we can have hope that we will too. Now that’s where we’ve been.

And this morning, we’re going to focus on another reason I think the resurrection of Jesus is important, this time how the resurrection is actually Good News. In other words, during this message, we’re going to consider how the resurrection has shaped and continues to shape the proclamation of the gospel. And to do that, we’re going to look at what the Bible has to say and then discuss three different ways the resurrection can affect our ability to communicate with those around us God’s relationship with us and our relationship with him. Now that’s what we’ll be doing for the next ten minutes or so.

For example, first, as it relates to our sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, I believe the resurrection provides unity, and I’m talking about the unity we’re going to need in order to get the job done. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, the resurrection is actually the second most important event that pulled us together as the church and made us what we are today. You see, for me, only Pentecost, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, is a more important source of unity than the resurrection. Let’s just say, when it comes to unity, the resurrection is a big deal. 

And you know, I think we can see that in Scripture. For example, do you remember what was going on with the disciples before they encountered the resurrected Christ? I mean, do you remember what happened right around the arrest and crucifixion, you know when the heat was on? Let’s see: one betrayed him, one denied him, and the rest...well just listen to the Evangelist Mark: All of Jesus’ disciples ran off and left him. One of them was a young man who was wearing only a linen cloth. And when the men grabbed him, he left the cloth behind and ran away naked. [Mark 14:50-52, CEV] Not something a disciple would want on his resume, right? And then after Jesus had died and was buried, this was how John described the same group: The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. [John 20:19a, CEV] Again, not the best look. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but this sure doesn’t sound like people who are going to evangelize the world. And yet, according to scripture, that all changed when Jesus appeared to them. As a matter of fact, it was his appearance, and I’m talking about the appearance of the resurrected Christ, that seemed to make all the difference. And I’ll tell you, I believe, that’s why Paul wrote this to the Corinthians:

I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. This part is:

Christ died for our sins,

    as the Scriptures say.

He was buried,

    and three days later

he was raised to life,

    as the Scriptures say.

Christ appeared to Peter,

    then to the twelve.

After this, he appeared

to more than five hundred

    other followers.

Most of them are still alive,

    but some have died.

He also appeared to James,

    then to all of the apostles.

Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. [1 Corinthians 15:3-8, CEV]

You see, it was the appearance of the risen Christ that turned a scattered and frightened group of disciples into a unified body that would change the world.

And you know, it can do the same for us. In other words, I believe a shared faith in the resurrection can draw us together as the church. And I’ll tell you, from what I see happening, this couldn’t come at a better time. I mean, right in our area, congregations are leaving denominations for reasons they believe justify an ecclesiastical divorce. And just like in so many American families, churches are being torn apart by partisan issues. Now that’s what’s happening, and I think we all know it. And without saying that these reasons and these issues aren’t important, maybe, just maybe if we focused on something we all share, you know, like faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, then maybe, just maybe not only might we avoid so much of the outright hostility we see now-a-days, who knows, we might even be able to let our defenses down a little bit so that we can actually listen to one another and grow in our faith and relationship with God and then focus on sharing something so much greater than the reasons and issues that are ripping us apart. You see, as it relates to our sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the resurrection provides unity. And for me that’s one.

And second, I think it also provides direction. In other words, because of the resurrection, not only do we have a common focus that draws us together, I believe we also have some pretty clear direction about what we should be doing and how we should be doing it. 

And I’ll tell you, I think we hear exactly what that is when we listen to what the resurrected Christ told his disciples. You see, it was after the resurrection, when, according to Matthew, 

Jesus came to them and said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:18–20, CEV]

You see, those disciples not only experienced a sense of unity they hadn’t had before, in a very real way, they received their marching orders from the one whom God had raised from death. 

And I’ll tell you something, so do we. So do we as we go about our daily living with folks who face genuine problems and pain and who at times experience real frustrations and fears and who may be struggling to live with all kinds of disappointments and doubt. You see, that’s the world that we have, even if it’s not exactly the world that we want. But it’s in this world that Christ has sent us to live and it’s for those folks he called us to disciple, in other words, to show them how to live and to invite them into this community and to love them with the same dedication and the same intention and the same intensity that we love ourselves. But you know, that’s only going to happen after we make the decision that we’re going to open our ears and our minds and our hearts and that we’re going to listen and learn and that we’re going to take the instruction offered by our risen Lord and apply it in our world. In other words, as it relates to our sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the resurrection provides direction. And for me that’s two.

And third, right along with offering us the unity and the direction, I believe the resurrection also provides content, and I’m talking about the core of the message that we carry around with us as we just go about living our lives. In other words, when you’re talking about sharing the good news of Christ to the world, the meaning and significance of the resurrection must be communicated by us, through the words that we use and the lives that we live. 

And just like it was when we talked about unity and direction, I think that the resurrection was central to the message shared by the disciples. For example, right after the coming of the Holy Spirit, in the first sermon preached in the Book of Acts, the Apostle Peter said this:

Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this. God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross. But God set him free from death and raised him to life. Death could not hold him in its power. [Acts 2:22-24, CEV]

Now that was from the first sermon in Acts. And in one of the very last, just listen to what Paul said:

But all this time God has helped me, and I have preached both to the rich and to the poor. I have told them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. I told them how the Messiah would suffer and be the first to be raised from death, so he could bring light to his own people and to the Gentiles. [Acts 26:22-23, CEV]

You see, whether you’re talking about the beginning or the end, the resurrection was an important part of the message the earliest Christians brought into their world.

And it can be the same for us. And just like Peter and Paul, we can certainly share the resurrection through the words we use. You see, we can tell folks about some of the stuff we’ve been talking about over these last few weeks. For example, we can tell them about how the resurrection reminds us that the teachings of Jesus are worth claiming and that the natural world is worth protecting and that the hope made real in that empty tomb is worth claiming. This we can do. But you know, although talking and telling is all well and good, I think we can actually be more effective sharing the resurrection through the kind of lives we choose to live. I mean, just think about it. Aren’t we sharing the good news every time we choose to follow the example of one whose tomb was empty? And aren’t we sharing the good news every time we show kindness and care for all those things and people who live in this physical world into which Jesus was raised? And aren’t we sharing the good news every time we make the conscious and intentional decision to reject the anger and the hatred and the fear that’s become so common in our world today and to embrace hope? In fact, when we do this kind of stuff, aren’t we sharing the gospel in a way that’s possible for us to do and that the people around us can understand? I think so. And you know what that means; we can share the good news without saying a word. But whether it’s through words or work or a combination of the two, I think this is important for us to do, because, as it relates to our sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the resurrection provides content. And for me that’s three.

Now, as y’all may remember, at the beginning of this message, I mentioned how the month of May is a big deal for folks involved in education, like those in administration and maintenance and the teachers and the students. Well, unfortunately, I left out two groups who are facing their own stuff, and right now I’m talking about those who are about to graduate and of course, the parents of those who are about to graduate. Man, I think we’d be making a big mistake if we don’t remember the emotional and financial stress that comes from closing one door and opening another.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s also what we should do when we think about the relationship between God raising Jesus and us sharing the good news. You see, I believe we need to remember that the resurrection is pretty important too, because it provides unity and direction and content for us to be able to communicate the message we’ve been called to share. And in that way, well, the resurrection of Jesus really is good news.