SERMON: THE SOUNDS OF EASTER

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE

8 April 2012 (Modified from 12 April 2009)

I.  Introduction

            -- if you have your Bibles with you, invite you to turn with me to Luke 23 -- I’m going to read verses 50-56 this morning as we begin our Easter sunrise service together

Luke 23:50-56 (NIV)

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,

51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.

52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.

53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.

56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

           

II.  The Sounds of Easter

            -- I want everyone here to do something for me -- in just a second, I want you to close your eyes and take just a moment and listen to the world around you -- I’ll tell you when to open your eyes again -- but for just 15 seconds, I want you to pause and to listen -- ready? -- close your eyes and let’s start

            -- what did you hear? -- what sounds caught your ear this morning?

            -- we’ve gathered here at sunrise on this Easter morning just like Jesus’ disciples did over 2000 years ago -- have you ever stopped to think about what they heard as they stood there that first Easter? -- have you ever stopped to think about what Jesus heard that last week of His life?  -- have you ever stopped to wonder about the sounds of Easter?

            -- that first Easter week started when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey on Palm Sunday -- what was it like riding down the Mount of Olives into the Kidron Valley? -- what noises filled His ears? -- the sound of the donkey plodding along? -- the sound of sandals slapping against the hard earth? -- the sound of His disciples quietly talking amongst themselves?

            -- we do know what happened as He neared Jerusalem -- the Bible tells us that the air was filled with the sound of the crowd -- with the people shouting joyfully, “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord -- Hosanna in the highest”

                       

            -- What about on Maundy Thursday -- the night of the Last Supper? -- What sounds surrounded Jesus then? -- probably the sound of the temple -- of the people gathering to sacrifice the paschal lamb -- lambs bleating -- people talking and singing -- babies crying

            -- What about later that night, as He reclined at the table with His closest disciples and shared the Passover Meal? -- perhaps the sound of a fire crackling in the stove? -- dishes clattering -- glasses clinking -- the sound of friends enjoying each other’s company over a meal -- the sound of conversation and laughter

            -- What about when He washed their feet? -- what do you think the disciples heard then? -- the rustle of cloth as Jesus bent before them? -- the sound of water dripping as He washed their feet -- the sound of cloth against skin as He dried them -- the words of Peter saying that Jesus would never wash his feet and then changing his mind and saying, “not just my feet -- but my heads and my hands, as well”

            -- What other noises did Jesus hear? -- did He hear the clink of the 30 pieces of silver as the priests gave them to Judas for betraying Him? -- did He hear the sounds of the temple guards approaching -- of the clatter of their swords bouncing against their armor? -- did He hear the sound of the torches and the crowds gathered to judge? -- did He hear the rooster crow as Peter denied Him? -- did He listen as the demons rejoiced at the sight of His capture and trial?

            -- What about on Friday? -- as Jesus was passed around between Pontius Pilate and King Herod -- as He was paraded before the crowd -- what did He hear? -- what noises caught His attention?

            -- the noise of the whip as it whistled in the air before striking His flesh? -- the angry cries of the crowd -- the same voices that shouted “Hosanna” just five days before now shouting “Crucify?”

            -- the noise of His own feet as He trod along the Via Dolorosa toward Calvary -- the sound of His cross dragging along behind Him -- the muttering of the crowd that lined the street -- the cries of His family and friends?

            -- What about at Calvary? -- what then? -- did He hear the sound of the hammer striking the nail as it punctured His hands and His feet? -- the sound of the cross being lifted, with ropes straining to seat it into the hole carved in the hill? -- the moans of pain and the cries of derision from the thieves surrounding Him on the other two crosses? -- the jeers and taunts from the Pharisees and the priests and the others gathered to watch? -- the sobs from His mother and the other women?

            -- we don’t know exactly what Jesus heard that week -- the noises that filled His ears -- but we do know one thing that He listened for with all His heart -- straining to hear it, even from the cross -- especially from the cross

            -- He longed to hear the sound of His Father -- He longed to hear His Father’s voice -- but He didn’t -- He couldn’t

            -- Matthew and Mark tell us that right before Jesus died, He cried out in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" -- Why have You left me? -- Why aren’t You here? -- Why can’t I hear You?

            -- In 1 Kings Chapter 19, we read about Elijah following his showdown with Jezebel’s priests on Mount Carmel -- like Jesus, Elijah longed to hear the voice of God -- like Jesus, Elijah longed to know, just for a moment, that God had not abandoned him -- that he was not alone -- that God was still there and things were still o.k.

            -- and the Bible says that Elijah went out of the cave where he was hiding and listened for the Lord -- as he listened, a strong and powerful wind blew over him, tearing the mountain apart and shattering the rocks, but the Lord wasn’t in the wind

            -- After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the quake -- After the quake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire -- And after the fire -- after the chaos -- after it was all over -- in the stillness and the silence -- there came a gentle whisper -- and it was in the quiet of the whisper that Elijah heard God

            -- in this passage that we opened with, it’s all over -- the betrayal and the capture are done -- the trial and the beating is over -- the crucifixion has ended -- the darkness that had covered the land for three hours has lifted -- the veil in the temple has been torn in two, exposing the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant to all for the first time in over 2000 years -- Jesus has proclaimed, “It is finished” -- and He has died

            -- the show’s over -- and the crowd leaves -- looking over their shoulders one more time at the three men left there on the crosses at Calvary -- only a handful of people remain at the foot of their Master -- at the foot of the cross holding Jesus

            -- let me read this passage again, starting at verse 50

Luke 23:50-56 (NIV)

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,

51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.

52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.

53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.

56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

            -- as always happens after a funeral, the crowd begins to leave first-- and the family is left there to mourn alone in silence -- Joseph took Jesus’ body -- and, as John tells it, he and Nicodemus carried Jesus together to the garden, where there was a new tomb where no one had ever been lain before

            -- and Jesus’ mother and Mary Magdalene and a few other faithful women followers of Jesus watched as Joseph and Nicodemus prepared the body for burial -- and then they all left the garden together

            -- think for a moment what that place sounded like as the sun started to set on Good Friday -- as the Sabbath was beginning -- as Joseph and Nicodemus and the women had just left

            -- the garden would have been quiet -- peaceful -- still -- like the calm before a storm

            -- you’d almost think no one was there -- you’d almost think that Jesus had finally been abandoned by everyone -- but in the silence of that place, God was there and He finally spoke the words that Jesus had longed to hear

            -- you would have expected to hear God’s voice earlier in the week -- when the crowd shouted “crucify” -- when the guards flogged the Son of God -- when the crowds jeered as Jesus carried the cross -- when the sound of the hammer reverberated from Golgotha

            -- but just like with Elijah after Mount Carmel -- God’s voice was not heard in the chaos of that week -- His voice wasn’t in the wind of the crowd’s shouts of “Crucify” -- His voice wasn’t in the quake of the hammer’s blow on the cross -- His voice wasn’t even in the fire of the judgment and wrath being poured out on Jesus on the cross for our sake

            -- His voice was in the whisper that echoed in the walls of the tomb -- “Yes, Jesus, You are right -- It is finished” -- and with that whisper, Jesus rose from the dead -- in the quiet of that place, God spoke and Jesus heard and eternity was never the same

            -- sometimes we get caught up in the action -- we get swept up in the chaos of life -- and, try as we might, we just can’t hear God speak -- we call out for Him in the wind -- in the quake -- and in the fire -- but we can’t hear His voice

            -- sometimes we can only hear Him after the crowds have gone home and we are left in silence and we listen with ears of faith

            -- this morning, as we are gathered here as God's people to remember the empty tomb -- and the risen Christ -- and the whisper of victory -- let’s take a moment and listen again for God’s voice to speak to us

            -- let’s take a moment to listen in the stillness of this place -- and let Him whisper to our hearts -- and let Him remind us that He is our God and we are His people -- and this day is all about what He did for us

            -- as we close, let’s remember that it is not the sounds of Easter -- it is not the sounds of the chaos -- of the excitement -- of the action -- that we need to be focusing on -- but on the quiet whisper that changed eternity forever -- on that still small voice that continues to speak today, “It is finished -- sin and death have been destroyed -- I live -- and because I live, so can you”

            -- let’s pray