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March 23, 2008
Scripture: Matthew 28: 1-10, 16-20
Title: "WELCOME - Evangelism"

Matthew sure does know how to get our attention! No quiet Easter morning here!! He is sort of like the Martin Scorsese of his time. He knows how to set a scene and tell a captivating story! It is almost like Matthew has set up the ultimate Hollywood Big Budget film and wants to simply call it Resurrection. We as readers are invited to come, be a part of this story and to imagine, Matthew sitting there in his director’s chair, yelling “Action!, waiting for the story to unfold before us.”

The scene opens: It is a misty morning. Fog rolls across the hills. Two women slowly make their way to a grave. They are weeping and supporting one another as they journey to the grave. They can’t believe he is gone. He was their teacher. He was their healer. He was their Master. And now…he is gone. What are they going to do now?
They come to the spot where their friend is buried. They are not allowed to get too close. There are Roman guards watching, standing between the women and the final resting place of their Beloved Master, creating an impenetrable human wall that separates them from their teacher. Even in death their peaceful loving teach frightens the powers that be.

One woman slowly reaches her hand out to touch the stone, trying to come to grips with the fact that her teacher, her Savior is gone…And as her hand almost touches the stone…Suddenly- There is an earthquake. The earth splits opens. Creation heaves as if struggling to bring forth new life. The earth tumbles the two women and tosses them to the ground.

The women struggle to get to their feet only to see an angel, descending from heaven, with clothes that are so white and so bright, that the women have to turn their faces away. Their eyes burn from the radiance of this angel. And the women watch as The angel effortlessly rolls back the massive stone. Did he just with just one finger to roll away that massive stone that took 10 Roman soldiers to roll into place?

The angel casually takes a seat upon the stone, begins straightening his robes and then says What, Were you expecting someone else?

The women are frightened. The women are stunned. The women are unsure of what is going on as the angel surveys the scene. The Big Manly Roman guards have fallen to the ground in a faint and appear as if they are down for the count! It is almost like they have died.

And now, there are just two women. The angel turns to the women and says: Look, I know this comes as quite of a shock. Don’t be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus. But he is not here. He has been raised from the dead. Don’t believe me. Come on in and take a look! Now Go! Go to the disciples and tell them to meet Jesus in Galilee. Go!”

And the women take off running! In fear and in joy, they take off running! Their excitement cannot be contained. Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior has been raised from the dead! They take off running, sharing the Good News! Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead!!

And our director, Matthew, yells: Cut! End Scene! There is the story! Resurrection! New Life! There is my message! Come and See! There is my mission as a disciple! Go! That’s the Good News! Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. And like any good director, Matthew leaves things unanswered. His audience is wondering and questioning: Wondering what our response would have been on that Easter morning, questioning, what we would have done on that Easter morning.
And that’s the Easter message for us this morning, all rolled up into one story, into one question, into one response: Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. Now, What are we as people of faith going to do about it?

In our Scripture today, that is what matters to Matthew. How are we going to respond to the resurrection of Jesus Christ? He sets the scene for us as people of faith and then calls for action! From the earthquake, to the angel descending, to the women hearing the Good News, for Matthew it all comes down to one word: Action! The women have heard the Good News, now what are they going to do about it? Action! The disciples have been given their calling, now what are they going to do about it? Action!

Throughout the retelling of the resurrection story, Matthew wants to know how are we going to respond to the resurrection as people of faith. The resurrection is not some ordinary miracle. The resurrection is not resuscitation of a body. The resurrection is not an everyday occurrence.
The resurrection is about God acting in our world, shaking the very foundations of our world, and bringing about the Kingdom of God! The resurrection is an extraordinary event and we are invited to participate. How will we respond? And the answer is with Action!

Matthew wants us as readers to understand that the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes our lives and calls us into action for the sake of the Gospel. Each and every moment of Matthew’s story reinforces that as people of faith, we are called to respond to the resurrection by doing, by acting, by simply going! From the moment, the angel descends, the resurrection calls God’s people to action. From the moment, Jesus meets the women on the road, the resurrection calls God’s people into action. From the moment, Jesus meets his disciples on the mountaintop, the resurrection calls the people of God into action!

That’s our story! Resurrection! New Life! That’s our message! Come and See! That is our calling as a disciples! Go! That’s the Good News! Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead! Now what are we going to do about it? And we say that we are going to respond with Action!

Today as we celebrate the resurrection, we as the people of God are once again called to Go! Share the Good News! Go! Live out Jesus’ teachings in your life as people of faith. Go! Cross the boundaries that separate your world. Go! Eat with the lost and the lonely! Go! Welcome the stranger! Go! Proclaim that all of God’s children are holy! Go!

We are called as people of faith to experience the resurrection in our lives. We are called into action to share the Good News that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is raised from the dead. We are called into action to Go, experience the Risen Christ, to go and begin our ministry as people of God, changed by the resurrection, touched by God’s gift of new life.

We as the Body of Christ are called into action. Just like the women on that first Easter morning, we are called to Go! Share the Good News! Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead! Just like the disciples before us who were called into action for the sake of the Gospel, we are called to Go! Make disciples of all nations! Teach. Heal. Share. Break bread with one another. Continue Jesus’ work of calling all of God’s children to serve and worship the Risen Christ. Go! Respond to the Good News with Action!

The resurrection event calls us as the Body of Christ here on earth to live out Jesus’ teachings in our lives and to become active in our faith. The resurrection event calls for us to spring us into action!

“Easter morning disorients our assumption about who is powerful and what is right in the world.” Easter shakes our very foundations as people of faith. Easter motivates us to see and to worship the Risen Christ. “Easter reorients our perspective on what it means to follow in the footsteps of our Risen Savior.”

We are called to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are called to Go! Share the Good News! We are called to experience the life-changing, earth-shattering, truly amazing resurrection of Jesus Christ as the people of God!
The scene has been set and we have been given our mission. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead! What are we going to do about it? How are we going to respond?

May we welcome all of God’s children by sharing the Gospel message. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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