Experience Easter

WELCOME

Pastor Chris Paavola:

Once again, everybody. Good morning. He has risen!

Response: He has risen indeed, hallelujah!

Pastor Chris Paavola:  Good job, good job. My name’s Chris Paavola again. I’m the senior pastor here at St. Mark. Wonderful to be with you guys on this day. This is such an awesome day. Just it is the day that we believe that Christ rose from the dead, what we just sang about, that he has risen indeed and that on this day he defeats death in the grave. On this day, he defeats sin and he offers us eternal life. On this day, it is just so remarkable and worth celebrating, and I’m so glad to be with you guys here celebrating with you and those of you watching online, it’s wonderful to be with you as well. And actually thinking about it, there’s millions of people around the world this morning right now who are celebrating Easter.

And if you think about it even more, there’s billions of people over thousands of years who have been celebrating this moment that we celebrate and we come together with all of the voices present and past and praising God for this incredible, incredible day. But because it’s this event that’s celebrated all over the world for thousands of years over time, little traditions have been latched on and added to the Easter celebration. And now we can celebrate Easter. But there’s all these other trappings and add-ons that come along with the actual event of the resurrection. And now we have the tradition of dressing up in pastel colors. You look fine. I’m just saying it’s pastel colors. We eat pastel colored candy shaped like beans. What does that have to do with Jesus at all? We eat colored eggs hidden by a giant bunny and all of this, and you hear it and you’re just like, wait, what is this?

Where did all of this come from? And what does any of this have to do with Easter? And in fact, it’s possible to do all of those things to eat the sugarcoated, marshmallow shaped like a bird and ham and mimosas and all it’s possible to do all of that and Miss Easter, and it’s impossible to do all of the trappings and traditions of the season and not really experience Easter. And this morning, what I want for you is to be able to walk out of here knowing what it means to experience Easter so that you don’t miss it, which is why I love the story that we’re reading this year.

BACKSTORY

This is a very uncommon story to read because usually on Easter we get together and we read from the biographies of Jesus, the account of the resurrection, and it’s this monumental event that overshadows everything that we don’t usually take the time, get to the other stories associated with Easter that happen after the resurrection. In fact, stories that happen that day, like this story on the road to Emmaus, we don’t usually take the time on Easter morning to read the story. And the reason I love that we’re doing it is because it’s two people who are missing out on an experience with Easter. They’ve heard other people, they were in the city, they’ve heard other people what they said that they saw, but they’re walking away, they’re downcast, they’re burdens, and they’re sad, and they’re walking on their way towards Emmaus.

It’s like a seven-mile walk. It’s about two and a half hours, and they’re just for two and a half hours in sadness. But as we read this story, it gives us a clue, if you will, on what it is we need to do and what it is we can do this morning together to make sure that we truly experience Easter like never before. And so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to look at this account and then pull out this concept so we can experience Easter together. Like I was saying, it was these two guys walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus about seven miles, two and a half, three hour walk, depending how fast you go. And as they’re walking, we heard from the story the first half of the story that Ms. Ashley read, that Jesus suddenly walks with them and they don’t recognize him.

It’s some type of another miracle of Jesus where they are kept from recognizing him. And honestly, you don’t expect dead people to come back to life. So you’re not really expecting to see somebody in a certain right person, wrong place, and you just can’t place them. We’ve all had that experience and they have this experience of Jesus. And I love that we get this glimpse into his personality actually, because as he’s walking with him, he’s like, why are you guys so sad? And they’re like, because of everything that happened in Jerusalem these past few days. And he’s like, I imagine him kind of smirking going, what things? And they start to tell him the story about how their rabbi rode into town and he was hailed as the king and everyone’s cheering and celebrating, but the religious leaders are upset. He performs miracles. He teaches in the temple.

Eventually he’s arrested on and then tried on trumped up charges, and he’s executed by the Roman soldiers. But three days later, he arises from the dead and women go to the tomb to prepare his body for burial, and they see him and then they run to the disciples. The disciples come back and the tomb is empty and everyone is trying to figure out what is going on.

CREDIBILITY

Now, quick side note, I love this fact or just insight into the, it adds credibility to the Easter story because if you’re trying to make up a story and start a religion where a guy rises from the dead, you’re going to make all of the leader guys look really good, but none of the disciples look good in this story. There’s no one at the tomb going 3, 2, 1, waiting for the tomb, the stone to roll away. There’s no one there. The first people who go are women who in that culture cannot give testimony in a court of law. And yet God makes them the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection. They show up to the tomb not to celebrate his resurrection, but to prepare his body for burial, and they run back to the disciples. And what are the disciples doing? They’re hiding. They’re afraid because they are afraid that they’re going to come to the same fate as the one they followed. And then you’ve got Cleopas walking on the road. They’re confused. They don’t understand.

They don’t understand Jesus’s prophecies from scripture. And so Jesus takes the time to unpack scripture with them. I just love that it adds credibility to the story. These guys don’t look good. These are not the kind of things you put in a story if you’re trying to impress people, but these are the kind of things you put in a story. If it’s what happens, you put in there that the disciples were afraid that they didn’t believe, that they were doubting, that they were hiding, and then on the road to Emmaus that they were confused and sad. And so then we get the second half of this story. It’s in Luke 24.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So, he went in to stay with them. Luke 24

So, Luke is a first century follower of Jesus. And in his biography, he writes that as they approach the village, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. Again, I think he’s got a smirk and a little twinkle in his eyes.

He’s like, well, got to be going. And they’re like, no, no, no, no, stay. And he is like, really? I can’t. They’re like, no, please stay. He’s like, fine. Okay, I’ll come over. This is very common in first century Middle Eastern culture, this kind of hospitality. But they urged him strongly, stay with us for its nearly evening. The day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them, and when he goes inside, we get kind of the connections that they sit down for a meal after walking for three hours. And so verse next verse, please.

30 when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it  and began to give it to them. 31 Then there eyes opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. Luke 24

“When he was at the table with them, he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, and then their eyes were opened”. So, God opens their eyes at this moment “and they recognized him, and then he disappeared from their sight.” Now you read that little paragraph, and I know the thing that just stands out is, oh my goodness, he just disappeared from their sight.

This happens again the next week. So, this isn’t the first time Jesus pulls this trick. The next week they’re having church, they’re getting together to talk about the resurrection, and they’re all together. And there’s a guy named Thomas there. He’s a doubter. And you can read that story. It’s another post-resurrection account. But while they’re sitting there, Jesus appears talks with them, and then he disappears. And so this isn’t the only time. I mean, okay, if he walks on water and he rises from the dead, he can do this miracle and he is with them. And Oh, go ahead and go back please. He’s with them back, please. There you go. He’s with them. They break spread, their eyes are open and he disappears. And we’re so overwhelmed by the miracle that we miss this little thing, this little factoid in the middle of it that I think is so important.

He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, and then their eyes were opened. This is the same rhythm and pattern he did just three days earlier at the Passover meal. He took bread, gave thanks, he broke it and he gave it to them. And this is actually the same pattern we see at the feeding of the 5,000 when he miraculously multiplies five loaves of bread and two fish. But before he does that, he takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to them. And in this breaking of bread and communing with Jesus, that’s when they recognize him and their eyes are open and they believe and he disappears from their sight. They’re overwhelmed by it and they have to go back and tell everybody it’s true.

32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?” Luke 24

So, in the next verse we read, they asked each other, “were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened scriptures to us.” My friends, this has been my prayer for you all week as I’ve been preparing for this, that your hearts would burn within you today, Cleopas, that you would experience the joy of Mary when she runs away saying, I’ve seen the Lord that you would experience the faith of John as he looks in the tomb and that you would have your hearts burning within you this morning.

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them assembled together. 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke bread. Luke 24

And so, they have this aha moment with each other. In the next verse, they decide to go back to Jerusalem, and there they found the 11 and those who were gathered with them and said, it’s true, the Lord has risen and appeared to Simon. And then they told them what happened on the way to Emmaus and how they recognize Jesus when he broke the bread. And in that little segment right there, I think it’s so fascinating that with the disciples, they make sure to include the breaking of bread, and it’s kind of poetic if you think about it. It is like this mere image of the events of the day. They walk from Jerusalem not understanding scripture, they break bread with Jesus and then they understand the scripture and return to Jerusalem. But at the middle of this mirror image that’s called a chiasm actually in literature at the middle of this moment is this supper with Jesus when they break bread.

And that line when he broke the bread is the line I think we need to hold onto this morning. That’s how we can make sure you experience Easter. It is super uncommon to read this story on Easter morning, but it’s even more uncommon to celebrate communion on Easter morning. Very, very uncommon. And part of the reason is because logistics of this, and I told the altar team we were going to have communion. They were like, come again. But they figured it out. They’re awesome servant hearts. They want to serve so they figured it out.

COMMUNION

But when we celebrate communion, the reason we don’t usually do this on Easter is because we’re remembering his death. He actually said, this is my body broken for you. This is my blood poured out for you. It’s a meal remembering his death. And why would you want to do that on this day when we remember his resurrection, his life and that he is risen!

Response: He is risen indeed, hallelujah!

Pastor Chris Paavola:  Good job. Good job.

But I think there’s no better way to commemorate this story than to celebrate this thing that stands at the center of it, this communion, this breaking of bread with Jesus. And here’s why. When we celebrate this meal, he doesn’t say like, this represents my body, or this is a picture of my blood. He says, this is my body. This is my blood in the bread and wine. We believe that he is present in this meal and the only way he can be present in the bread and wine, the only way is if he’s alive. The only way he can be here is if he is risen!

Response: He is risen indeed, hallelujah!

Pastor Chris Paavola: Good job. I slicked that one in there.

When Julia child passed away, the famous chef Julia Child, it was reported that her last meal was French onion soup. And so in like London today at culinary schools, when they’re teaching on Julia Child and her techniques and the history of her and everything like that, they commemorate her death and the life she lived past tense by having French onion soup. The difference is for us, this is not a meal that just commemorates his death or his life. This is a meal that commemorates his resurrection. You can hear Paul, the apostle Paul allude to this, and when he is writing his letter to the Corinthians, he says, when you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death. Yep. Until he returns. Because he is alive. It’s a meal that celebrates his life, his risen life. And that’s what we’re going to do.

We’re going to celebrate communion. Now, my hope for you is that when you come forward to receive the bread that Jesus breaks and you touch it, that your eyes are opens all morning. You have heard Jesus speak when his word was read. You’ve seen Jesus in one another as you greeted each other and showed hospitality. But now you are going to have an opportunity to touch Jesus. This is my body, this is my blood. And my prayer is that your eyes are opened to see what that he’s been with you longer than you realize, and he’s far closer than you ever knew. I get it. Some of you guys walked in here today just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Your hearts were heavy, you were weighed down. Sad because life is hard. Some of you have walked in here this Easter different than last Easter. You were served divorce papers this year. Some of you have a medical diagnosis this year. Some of you have fallen into debt this year, and my hope is, is that you come forward and when you touch the bread that Jesus gives, that your eyes are open to see that he has been with you through all of that. You were not alone. He was with you. And he goes out with you. Open your eyes. Open your eyes.

PRAYER

Lemme pray for us. Heavenly Father, I pray for every person here in this room, every person watching online, that you would do just that. You would open our eyes to see Jesus this day that he is with us, that we are not alone. And then that changes the way we go forward. Thank you God, for this incredible day where we celebrate your son’s resurrection. Thank you for the gift of giving your son to lay down his life for us dying, our death and our place that we might live his life and his place. Wow. We just praise you and we join together now praying the words he taught us to pray, saying together our father who arts in heaven, Hollywood be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not and to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.