Almost every year, Easter, a day most of us look forward to, falls next to another day that most of us do not look forward to. Tax Day. That's right, every year, usually shortly after we celebrate the risen Jesus, we then have to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Time to pay the taxes! And that reminds me of a well known saying that you have probably heard before: "There are only two things guaranteed in life - death and taxes." Well, taxes might be guaranteed, to the dismay of many of you, but by the time we are done today, I hope you will agree that death is NOT guaranteed! That saying will have to be changed!

In the winter of 1982 Vice President, George H. Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.

You see, she knew that death was not the final word. Even though she had been told all her life by her husband and by the Kremlin that death was the end, she knew that there was One who was resurrected and she hoped her husband might be also. Because of the resurrection we see the death differently! We see Jesus differently. Do not despair. The message that you have been waiting for has arrived. It is a three-word message: Christ Is Risen!

A pastor tells the story of an eye-catching ad in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, newspaper's classified section. Big, bold letters advertised "Used Tombstone. " The ad's text read as follows: "Used tombstone for sale. Real bargain to someone named 'Dingo'. For more information call..." The image of a used tombstone may at first seem grim and depressing. But think again: a "used" tombstone means that its previous owner no longer has any need for it. It is a castoff, an unnecessary item. Christ's resurrection conveys the same message: the tomb is empty! The stone that closed the grave is no longer needed! Death is no longer guaranteed!

But that is difficult for some. Some of you are familiar with Jerry Kramer-he used to play professional football for the Green Bay Packers-now he writes. In one of his books he reflects on his own mortality. He says: "I think a lot about death these days, which is funny too, because I've never been healthier. I've had only one serious illness in the past ten years-only one near-death experience. I haven't broken a bone, not even a finger, since I stopped playing football. And yet, now more than ever, I sense that I'm mortal." He confesses: "A year ago, I lost my father to cancer, and I don't think I'll ever get over his death. In some ways, I think it was more difficult for the family than it was for him. Dad was a very religious man and he was ready to go. Sometimes I wish I had that kind of faith-but I don't. I just have questions."

You know, some of us can probably relate to that. Maybe there are times when we have questions. Times when our faith is more like Thomas' than Peter's. What we need to hear are the words that Jesus spoke to Martha after her brother Lazarus had died. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Friends, the resurrection, death being defeated, is at the heart of Christianity! I think the best thing about Christianity is the sure hope we have that physical death will not be the end, but thanks to Jesus we can and will experience eternal life. I'm thankful that when I do a funeral service for a person who believed, I can say to the grieving family, "Death has not won. Death was defeated on the cross and this is just the beginning of life eternal for this person in heaven."

A man named George was accustomed to driving his wife, Rosie, to church every Sunday. And every Sunday, they parked in the same spot. George and Rosie had been married for 40 years and they loved each other very much. They did everything together. They were inseparable in almost every area of their life, except one. When George drove his wife to church Rosie went in and George remained in the car. Where he would read the Sunday paper. Rosie died, and for many Sundays after, church members looked wistfully at the parking lot because George's car was no longer seen there. Several months later, on Easter Sunday, George's car again appeared, and George went into church!

The preacher delivered a stirring resurrection sermon and then, as was his custom, invited the members of the congregation to respond. No sooner had the words left his mouth than George stood up and with deep emotion said firmly, "Rosie lives!" And then he began to sing: "My wild Irish Rose, the sweetest flower that grows . . ." One person joined in, then another, and another. Finally, everyone present was joyfully singing what someone later described as "The most beautiful Easter hymn ever sung in our church." George came to know first hand, the truth of God's final answer. And it gave his life hope. Because death is NOT God's final answer!

Death has been defeated. Q: What is the date of death's birth? A: The moment Adam & Eve sinned. Scripture tells us: "...by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world and death by sin.". And today we celebrate the date of death's demise! In Genesis we are told the nature of death's death as well. "He will crush your head....." is what God tells the devil!

A recent Easter morning B.C. comic shows a tomb. It's night and the stone covers the opening of the tomb. In the second frame you see light shining around the edges of the stone. In the next frame you're in Peter's cave. There's a rumble as the stone comes rolling through the door of Peter's cave only to crash with a loud "bang" which wakes up Peter. Peter steps out of his cave and sees the tomb. A cross shaped star is shining overhead. You can see the trail that the rolling stone left. Peter heads up to the tomb. When he gets there he sees footprints in the dirt and begins to follow them. The sun is starting to rise. Peter follows the footprints down the hill right up to a small lake. The sun is fully risen and the footprints go right across the water. When Peter looks across the lake he sees a snake obviously mad and recovering from some sort of trauma. The snake says, "Well, that was rude! . . .Some guy just stepped on my head."

Had the stone not been rolled away; had Jesus been left in the tomb to rot; had Jesus not risen from the dead, then sin would have won. I'm here to tell you that the stone has been rolled away! Jesus did step on the head of the snake! He not only stepped on it but He crushed the life out of it. Sin no longer rules our lives. Sin has been defeated. Death is beaten! He is risen!

A little boy whose Daddy was a mortician heard the story of Jesus on Easter and asked, "Do you mean that Jesus really rose up from the dead?" "Oh, yes," his Sunday School teacher said. The boy shook his head. "I know my daddy didn't bury Him or He'd never get up again!"

There was an item printed in Newsweek magazine a few years ago. It was a letter from the Greenville County, South Carolina, Department of Social Services. The letter was written to a dead person. It said: "To whom it may concern: Your food stamps will be stopped effective immediately, because we have received notice that you passed away. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."

I don't know about you, and regardless of what that little boy thinks about his daddy, there's only one person I know of who has had that kind of "change of circumstances," and that is Jesus Christ! That first Easter morning the two Marys saw the same Jesus who had been dead on Good Friday and He was ALIVE! I'll tell you, I probably would have felt "fear and great joy," too! Notice that Matthew says the women experienced "fear and great joy," NOT great fear and joy. The great joy enabled them to overcome their fear and run to tell the others what they had seen and heard, because they also had faith. Without faith, who could believe this incredible story? Even with faith, sometimes our fear keeps us from experiencing great joy.

Two Roman soldiers are guarding Jesus' tomb on the first Easter morning. Each has a cup of coffee in his hand, and the sun is just coming over the horizon. One is encouraging the other. "Cheer up, it's Sunday morning. Way I see it, we've got one more day of guarding the tomb. By Monday this whole thing will blow over."

The world is amazed that millions of Christians still celebrate Easter with such joy. Like those guards at the tomb, the world assumes that "By Monday the whole thing will blow over." But it doesn't. You see, we have good reason to be joyful. God loves us, we are forgiven. For many people, Easter is just another holiday, another day off work. For others, it's bunny rabbits and hunting Easter eggs. For others, it's just another ghost story they don't believe. BUT WE KNOW BETTER! For believers in Christ, Easter means the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! It means the promise of life after death because Jesus conquered the grave! It means hope of a better life. It means joy, not sorrow. It means death is not guaranteed!

In 1989, an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. It's hard to imagine the pain, and suffering. In the twinkling of an eye, worlds were shaken and lives crushed. Lives like the one of a certain loving father. In the midst of chaos and destruction, he rushed to his son's school. But instead of a school, he found a shapeless heap of rubble. Imagine what went through his mind. What would have gone through your mind? Perhaps, shock? But in the case of this father, the sight of rubble and ruin only made him spring into action. He ran to the back corner of the building where his son's class used to be and began to dig. Why? What real hope did he have? What were the chances that his son could have survived such destruction? All he knew was that he had made a promise to always be there for his boy. It was this promise that animated his hands and motivated his heart.

As he began to dig, well-meaning parents tried to pull him out of the rubble saying: "It's too late!" "They're dead!" "You can't help!" "Go home!" "There's nothing you can do!" Then the fire chief tried to pull him off the rubble by saying, "Fires and explosions are happening everywhere. You're in danger. Go home!" Finally, the police came and said, "You're angry, distraught, but it's over. You're endangering others. Go home. We'll handle it!" But he continued to dig for eight . . . 12 . . . 24 . . . 36 hours. Then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his sons' voice. Immediately, he screamed, "ARMAND!" Back came the words, "Dad!?" I told them! I told the other kids that if you were still alive, you'd save me! You promised me, you'd always be here for me! You did it, dad!" A determined father, a promise kept, and a stone rolled away to reveal life and give freedom! The story of Armand's dad reminds me of the events of that first Easter when the Heavenly Father kept a greater promise by rolling away a much more difficult stone. With the rolling away of that stone, came eternal life, and true lasting freedom in Christ! And you know what? Our Heavenly Father is still in the business of rolling away stones!

I hope you aren't worried about taxes any more. But I can assure you that you don't need to worry about death anymore! Because one event that is guaranteed is the resurrection of Christ, where death and evil were defeated! Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Amen.

Back to the Easter page
Back to the Pastor's Messages page