Running Toward the Resurrection: Hope in a Frozen World

• The Resurrection [00:34:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the resurrection is not merely a spiritual metaphor but a physical, historical event that is the foundation of Christian hope and the core of the Gospel.
• Death and Mortality [00:36:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the 'Beat the Freeze' analogy, the pastor illustrates that while humans have a head start in life, death inevitably catches everyone, except for Jesus who 'put death to death.'
• Historical Evidence of Christianity [00:39:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts Jesus with other executed messianic claimants (Simon Bar-Giora, Simon Bar-Kachma) to demonstrate that Jesus is the only leader whose movement grew after his death due to the resurrection.
• Historical Evidence for the Resurrection [00:44:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues for the truth of the resurrection by citing the empty tomb, the failure of the 'stolen body' theory, the willingness of disciples to die for the claim, and the existence of living witnesses.
• The Concept of Eucatastrophe [00:52:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using J.R.R. Tolkien's term, the pastor describes the resurrection as a 'surprising turn of events that creates widespread goodness,' contrasting it with the 'catastrophe' of Friday.
• Resurrection as the Ultimate Myth/Story [00:56:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the resurrection to Greek mythology and Hades, suggesting the resurrection is the 'one true myth' that fulfills the human longing for escape from death.
• Greek Mythology vs. Christian Resurrection [00:56:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the inescapable Hades of Greek mythology with the Christian belief in the resurrection, citing Revelation and Tim Keller to argue that the resurrection is the 'one true myth' that resolves the human condition.
• Historical Impact of Christianity [01:00:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the example of historian Tom Holland, the pastor argues that concepts like human rights, equality, and care for the marginalized are rooted in Christianity, which transformed the ancient Greco-Roman world.
• Origins of Healthcare and Hospitality [01:03:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the modern hospital system originated from Christian concepts of hospitality and charity, citing Bishop Cyprian and the early church's response to plagues.
• Communion as Practice of Resurrection [01:05:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon transitions to the liturgy of communion, framing it as a 'crossroads' moment where believers metaphorically roll away the stone, confronting death and affirming faith in the risen Jesus.
• The Resurrection and its Historical Context [01:17:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the event of the resurrection on Sunday to the crucifixion on Friday, using the historical reality of the resurrection to interpret current life events.
• Overcoming Fear through Divine Promise [01:17:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the congregation's current worries and fears, asserting that the resurrection guarantees a positive outcome ('everything is going to be okay').
• Christian Living and Witness [01:18:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor calls the congregation to live out the hope of the resurrection by actively bringing truth, goodness, and beauty into the world.

• Sermon Illustration [00:35:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the 'Beat the Freeze' promotion at Atlanta Braves games, where a fan races against a character in a blue tracksuit. Despite a massive head start, the fan always loses because 'the freeze' is faster. This serves as a metaphor for humanity's race against death: we all seem to have a head start, but death always wins, except for Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the historical figures Simon Bar-Giora and Simon Bar-Kachma, who led messianic movements and were executed by Rome. Their movements died with them, and their temples (like the Bar Kochman Temple in Raleigh) do not exist, contrasting them with Jesus whose movement grew after His death.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of election day: if a candidate loses, their supporters typically remove their yard signs. However, three days after Jesus' death, the disciples metaphorically pulled the campaign signs out of the trash and stuck them back in the ground, continuing the movement despite the leader's death.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of election day: if your candidate loses, you don't keep up your yard signs; similarly, followers of dead Messiahs (Bar-Giora, Bar-Kochman) stopped following, but Jesus' followers 'pulled those campaign signs out of the trash' after the resurrection.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights the unique New Testament instance of people running, citing Matthew and John where women and disciples run to the tomb and from it, symbolizing the shift from walking to running due to the resurrection.
• Sermon Illustration [00:46:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the 'stolen body' theory as a PR nightmare for Roman/Jewish leaders, noting that guards were kept alive to spread this lie, and cites Justin Martyr's record of a Jewish scholar claiming Christians stole the body.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites Blaise Pascal's philosophy that histories are most believable when witnesses are willing to be slaughtered for them.
• Sermon Illustration [00:52:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references J.R.R. Tolkien's concept of 'eucatastrophe' (good catastrophe) and provides examples from modern media: Toy Story 3 (aliens saving toys), Beauty and the Beast (Beast saving Belle), and Project Hail Mary.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Greek mythology of Hades (realm of the dead) and contrasts it with Revelation 1, where Jesus holds the 'keys of death and Hades,' presenting the resurrection as the fulfillment of the search for escape from death.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the Broadway musical 'Hadestown' and Greek myths of Hades to illustrate the ancient human fear of death and the inability to escape it, contrasting this with the Christian hope of resurrection.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about Pastor Tim Keller, who, before his death, reflected that if Jesus is raised, 'everything's going to be alright,' and that the resurrection is like 'salt on the wound' preventing it from festering.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of historian Tom Holland, an atheist raised by an atheist father and Christian mother, who discovered through research that his values (human rights, equality) originated from Christianity, leading him to write 'Why I Was Wrong About Christianity.'
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > An anecdote about Bishop Cyprian in second-century North Africa, who challenged his flock to serve their community during a plague, leading to the creation of hospitals based on the Christian concept of hospitality.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about his two oldest children being born at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, using it to illustrate the modern healthcare system's indebtedness to Christian charity.

• Pastoral Charge [00:51:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > Seek out living witnesses of the resurrection to verify the truth of the claim.
• Pastoral Charge [01:08:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > Instructs those who have not put faith in Jesus to either stay in their seat for silent reflection or come forward to receive a blessing with crossed arms instead of taking communion.
• Pastoral Charge [01:09:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > Provides specific logistical instructions for the congregation on how to physically participate in the communion service (aisles, elements, gluten-free options).

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:06:18] Happy Easter. So whether you are a skeptic, a seeker, a doubter, or a believer, welcome to Midtown Community Church.
[00:06:35] This is a true welcome every Sunday we gather together, but this is especially true on this Sunday.
[00:06:42] Because on this Sunday, we are reminded of the fact that Jesus came for all kinds of people.
[00:06:51] He came for people who knew what to expect on this Sunday morning and for those who didn't.
[00:06:56] He came for doubters.
[00:06:58] He came for believers.
[00:07:00] He came for people filled with hope.
[00:07:03] And he came for those who are hopeless.
[00:07:06] This is an opportunity for us to lean into what is the foundation of our Christian hope.
[00:07:13] And so that's what we're going to do this morning.
[00:07:15] I'm going to invite you to please stand for our call to worship.
[00:07:18] A call to worship, if you've never heard this term before, A call to worship is an invitation by God to enter into worship, to enter into the foundation of Christian hope.
[00:07:31] And so our call to worship this morning is a responsive reading.
[00:07:35] I'll lead with the leader portion.
[00:07:37] We'll recite together in bold what is for the congregation.
[00:07:41] So let's do so at this time.
[00:07:44] Christ is risen.
[00:07:48] In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
[00:07:57] Jesus has come that we may have life and have it to the fullest.
[00:08:05] If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
[00:08:08] The old is gone and the new has come.
[00:08:13] God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
[00:08:24] Christ is risen and let us worship.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:08:26] Happy Easter.

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:17:06] My name is Courtney Killinger, and I'm one of the elders here.
[00:17:09] We now have the opportunity to join together with Christians all over the world and throughout the centuries by confessing our faith.
[00:17:18] In your bulletin, you'll find the Apostles' Creed. Let's recite it together.
[00:17:24] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
[00:17:29] I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
[00:17:39] He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
[00:17:45] He descended into hell.
[00:17:47] The third day he rose again from the dead.
[00:17:51] He ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
[00:17:57] From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead, how to leave in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[00:18:14] Amen.
[00:18:15] Now we will sing our song of thanksgiving and collect our tithes and offerings.
[00:18:20] If the ushers would please come forward.
[00:18:21] If you're visiting with us today, please feel no need to give.
[00:18:24] We're just happy that you're here worshiping with us.

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:18:32] at this time children up through second grade are dismissed for children's church

[00:23:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:23:20] parents you can bring your kids up to the front here find the teacher for your kids class while they're being dismissed take a moment greet somebody new around you all right if everybody can take a seat at this time so welcome to midtown community church
[00:26:57] My name is Lindsay Williams. I'm one of the pastors here. We're really glad you could join us on this Easter Sunday.
[00:27:04] If you turn to the page 11 and 12 of your bulletin, you've got a list of a few things going on in the life of our church.
[00:27:13] And so if you're visiting, if you're exploring a new church home, this gives you a little bit of a feel for some of the things that we value and have going on in the life of our church.
[00:27:23] We clearly value pickleball. It's right there on page 11 for young adults.
[00:27:27] But there's one announcement I do want to draw your attention to that's in the bulletin.
[00:27:33] Can we trust the Gospels?
[00:27:36] And so at the end of most of the pews, there's a little card here.
[00:27:42] This Thursday night, 7 p.m., we're going to be back here in the sanctuary, and we're going to hear from a guy named Dr. Mike Kruger, who is really one of the foremost scholars on the origins of the New Testament.
[00:27:57] And so this is especially true whenever you start to explore some of the more radical beliefs of Christianity, which Easter puts a spotlight on, this idea of the historical resurrection of Jesus.
[00:28:09] And one of the inevitable questions that comes up when you explore this claim is this question.
[00:28:15] can we trust what the gospels claim about Jesus? And so this Thursday night, 7 p.m., we're bringing in a guy named Dr. Mike Kruger, who is an expert in the field of early New Testament manuscripts,
[00:28:32] and he's going to provide an opportunity for us to really explore this question and to find some real measurable answers to why we can trust this Bible that we hold in our hands and we talk about
[00:28:47] and we read from and why we can really trust our lives and put all the focus of our lives on what it has to say. So I would highly encourage everybody to attend. Again, these cards have
[00:28:59] the QR code. For those of y'all who are part of the church and have the church center app, you can register for the event there. It's only $5. I promise you it'll be well worth your time.
[00:29:12] If you have any friends that you've been having conversations with about Christianity, this is a great opportunity, not only for believers, but for skeptics, doubters, and seekers.
[00:29:26] So this Thursday night, 7 p.m., it's going to be a very unique opportunity. I'd really love for y'all to show up. I think you'll get a whole lot out of it. All right, that's it for announcements.
[00:29:38] We're here to worship the risen Jesus, and so with that in mind, Courtney's going to come pray, and then we'll jump into God's Word. Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning full of

[00:30:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:30:04] gratitude for the grace that you've given us. This Easter Sunday, we remember the great love that you have for your children. We remember the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[00:30:16] Today especially, we have great confidence in your love for us through the work that Jesus has done on our behalf.
[00:30:22] You gave us your Son, Jesus, to redeem us, to save us from our sins.
[00:30:27] Through Christ's resurrection, we see a picture of what life looks like for us.
[00:30:31] We rest in the assurance of heaven and everlasting life in your presence.
[00:30:36] We praise you as holy and righteous.
[00:30:39] Lord, we confess that we often forget the gift that has been given to us, forget the pain that Christ endured on our behalf, In our sin, we turn away from the face of Jesus by seeking our own path to what we think is best,
[00:30:53] seeking success, comfort, and peace outside of you.
[00:30:56] We forget that he performed everything necessary for salvation.
[00:31:00] In our sin, we look to our good works for an assurance of your love, and we falsely believe that we can merit our own salvation.
[00:31:07] Lord, forgive us of these sins and help us to return to the only source of success, comfort, peace, and salvation.
[00:31:15] In Christ alone, our hope is found.
[00:31:18] Father, we thank you for full forgiveness of sin.
[00:31:22] We thank you, Father, for everyone gathered here today to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
[00:31:27] We thank you for the gospel being preached in Raleigh and throughout the world.
[00:31:31] Thank you that you are making new believers every day.
[00:31:34] We thank you for the cross.
[00:31:37] Thank you that we are reconciled to you, that Jesus bore the wrath that we deserve.
[00:31:42] Thank you that our Lord Jesus has risen today and he is alive. Thank you that we get to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
[00:31:52] Father, we ask that you continue your work in each of us. We ask that you continue to show your face to us and to those that don't know you. Give us the courage to share the gospel
[00:32:01] with our neighbors. Let the gospel be spread throughout the world. We pray for the many missions, organizations, and ministries locally and globally that share your word.
[00:32:10] Lord bless our local gospel partners Young Life, RUF Refugee Hope Partners Amazing Grace Adoptions be with our global missions and mercy partners as well Family Legacy, Illyrica Movement Missionaries Mark and Esther Jong and Damaris House
[00:32:29] be with our church plant partners Downtown Presbyterian in Wilmington and Christ Our King in Charlotte as Jesus commissioned the disciples after the resurrection let us go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Father, we now turn our time to your word.
[00:32:48] We ask that this passage would touch us and change us. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the love that you have for us through your word. Be with your servant, Pastor Lindsay, as he preaches this
[00:32:57] morning. We ask all of this in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus. Amen. Today's scripture comes

[00:33:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:33:12] from Matthew 28, verses 1 through 15. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great
[00:33:22] earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes white as snow. And for fear of
[00:33:31] him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.
[00:33:42] Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. See, I have told
[00:33:52] you. And so they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said greetings. And they came up and took hold of his
[00:34:01] feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me. While they were going, behold, some of the guards went into
[00:34:12] the city to tell the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel. They gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, tell people
[00:34:21] his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if it comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. And so they took the money and did
[00:34:30] as they were directed. This is the story that has been spread among the Jews to this day. This is

[00:34:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:34:35] the word of God. So Major League Baseball season has officially started. And if you've ever been to a professional baseball game, most teams have these in-game promotions that are sort of designed to keep the fans in their seats, and my favorite in-game promotion I've ever
[00:35:03] come across, it's called Beat the Freeze, and they take place at Atlanta Braves baseball games.
[00:35:09] Has anybody ever seen this, Beat the Freeze?
[00:35:12] Okay, a couple of y'all have.
[00:35:13] So the premise is that a fan is given the opportunity to race against this guy that is called the freeze. He's all decked out in a full body blue track suit. And the race, it's about 200 meters long. It's from like foul pole to foul pole. And every fan is given like
[00:35:36] this massive head start. And it's so much of a head start, you're like, there's no way that the freeze is going to be able to come back and win the race. But sure enough, every single time,
[00:35:48] the freeze wins. I found this one clip on YouTube of this one fan, and he flies out of the start line. And he starts to get close to the finish line, and then he thinks he's won the race,
[00:36:05] and he starts to hold his hands up as if like he's got it, but the crowd doesn't respond. And the reason why is because the freeze is right there. And just before this guy crosses the
[00:36:17] finish line. The freeze beats him. The guy is astonished. He falls on his face and he literally eats dirt. It is one of the funniest YouTube clips. Beat the freeze is a great metaphor for our race against death. You know, every one of us, we enter this world with what seems like
[00:36:43] an incredible head start, but eventually death catches up to every one of us. And I think this is why Easter, it's a more complex holiday and it's far less marketable than Christmas, right?
[00:37:06] We don't have a problem celebrating people's birthdays, even if we don't have a relationship with the person, right? But celebrating resurrections is different, right? Just like no one beats the freeze, no one beats death, and we all know it. And yet here we are. You know,
[00:37:28] for the past 2,000 years, Christians have gone all in on the belief that there's actually one man in human history that put death to death. All four gospel writers, they make the historical resurrection of Jesus, the crescendo, the resolution of the Jesus story. The most significant,
[00:37:54] most prolific New Testament author is a guy named the Apostle Paul. He went so far as to say that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then he isn't the Messiah, and it means the Christian
[00:38:07] faith is useless. And we've now got our Sunday mornings back. You know, all of the recognized creeds of the Christian church, the Apostles' creeds, no exception, right? They explicitly put the resurrection of Jesus in the hall of fame, so to speak, of all the major doctrines
[00:38:28] of our faith. You know, to believe in the resurrection, it's not merely to believe that the teachings of Jesus live on, even though they most certainly do live on. It's not merely to believe that after his death that Jesus went to heaven. We certainly believe that 40 days
[00:38:47] after his appearance on earth.
[00:38:49] He did just as that.
[00:38:50] It isn't merely to believe that the life of Jesus lives on through the witness of the church, even though that is proven to be true.
[00:39:01] It's to believe that there is this man, Jesus of Nazareth, who physically, bodily, and historically rose from the dead and appeared to hundreds of people in the flesh here on earth.
[00:39:16] You know, Jesus was actually not the only person to claim to be the Messiah who was also executed by the Roman government.
[00:39:28] In fact, during the same time period as Jesus, there was a man named Simon Bar-Giora and another man named Simeon Bar-Kachma.
[00:39:38] They both led messianic movements.
[00:39:42] Both were executed by the Roman government.
[00:39:47] If you've ever driven down Western Boulevard in Raleigh, near the intersection of Gorman Street, have you noticed the Bar Kochman Temple that's located there?
[00:39:59] No, because it doesn't exist, right?
[00:40:02] These followers are not in existence.
[00:40:06] These religions died.
[00:40:08] Why?
[00:40:09] Because their leaders died.
[00:40:12] You know, it's a well-documented fact that the followers of Jesus, they all fled the scene on the day of Jesus' death.
[00:40:20] And I'm actually of the opinion that we are way overly critical of what the disciples did on that Friday.
[00:40:27] Because the reality is that this is precisely what the followers of Bar-Giora and Bar-Kochman did.
[00:40:35] If a Messiah dies, you understand that the movement is over.
[00:40:41] to keep celebrating and following the leadership of somebody who's died, it would be like the equivalent of after election day has passed and your candidate is lost, you've decided, I'm going to keep up my yard signs.
[00:41:00] Three days after Jesus' death, followers of Jesus, metaphorically speaking, they pulled those campaign signs out of the trash and they stuck them right there in the ground.
[00:41:19] The movement came back to life.
[00:41:22] This is the only Messianic movement in history that grew more after the death of their Messiah than before.
[00:41:33] You know, if you look at Matthew's account of the resurrection, I don't know if you noticed what the women did when they first learned of the resurrection.
[00:41:42] The very first activity.
[00:41:45] If you go to John's account of the resurrection, he tells us that there were two disciples and they responded in the exact same way that these women did.
[00:41:55] And to further add to the significance of these collective responses, it just so happens that this is the only instance in the entire New Testament where you see people engaging in this very activity.
[00:42:14] what am I talking about?
[00:42:19] If you go to verse 8 of the passage that Madison just read, it says this, So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples.
[00:42:35] If you go to John's account of the resurrection, we're told that the women, they ran to Peter and John to let them know the tomb was empty.
[00:42:43] And after they heard that, here's what John's gospel says.
[00:42:46] So Peter went out with the other disciple and they were going towards the tomb, both of them were running together.
[00:42:56] But the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
[00:43:01] The only example you'll find in the entire New Testament of people running is found on this one day, Resurrection Sunday.
[00:43:14] I think the gospel writers mentioned this fact for two reasons.
[00:43:19] One, because it was a historical account, and that is in fact what happened.
[00:43:24] People were like running everywhere.
[00:43:27] But I also think it's a little bit of a picture to show that everything changed for the followers of Jesus on that Sunday morning.
[00:43:40] They wanted to beat the freeze.
[00:43:45] What I want to do in our remaining time together this morning is I want to explain why the followers of Jesus went from people who walked to now becoming people who run.
[00:43:58] And it's worth us running towards this same claim of the resurrection as well.
[00:44:04] So, all right, three reasons.
[00:44:05] I've got an outline there in your bulletin.
[00:44:07] It's true.
[00:44:09] It's good.
[00:44:11] It's beautiful.
[00:44:13] So, first of all, they ran towards the resurrection because it's true.
[00:44:20] If you look at our passage, it's worth noting that what convinced the women of the resurrection was not actually an encounter with Jesus.
[00:44:32] It was the absence of Jesus' body in the tomb.
[00:44:37] In fact, when they spoke to an angel, the angel said to them, He is not here, for he is risen, as he said.
[00:44:46] And then he tells them, here's your evidence.
[00:44:48] Come and see the place where he lay.
[00:44:50] See the absence of his body.
[00:44:54] So why is an empty tomb, the absence of Jesus, such a definitive picture or piece of evidence for the resurrection?
[00:45:02] Well, one of the reasons it's one of the most obstinate historical events that has ever happened in human history is because no one has been able to produce the body of Jesus.
[00:45:19] and what makes this so problematic is that on multiple occasions during his time on earth Jesus declared both in private and publicly that he was going to die and three days later he was going to rise from the dead and it's for this very reason that the guards were placed at
[00:45:39] the tomb to make sure right that nobody got out of the tomb and that nobody could get into the tomb to get his body. You know, additionally, the stone that was placed over the tomb is believed
[00:45:52] to have been about two tons. It would require 20 strong men to move the tomb, to move the stone that was covering the tomb. You know, the Jewish and Roman leaders knew that all they had to do
[00:46:08] was simply to make sure that no one stole the body of Jesus. And yet, if you caught the very into the passage that was read, you'll notice that the main explanation for dispelling the resurrection
[00:46:22] is precisely what?
[00:46:26] That the disciples stole Jesus' body.
[00:46:30] Do you feel the irony of that?
[00:46:34] The authorities tried everything to cover up the resurrection by advancing the very story that they went out of their way to prevent from ever happening.
[00:46:47] Just consider how improbable of a theory the stolen body theory is.
[00:46:53] First, the disciples were of no mind to steal the body.
[00:46:56] They fled at Jesus' arrest.
[00:46:59] They were crushed and terrified upon his death like every follower of every Messianic movement had ever responded.
[00:47:08] Second, the authorities posted guards at the tomb.
[00:47:12] The disciples could never overpower Roman soldiers.
[00:47:16] these were just fishermen and throw in a tax collector in there.
[00:47:21] Maybe they could have bribed the guards.
[00:47:23] Here's the problem with that.
[00:47:25] A guard who is unable to fulfill his duty, that is a capital offense.
[00:47:31] There is no amount of money that would convince a soldier to actually give up the opportunity to actually keep on living.
[00:47:42] Third, what if, against all odds, the disciples stole the body of Jesus?
[00:47:49] they've got a bigger problem on their hands because nearly all of them died for a lie.
[00:47:57] You know, human experience tells us people will not die for something they know to be a lie, especially when they get nothing from it.
[00:48:08] You know, I don't know if you caught this, but in verse 15, the last sentence, it says, so the guards took the money and did as they directed.
[00:48:18] and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
[00:48:25] Oddly enough, the Roman guards, the reason they were not killed for dereliction of duty is because the Roman and Jewish leaders needed them to stay alive to advance the theory that they should have died for.
[00:48:43] This was a massive PR nightmare for the Roman and Jewish leaders.
[00:48:50] Now, you may wonder, right, how do we know that this story was spread among the Jews?
[00:48:55] The Gospels say this, but how can we trust that?
[00:48:59] Interestingly, there was another document that was discovered a number of years ago by a guy named Justin Martyr.
[00:49:06] He lived in the early 2nd century.
[00:49:09] And he actually wrote a document that was a series of dialogues, debates, between him and a Jewish scholar, a guy named Tritho.
[00:49:19] And here's what this Jewish scholar said to him, which we found through archaeological evidence.
[00:49:25] This Jewish scholar said this, You Christians have sent chosen and ordained men throughout the world to proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy has sprung up from this one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whose disciples stole him by night from the tomb.
[00:49:47] There's a French philosopher, mathematician, Blaise Pascal, he said this, I can only believe histories in which witnesses were to be slaughtered.
[00:49:59] The most believable historic claims are the ones for which witnesses are willing to die for it.
[00:50:07] And this is in part why the resurrection of Jesus is the most obstinate historical event in history.
[00:50:17] You know, if you go to the Apostle Paul's account of the resurrection, It's a letter that he wrote to a church in Corinth.
[00:50:24] You'll find this in 1 Corinthians 15.
[00:50:26] He affirms the bodily historical resurrection of Jesus, and then he adds this statement.
[00:50:33] He says that Jesus then appeared to Cephas, which was another name for Peter, then to the Twelve, then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time.
[00:50:45] But then he adds this one addendum.
[00:50:49] He says, most of whom are still alive.
[00:50:54] It's almost as if Paul is trying to tell this church in Corinth, I know that this is a crazy, it is a radical belief, but the people who saw Jesus in the flesh, they're going to say the exact same story,
[00:51:06] and they're still alive, i.e., go find them.
[00:51:11] Hear from them directly and see if you think it's true.
[00:51:20] The second reason they ran towards the resurrection is because it was good.
[00:51:24] So going back to the women, right, their first action was to run.
[00:51:29] But did you notice what their first feeling was upon learning of the resurrection?
[00:51:35] So when they first saw the angel, according to Matthew's gospel, they were filled with fear.
[00:51:42] That is a typical response whenever anybody sees an angel in all of the Bible.
[00:51:47] But after being told that Jesus had been risen, they reigned.
[00:51:54] But the text says there's another emotion that actually eclipsed their fear.
[00:52:01] Here's what the text says.
[00:52:03] So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy.
[00:52:11] The resurrection filled them with joy.
[00:52:15] You know, everybody here has probably heard of the word catastrophe, right?
[00:52:19] A catastrophe is a sudden and widespread disaster, right?
[00:52:26] This would be a very accurate label to describe what Friday looked like for the disciples.
[00:52:32] That was a catastrophe.
[00:52:36] English author J.R.R. Tolkien, he wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
[00:52:42] he coined another word to describe what is at the heart of many of our favorite fairy tales.
[00:52:52] And he calls it a eucatastrophe.
[00:52:56] It combines these two Greek words, eu meaning good.
[00:53:01] This is where we get words like eulogy, euphoria, alongside of the word catastrophe, disaster.
[00:53:09] According to Tolkien, a eucatastrophe is a surprising turn of events that you never see coming, but it creates widespread goodness.
[00:53:29] You know, you see this at multiple points in the Lord of the Rings trilogy if you've seen any of the movies or read the books.
[00:53:37] But this concept of a eucatastrophe, it's actually found in so many modern-day fairy tales.
[00:53:46] A couple of examples.
[00:53:48] Toy Story 3.
[00:53:50] Woody and his friends are about to be put to death because they're in the incinerator until who comes to save the day?
[00:54:00] The pizza planet aliens, right?
[00:54:02] With the claw.
[00:54:04] That was a eucatastrophe.
[00:54:07] One of my wife's favorite Disney films is Beauty and the Beast.
[00:54:11] and a eucatastrophe occurs there when the beast through an act of love and sacrifice saves Belle and we finally, this is the words from the song that there's something there that wasn't there before it was a eucatastrophe
[00:54:32] my daughter and I a few nights ago we saw the movie Project Hail Mary there's a eucatastrophe in that movie as well it happens when Rocky and I'm not going to break it.
[00:54:43] I'm not going to, don't worry.
[00:54:45] I'm not going to ruin the movie for you.
[00:54:46] But there is a eucatastrophe in Project Hail Mary as well.
[00:54:50] Sort of the point here is that humans are hard-coded with this longing for sudden goodness.
[00:54:59] And, you know, it wasn't lost on me that when I was writing my sermon, you know, I preach on an iPad, and when I was on my word processing application pages, It isn't lost on me that there's only one word in my entire document
[00:55:18] that has dotted red lines under it, and it's this word, eucatastrophe.
[00:55:26] Meaning that even though it's embedded in all of our favorite stories, it still isn't recognized as an actual English word.
[00:55:37] But what the resurrection does is it suggests that we are right to long for sudden, widespread acts of goodness.
[00:55:48] That we should write these words even if the officials struggle to recognize them.
[00:55:55] Because the resurrection of Jesus, it's the ultimate eucatastrophe.
[00:56:01] You know, if you go back to ancient Greece, they didn't have Disney or Pixar, but what their version of Disney and Pixar was is what we call Greek mythology.
[00:56:15] And there are numerous Greek myths that spoke of this place that the Greek writers, they called Hades.
[00:56:27] Hades is known as the realm of the dead.
[00:56:30] There's like a musical that came out on Broadway called Hadestown, which is based on one story involving people trying to get down to Hades and to find their way out of it.
[00:56:40] Now, almost all the Greek myths, when they speak of Hades, it is this place that people try to escape from, but they are never able to do so.
[00:56:53] Well, I don't know if you know this, but the New Testament was written originally in Greek.
[00:56:58] It was written in the context of the Greco-Roman world.
[00:57:04] And it's interesting, and I don't think it's a coincidence, that when the New Testament writers speak of the impact of the resurrection, they're drawing from these well-known Greek myths.
[00:57:21] If you go to the book of Revelation, it's written by the Apostle John.
[00:57:25] He's the one that beat out Peter to the tomb on that Easter Sunday.
[00:57:30] He relays these words from Jesus.
[00:57:35] Jesus said in Revelation 1, Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one.
[00:57:40] I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades.
[00:57:51] But early Christians are suggesting that the resurrection is the one true myth that you've been searching for and writing about throughout your life.
[00:58:06] Pastor Tim Keller, he was up in Manhattan, New York, and he passed away from pancreatic cancer a couple years ago.
[00:58:15] In an interview that he did just before his death, here's how he worked through the implications of the resurrection in his life.
[00:58:24] He said this, if Jesus is raised from the dead, if he truly rolled away that stone and he walked out of that tomb, if he really appeared to people in the flesh, what that means to me
[00:58:41] is that everything's going to be alright whatever you're worried about right now whatever you're afraid of at this moment everything's going to be okay he goes on to say that the resurrection it doesn't stop your tears on earth
[00:59:04] but it's like salt on the wound it keeps that wound from going back it's the power of the resurrection you know finally the resurrection is beautiful you know when you look at the women who witnessed the resurrection, did you notice where they ran to?
[00:59:28] The angel told them, go quickly, tell Jesus' disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he's going before you to Galilee.
[00:59:40] There you will see him.
[00:59:41] See, I have told you.
[00:59:44] And then the text says, so they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples.
[00:59:52] The immediate impact of the resurrection is that it spread like a virus of good, creating beauty in the entire world.
[01:00:03] You know, it's well documented that at the time of Jesus' death, it was the women who remained near Jesus at the time of His crucifixion, but it was the men who all abandoned Him.
[01:00:14] and yet the resurrection inspired the women to go to the very men who had abandoned Jesus three days earlier, right?
[01:00:24] The resurrection is ground zero for all the beauty that Christians have ever brought into this world because what the resurrection says is that it isn't just our souls that matter to God, but it's our bodies too.
[01:00:38] And in fact, if that's true, there is good news for the whole world.
[01:00:45] There's a guy named Tom Holland, not the guy that plays Spider-Man, another Tom Holland from England.
[01:00:53] He's a popular British author.
[01:00:56] Interestingly, he's written both horror novels as well as historical nonfiction works.
[01:01:03] So he's got this interesting story.
[01:01:06] His mother was a Christian.
[01:01:09] His father was an atheist.
[01:01:11] And so for most of his life, he followed in the footsteps of his father, disavowing the existence of God.
[01:01:19] However, when he started doing some work, he began doing historical work on the impact of Christianity upon the Western world.
[01:01:29] And the deeper he got into his research, he realized that many of the things that he still valued as a human being, they actually found their source in Christianity.
[01:01:44] His belief in things like human equality, human rights, equality for men and women, love for the foreigner, care for the poor, the weak, the marginalized.
[01:01:56] These were all beliefs that Christianity by and large brought into the ancient world.
[01:02:04] You know, the ancient Greeks and Romans often laughed at such notions of caring for the stranger and the orphan.
[01:02:11] History has shown that it was only as Christianity spread that these beliefs became generally accepted in the world.
[01:02:21] And so, as a result of all his research, Tom Holland, he eventually wrote an article, had it published in a famous British magazine, and this was the title of the article.
[01:02:32] why I was wrong about Christianity.
[01:02:38] Our two oldest kids were born in Charlotte.
[01:02:43] Y'all remember what hospital you were born at?
[01:02:50] Presbyterian Hospital.
[01:02:52] It serves as a subtle reminder that the modern healthcare system is indebted to the impact of Christianity.
[01:03:04] A few years ago, there was a historian who published an article.
[01:03:08] You'll find it in the Johns Hopkins Medical Journal.
[01:03:11] and what he discovered is that the very concept of the hospital was created by the Christian church.
[01:03:22] It's rooted in Christian concepts of charity and philanthropy.
[01:03:27] The word comes from this Christian concept that we call what?
[01:03:32] Hospitality.
[01:03:34] Hospitals, if you go all the way back to the very beginning, it goes back to a bishop of a church in North Africa, a guy named Cyprian in the second century who challenged his flock to get out of their pews
[01:03:51] and to serve their community during a plague that hit North Africa. Hospitals came into existence because of a group of Christians. You know, what they were doing, it's what an American poet, a guy named Wendell Berry, I love his term for this. He says that Christians are people who are
[01:04:16] to be about practicing the resurrection. That's what we do. We're constantly people who are practicing the resurrection. This is why we gather on Sundays to mark the day of Jesus' resurrection.
[01:04:35] This is why we pursue adoption. Some of y'all have pursued foster care. While we serve the poor, We create orphanages.
[01:04:46] We love the refugees.
[01:04:48] This is why we don't give up on people when they feel really lost.
[01:04:55] Because we believe in a God of eucatastrophes.
[01:05:02] This is why we love our neighbor, even if we don't have much in common with them.
[01:05:07] This is why we put flowers on the table.
[01:05:10] We're practicing the resurrection.
[01:05:13] You know, in many ways, the sacrament of communion, it's a perfect example of the power of the resurrection because it says, because of what happened on Sunday, we are people who have the courage to look at what happened
[01:05:34] on that Thursday night and on that Friday.
[01:05:40] The resurrection is actually what makes us to be people who aren't afraid of death.
[01:05:51] We actually believe that beauty, the beauty of the resurrection, can be found in places of death because you can't have a resurrection without having a death.
[01:06:02] And so the sacrament of communion has been something instituted by Jesus for the past 2,000 years as a collective opportunity for us every Sunday that we gather together to metaphorically speaking to roll away that stone.
[01:06:17] We have the courage to do that because of what happened on this one Sunday morning 2,000 years ago.
[01:06:25] Now, let me say this about the sacrament of communion.
[01:06:29] This is the one point in our worship service that serves as a crossroads for every single individual who is here.
[01:06:40] There's another story in the gospel accounts, a moment when Jesus was having a conversation with a woman named Martha who had just lost her brother Lazarus.
[01:06:51] And Jesus said this to her in the midst of her grief.
[01:06:55] He said, I am the resurrection and the life.
[01:06:58] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
[01:07:03] And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
[01:07:09] And then he asks her a question, do you believe this?
[01:07:12] And so the sacrament of communion is an opportunity for all of us individually.
[01:07:17] This is between you and God to answer this question.
[01:07:22] Do you believe this?
[01:07:26] Do you believe that the resurrection is true, is good, and is beautiful?
[01:07:35] This sacrament is for people who've come to a place in their spiritual journey where they are able to declare in good conscience that I have put my faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
[01:07:47] And so if there's anybody here today who has not put their faith in the risen Jesus, we would encourage you at this portion of our worship service to use this not as an opportunity to take a sacrament
[01:08:00] that might communicate something more than is true for you.
[01:08:04] Instead, there's two things you can do.
[01:08:06] You can stay in your seat, use this as a time of silent reflection, or if you do want to come up front, we would invite you that when you get to the front of your line
[01:08:18] you can cross your arms over your chest and whoever is serving communion will just pronounce a very simple blessing over you and then you can return to your seat.
[01:08:29] But this is an opportunity for people to experience that crossroads moment whether for the first time or once again to remember then the person of Jesus Christ.
[01:08:40] We believe in a risen Jesus who brings what is true and is good and is beautiful in this world.
[01:08:47] And this is an opportunity for us to, metaphorically speaking, to run towards that resurrection and to live into that reality.
[01:08:56] You know, Jesus reminds us that on the night that he was betrayed, he took the bread and he broke it.
[01:09:04] And he gave it to his disciples and he said, this represents my body that was broken for you.
[01:09:10] Then after the supper, he took the cup and he said, this cup. It represents my blood. It was shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. Drink from it, all of you. Now, if this is your first time taking communion and you have put your faith in the
[01:09:23] person of Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, then here's how we do communion. After I pray, you'll come up through the center two aisles and then you'll come up and pinch off a piece of bread.
[01:09:36] If you need a gluten-free option, that will be provided in my far right, your far left. And then every tray. The outer ring is grape juice. Everything else is wine. And so take a quarter
[01:09:47] of your conscience, exit through the exterior aisles, return to your seat, and then I will lead us so that we as a community of faith can take this sacrament of communion together. Let me pray,
[01:09:58] and if those who are serving would come forward at this time. Heavenly Father, you asked a grieving sister this very question about 2,000 years ago. Do you believe this, that I am the resurrection in the life. And Jesus,
[01:10:29] this is the most radical belief in our extensive set of beliefs that we have as the Christian church, that this is the hinge upon which everything that is true, that is good, and is beautiful has ever
[01:10:48] taken place in this world and ever will.
[01:10:51] And so Jesus, I pray that whether for the first time or for the 100th time, that this would be an opportunity for us to answer that question, do you believe this?
[01:11:01] And to say yes.
[01:11:03] I believe you, Jesus, are the resurrection of the life.
[01:11:06] And so I pray that you would help us to live in that reality.
[01:11:09] And for anybody here who hasn't gotten to that place yet where they put their faith in Jesus, I pray that you would give them the courage to begin exploring what it looks like to consider the claims of the empty tomb
[01:11:23] and whether or not everything that is true and good is beautiful that we long for in this world.
[01:11:27] that we actually find the source material for and the one myth that is actually true.
[01:11:36] Jesus, would you use this meal for our good?
[01:11:41] In your name, amen.
[01:11:43] This is my body broken for you when you eat of this.
[01:16:29] Remember me.
[01:16:47] Jesus then said, this cup, it represents my blood.
[01:16:49] It was shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
[01:16:51] Drink from it, all of you.
[01:16:55] Let's pray.
[01:17:02] Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity that the resurrection affords us.
[01:17:09] that because of what happened on this Sunday 2,000 years ago, we can look at what happened on that Friday two days before.
[01:17:23] We can look at all the sad and scary things in our lives.
[01:17:27] And I pray that it would be a source of encouragement for all of us here that because you were raised from the dead, because on that Sunday you walked out of that tomb and you appeared to hundreds of people,
[01:17:42] that we have the promise that everything is going to be all right.
[01:17:46] But whatever it is that we're worried about right now in this very moment, whatever it is that is scary that we're afraid of, everything is going to be okay because of what you did 2,000 years ago.
[01:17:58] You are the resurrection and the life.
[01:18:00] And help us to go with that hope that we might be people who bring about truth, goodness, and beauty in this world.
[01:18:08] We pray this in Jesus' name.
[01:18:09] Amen.

[01:18:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:18:11] Why don't we stand and sing our final song together.
[01:18:14] So I'd mentioned a conversation that Jesus had with Martha

[01:22:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:22:41] where he asked her, do you believe this?
[01:22:45] Do you know how she responded?
[01:22:47] We're told in John 11, this is her response.
[01:22:52] Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into this world.
[01:22:58] If you need help getting to the place that Martha got to, know that we as church leaders are here.
[01:23:05] We'd love to buy you coffee or lunch, dialogue further.
[01:23:09] I'd remind you also, this seminar on Thursday night, I think this will help you get there, whether you're exploring Christianity for the first time or whether you're dealing with doubts right now.
[01:23:20] There's also a great book called The Hope of the Resurrection that was super helpful for me with this sermon that goes through the truth, the goodness, and the beauty of the gospel.
[01:23:30] You can purchase it on Amazon.
[01:23:32] I'm going to have copies next week if you want to come back.
[01:23:34] I'd love to give one to you.
[01:23:36] For your benediction, we're going to do something that has been an ancient Christian tradition for really all 2,000 years of church history, where the pastor or presiding minister says, Christ is risen, and people respond with the words, He is risen indeed.
[01:23:54] And so this is what we're going to do for our benediction.
[01:23:57] Christ is risen. Christ is risen. Christ is risen.
[01:24:08] Amen. Go in peace.