"Free to Follow" Colossians 3: 1-4; Mark 16: 1-8

Easter sermon.  Several authors helped me frame this sermon, as indicated by my endnotes.  Some Easter sermons I try and hit just one thought; this year, I had a more detailed sermon.  In the Sanctuary service I had different screen shots showing each of the points of the sermon, which I think was helpful for some people.  Made me wonder if I could incorporate the screens in more of the sermons.

The Gospel of Mark story is probably my favorite telling of the resurrection because it ends so abruptly (as least in its original version).  If I did the Colossians passage again, I think I would do a little bit later in the chapter, although I referenced that in the sermon.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

"Free to Follow" Colossians 3: 1-4; Mark 16: 1-8; FPC, Troy; Easter, 2014

Introduction: Movies – as a kid riding my bike to the local movie theater to see McHale's Navy or Pippi Longstocking movies;

Grew up watching movies with my father: the Thin Man series; or Abbott and Costello movies; or North by Northwest; the last thing we did together was go to a movie!

still remember the excitement of being in a full theater to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark;

I will go to most movies, by myself or with others – just give me some fresh popcorn and a movie.

Actually, that's an exaggeration. I won't go to any movie. I don't particularly like dark movies or fantasy movies, and I really don't like dark, fantasy movies. Over the last few years, I find myself watching the previews of movies and again and again thinking, “I don't want to see that movie. It's dark. Or someone turns into a wolf. Or everything seems to happen in a cemetery. I saw Noah the other day, and it was even dark scary

I read somewhere that these dark movies reflect the world we live in – no joy, no hope, no happiness, and no room for faith and God. The person had a rather gloomy outlook on life and the future that awaits us.

But recently it occurred to me that the dark and foreboding movies do no reflect the world rejection of joy and hope, but a crying out to be rescued. The darkness of the movies begging for light to shine into their world.

The are looking for someone to give them hope, to give free them from the dark and hopeless world they see around them.

Today we declare to all the world that the tomb is empty, and by his resurrection, Christ has set us free to follow the light into the world.

FREE

Move 1: F is for “Fear”

a. the gospel of Mark's story of Christ's resurrection has fear running through it.

1. The women are alarmed when they discover the stone has been moved.

2. Terror and amazement had seized them.

3. IN fact, the earliest versions of the gospel of Mark finish where the reading finished this morning – the women silent, telling no one what they had discovered because they were afraid.

b. Barbara Brown Taylor discusses why the followers of Christ were scared by the empty tomb. (1)

1. one of the reasons the followers of Christ were scared was because they did not know how to react to an empty tomb.

2. They knew what to do with a dead body. They knew how to prepare the body for burial with spices and ointment.
3. They knew how to grieve the death of someone.

4. The dead body might bring tears to their eyes as sadness overwhelmed them, but they knew what to do with a dead body.

c. but what strike fear in them is the discover that there is no body.

1. Christ has been raised from the dead.

2. their reality and their world had been changed.

3. Now that's scary.
4. What do they do now? How do they follow the resurrected Christ?

500. That's the question that hangs in the air this morning.
     1. what does it mean for us to be united with Christ in his death and resurrection?
     2. what does it mean that sin and death no longer rule our lives?
     3. Imagine the possibilities that wait for us as people of the resurrection.
     4. now wonder the followers of Christ felt fear when they discovered the empty tomb.
     5. It's scary being free from sin and death and free to follow Christ forever.

Move 2: R – the resurrection of Christ Releases us.

a. The release those first followers of Christ felt cuts both ways.

1. Initially when Christ died, the disciples were off the hook.

2. That following Christ stuff, that giving their lives over to Christ, that preaching the radical message that Jesus preached, that giving up self for serving others – all that went by the wayside went Christ died.

3. the disciples were released from their obligations: they could return to their boats and fishing; spend more time with their families; quit getting in trouble with the religious authorities.

4. their lives could return to normal.

b. but the tomb is empty, which means instead of being released from following Christ, they are now released from that which holds them back.

1. they are now free to follow Christ.

2. nothing, not even death can command their actions.

3. they are free

100. we too are released from the sin and death.
     1. You are free to not just dream about that person God calls you to be, but you can dare to change your life and grow into that new creation God calls you to be.

2. You are free to turn away from your sins and repent.

3. You can look at our world that knows violence and bloodshed and dare to work for peace because Christ is raised from the dead.

4. You are free to work to change the world because God has already acted to change the world forever in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We are released from the worldly ways that hold us down and are free to follow Christ.

Move 3: E for Exhort, as in Paul's exhortations to the Colossians and to us that we read this morning.

a. Scholars describe the verses we read from Colossians as the beginning of the exhortation part of the letter (2).

1. Up to this point, the tone of the letter has been primarily one of instruction, telling the believers in Colossae what they need to know--or, perhaps more to the point, reminding them of their former instruction in the light of conflicting teaching that they have recently received.

2. Now, however, the tone shifts. The verbs become imperatives.
3. These early Christians are called to a new way of life.

b. A way of life marked by “seeking things that are above.”

1. Paul exhorts us to be people who reveal Christ through the way we live our lives.
2. Our earthly way of life is not enough.

3. I other words, to ask ourselves, if we die and are raised with Christ, how then ought we to live?

4. If we read more of Paul's letter to the Colossians we discover that being raised with Christ means clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.

5. it means bearing with one another and forgiving one another.

6. It means clothing ourselves in love.

Christ is raised from the dead and Paul's exhorts us to live lives that reflect that.

Move 4: E for Explaining, as in we cannot explain the the resurrection of Christ, we can only witness to it.

a. Good luck trying to explain the empty tomb.

1. A few years ago I read an Episcopalian bishop who was describing what it was like to discuss the resurrection with his daughter who has a PhD in physics. Bishop Spong asks, “My daughter has a PhD in physics. How on earth is she expected to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus?” (3)

2. As much as we who believe in the resurrection might want to explain it rationally, we just cannot.

         3. The whole world knows that dead people stay dead.

b. Instead of explaining the resurrection, we have to witness to it.

1. Most of us remember Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a dream” speech that we gave at the Lincoln Memorial. It might be the most memorable vision shared about the purpose of the civil rights movement.


2. what you may not know is that King has not planned on sharing his dream that day.


3. he had written a speech for the occasion that would give fresh analysis and articulate the case for the situation confronting African-Americans in seeking freedom and justice.


4. he began his speech sticking to his text – undoubtedly a powerful analysis.


5. sitting near him however, was the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who had heard King share about his dream. Apparently, she wanted him to tell everyone about his dream, so she shouted out to him – “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” He kept on with his speech. She shouted out again, “Tell them about dream.” (4)


6. he hesitated for a moment, then moved his notes to his speech aside, and launched into sharing his dream.


7. He moved the country not with his analysis, but his witness.


c. when we leave here this morning to proclaim the resurrection, our analysis of why the tomb was empty will not matter to a world crying out to be saved.

1. what will matter is when we witness to how our lives are changed by the resurrection.

2. people will believe in the resurrection when they see the followers of the resurrected Christ living lives that are clothed in love.

3. We are sent into the world not to explain, but to be witnesses to what God had done, to what God is doing, and to our hope in what God is going to do.

Conclusion: People often ask me (as well as other ministers as indicated by this author's stroy) "You must be relieved Easter is over." I know what they mean. The extra activities of Holy Week and the energy put into arguably the biggest service of the year are done. But Easter is not over when the last trumpet sounds in the postlude. Easter is the beginning! (4)

Endnotes:

    (1)  Barbara Brown Taylor's Easter sermon preached in April 16,2006, at Cannon Chapel , Emory University, as shared in Journal for Preachers, Easter, 2008, p. 13)

    (2)  Sandra Hack Polaski;Commentary on Colossians 3:1-4

     (3)  This illustration was found many years ago before I carefully documented my sources.

   (4) Joseph Harvard, III.  Journal of Preachers, "Preaching the Easter Texts: Can I Get a Witness," Easter, 2014, p.3) and  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mahalia-jackson-the-queen-of-gospel-puts-her-stamp-on-the-march-on-washington