April 21 2019 Acts 10.34-43 “Butterfly Wings…Rising Again”
Easter Sunday Pastor Jacqueline Hines
We have arrived at
another Easter Sunday. We are here not just because we are inspired by the 18
billion dollar industry with spending on new clothes, food, and candy. It is
the Sunday of the East, - East - er. We are reminded that the sun rises in the
East. And this season of spring is the time when the dawn of daylight is longer
than the dark of night. [slide
# 1
dawn]
It is a blessing that we have arrived at another Easter Sunday
for once again, it is dawning on us that the days of our lives are longer than
the nights, that the light of our life is greater than the world’s darkness. [slide # 2 Jesus leaving the tomb]
Spiritually speaking, much of the Easter light on this day,
stems from the life and the Resurrection of Jesus. Easter light has been blessing
and influencing all of our lives
for over 2000 years. [slide # 3 Light of Jesus from tomb]
You understand the deep meaning a culture can have for us humans
if you mourned this week while watching the fires of Notre Dame. [slide # 4 fire] Anyone been to Notre Dame? If
so, you were among the 12 million people of all faiths, even no faith who have gathered
for centuries to witness its breathtaking beauty and to soak in the comfort of
something that withstood two world wars, a coup, a revolution, and more. We
have a human need to see our legacy matter and to remember that great things
are possible if we dare to appreciate a living God and those on whose shoulders
God gives us to stand and reach the stars!
That Cathedral was begun in 1160 and almost finished 100 years
later. [slide # 5 cathedral]
It took a hundred years! Five generations. Nine hundred years later, the
Cathedral of Notre Dame remains in our hearts. Napoleon the first was crowned
there in 1804. [ slide # 6 Napoleon
crown ] The Magnificat was sung there in celebration of the liberation of
France from the Germans in 1944 with the help of US General Patton. There have
been prestigious funerals and baptisms there. And, of course, it was a symbol
of God’s majestic love for justice after Victor Hugo – whom the French honored
by putting his picture on money [slide # 7 Hugo pictured on
French money] became a refugee fleeing from France to Belgium during
Napoleon the third’s reign of terror. From a mansion in his time of exile, [slide # 8 Hugo mansion] Hugo wrote The
Hunchback of Notre Dame – which he intentionally and vividly described
the beautiful Gothic architecture [slide # 9 rose window Cathedral]
In his writing of Les Miserables, he captured the misery of those suffering economic
hardships, of hunger, and the insults of those who had no sense of lack and no
pity for those who did.
Hugo’s writings inspired others to revolt and rebel, to take
over the Bastille’s prison weaponry, dethrone and execute the king and queen,
while 40,000 were sent to the guillotine.
History reminds us that Easter is surrounded by an all-too-human
story. One might reason that the crucifixion of Jesus in the first century at
the hands of priests is more sinister than the neglect of peasants in the streets
of Paris during the nineteenth century. One might ponder that the speed and
ease of the French guillotine is better than the slow, suffocating death on a Roman
cross. The human story never changes. The madness never ends. From Colorado’s
Columbine to California’s human traffickers – of which the US is the number one
customer of cruelty, the madness never ends.
Our blessing is that Easter never ends either. God is always
stirring hearts somewhere, someway. [slide # 10 gold cross in Notre
Dame] In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, God brought some people
together from various unsettling circumstances, just as we gather together this
day. Peter told the crowd in verse 36: You know the message God sent to the
people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.
How ready are our ears to hear God speaking in our most urgent and desperate times and situations?
How much faith in the concept of peace in Jesus Christ can we muster when our blood pressure is rising? How can we reconcile the fact that Jesus
IS Lord of all, when he didn’t even save himself
from the cross?
The answer is Easter. Easter is our day to celebrate the fact
that Jesus rose from the grave and reminds us that there is always a season when the days
are longer than the nights.
Peter continues talking to the crowd saying: [slide # 11 God raised him…]
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised
him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to
us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he
rose from the dead.
Easter is our time to celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead
just as he said he would. We too
are chosen by God to witness the reality that he who was dead is now alive. As we eat and drink together,
and serve our family, friends, and neighbors as God gives us strength and
wisdom, Jesus says he himself is with us - even when there are simply two or
three of us. Then we begin to see that the
nights may be long, but there is much more daylight than there is darkness.
We can testify that we have seen God working in our lives and working
in the world. We have heard God’s voice speaking truths that have set us free,
that have healed us, that have saved us.
So Easter really is here today. Easter really is in your heart
and my heart. We can truly say that God is good and God is great and we thank
God for doing great things in our lives. We can say that we believe in the resurrection
power of Easter, even during the night. We know firsthand that joy really does
come in the morning even after there has been weeping during the night like
Psalm 30 tells us.
As a community, whether our faith is great or small, we have
brought Easter to the world around us that is searching for truth and light. We
have brought Easter faithfully to our families, our friends, and to our
neighbors near and far. We bring Easter to Bethel as we celebrate today.
This year is our 175th anniversary, and in spite of
the many changes, renovations, struggles and transformations [slide # 12 butterfly] Easter rises with high expectations at Bethel
because Jesus lives in us. For 175 years, he was alive in your mothers, your
fathers, your grandmothers, your grandfathers, sisters, your brothers, uncles,
aunts, your cousins, and your friends.
They all made their contribution to building a beloved community
that has been sustained through eight generations as well as building the
building. The eighth generation installed an elevator and made some welcoming
renovations as you see. God only knows what vision God will give to the ninth generation.
Whatever it is, it is sure to prove once again that the days are longer than
the nights because Jesus became the light of our world as he rose from the dark
grave, just like he said he would. [slide # 13 in memory…wait]
Amen. [slide # 14 because
he lives…]
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