Episode 70: Easter Is Coming: Resurrection Hope for Church Leaders

:: 00:06

Nicole Bullock: Hello everybody. My name is Nicole Bullock and I am here to share with you an encouraging word today at least what I hope to be an encouraging one. As we are not far from Resurrection Sunday, I want to share a word with you, reminding you of something that we see in the Scripture. Something that happens on Resurrection Sunday. Three words that are spoken, three words that are a gentle yet firm reminder to us as we live and walk out our Christian faith. I want to quickly just share with you the story that we read in Matthew 28 of Jesus's resurrection. We find that Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, and when she goes to the tomb, she has this ground breaking experience, literally is a ground breaking experience. Uh, the Scripture tells us that all of a sudden the earth began to quake. And when the earth began to quake, all of a sudden an angel appears, rolls away the stone, and he says three words to her. Three words. And those words are this. Don't be afraid. Now, don't get me wrong. He goes on to tell her Jesus is no longer here. Go and spread the good news. But even on the way to going, to go share the good news, she runs into Jesus. At least in this text, we see that she runs into Jesus. And what does Jesus tell her? The three words that the angel spoke to her Jesus repeats again. Don't be afraid. I've read that text in the story many times, and I've wondered, why is it that Jesus says, don't be afraid? I understand why the angel says it, but there seems to be this emphasis in the Gospel of Matthew on telling Mary not to fear. Perhaps it is the days preceding this moment, all the events that had taken place. I mean, can you imagine the disciples who had followed Jesus, who had given up so many things, who had sacrificed, who had traveled with them, who had thought he would show up in their world and in the world in a certain way. They had no idea what was going to happen, even though Jesus did tell them over and over again that this day and this moment was coming. But when it came, many of them were shattered. They were caught off guard. We see that even with Peter, Peter, even the one who was defiantly defending Jesus, who was defiant about Jesus even going to the cross in the first place, Jesus tells him, you'll deny me three times. So when I think about the state that the disciples and the followers of Jesus are in, in the wake of this moment, in the wake of Easter Sunday, in the wake of him raising from the dead, I imagine there's lots of confusion. I imagine there's lots of shame. I imagine that there's lots of disappointment. I imagine that there's lots of uncertainty, I imagine. That they were feeling a lot like we tend to feel. Maybe not most days, but I know that many of us can relate to feelings of shame, to feelings of uncertainty, to feelings of disappointment, because we expected Jesus to show up in our lives in a certain way. Perhaps we were praying for that relationship to be restored and then it wasn't. Perhaps we were praying for a financial breakthrough and we didn't get the breakthrough. Perhaps we were praying for healing and we found ourselves or that person we were praying for. They were still broken. We can relate very much to what the disciples must be experiencing and feeling in those moments where Jesus went to the cross and died, and they heard the words that he cried out from the cross when he said, it is finished. They may have imagined that everything that they dreamt that they built, that they hoped was finished. But they would soon find out that Jesus had completed a work. The work of our salvation in that moment. And so when we find this moment in Matthew 28, where Mary Magdalene comes to the scene of the tomb, and the angel is there, rolls away the stone that says, do not be afraid. I believe that those three words are an invitation for her to reclaim this moment, to reclaim the resurrection, to claim the victory that God had put in their path. That no more shame, no more confusion, no more dissent about what would happen and where Jesus went and what it all meant. There was clarity in this moment because Jesus made a promise that he would rise again on the third day. Death was not the victor in this story. And so I love the words that we hear the angel and even Jesus himself. Tell Mary, don't be afraid. And that is my encouragement to you today. No matter what's going on, no matter what's transpired. Even if you're wondering what may be coming next, perhaps there is some level of uncertainty in your life. I want to remind you that the resurrection is near, that death has not one. Uncertainty has not one. Shame has not one. Fear will not overwhelm us. And so my hope and my prayer for you is that you hear the words that Jesus and the angel spoke to Mary today. As you sit in the hope and the tension and the excitement of Resurrection Sunday to hear the words. Do not be afraid. We don't have to be anymore because he is risen. He has proven that everything he said about himself was true. That he is the great I am. That he is the bread of life. That he is the true vine, that he is the good Shepherd, that he is the way, the truth, and the life, that he is the light of the world. And most importantly, he is the resurrection and the life. And so I am grateful on this day that we are reminded that we can embrace courage, we can embrace boldness, we can embrace the resurrection because we have a Savior who we can trust to always keep His Word. God bless you and thank you for joining me in this short time. And I pray, and I hope that you were encouraged and inspired and given hope in this short message today. God bless you.

:: 08:02

Faith+Lead: The Pivot podcast is a production of Luther Seminary's Faith lead. Faith lead is an ecosystem of theological resources and training designed to equip Christian disciples and leaders to follow God into a faithful future. Learn more at Faith lead org.

Share Episode

Shownotes

Transcripts

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube