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A little bit of history and vocabulary then an examination of Acts 2. At no point did I say “God is Near” but we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. You can’t be nearer than inside.
A lot happens in the first chapter of Acts. Jesus reminds his followers they will receive the Holy Spirit and also that they will receive power, then be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth. He then ascends into heaven and angels announce that he will return the same way. And that’s just the first 11 verses!
Sunday was Mother’s Day. We are going to look at some words of Jesus, talk about the language of analogy and share the Gospel; it’s a special day but we are going to do what we do every Sunday at Unity Baptist.
Post-resurrection appearances: Let’s recap. There were the women in the garden (at the tomb), there were the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and John 21 will be the third time he appeared to a group of the Apostles together.
All the disciples had trouble believing at first. In Luke’s account, Jesus had to eat solid food to convince them he wasn’t a spirit. It’s a shame Thomas will forever have “doubting” paired with his name. (He did make an obtuse statement about what it would take to make him believe but it did not come to that.)
This is a continuation of the text we read last week in Luke 24. The two disciples Jesus met on the road to Emmaus were present with the others in Jerusalem when Jesus appeared, as we read last week in Luke 24:36. I almost titled this sermon “Back from Emmaus” or some such to emphasize that fact but felt like that was trying too hard.
Below is an image of the horseshoe puzzle mentioned in the introduction, and the FedEx logo which was printed on the back of the bulletin. Listen to the sermon if you need those to make sense. (Both are illustrations of the Holy Spirit leading us into understanding.)
This is not an endorsement of FedEx, just a reminder that anything can be a sermon illustration.
Jesus met a couple of disciples on the road discussing the events of the crucifixion and the possible resurrection. Prevented from recognizing him, they were given the opportunity to explain what they were discussing. Then Jesus explained the scriptures and what they say about Christ to them.
I do not preach or read scripture from a lectionary and we don’t say much about the Christian calendar at Unity Baptist. Christmas and Easter are the “tent poles” if you will that most, I would say the vast majority, of Christian churches operate around. At our church we keep the weeks of Advent, a season of preparation leading up to Christmas Day. And while we do not have an Ash Wednesday service or observe Lent, I would like to talk about the season we are in now: Eastertide.
Easter can feel like a let-down. I don’t mean the celebration or the day of Easter itself. But after planning and preparing for Easter, celebrating Palm Sunday, getting up early for Sunrise service (and probably a breakfast), after all the children’s activities and seeing perhaps the largest Sunday morning crowd of the year… then it’s all over rather quickly. Next week you may wonder where everybody went. There was a lot of excitement leading up to Resurrection Sunday, and then it seems to fall off sharply.
After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers and sometimes to crowds for a period of 40 days. Then he ascended back into heaven, telling his faithful followers to wait in Jerusalem. 10 days later, or 50 days after the resurrection/Passover, the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost. Easter should be a beginning, not an ending. “Eastertide” is a time or season that begins with the resurrection of Jesus and last 50 days until Pentecost. During this time Jesus appeared to his followers including Judas; he revealed himself to two followers on the road to Emaus; he repeated the miracle of the miraculous catch of fish and served his disciples breakfast on the beach; and he appeared to a crowd of over 150 people. The final event after 40 days is his ascension, when two angels ask what everyone is looking at before reminded them that he will come again the same way. Pentecost, like Passover, was a feast that many Jews returned to Jerusalem to observe. Over time two separate observances, the feast of first fruits and the remembrance of the Law being given at Sinai, had become amalgamated into one thing. And it was on this day the Holy Spirit, the Comforter Jesus had promised, came down. The Apostles spoke in tongues, Peter preached the first “Christian sermon” recorded in Acts 2, 3,000 people were saved and the church began to grow daily.
The resurrection is the most significant event we celebrate in Christianity. But it’s not the end of anything, it is really the beginning of our new life in Christ. Build on that as we move towards Pentecost; it is the indwelling Holy Spirit that puts words in our mouths – and sometimes shuts our mouths. We have the presence of God with us always, and we are his dwelling place, we are the tabernacle, in this world. Don’t feel let down after Easter, like nothing else worth our time will happen between now and Christmas. We are really just getting to the good stuff.
Jesus was dead. Jesus was resurrected; not just brought back to life but new life in a glorified body. Death, hell and the grave have been defeated. What else is there to be afraid of?
Holy Saturday, also known as Black Saturday, is the full day Jesus spent in the grave. No lessons, no sermons, no miracles. His followers were scattered to the wind and each may have been unaware of what was happening with the others at any given moment. Did the other 11 disciples know that Judas went out and hung himself? Did anyone know what Peter was going through? Mary had been visited by angels, shepherds and wise men when Jesus was born; how was she processing the death of her son on this day?
As I wrote at the end of the crucifixion post, now we wait. Part of the Christian experience is pressing on when there seems to be no hope. Rest assured in this: no situation, no trial, no moment of doubt, will ever be as hopeless for us as it seemed to be for the followers of Jesus on this day.
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