Death and Life: Resurrection (Sermon for Easter Sunrise: April 20, 2025)

Watch the sermon here. Listen to the sermon here.

Texts:  Psalm 118:15–29

Job 19:23–27 

1 Corinthians 15:51–57

John 20:1–18

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Alleluia, Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The text that serves as the foundation for our sermon is all of our readings, especially these words from our Old Testament reading, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27).

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

When we left off Jesus was most certainly dead. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had laid Him in a tomb. Nicodemus had brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. But it was a bit of a rush job. The Sabbath was at hand, the time for no work. And so they laid Jesus in a new tomb. The Jews had the tomb secured by Pilate and the disciples hid in fear. Early on the first day of the week, the women go to the tomb to prepare the body of Jesus properly. But they find the stone rolled away. In our readings for today, we learn that because Christ has been raised from the dead never to die again, we too will have the resurrection to life everlasting.

Let us pray: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we give You thanks that You raised Your son Jesus Christ from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer, that we may always have the sure and certain confidence that since you have raised Christ from the dead, all will be raised from the dead and those who have faith in You will be raised to everlasting life. It is through Your Son Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

It's not uncommon for people to die. In fact, from the moment that we are conceived, all of us are marching towards death. From the moment that we are conceived in the womb of our mothers, there is one thing that can be said about each and every one of us: we're going to die. Because we are by our old sinful nature children of Adam, because to share in his nature, we are destined for death. And rightly so, for all have sinned, all have fallen short of the glory of God. What's not common is for people to raise from the day. Sure, we hear some stories in modern day of people who were nearly dead, but not completely dead. Maybe they're heart has stopped for a while, but they were able to be resuscitated. But full dead three days in the tomb, side pierced, hands nailed, blood and water having rushed forth from his riven side? The body only pours out water once all or almost all of the blood has been drained out. There was no doubt that Jesus was dead. If there was any doubt that Jesus was dead, the disciples would not have been cowering in fear in the upper room. If there had been any doubt that Jesus was dead, the women would not have been heading to the tomb that first Easter to prepare the body of Jesus. Christ was most certainly dead when they last saw Him.

Yet Mary Magdalene gets to the tomb early in the morning. It's still dark. She sees the stone rolled away. She runs and tells disciples, John and Peter go together to see. John makes it clear in his gospel that he got to the tomb before Peter. No rivalry there between the disciples at all. They look in and they see the empty tomb. Yet they still aren't fully clear what was going on. Mary Magdalene appears in, the angel speaks to her, and then she turns around and she sees a man she thinks it's the gardener. He says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (John 20:15). She explains and then Jesus says to her, “Mary” (John 20:16). Her eyes are opened, and she believes that Christ has been raised from the dead, never to die again.

In our life it is hard to see how there can be a resurrection. In fact, it is one of the doctrines of the church that has been most grievously corrupted. Some will say the resurrection from the dead is merely spiritual. That yes, when our bodies die, the bodies are useless at that point. And that when we are raised, our souls are what is raised. And that is all that's important. We become little angels floating on the clouds, strumming harps. But that's not true. There was no body in the tomb. Christ was risen from the dead, not just in spirit, but bodily. Christ's body was raised. Likewise, shall ours be raised. Because Christ has paid the sacrifice for us, because Christ has died on the cross to atone for our sins, because He has won the victory over sin, over death, over the devil, we know that these bodies that we have shall likewise be raised. We know that we too will share in the resurrection from the dead. We know that that is our hope and promise. It's not just a spiritual resurrection, but a physical resurrection.

Saint Paul says, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The dead will be raised. Not all will sleep. Not all of us will physically experience death, although most likely there's a good chance everyone in this room will, unless Christ comes back again in the next 75, 80 years. But we have that promised hope of everlasting life. The resurrection from the dead, never to die again. The resurrection that we share, the promise of the resurrection that we all shall be changed, that we all shall become holy and perfect in our bodies because Christ has died once for all. We will have everlasting life. This is the hope that is ours—the hope of the resurrection, which is a very present hope. Because not only does the resurrection help us in the end, but the resurrection helps us in the here. We face many trials, many temptations. We face much hardship, much pain, much suffering in this life. Satan works hard to try to bring us down. Satan works hard to try to destroy our faith. And yet we know that Christ lives. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead. We know that we shall too be raised from the dead. And thus we know that no matter what happens to this earthly body, no matter what pains, no matter what anguish we suffer in the here and now, on the last day we shall be raised. On the last day our imperfect bodies shall be made perfect. That gives us hope in this life. That gives us strength to continue.

Job in our Old Testament reading was facing a lot of hardship. He had lost everything. Family, friends, wealth. He had gone from being favored to only having three friends sitting by, and those three weren't really the greatest of friends. Yet in the midst of his hardship, he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). Even in the midst of his hardship, the promise of the resurrection gave him hope: hope for new life at the last in the resurrect, and hope in this life as well.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, no matter what you are facing, no matter what hardships, no matter what trials, no matter what temptations you face, hope in the resurrection. Trust in the resurrection. Christ has been raised from the dead for you. Thus you too shall be raised perfect as He is perfect. Amen.

Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!