Why the Resurrection of Jesus Changes Everything

The Meaning of Easter and Church Traditions

Do we remember last year?

But the traditional greeting of Christians for many, many years on Easter: somebody would say, "He is risen," and the response would be, "He is risen indeed." All right. So why? Why Easter? I want to tell you why Easter—it is because we speak a Germanic language. That's why we use the word Easter. It has nothing to do with Ishtar or a Babylonian goddess. It has to do with the way they said the month they used to observe it. Every other language, including Spanish—which I'm learning extremely slowly—any language that is not Germanic uses some version of the word Pascha or some other word. In fact, in Eastern Orthodox churches, even though they still speak English, they call it Pascha often instead of Easter.

And so, if by some odd chance you're concerned that we might say "Easter" someday, I'm sorry. It's not pagan. If you Google where Easter comes from, they'll tell you all about these pagan goddesses and gods and all this other stuff. I would first offer a warning: You might be surprised to find, those of you who use AI, that it is expected the AI will be wrong. There are anticipated acceptable failure rates. There are some studies coming out from MIT and other people that will tell us that AI is getting dumber because we're using it instead of the opposite. Why do I say that? Because if you go to Google and you search, the AI will tell you that it has to do with all these pagan gods and goddesses, but there's no reason to be afraid.

The Significance of the Sunrise Service

Now, why a sunrise service? Somebody asked me about that. There's a man who's kind of a leader in a Native American nation at the time, and he said he starts every day running towards the east before sunrise. At sunrise, he bows down and gives thanks because they believe that all good things come from the east.

So, we're not having a sunrise service because we're Native American. We're not having a sunrise service because there's some ancient pagan thing. We're having a sunrise service because of Matthew 28.

The Resurrection Account: Matthew 28

Let’s turn to Matthew 28. It's crazy. Do you all love my notes at home? Please forgive me. This is the last chapter. I'm glad I had it on my phone, even though I forgot my paper.

Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for the gift of your Word and the gift of your people. And Jesus, thanks not just for your death, but that you conquered death. I pray that in this time that we meet, everything that's of You will remain in every place. Whatever is in our heart, Jesus, we give You this time in this place. In Jesus' name, amen.

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb. Christianity is full of things that help us remember. It's full of markers. It was not originally a religion practiced by people who were literate and had the internet. I mean, they had some written text; they had the Old Testament. That was their Bible for a very long time. But many of them couldn't read. This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "don't forsake the public reading of the Word". It's the only way people were going to get it. And frankly, sometimes it's the only way we get it, too. I have had phases in my life where if the pastor hadn't read from the Bible, I don't know if I would have gotten the Bible. We're not proud of that, but it's true.

And so, as we look at the Bible and we look at these things, there are things that we do as markers in our Christian life. It's kind of like wearing a wedding ring. I don't need a wedding ring to remind me that I'm married, hopefully, but it's a symbol. It's a sign. It's a marker. Even all the way back in Genesis, it says God put the stars and the sun in the sky to mark the times. And so we're meeting currently in the sunrise as a reminder that it was early in the morning that the women went to the tomb and discovered that He wasn't there.

Let's read that again, starting at verse one:

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. 'Don’t be afraid!' he said. 'I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I told you.'"

I don't know why he has to say that. Maybe because a big angel just moved this rock and is shining like lightning. And so the angel says, "Go do this. Remember what I said."

In this information age, watching movies and speaking of AI, you can probably go to AI, type in about three sentences, and say, "AI, take Matthew 28:1-7 and make that happen," and it would not be long before we could see some version of that. But this story is so outrageously unbelievable to anyone. Even today, the ability to see it doesn't always make us believe it.

"And so Mary Magdalene and the other Mary immediately ran from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. As they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. They ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.'"

The Resurrection Changes Everything

I think about the resurrection—it changes everything. You have Jesus who shows up and claims to be God. Some people will say that He didn't, but He did all throughout the gospels—Mark, Matthew, Luke. Jesus is running around claiming to be God, doing things even from the Old Testament. Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey—He's fulfilling prophecy, right? He's showing that He is God. He's telling people "I AM." He's calming storms, which only God could do. He's proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom—the good news of the kingdom.

People were ready for a new king. I was listening to a song this morning about the mystery of the way God chose to do things. How is it that someone gains a kingdom through death? Usually, you gain a kingdom when someone else dies, or if you kill someone else. But instead, Jesus gains a kingdom through His own death . and it's not just His death, but it's His resurrection.

Living in Light of the Resurrection

There’s a guy named Tim Keller who died maybe two years ago after a three-year battle with cancer. In some of his final interviews, he says some really amazing things. Tim Keller was a long-time pastor of a church in New York. Facing his own death in his late 60s, he said, "If the resurrection is true, then everything is going to be okay." Knowing there was not much that could happen—he was stage four—he still spoke about how the resurrection being true changed his perspective on dying.

The Core of the Good News

Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 15. We're going to read quite a bit here, but before we do, I want to talk about Tim Keller. He died maybe two years ago after a three-year battle with cancer. In some of his final interviews, he said some really amazing things. Tim Keller was a long-time pastor of a church in New York. Facing his own death in his late 60s, he said, "If the resurrection is true, then everything is going to be okay".

Looking at his own death and knowing there was not much that could happen because he was stage four, he was still doing interviews. His heart was so pastoral that even in his death, he was trying to help people navigate. He said to us that if the resurrection is true, then everything is going to be okay.

I was thinking a couple of weeks ago about a phrase that circles in my mind: there is not anything the resurrection cannot handle. That has two layers to it: the resurrection of Jesus first, and behind that, the resurrection we can look forward to because of His resurrection.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15, starting in verse one. Some people say this is one of the first creeds of the early church—one of the first things that Christians would say. Paul says: "Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the good news I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place".

The Importance of Historical Evidence

"I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him".

Paul is making a very important point here: this isn't just a nice story; it's a historical reality. He’s essentially saying, "If you don't believe me, go talk to these 500 people who saw Him at the same time". At the time of this writing, most of them were still alive. You could go interview them. You could ask them, "Did you really see Jesus alive after he was crucified?" and they would say, "Yes".

The Power of Resurrection Today

So what does this mean for us today? It means that resurrection power is not just a future hope; it is a present reality that can break into our lives. It means that when we face "acceptable failure rates" in our own lives—when we feel like we are failing or that death is winning—we have a hope that is grounded in fact.

We are short-sighted as humans; we are often blinded in our view. But God's mercy is new every morning. When the morning comes and the sun rises, we should think of His mercy. On this day specifically, we thank Him for the mercy of the broken body of Jesus that paid for our sins, and for the "roaring lion" who overcame death.

The stone was moved. The tomb is empty. And that gives us the hope today that resurrection power will break into every dark place in our lives. Because He is risen, everything really is going to be okay.

Witnesses and the Reality of Resurrection

Paul continues his argument for the physical reality of the resurrection: "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."

Pastor Dustin emphasizes that this historical record is what anchors our faith. Paul was essentially telling his audience that they could still go and interview the people who saw Jesus alive. This isn't just a subjective feeling; it is an event witnessed by hundreds.

Resurrection Power Today

The message then shifts to the personal application of these truths. The resurrection isn't just a past event or a future hope—it is a present power. "It means that when we face 'acceptable failure rates' in our own lives—when we feel like we are failing or that death is winning—we have a hope that is grounded in fact".

Reflecting on human limitations, Pastor Dustin notes, "We are short-sighted as humans; we are often blinded in our view. But God's mercy is new every morning". He encourages the congregation that whenever they see the morning sun, they should remember His mercy—specifically the mercy shown through the broken body of Jesus and the "roaring lion" who overcame death.

Closing Prayer

The service concludes with a final declaration of hope and a closing prayer:

"The stone was moved. The tomb is empty. And that gives us the hope today that resurrection power will break into every dark place in our lives. Because He is risen, everything really is going to be okay.

Father, we thank you for this morning. We thank you for the 'marker' of this sunrise and what it represents. I pray for every person here, that they would feel the weight of the resurrection—that it isn't just a story, but a reality that changes their tomorrow. May we walk out of here not in fear, but in the 'great joy' that the women felt. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.