Sermon Date: 2009/4/12

DATE: 2009/4/12
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:11-18
SERMON: Tears turn to joy
講道題目: 眼泪变成喜乐
The angels and Jesus asked Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She explained that she was weeping because she could not find the body of Jesus. These were tears of sorrow. But when Jesus revealed himself to her, her tears turned to tears of joy as she exclaimed, “Rabboni,” meaning “Teacher.” Her day began with tears but ended with smiles. Easter makes us shed tears of joy. As in the case of Mary, tears of sorrow are transformed into tears of joy.
I. As Mary was asked on the first Easter, “Woman, why are you weeping?” so we are asked on this Easter Sunday why are we weeping. We might say these are tears of joy.
(1) These tears of joy result from the victory Christ won over death. We cannot appreciate this victory until we realize the horror and finality of death.
(2) Death is man’s worst enemy. Death takes away the meaning of life. If death is the ultimate, life is absurd. Then, we can say with Paul, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
(3) It took God to gain the victory over death. God caught death on the Cross in the person of Christ. There was a cosmic battle between life and death. When Jesus died, the strife was over and the battle was won. The paradox of the situation was that God used Jesus’ death to defeat death. When Jesus came out of the tomb under the power of God, death instead of swallowing up everything as in the past was now itself swallowed up by the grace of God. Never was there a victory like this.
(4) Easter, therefore, is a day for the blowing of trumpets, the singing of alleluias, the crashing of cymbals, and the beating of victory drums.
(5) This victory has personal implications. It means that a Christian funeral has a note of triumph about it. Of course, the body is dead, but because of the resurrection we know the soul, spirit, or mind of the departed is alive with Christ. There is no need to feel sorry for the deceased. He is more alive than we are.
II. On this Easter day, why are we weeping tears of joy? The Christian answer is, “Because of the assurance of the truth the resurrection brings.”
(1) The resurrection assures us that Jesus is the Christ, Lord and Saviour. If there had been no resurrection, Jesus would have been just a man. Indeed, he would have been considered a martyr to a good cause, but that is all. Now we know for sure that Jesus was more than an ordinary man. True, he was all man, but he was a God-man. On Easter you are sure that this Jesus of the Cross was the very Son of God whose death was a vicarious sacrifice for the sin of the world. Because of the resurrection, we know he shares in the Godhead and is worthy of our worship, devotion, and our very lives.
(2) Easter assures us that good will ultimately overcomes all opposition. Sometimes we wonder whether good is as strong as evil. Easter assures us that life will outlast death. Truth is greater than lies. Love is stronger than hatred. The righteous will finally succeed, and the wicked will come to nothing.
III. Why are we filled with joy?
(1) The resurrection comforts us with the knowledge that we have a living Christ here and now. This was the good news for Mary Magdalene. She came to the tomb which she expected to be filled with a dead body. The empty tomb meant to her only that Jesus’ body was stolen. Then Jesus came to her and called her by name. At once she saw him alive and she rejoiced.
(2) We too can rejoice that Jesus is alive, for it means that we have a living Christ who knows our very name. You are that important, that valuable. It shows his interest and concern in you and what happens to you.
(3) We have a living Christ right now to forgive us. We need forgiveness daily. Without this forgiveness, we get farther and farther apart from Christ. Life gets tied up, and our minds and hearts get into knots of tension. Christ daily comes to us upon our invitation and forgives us and by this forgiveness brings us life and freedom to live as a person.
(4) This living Christ who came to life again on Easter comforts us by his presence. He comes to us and asks our help. Christ asks us this Easter Sunday to be his witnesses. He wants us to go to all the world and tell the good news that death has been conquered, that truth is eternal, that he is really alive. Amen.
Synopsis
Easter makes us shed tears of joy. As in the case of Mary, tears of sorrow are transformed into tears of joy.
I. As Mary was asked on the first Easter, “Woman, why are you weeping?” so we are asked on this Easter Sunday why are we weeping.
(1) These tears of joy result from the victory Christ won over death.
(2) Death is man’s worst enemy.
(3) It took God to gain the victory over death.
(4) Easter, therefore, is a day for beating of victory drums.
(5) This victory has personal implications.
II. We are weeping tears of joy because of the assurance of the truth the resurrection brings.
(1) The resurrection assures us that Jesus is the Christ, Lord and Saviour.
(2) Easter assures us that good will ultimately overcomes all opposition.
III. Why are we filled with joy?
(1) The resurrection comforts us with the knowledge that we have a living Christ here and now.
(2) We have a living Christ who knows our very name.
(3) We have a living Christ right now to forgive us.
(4) He wants us to go to the entire world and tell the good news that death has been conquered, that truth is eternal, that he is really alive.
讲道大纲
复活节叫我们流出喜乐的眼泪。正如马利亚伤心的眼泪变成喜乐的眼泪一样。
甲． 马利亚被问：妇人你为甚麽哭？今天我们也要被问：你为甚麽哭？
（1） 我们流喜乐的眼泪因为基督胜过死亡。
（2） 死亡是人的大敌。
（3） 只有神能打败它。
（4） 复活节就是击鼓庆祝胜利的日子。
（5） 这胜利对个人尤其意义深长。
乙． 我们喜极而泣因为复活真实的确据。
（1） 复活肯定耶稣是基督，是主，是我们的救主。
（2） 复活肯定好人最後必能克胜所有反对的势力。
丙． 我们为甚麽充满喜乐？
（1） 复活安慰我们，叫我们知道活着的基督时刻与我们同在。
（2） 活着的基督记得我的名字。
（3） 活着的基督今天饶恕我的罪。
（4） 祂要我们到世界宣扬好消息，死亡已被征服，真理是永远可靠的，祂是真正活着的主。
Pastoral Prayer:
Almighty Father, for the beauty of the earth, for the joy of living, and for all the good things which are ours, we give you hearty thanks and praise. We are glad for the springtime when all the out-of-doors is awakening to begin anew the process of growth. We rejoice in the blooming flowers, the budding trees, the singing birds, and the thousand voices that proclaim the fact that spring is in the air. But even more do we rejoice in the fact that above and beyond this manifestation of life at our feet there is within us a life that is eternal and everlasting. Father, be gracious unto us and quicken this divine life so that we may be raised up in the image and likeness of the Man of Galilee, the One who was not defeated by death but came forth from the open tomb to live forever with you.
Merciful Father, separate us from all false delusions and remove from us all vain desires so that the life of the Son of God may have full sway within our hearts. Kindle anew within us the joy of your salvation. Grant unto us the joy of finding the stone rolled away from the tomb of our dead selves. May the discarded garments of all our vain desires be left behind as mute evidence that we have been released from all that hampers and restrains.
O Lord God, grant that this life of faith may become a growing power, able to surmount all barriers, re-creating itself in the hearts of men and women of every race and every creed. In the providence of God, may all the difficulties that delay the coming of your day be removed, so that your spirit may exercise its full power over death and destruction. May the voice that was once stilled be heard again in amplified form, and may the message of salvation, declared on Calvary’s mountain, find prophets to declare it. So, may the kingdoms of this world become indeed the Kingdom of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We pray for our parishioners well being. We pray for May Wong’s recovery from her flu last Sunday and that her coarse voice be resumed to normal. We pray for Bruce Newman’s safe travel as he is vacationing in Florida now. We thank you Lord for Wudi’s mother who’s heart valve repairs itself naturally and does not need a heart surgery. We thank you for our life together with Xu Dunqi and Zheng Xiangfei who have spent several months worshipping with us during their stay in Ottawa last year. Next week they are flying to Vancouver to stay with their other children and grand children. We ask for your continue blessings for their future. We pray for Mu Ai’s smooth delivery this week as she is expecting her baby to be born in a few days. We thank you for the baptism of Huo Yan and David Li this morning. May their new life in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior find abundance and fulfillment in your Kingdom.
Now teach us to pray as you once taught your disciples how to pray… Amen.