This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Amen. Black is out. White is in. That is not a fashion statement. (I am far from an expert or anything but an authority.) The white of Easter Sunday replaces the black of Good Friday. The area in front of church was bare on that day. Now it seems as if it is in bloom on this one. That color and that condition are no longer needed. There is not the finality of death, but the focus on life. The angel says it best: “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). Christ lives. Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. We read Mark’s account of the resurrection in … Mark 16:1-8 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, once crucified, but now risen, Maybe it fills your closets or your cupboards—unused stuff. You went to the outlet mall to get or a shirt or a top or to the grocery store to buy some cereal or tuna. You had to have it—to wear or to eat. You had a great idea of a time to dress in it or dine on it. But there it sits—in a cubbyhole or in a cabinet. Perhaps you run across it or look at it and think, “I should share it with somebody rather than store it or sell it to somebody rather than save it.” (Too bad you couldn’t get $70,000 for it like it is estimated that an unused perforated ticket to the Titanic’s launch from its Belfast shipyard in May 1911—almost a year before the fatal trans-Atlantic voyage—will bring in.) For the women it was spices. They purchased them for Jesus, but they never got to apply them to Jesus. And we are glad. That is because Jesus is alive. He has risen! For that reason … Get Rid of the Unnecessary at Easter 1. Despair (1-6) 2. Doubt (6,7) 3. Dread (8) 1. Despair (1-6) I am not a big fan of shopping. I don’t find it exciting—only expensive. When I go into a store, I find out where what I want is and head straight for that aisle or area. That way I won’t be tempted to pick up something that I don’t need. That is the manner with which we want to approach Easter. Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. It was the third day now. On Friday afternoon, the ladies had watched from afar when Jesus died on the cross and then waited nearby while Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed his lifeless body in his tomb (Mk 15:40,47; Jn 19:39,40). There had not been enough time that evening to finish preparing Jesus for a proper burial. They had to hurry because the Sabbath was about to start at 6:00 in the evening. There was to be no work from then until 6:00 PM the following day. Those women may not have rested much on Saturday as they rehearsed and reviewed the events of the crucifixion in their minds. It was hard to see the suffering while Jesus’ enemies were screaming under the cross and difficult to witness the dying when he gave up his life. Twenty-four hours later, when the merchants opened up their shops, they ran out to get the required things to carry out that one last labor of love for their late Lord (Mk 16:1). Now it was very early on Sunday morning, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon (Mk 16:2). Off to the grave they went. There was just a little light from the sun, but still a lot of darkness in their hearts—tears flowing and emotions hurting. It suddenly dawned on 1 them on their route that they would need help with the stone rolled in front of the entrance (Mk 15:46). It was not a small one (Mk 16:4). This was not a three-woman job. This was no screen door for an opening, but a boulder. That was a legitimate concern for them like you may be wondering what is for lunch (maybe not after our big breakfast). You anticipate eating again. They kept talking about it because they were expecting to find Jesus the way they left him—dead. Didn’t they remember? Every time that Jesus taught about his death, he concluded with his resurrection three days later (cf. Mk 8:31). And now it was that third day. But despair confused their thinking and clouded their understanding. Our attitude often imitates those women. It could be a certain situation, a specific circumstance, or a select sin. And our faces fall in despair. We feel overwhelmed and overcome. We have been there. But there was more to Sunday morning for the women. When they got close to the burial place, they lifted up their eyes and looked at something unusual. The stone was no longer in its place (Mk 16:4). They made their way into the tomb. And there was that angel, seated inside and dressed in white (Mk 16:5; cf. Mt 28:2). No wonder they were alarmed— amazed and afraid at the same time. What did this all mean? They were not left wondering. This messenger of God had a message from God: “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). He didn’t just reassure with what he said, but what he showed: “See the place where they laid him” (Mk 16:6). “Look! No more!” They could note that he was not there. And so we go into the grave. We notice that it is empty. No Jesus. Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. Get rid of despair. There is reason to rejoice. Jesus lives. “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). 2. Doubt (6,7) When I get sent to the store (really it is if I get sent to the store [because it doesn’t happen often]), I scribble a list on a scrap of paper ripped off something from the counter or pulled from the garbage. As I wait in line (usually the longest one), I do some editing before checkout of what is in the cart or in my hand? Do we really need it? And for what? Should I put it back? (That is why I am not sent often.) It is Easter. We want to get rid of the unnecessary. “Stop being scared!” was the command of the angel: “Don’t be alarmed!” (Mk 16:6). And then gives the reason and rationale: “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified” (Mk 16:6). How thoroughly he detailed and described their loved one: Jesus—“Savior” (Mt 1;21). That is what his name means. And not just any Jesus—the Nazarene. That is where he came from. He was hung on a cross. That is how he died. “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). But at is not all. They had a job to do: “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he gold you’” (Mk 16:7). Sometime doctor’s offices call and remind of an appointment. That is what the angel did. Jesus said (Mk 14:28). He was going to keep his word because he was alive. The disciples had to hear that, huddled behind those locked doors. They had sprinted from Jesus rather than stayed by him when he was arrested in the Garden (Mk 14:50). How about that for dependable and devoted? And then there is Peter. Ah, Peter. The angel signaled him out. He had been so brave and bold, bragging and boasting that he would never desert his dear friend (Mt 26:33). Maybe the other 11. Perhaps Andrew. Possibly John. But not him. And not once, but three times, combining it with cursing and sprinkling in some swearing that he claimed that he didn’t know Jesus (Mt 26:74). And yet the angel refered to them as “his.” “But go, tell his disciples and Peter” (Mk 16:7). Unfaithful, yes, but unforgiven, no. Jesus’ resurrection is proof. 2 We have our failures and our flaws. We will label them what they are—sin. We know them and even acknowledge them—sometimes willingly, other times unwillingly. But we have angered God with them. But the crucified Nazarene Jesus has saved us. Jesus died for them, all of them, every one of them. But if Jesus is still dead, then sin is still deadly (Ro 6:23). But God raised him from the dead (1 Co 15:20). That is his public declaration that he accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full for them (Ro 4:25). And now the Son is at his Father’s right hand interceding for us, pleading our case so that God pardons us (1 Jn 2:1). And he does. The Lord has become our salvation (Ps 118:14). Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. Get rid of doubt. Sin is gone. Jesus lives. “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). 3. Dread (8) “Let’s go shopping.” I don’t long for or live for that statement. I try to come up with a bunch of thoughts of things to do instead. I rarely find it necessary (unless I am hungry— and then you are not supposed to go when you are because you get more than you should). Easter is something to look forward to—as long as we remove what is not required. Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. The women left the tomb quickly, but fear and fright seized them (Mk 16:8). Understand that this was all strange and surprising. We know that they did report what had happened to Jesus’ disciples (Mt 28:8). Did they rush right away without stopping to speak to anyone? It did take a while for it to soak in and sink in. It was good that Jesus spent the next 40 days, assuring them that he was not dead (Acts 1:3), so that they would get and grasp the glorious truth of the resurrection. They didn’t have to be gripped with horror, but filled with confidence—no matter what. We have the advantage of viewing the resurrection from a different perspective. We have the ability to put it all together. They were living through it at the time. We are looking back at it at this time. It is an accomplished fact. Jesus rose—just as he said. So if that promise is true, and it is, so are all his others. Don’t let them escape you. He is with us (He 13:5). He controls all for us (Ro 8:28). And then since he lives, we also will live (Jn 14:19). Death will still touch us and those around us. But we know that it is not the end of life because it was not the end of life for Jesus. He has swallowed up death forever (Is 25:8; cf. 1 Co 15:54). That last enemy has been destroyed (1 Co 15:26). That shroud of unbelief and the veil of death no longer hangs over our heads (Is 26:7). Because Jesus rose from the dead, we will rise from the dead as well (1 Co 15:20). He has taken the terror and tears out of death (Is 25:8; Re 21:4). Get rid of the unnecessary at Easter. Get rid of dread. Death is defeated (1 Co 15:26). Jesus lives. “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). And so we deck the church in white (and maybe even dress in it), not black. It is the shade that shouts “victory.” So we rid ourselves of anything that gets in the way of Easter like a good spring cleaning or a great garage sale. Get rid of despair, doubt, and dread. They just don’t fit with this festival—not now, not ever. We celebrate, we trust, we win. “He has risen! He is not here” (Mk 16:6). Happy Easter. Amen. Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation (Is 25:9). Amen. April 8, 2012