Red Square
The Way of the Cross
The Tomb is Empty
The Day of Resurrection
Family Devotions
Which Way to Go
Resources
Faith Lives Upon No Other
Life Is Stronger
Once Upon a Time
The Strife Is Over
Anti-God Rally
Topic : Easter
Sharing the Message of the Cross
STEP | SCRIPTURE | SETTING | PEOPLE PRESENT | KEY THOUGHT | RELATED DETAILS |
1. | Luke 22:40-50 | Garden of Gethsemane | Jesus and Apostles Judas and Soldiers | Arrested | Jesus prayed Apostles slept Jesus agonized Jesus submitted Judas betrayed |
2. | Matthew 26:57-68 | Before High Priest and Sanhedrin | Jesus, High Priest, Part of Sanhedrin Apostles at a distance | Tried | Jesus was struck with fists, spat upon, and mocked |
3 | Luke 23:1-6 | Before Pilate | Jesus, Pilate, Priests, Sanhedrin Crowd | Examined | Accused Jesus Examined Jesus Found no fault Sent to Herod |
4. | Luke 23:7-12 | Before Herod | Jesus, Herod, Priests, Soldiers Crowd | Mocked | Accused, Mocked Jesus. Dressed Jesus in Herods old royal robe. Sent back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends. |
5. | Luke 23:13-23 | Before Pilate a second time | Jesus, Pilate, Soldiers, Priests, Crowd, Pilates Wife | Sentenced | Barabbas released; Crowd incited; Crucifixion demanded; Jesus scourged; Pilates wife warned; Pilate washed his hands; Pilate yielded to pressure; Jesus sentenced to be crucified. |
6. | Matthew 27:38-60; Luke 23:32-56 | Calvary | Jesus; two thieves; Soldiers; Priests; Crowd; Disciples | Crucified | Nails driven through hands and feet; Priests and crowd mocked; Jesus seven last words; Darkness covered earth; Jesus died; Earthquake; Jesus was buried. |
7. | Luke 24:1-12 | Garden Tomb | Angels; Disciples | Raised | Jesus arose; Jesus appeared; Jesus ascended; |
Red Square
It was May Day, 1990. The place, Moscows Red Square.
Is it straight, Father? one Orthodox priest asked another, shifting the heavy, eight-foot crucifix on his shoulder.
Yes, said the other. It is straight.
Together the two priests, along with a group of parishioners holding ropes that steadied the beams of the huge cross, walked the parade route. Before them was passed the official might of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: the usual May Day procession of tanks, missiles, troops, and salutes to the Communist party elite.
Behind the tanks surged a giant crowd of protesters, shouting up at Mikhail Gorbachev. Bread! .Freedom! .Truth!
As the throng passed directly in front of the Soviet leader standing in his place of honor, the priests hoisted their heavy burden toward the sky. The cross emerged from the crowd. As it did, the figure of Jesus Christ obscured the giant poster faces of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin that provided the backdrop for Gorbachevs reviewing stand.
Mikhail Sergeyevich! one of the priests shouted, his deep voice cleaving the clamor of the protesters and piercing straight toward the angry Soviet leader. Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!
The Way of the Cross
Some of us stay at the cross,
Some of us wait at the tomb,
Quickened and raised with Christ
Yet lingering still in the gloom.
Some of us bide at the Passover feast
With Pentecost all unknown,
The triumphs of grace in the heavenly place
That our Lord has made His own.
If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross,
His work had been incomplete.
If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb,
He had only known defeat,
But the way of the cross never stops at the cross
And the way of the tomb leads on
To victorious grace in the heavenly place
Where the risen Lord has gone.
Annie Johnson Flint
The Tomb is Empty
Little Philip, born with Downs syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought Leggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, Thats stupid. Thats not fair. Somebody didnt do their assignment.
Philip spoke up, Thats mine.
Philip, you dont ever do things right! the student retorted. Theres nothing there!
I did so do it, Philip insisted. I did do it. Its empty. The tomb was empty!
Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.
The Day of Resurrection
The day of resurrection'
Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness,
The Passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
From this world to the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over
With hymns of victory.
Now let the heavens be joyful,
Let earth her song begin;
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Let all things seen and unseen
Their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen,
Our Joy that hath no end.
John of Damascus
All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life. And if all their hopes in Christ lie within the compass of this life, they are in a much worse condition than the rest of humanity, especially at that time and under those conditions in which the apostles wrote, for then they were hated and persecuted by all people.
Preachers and believers therefore have a hard lot if in this life only they have hope in Christ. Better to be anything than a Christian under these terms! It is a gross absurdity in a Christian to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst in the world. Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are tasteless to him in a great degree, and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are those which he pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better! - Matthew Henry
Family Devotions
For family devotions, Martin Luther once read the account of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22.
His wife, Katie, said, I do not believe it. God would not have treated his son like that!
But, Katie, Luther replied, He did.
Which Way to Go
Dr. Seamands tells of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. Some of his friends asked him, Why have you become a Christian?
He answered, Well, its like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didnt know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alivewhich one would you ask which way to go?
Resources
- Tales of the Neverending, Mark Littleton, Moody, 1990, pp. 34ff
- The Expositor, W.R. Nicoll, ed., 3rd Series, Vol. 1, 1885, p. 474, The Appearances of the Risen Jesus to all the Apostles, B. B. Warfield.
Faith Lives Upon No Other
Christ Jesus lay in deaths strong bands,
For our offenses given;
But now at Gods right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven;
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of hallelujah.
It was a strange and dreadful strife
When Life and Death contended;
The victory remained with Life,
The reign of Death was ended;
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That Death is swallowed up by Death,
His sting is lost forever.
Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the Bread of Heaven;
The Word of Grace hath purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed.
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other.
- Martin Luther
Life Is Stronger
Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right;
Faith and Hope triumphant say,
Christ will rise on Easter Day.
- Phillips Brooks
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time | And out walks Jesus |
There was a God | All over again; |
Who so loved the world | Out stalks the |
That he gave his son | Grinning, striding Jesus. |
His only son. | Tight-lipped |
And they took that son | Little people |
And they hung him on a cross | Hover all day |
And that son died. | Around the tomb |
And they buried the son | And cover it with |
Sealed him up tight. | Incense |
But God said, | And bow before it |
Oh no you dont | And walk before it |
And he rolled back the rock, | And sigh before it; |
He unsealed his son | And pray to it |
And his son came out, | And sing to it |
Came out walking and breathing | And weep to it |
And he was Alive. | And lean on it. |
And hes alive today | And weep to it |
And he walks around | And lean on it. |
And he stalks around | And no one |
Breathing life and life | Notices |
Every morning just before dawn | Or at least |
For thousands of years | They pretend not |
Little grim people | To notice, |
Preachers and bankers and | The living |
Storekeepers and students | Breathing |
Sneak up to the grave and | Walking |
Roll back the stone | Talking |
To seal it up tight. | Jesus |
And every morning | Out on the |
God roars | Edge calling |
Oh no you dont! | Hey! |
And he flings back the stone. | Hey you! |
The Strife Is Over
The strife is oer, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun. Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst,
But Christ their legions hath dispersed:
Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Alleluia!
The three sad days have quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead:
All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia!
He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heavens high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell. Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From deaths dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live and sing to Thee. Alleluia!
Anti-God Rally
Dr. George Sweeting tells of an incident in the early 1920s when Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited.
An Orthodox church priest rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, He is risen! Instantly the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came back loud and clear, He is risen indeed!