Why I Don't Tell The Resurrection Story on Easter
Why I Don’t Tell The Resurrection Story on Easter
In all my years of preaching on Easter, I rarely told the Easter story of Jesus’ resurrection. This confused some people. But it was very intentional on my part. I was making an important point: Jesus didn’t come to give us a nice story to tell so we could get dressed up, eat ham, and hunt for chocolate. He came to change lives.
The Resurrection is About Changed Lives.
So, instead of telling the story, I would interview someone whose life had been changed by Jesus or I focused on a story from the Bible that showed how Jesus transformed lives. I did this because many people zone out when they hear a story they think they know…. “The stone was rolled away… yada yada yada…” I never wanted people to leave bored with the story of the resurrection. I wanted them to leave with the hope of their own life being resurrected.
You see, we all live with our broken humanity. We all live in a state of weakness. We might ignore it or cover it up… but it’s there. And we all look for a way to heal or medicate that weakness in some way. And so, we don’t need a religious story. We need a new life.
Good News For A Broken Life
It’s this weakness that Jesus confronted in a woman he met at a well one day. She came in the heat of the day, rather than early morning like most people, showing that she lived in shame, an outcast in her town. We learn that she suffered the rejection of many men, which probably implied a degree of self-loathing and internal pain. Not a pretty picture.
But Jesus offered her words of resurrection:
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?
She, like most of us, looked to external factors to satisfy her soul… daily going to the well to meet her needs. So Jesus had her attention, even though she didn’t fully understand what he was talking about.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:10-14
Ah… so true. The “wells” we return too never satisfy us, do they? Jesus was offering a resurrection to this woman’s weary soul… something that had nothing to do with her ability to perform or please or achieve. Something that came from God and had the ability to satisfy the longings of her heart.
Easter Is About The Power to Live a New Life
So this Easter, that’s my word of hope to you. Right now, in this moment, you may not feel you need a word of hope. Maybe everything is breaking well for you.
But I know a moment will come when you feel dry inside, when you doubt yourself, and sadness rises up. That’s when you need to look to Jesus to give you this “water,” this life that only he can provide. This is what fills you and sustains you even when your performance is getting bad reviews. This is the resurrection that Jesus wants to give you today. I hope you will receive it and make this Easter the one that actually means something.
Prayer: Jesus, I admit that there are too many moments when I am overwhelmed with weakness and self-doubt. Help me to turn to you in those moments and remember where true life comes from… not from the praise of my peers but from the life that only you can give. Fill me with the same Spirit that raised you from the dead so I can live the same life that you lived. Amen.
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