Sunday sermons | Passionate worship

This sermon was preached by Pastor Keith Cardwell at Swift Presbyterian Church.

April 16, 2017 | Easter / Resurrection of the Lord

Universal and Irreversible
Matthew 20:1–10

I T’S THAT TIME OF YEAR. With great anticipation and preparation, we have set our sights for this week. The final days of tax season are upon us. For some of us — I suppose most of us who have yet to file our taxes — it means time to write a check to the Department of Treasury.

This year we have the end of tax season and Holy Week overlapping. I’m reminded of the old saying, I think Benjamin Franklin, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.”

You didn’t come today to be reminded of your tax bill or to hear a sermon on the importance of “rendering to Caesar.” And to be honest you didn’t come today to be reminded of death. But we have no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. We have no resurrection without death. We have no celebration today without the grief of this Holy Week. So, let’s talk briefly about death.

† † †

DEATH IS UNIVERSAL. All living things die. Did you know mayflies have the shortest animal lifespan? They only live for a single day. Contrast that to a Great Basin bristlecone pine that, measured by ring count, is 5,066 years old — making it the longest-living plant in the world.

We try to keep death at bay. We give up bad behaviors because they can shove us into an early grave. (According to Health.com, the top four are smoking, drinking too much alcohol, not exercising, and not eating enough fruits and veggies.) But the reality is this: No matter how well we take care of ourselves; no matter how many years we add to our life; eventually we die. To live a day or to live 5,000 years, the ultimate fate is the same — all living things die. Death is universal.

† † †

DEATH IS ALSO IRREVERSIBLE. There is no medicine, no exercise, no surgery, no magic potion that can make us undead. Cryogenics offers the elderly and terminally ill the chance to freeze their body in the hopes of coming back to life in the future when cures are discovered. But even if Cryogenics works, at some point in the future, all living things eventually die and do not come back to life.

Yes, I know the story of Lazarus from the Bible. Dead four days and Jesus brought him back to life. Yes, I’ve heard tales of people dying and hovering over their hospital bed, or auto accident scene and re-entering their body after a pronouncement of death by medical personnel. But ultimately, Lazarus died again and so did/will those who claim “near-death” experiences.

Death is irreversible. The folks who kill Jesus know this. His disciples know this when they bury Jesus in the grave. The soldiers know this as they guard his tomb — not to keep Jesus in but to keep thieves out. The women know this as they came to the tomb early on the third day. They know death is irreversible.

Jesus died. Death is universal. Jesus is placed in tomb. Death is irreversible. An angel interrupts the women’s grief, our grief, and says, “He is not here. He has been raised from the dead.” This is the surprising, life-altering, life-giving part of the story. This is where we connect the death of Jesus to the heart of God’s love for all creation.

† † †

JESUS BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD, by the power of God, tells us:

God’s love is universal. God loves everyone! “Everyone” is not limited. If God only loves certain people then God’s love is not universal. John tells us in the familiar verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.” Not part of the world. Not just North America, which has the largest Christian population in the world. God loves the people in places where Christianity barely exists — Somalia, North Korea, Iran. God’s love is universal — for all people, for all the world.

God loves the poor but also the rich. God loves the sick but also the healthy. God loves the prisoners but also those in the “free world.” God loves the peacemakers but God also love the warmongers. God’s love is all encompassing. God’s love exists within you. Yes, you.

God will never cease to love you because God’s love is irreversible. This is a constant — God loves you. No matter where you are in life. When it comes to love, God is all in. Yes, he knows what you’ve done in the past. Yes, that thing. And that one, too. And that behavior you’ve already forgotten.

But, surprise! No matter what you’ve done — or are doing — God loves you. No matter what you failed to do, God loves you. God loves you so much God wants God’s best for you, which might well mean a change in your life.

† † †

NOTHING IN HEAVEN OR ON EARTH — no power, no addiction, no sin, no disease, no abuse, no attitude, no hatred, no apathy, no distress, no trouble — nothing can separate you from God’s love. God will not and cannot cease loving you.

Nothing in heaven or earth can separate anyone else from God’s love either. Remember that. Every person with whom you come into contact is loved by God. Every one. Not one person is outside God’s love. God’s love for all of creation is universal and irreversible. And because of this, no one should be outside of our love, either.

† † †

SO, LIKE MARY ON THAT RESURRECTION MORNING, go and tell. Go tell your teammates. Go tell it on the mountain. Go tell your neighbor. Go tell your teacher. Go tell it over the hills and everywhere. Go tell your dentist. Go tell your coach. Go tell your co-workers. Go tell the drive-thru person at Wendy’s. Do not be afraid. It is the greatest story.

This is good news for a struggling single parent. This is good news for a teen who wonders if there’s any reason to live. This is good news for friends caught up in lies and deception. This is good news for the kid who’s been thrown out of the house. This is good news for the poor. Good news for the sick. Good news for those in prison. Good news for the one addicted to prescription pain meds. This is good news for all people.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin, the only things in this world that are certain — universal and irreversible — are death and God’s eternal love for all creation through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

— Keith Cardwell

►We confess that we long to dance.

Matthew 20:1–10
New International Version

Jesus Has Risen
28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”