God’s Restoration of Faith, Hope, and Love (Easter Sunday)
God’s Restoration of Faith, Hope, and Love (Easter Sunday) – March 31st, 2024
Earlier this year, Elmo posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” By the time I saw it two days later, 175 million people had viewed it, with countless thousands of people “trauma dumping” on the Sesame Street puppet, as one user described the flood of largely dismal responses. 1700 years ago, Aristotle wrote, “To perceive is to suffer.” Much more recently C. S. Lewis said, “We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program.” In ancient as well as modern times, life has always been accompanied by suffering, a claim that surely no one would challenge today.
Not only on Easter Sunday, but every day, we Christians, Christ-followers, celebrate and worship the Risen Christ. Today is a special day on which we remember that Jesus, fully God and fully human, became the crucified God who as a human took upon himself the insufferable burden of the sins of the world, of all people who have ever or will ever live. Pastor, theologian, and Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer described what happened on that first Easter, “God declares himself as guilty toward the world and thereby extinguishes the guilt of the world … Now there is no more godlessness, hate, or sin that God has not taken upon himself, suffered, and atoned. Now there is no longer any reality, any world, that is not reconciled with God and at peace. God has done this in the beloved son, Jesus Christ … The deep meaning of the cross of Christ is that there is no suffering on earth that is not borne by God.” In self-giving love, God gave up God’s very self to overcome all hatred and violence, sin and suffering, destruction and death. The cross is where God showed us that God would not and could not give up on humanity. This is what we call the passion of Christ. In the mystery of the Trinity, three persons in one God, God makes space for us within the eternal embrace of God. This welcome in God is for all of God’s beloved image-bearers – you and me and every person who has ever lived or will ever live. It is in Christ’s death and resurrection that we are invited to participate in God’s new world and in the restoration of all things.
It doesn’t take much of a look around the world today to realize that there is still a lot of restoration that needs to be done. This morning we are going to take a very brief look at three individuals in the Bible who needed restoration.
When biblical King David was a child, he lived the simple life of a shepherd, guarding his flock by day and night. There were times when he looked up at the sky and said, “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). But there were other times, times of great suffering in his life, when he peered into the void and wailed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest” (Psalm 22:1-2). We can relate to both David’s marveling and David’s moaning, can’t we? Today David is known as a hero of the faith and is described by God as a person whose heart was aligned with God’s heart. But there was a time when David needed a restoration of faith.
Biblical Hannah dreamed of becoming a mother. She hoped for a child, she longed for a child, and she prayed that God would bless her in this way. But with each passing month, with each passing year, while God blessed others around her with many children, Hannah still had none. Hannah’s dreams began to fade. The hope which had once flowed as a mighty river through her soul was now barely a trickle. Her heart was burdened with an abundance of grief and anguish. We are told that she poured out her soul before the Lord. We can relate to both Hannah’s longing and Hannah’s lamenting, can’t we? Today we know Hannah as a prophetess and a mother, a model of how to trust God for ourselves and for others. But there was a time when Hannah needed a restoration of hope.
The Apostle Peter didn’t do anything halfway. He either talked too much or didn’t know what to say. When he realized he’d gotten it wrong, he tended to blurt out something on the extreme opposite end. He either walked on water or he sank. He either called Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the living God, or he rebuked him. He promised to never desert Jesus but ended up both deserting him and denying that he even knew him, three times. We can relate to both Peter’s faithfulness and Peter’s flakiness, can’t we? Today we know Peter as one of the first leaders of the early church and a reliable rock. But there was a time when Peter needed a restoration of love.
Like David, you might be in a season of great suffering. It might feel like God is far from you. Christian faith is not blind faith but thinking faith. Authentic faith in the self-revealing God involves both reason and surrender. It’s okay to both marvel and to moan when we’re suffering. No matter what kind of suffering you’re experiencing today, God’s restoration includes faith.
Like Hannah, you might have prayed for a longing or a dream for a really long time. It might feel like your hope has all but dried up. Christian hope is not superficial optimism but well-founded hope. Authentic hope in the creator and sustainer of all life involves getting to know who God really is. It’s okay to both long for and to lament. No matter what those unrealized dreams are, God’s restoration includes hope.
Like Peter, you might feel your heart and your mind are being pulled one way and then another. You might be reminded of someone or some group that you find hard to love. We show our love for God for how we love others. Jesus asks us the same question today that he asked Peter after he flaked out on him, “Do you love me?” Christian love is not romantic naivete but open-eyed love. Authentic love originates from the heart of God and must be received by us in order to be able to give it back to God or to others. It’s good to aim for faithfulness and also to realize that we all flake out at times. No matter where we’re at, God’s restoration includes love.
Today is Easter Sunday, a day associated with two things all over the world. One thing is Easter eggs, which are traditionally colored and decorated. You’re about to receive one, which I ask you to just hold for now – we will open them together in a few minutes. There is a lot of symbolism surrounding Easter eggs, most of which focus on the newness and fullness life that Jesus came to give us. The other thing, which is the best thing, about Easter is that it’s the day when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after he had been brutally executed on a Roman cross. Jesus’ resurrection means that heaven and earth have come together. Jesus’ resurrection means that the one true God has taken charge of the world and is setting everything right again. Jesus’ resurrection means that God is saying “yes” to all the people and the entire universe God created and “no” to everything that damages, distorts, or destroys it. God’s restoration has begun!
Let’s open our Easter eggs now. You will find three symbolic gifts inside. I invite you to think about a place where you might be able to see these every day, maybe on your kitchen window sill, maybe next to your bathroom mirror, maybe in your car. When you look at the cross necklace, remember that God’s restoration includes faith. When you look at the token with the praying hands, remember that God’s restoration includes hope. When you look at the bracelet with the question mark beads, ask, “What would love do?” and remember that God’s restoration includes love.
The last part of our celebration today is to participate in Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. All are invited, all are welcome, to receive the life of Christ through the elements which are being distributed right now. Again, I ask you to hold the elements when you receive them, and we will partake of them together in a few minutes. We celebrate Communion every Sunday in our worship services here at Liberty Vineyard Church. Today we remember in a special way the reasons why we do that each week, because today we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection! Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, everything has changed! As we heard in the drama earlier, “It is finished!” Heaven and earth have now come together, which means that the way has been opened for us to begin a newly integrated way of life in God’s new world, the already-not-yet kingdom of God. The first step is to accept and believe the good news of Jesus Christ who came to save us and to set us free forever. God’s restoration is a gift that God freely gives to each one of us. In receiving that gift, we actually become part of God’s restoration for the world. Would you please pray with me, and then we will celebrate Communion together.
Lord Jesus, thank you that you are fully God and fully human, Emmanuel, God-with-us. You came and lived as one of us to show us who God is and to show us who we are. Thank you that you created and blessed each one of us, as your beloved children, to reflect God’s image in the world. You came to share this good news with us. You showed us this good news by overcoming suffering, sin, and death through your ministry, miracles, and resurrection. I believe you, Jesus, and I receive your invitation, this good news, a life of wholeness, flourishing, and delight. Please change me from the inside out so that I can live the abundant life for which you created me. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower and enable me to become part of this good news of restoration and transformation which you desire for all people and all of creation. Amen!
Now we will celebrate Communion together.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took the bread and said, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Eat together) Again, Jesus took the cup and said, “This is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Drink together)
We’re going to sing one more song together as our worship service draws to a close.
(final song)
Thank you for spending Easter Sunday with us! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Joy to the world – the Lord is come!
