Welcome to our annual festival of rejoicing over the resurrection of Jesus. He is the Son of God and our Savior. With tens of millions of people all over the world, we gather together today to celebrate a living man, not a dead martyr. Most religions have their martyrs, but the One who died for our sins is alive again. His closest followers, the soldiers, skeptics and scared people all saw an empty grave and heard angels say, "Here is not here; He has risen!" Truly, Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!)

         Whatever you think happened that day, the world has never been the same. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus has changed more people, more nations, and created more ideas and even more political improvements than any ten other religions. And think of it - it all started with an itinerant teacher rising from the dead long ago.

          Christianity does not hold the Resurrection to be just one of its important beliefs. Resurrection is our central belief. Without the Resurrection, it wouldn't matter if Jesus was a great teacher who did miracles. Without the resurrection, there'd be no Christianity at all. If Christ had merely died, Christianity would have died, too. Martin Luther once wrote, "The Gospel does not explain the Resurrection. The Resurrection explains the Gospel."

         But not everyone believes it to be so. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." A man named Al said. "Somebody dies and rises and because of it people can get to heaven? Why would anyone ever believe that? That's just plain stupid!" Those actual words were spoken to one of our members after he had witnessed to one of his employees. Al is a modern skeptic who believes in taking care of himself and his family first, and keeping any notion of God at arm's length. Al's motto is, "If it doesn't make sense to me, it never happened."

         If you think about it, it does seem a bit far-fetched. A teacher lives a good life in a tiny Middle Eastern country and is proclaimed by His followers to be the Son of God. People today worship Him as Savior, not just of a tribe or a nation, but of the whole world - indeed, of the entire universe! Jesus of Nazareth taught a small group of twelve working-class men when there was no mass transit and poor communication, and yet His story spread all over the known world like a wildfire. It's positively a miracle from God that the Gospel spread so far and so fast.

         Jesus Christ is a historical figure whose billion and a half followers today believe in His Resurrection. And though It happened 2000 years ago, every year untold millions of these followers talk about it like it happened yesterday. Our songs, Bible readings, stories and worship all show it is the center of our faith. And people need to know, if you don't believe in the resurrection, you're not a Christian. You might be a church member, but without believing Christ rose from the dead, you're not a Christian, and heaven is not in your future.

         St. Paul must have felt this attitude as he preached among the non-believers of Corinth when he wrote, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) Some people just can't understand Christians. The reality of Jesus is a stumbling block to them; it goes against their logic. It just doesn't seem to make sense, so they dismiss it as a fable.

         The Corinthian people Paul was writing to were educated and sophisticated, much like us. They were modern people in their day and lived in wealth and scientific achievement. They enjoyed leisure time and all the worldliness that comes with it. They were intelligent thinkers and so it's no surprise they viewed Christians as blind followers, foolish and uneducated people. Being a Christian back then was dangerous to your health! Because they were willing to die for Jesus, they were considered extremists.

         Some people today still feel that way about Christians. They think we're just a bunch of extremists. That brings to mind something a U. S. former Attorney General said. He said, "In Islam, Allah asks you to send your son to die for him. In Christianity, God sent His Son to die for you." Those are good words to remember, words that make all the difference. We need more common sense words like that from our leaders in Washington and in Denver.

         It's true that Christians have not always been the best ambassadors for Christ. A few misled fanatics in the Middle Ages did some deplorable deeds in His name. But many Christians have been persecuted in unspeakable ways, and millions have been killed for their faith. It's been said more people have died simply for being Christian in the twentieth century alone, than in all the centuries all the way back to Christ. Today they're still dying for Christ in East Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan and any number of Arab. But remember, for every one person who killed someone in the name of Christ, ten thousand Christians have died for confessing Christ.

         But perhaps the thing most insulting to modern people is that all it takes to get to heaven is simple faith. And not even adult faith, just the faith of child. Christianity teaches you don't do anything, pay anything, or follow a bunch of rule to get to heaven. It's free! Just believe Christ is the Son of God who died and rose for your sins, and heaven is yours! Like Al said, that sounds plain stupid. But stupid sounding or not, it's the truth! And it's the truth, as Jesus once said, that will set you free! (John 8:32)

         Some of you who are avid baseball fans may remember the name of Dick Howser. Howser was a baseball player who eventually became manager of the Kansas City Royals. He led them to win the World Series in 1985, and a year later he managed the American League players in the All Star game. But he'd felt sick for a time before the game and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He fought the cancer with all his might, but he died about a year later. Dick Howser was a dedicated Christian. He didn't hide his faith, but talked of Jesus both before and after they found cancer. His funeral was at a big Baptist Church in Kansas City. There was great singing, and worship, a fitting send-off for a believer. But one of the Kansas City sports writers said it best when he wrote the headline over Howser's obituary. His newspaper article read, "Dick Howser Safe at Home Base."

         We Christians are serious about the Resurrection. It gives us meaning for life now ,and it gives us hope for the life to come. A familiar hymn of faith in the resurrection is called, "Because He Lives." The chorus goes like this: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, my life is worth the living just because He lives." The belief that Jesus still lives gives hope to Christians everywhere, in every age.

         Several years ago Dr. Paul Maier, Lutheran pastor, professor and author of Pontius Pilate and the Flames of Rome wrote his best-seller entitled, A Skeleton in God's Closet. It is a frightening novel of what the world would be like if they found the bones of Jesus in a grave. He wrote of the despair that followed the discovery, and it wasn't just Christian leaders who jumping out of windows; whole civilizations were brought to the brink of collapse. Fortunately they discovered the "skeleton" of Christ was a clever hoax created by someone who was angry at God.

         But, praise be to God, "Life is worth the living just because He lives." That's faith talking. The Resurrection is why we're Christian. Jesus is not just a good guy! Easter Sunday is not just an annual pep fest for a dead guy, it's a celebration for a living guy! Easter is all about the Resurrected One, Jesus our Lord, and it's also about all who believe in Him.

         Sir Winston Churchill planned most of the parts of his own funeral, which took place in 1965 at Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. He asked to have included many of the great hymns of the church, as well as the eloquent Anglican liturgy. And when the benediction had been said, there came a dramatic moment. A bugler, positioned high in the front dome of Saint Paul's, played "Taps," the universal signal that says the day is over: "Day is done, gone the sun from the lake, from hill from sky. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh." It was a touching moment, but the drama was not over. As soon as "Taps" ended, another bugler, placed on the opposite side of the great dome, played "Reveille"--"It's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up in the morning!" That touch of Churchill humor was his testimony that at the end of history for the Christian, the last note will not be "Taps," it will be the "Reveille of Resurrection!"

         While this day is all about Christ rising again, we still have a life to live. You and I must continue here in the faith until the day of judgment. As we do, God wants us to love Him above all, and also to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means faithful service and positive witness. Our earthly mother and father can't demand we love them, but they'd like it if we did. So also we aren't compelled to obey our Heavenly Father, but He'd like it if we did.

         Take time today to tell someone you love them, and then show them. Husbands, help your wife with the dishes. And kids, pick up the stuff you've left lying around. And Mom, if they don't get up to do this, go play "Reveille" on the piano! "Christ is risen - He is risen indeed!" God be with us all this glorious day of the Resurrection. Amen

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  Epiphany logo designed and provided by Dale Bargmann at daleb@ecentral.com