LutheranLectionary.org

1 Year Lectionary – Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 17, 2022 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy gospel according to saint mark
0:31	the 16th chapter
0:33	[Music]
0:40	when the sabbath was passed mary
0:42	magdalene and mary the mother of james
0:44	and salome bought spices so that they
0:47	might go and anoint jesus and the very
0:51	early on the first day of the week when
0:52	the sun had risen they went to the tomb
0:56	and they were saying to one another who
0:58	will roll away the stone for us from the
1:01	entrance of the tomb and looking up they
1:04	saw that the stone had been rolled back
1:06	it was very large and entering the tomb
1:09	they saw a young man sitting on the
1:11	right side dressed in a white robe
1:14	and they were alarmed and he said to
1:16	them do not be alarmed you seek jesus of
1:19	nazareth who was crucified he is risen
1:22	he is not here see the place where they
1:24	laid him but go tell his disciples and
1:26	peter that he is going before you to
1:28	galilee there you will see him just as
1:30	he told you and they went out and fled
1:33	from the tomb for trembling and
1:34	astonishment had seized them and they
1:36	said nothing to anyone for they were
1:38	afraid this is the gospel of the lord
1:41	christ is risen
1:45	hallelujah
1:48	y’all remember being young now some of
1:49	you are young so i apologize to the
1:51	young folks here this might be a present
1:53	reality for you at the moment but when i
1:55	was young when i was a wee little lad
1:58	you know maybe eight years old christmas
2:00	was a big
2:02	deal you guys remember the movie
2:03	christmas story how the narrator said
2:06	that his entire life kind of revolved
2:10	around and orbited the the christmas
2:12	season this was true for me when i was a
2:13	kid so in fact every
2:16	single year thanksgiving night all right
2:19	there was a
2:21	christmas special that aired on channel
2:24	5 ktla in los angeles right after
2:27	thanksgiving dinner and it was called
2:29	santa and the three bears and that was
2:32	the official kickoff of the christmas
2:34	season right and the only thing i could
2:36	think about was christmas asking my mom
2:38	bugging my mom when are we going to get
2:39	our christmas tree then we get our
2:41	christmas tree and when my parents would
2:43	go to bed i would sneak into the living
2:45	room and sleep on the couch because i
2:46	wanted to sleep next to the christmas
2:48	tree i loved the lights the color
2:50	everything and all i could do was think
2:52	about christmas i would take my toys
2:54	play in front of the christmas tree
2:55	because it was all about ah christmas is
2:58	coming right but then what happened is
3:00	that i grew old and i turned ugly it
3:02	just this is what happens right i got
3:05	old so first i grew up then i got
3:08	married then i had kids and my kids had
3:10	that same excitement and same joy but of
3:13	course i knew it was my job to kind of
3:15	rig it in their favor you get what i’m
3:17	saying here right but then they grew up
3:19	and then we kicked them out of the house
3:21	you got to kick your kids out when they
3:22	get to a particular particular age don’t
3:24	let them stay too long okay it’s like
3:26	milk it goes bad but all of that being
3:28	said all of that
3:31	all of that being said now when somebody
3:33	says do you realize there’s like only a
3:35	month and a half till christmas
3:38	it’s like telling somebody in august you
3:40	know snow’s coming in just a couple of
3:42	months you sit there and go
3:44	stop stop stop this is how it goes and
3:47	so
3:48	that joy that anticipation i had for
3:51	christmas
3:52	eh you know it’s it’s kind of not there
3:55	but here’s the thing i’ve noticed as the
3:57	beard has gotten grayer and the body is
4:00	starting to fall apart oh praise god
4:02	that’s finally happening right that what
4:04	the thing i’m looking forward to and i
4:06	can feel it it’s that same
4:09	kind of really excited anticipation
4:12	it’s easter and the fulfillment of
4:15	easter in the resurrection of our bodies
4:17	because have you guys noticed that this
4:19	world is a little bit tough to live in
4:21	have you noticed that that we’ve got
4:23	full dose
4:25	good
4:26	and evil
4:27	the good comes from god the evil’s our
4:29	fault because of sin and the two mix
4:31	together and create this
4:33	kind of a mix and then there’s whole
4:35	seasons when like the suffering the pain
4:38	the drama the
4:41	well the sickness and the death it all
4:44	seems that time to have a seasons where
4:46	it gets the upper hand
4:48	and so we’re going to note then because
4:50	christ has risen from the dead
4:53	we have well let me mix metaphors here
4:57	we got a cool christmas coming it’s the
4:59	christmas when christ raises us all out
5:02	of the grave to a new heavens and a new
5:04	earth and this is most certainly true
5:07	because christ our paschal paschal lamb
5:10	has been slain
5:12	this is true so death passes over us we
5:16	have the blood of christ over us and
5:19	christ has bled and died for our sins
5:21	reconciled us to the father ransomed us
5:25	raised us from the dead adopted at us in
5:27	his family we are forgiven nothing can
5:31	change that
5:33	the word of god must be fulfilled
5:36	and so in that regard then let’s
5:38	consider our old testament text first
5:40	i’m going to throw in a bonus text today
5:42	too did you know there was an assigned
5:44	psalm for today yeah there is there’s a
5:46	signed psalm and i’m just going to
5:48	happen to preach part of it because it’s
5:49	so cool but job and let me can we kind
5:52	of set this up properly
5:54	job was written probably
5:59	before genesis although it’s kind of
6:00	hard to figure out how that all works
6:02	let’s just say that if you’ve if you
6:04	understand hebrew and you’ve ever tried
6:08	uh working through job and translating
6:10	it
6:11	wow is it hard
6:13	it’s you know have you ever guys you
6:14	haven’t ever read beowulf in like the
6:16	original you know it’s kind of that that
6:19	kind of hard that’s how pristine this
6:21	hebrew is and so
6:24	that being the case
6:25	we know that this is
6:27	really really really really old even
6:30	older than me that being the case
6:32	consider then thousands of years before
6:35	jesus walks the earth
6:37	this old testament saint has really
6:41	solid theology he understands the gospel
6:45	and how is that possible how is it
6:48	possible that he understands the gospel
6:50	could it be that god the holy spirit
6:52	revealed this to him or that this
6:54	reflects the faith of the saints of old
6:57	i think it does
6:59	so here’s what job writes oh that my
7:02	words were written oh that they were
7:04	inscribed in a book oh that with an iron
7:08	pen and lead they were engraved in the
7:10	rock forever
7:12	and i would say well
7:14	your mission accomplished here because
7:16	you’ll note that job’s words are written
7:18	in scripture and god’s word will never
7:20	pass away it’s written in something
7:22	better than iron and lead or engraved in
7:25	the rock it is written in the living
7:27	active word of god that is
7:29	us and god breathed
7:31	and
7:31	so now here comes the sentence for i
7:35	know
7:36	i know that my redeemer
7:38	lives
7:40	he does
7:41	and this is before christ has been
7:43	raised from the dead it’s before christ
7:44	was even consumed in the womb of the
7:47	virgin mary and yet job all those
7:49	thousands of years before that he knew
7:51	that he had a redeemer and we all need
7:54	one and that’s what we have in christ
7:56	and he knew that he was alive and that
7:58	he was living and at the last he will
8:00	stand upon the earth oh an
8:03	eschatological reality here even he’s
8:06	got
8:07	good understanding of the gospel
8:09	good understanding of the eskatana we’ll
8:11	note that maybe just maybe we can use
8:14	this last bit in a proleptic way that
8:17	maybe there was an immediate fulfillment
8:19	and a far fulfillment this is one of the
8:21	ways prophecies of the old testament
8:22	work think of it this way job looking
8:25	forward through time all right there’s
8:28	two appearances of christ when he stands
8:31	on the earth one when he is conceived in
8:34	the womb of the virgin is born and then
8:37	suffers under pontius pilate all the
8:39	things that jesus did while he was alive
8:41	and then the far far one at the end when
8:44	he stands on the earth when he returns
8:46	in glory to judge the living and the
8:48	dead but we will remember this we just
8:50	observed good friday our day of
8:53	atonement and that christ on good friday
8:56	was not standing upon the earth
9:00	he was suspended between heaven and
9:02	earth
9:03	he was our sacrifice he is the one who
9:06	reconciles us to god he’s the one who
9:10	bears our sin suffers the wrath of god
9:12	in our place and now calls us to repent
9:15	and believe in what he has done for us
9:17	and you might say well why should i
9:18	believe because he’s risen from the dead
9:21	his resurrection proves that his
9:23	sacrifice for our sins was accepted by
9:26	god the father and that we are saved
9:28	death has been conquered we have nothing
9:30	to fear regarding death anymore this is
9:33	why then he goes on to say after my skin
9:35	has been thus destroyed yet in my flesh
9:39	i shall
9:41	see
9:42	god
9:44	wow
9:46	he even believes in the resurrection
9:49	and we should too
9:50	because what he said here is true it is
9:54	right now i have not privy to the date
9:56	when jesus returns i have no insights to
10:00	give you there i don’t know the day i
10:02	just work in marketing god the trinity
10:04	they’re in management they’ve got that
10:06	all sorted out but that being the case
10:09	that being the case
10:11	when christ returns
10:13	we hear in scripture that he’s bringing
10:16	everybody back who believed in him and
10:18	they will be raised first because he is
10:21	the first fruits of the resurrection and
10:23	the first fruits of the new creation
10:25	think of it that way and so job here
10:28	picks it up properly even though i die
10:32	and i dissolve and decay and my skin is
10:34	destroyed yet in my flesh i shall see
10:38	god and brothers and sisters so will you
10:41	the fact that the tomb is empty makes
10:44	this beyond certain this promise is for
10:47	all who are in christ whose sins are
10:50	forgiven
10:51	we will all see god with our own eyes it
10:54	doesn’t matter if you die tomorrow 20
10:56	years from now or some time off in the
10:59	distant future before the return of
11:01	christ you are going to see christ with
11:03	your very eyes and if you’re fortunate
11:05	enough to survive the greatest part of
11:08	the tribulation and then christ returns
11:11	you’ll see him with the eyes that you
11:12	have today but my eyes shall see for
11:15	myself he says my eyes shall behold and
11:17	not a another my heart faints within me
11:20	at the thought of it ah right there my
11:22	heart faints within me that’s that
11:24	christmas bit that part that’s gone from
11:26	me regarding christmas but now looking
11:29	forward to the resurrection yesterday i
11:31	had the privilege
11:33	of
11:34	burying one of the members of emmanuel
11:36	radium he died back at the end of
11:38	january from covid and we we all know
11:40	sometimes you have to wait for the
11:42	ground to unfreeze in order to bury
11:43	people nowadays right but that being the
11:46	case i was there graveside with him as
11:48	we put his remains in the earth and
11:51	although it was a sad occasion it was
11:53	not an occasion without hope and it was
11:56	very much a privilege to remind them
11:58	what the scriptures say that we
12:00	christians because of the resurrection
12:01	of christ we do not mourn as those who
12:04	do not have hope that would be out of
12:06	line for us for us christians we never
12:09	say goodbye it is always see you later
12:12	and i was able to say to marv before he
12:14	died that i would see him later and now
12:16	he is worshiping around the throne of
12:19	christ with all the departed saints and
12:21	so that being the case then consider a
12:23	little bit of the
12:25	account of our resurrection and we’ll
12:27	see the gospel nuggets that are in here
12:29	and i’ll say this always and again when
12:31	mark 16 shows up as the text for the
12:34	resurrection of christ
12:35	always as a pastor i look at this text
12:37	and go
12:38	what am i supposed to do with it it ends
12:40	off with scared women running away
12:45	but alas alas if we work our way through
12:48	it we can see a few things that are
12:50	worth noting so it says in our gospel
12:52	text when the sabbath was passed mary
12:55	magdalene married the mother of james
12:56	and salome they bought spices so that
12:59	they might go and anoint him referring
13:02	to the body of christ now i find this
13:05	interesting
13:07	to a person every one of jesus’s
13:09	disciples either men or women
13:12	none of them
13:14	seem to have had jesus’s words register
13:17	in their brains and in their hearts
13:19	where they understood and believed what
13:21	he said and here’s what i mean going to
13:24	jerusalem christ says
13:26	when we get to jerusalem
13:28	i’m going to be betrayed
13:30	i’m going to be arrested i’m going to be
13:32	flogged i’m going to be crucified i’m
13:34	going to die and i’m going to rise again
13:37	on the third day
13:39	and the disciples went what did he just
13:41	say
13:43	right and even these women it didn’t
13:46	register with them how do we know
13:48	because they’re going to anoint the body
13:50	of christ they’re expecting to see a
13:53	corpse
13:54	even christ’s words did not register
13:57	with them
13:58	so very early on the first day of the
14:00	week which is sunday
14:02	when the sun had risen
14:04	we can do a little double entendre with
14:06	that indeed the sun did rise they went
14:09	to the tomb and they were saying to one
14:11	another who will roll away the stone for
14:13	us
14:14	from the entrance of the tomb again they
14:16	don’t even believe what christ said
14:19	then looking up they saw the stone had
14:22	been rolled back it was very large
14:24	entering the tomb they saw a young man
14:27	sitting on the right side dressed in a
14:30	white robe
14:31	and they were alarmed now this is the
14:34	normal procedure when you run into an
14:36	angel by the way i just want to make
14:37	this clear all right there was a black
14:39	adder text you know there was a black
14:41	adder joke years ago you know where the
14:43	question was asked and what exactly
14:44	should we do if we step on a land mine
14:47	and the answer was well the normal
14:49	procedure is you throw yourself up about
14:50	200 feet in the air and then scatter
14:52	yourself over a large area right that’s
14:55	it’s a it’s a dark joke but here’s the
14:57	thing when you run into an angel the
15:00	normal procedure is to go ah
15:03	that’s normal procedure so when somebody
15:05	says yeah i had an angel appear to me
15:07	and say this that and the other thing
15:08	they’re lying to you right
15:11	they would they would well practically
15:13	die with that kind of encounter so the
15:15	angel here
15:17	he says to them
15:19	don’t be alarmed you see jesus of
15:23	nazareth who was crucified he has risen
15:26	he’s not here see the place where they
15:28	laid him but go tell his disciples and
15:30	peter that he’s going before you to
15:32	galilee there you will see him just as
15:35	he
15:35	told you
15:38	ah even the angel knows the words of
15:40	christ but i would note something here
15:42	think back to monday thursday christ is
15:45	betrayed by judas iscariot and they go
15:48	into the garden of gethsemane and there
15:51	when he is arrested what does peter do
15:53	he takes out his sword lops off the ear
15:56	of the temple servant named malcus and
15:58	christ says away with that sword and
16:00	then he basically says the scriptures
16:02	must be fulfilled if i wanted to all i
16:05	would have to do is say the word and
16:07	legions of angels would come and fight
16:09	for me to prevent what was happening
16:12	here and what he’s saying is true
16:14	imagine how difficult this had to be for
16:16	the angels to watch
16:19	their god be crucified and murdered by
16:23	you
16:24	and by me
16:25	and yet here at the resurrection of
16:28	christ
16:29	this angel doesn’t have any sound of
16:33	vengeance
16:35	or of a grudge
16:36	or of anger or anything of the sort he
16:39	only has good tidings for christ’s
16:41	disciples and he assures them you do not
16:44	need to be alarmed you seek jesus of
16:46	nather nazareth who was crucified he was
16:49	crucified for you and he’s risen he’s
16:51	not here and then see the place where
16:53	they laid him and here’s where i’d like
16:56	to kind of put this in here we learned
16:58	from the other gospel of account
16:59	accounts that there were at least two
17:02	angels there at the tomb of christ and
17:06	you’ll note that this angel seems to be
17:08	tidying up now that christ has risen
17:10	from the dead whatever his assignment
17:12	was has come to an end he’s got to
17:14	deliver a message and then kind of get
17:16	on with his day but we learn from the
17:18	fact that there were two angels present
17:20	at the tomb of christ and it says very
17:22	specifically in another gospel one was
17:24	at the head where his head was another
17:27	at the feet think of it this way you
17:29	guys remember the movie raiders of the
17:30	lost ark you guys remember that right
17:33	there you have the ark of the covenant
17:35	beautifully
17:36	recreated for the movies if you would
17:39	but the one thing they got right for
17:40	sure was the very top part of the ark of
17:44	the covenant the ark of the covenant
17:46	that top was called the mercy seat that
17:49	was the place where the blood of the
17:51	sacrifices the annual sacrifice the day
17:53	of atonement were poured once a year on
17:56	the top of that thing and what’s on top
17:59	of the mercy seat
18:01	two angels cherubim according to exodus
18:03	god commanded the two angels be put
18:06	there on the top of the mercy seat
18:09	facing each other with their wings
18:11	spread out touching winged wing
18:14	right
18:15	i think that is an image depicting
18:19	the work that two angels did after
18:22	christ’s
18:23	tomb was sealed
18:25	there were two angels
18:27	guarding the body of christ
18:30	there until he should rise from the dead
18:34	i think that’s a beautiful depiction i
18:36	learned it from the church fathers
18:37	totally stole it from them at least you
18:39	know where i got it from it’s such a
18:40	great picture i had to share it it’s so
18:42	awesome so now we’ve got one of the
18:44	remaining angels tidying up folding the
18:47	linens and things like this and he has
18:49	nothing but good tidings for us because
18:52	christ has risen so go tell his
18:54	disciples and peter yeah that fellow
18:56	that who denied christ three times you
18:58	tell him that he’s going to galilee he
19:01	will see you he will see you will see
19:03	him just as he told you so they went out
19:05	they fled from the tomb for trembling
19:07	and astonishment had seized them and
19:09	they said nothing to anyone for they
19:11	were afraid
19:13	well that’s an unsatisfactory ending
19:15	right there that you know if i were to
19:17	end the sermon here i i wouldn’t think
19:18	that that was
19:19	satisfactory so let me pull on our
19:23	assigned psalm for today let me set it
19:26	up this way
19:28	you remember when the children of israel
19:31	crossed the red sea
19:33	all right
19:34	there they are being pursued by the
19:36	armies of pharaoh they’ve come up
19:38	against the red sea god commands moses
19:41	to tell you know to raise his staff and
19:43	depart the sea and god parts it
19:46	and there the children of israel cross
19:49	on dry land across the red sea and when
19:52	the egyptians follow
19:55	god begins to close things up and then
19:58	the sea just crashes in and the entire
20:01	army of pharaoh perishes in the red sea
20:04	in chapter 15 of exodus we get that
20:08	beautiful
20:09	glorious
20:10	worship song
20:12	talking about how the lord has mightily
20:14	defeated the enemies of pharaoh and the
20:17	horse and the writer it says he is cast
20:20	into the sea if you were to think of it
20:22	this way in light of christ’s
20:24	resurrection
20:25	psalm 18 is like the christian version
20:29	of that song
20:31	let me read a portion of it for you oh
20:33	give thanks to yahweh
20:36	for he is good for his steadfast love
20:39	endures
20:41	forever i should put some echo on that
20:44	his steadfast love endures forever
20:47	forever forever forever forever how long
20:50	does god steadfast love last
20:52	forever because christ has risen from
20:55	the dead we know this is true he has
20:58	given us eternal life and the steadfast
21:00	love of our god will see no end in the
21:04	days of our life here and in eternity
21:08	glad songs of salvation are in the tents
21:12	of the righteous and let me
21:15	fill you in on that one remember christ
21:17	bore your sins
21:19	in his body on the cross god laid on him
21:23	the iniquity of us all christ became the
21:26	sinner
21:27	so that you can be forgiven but
21:29	scripture also says that we are clothed
21:31	in the robes of righteousness christ’s
21:34	perfect sinlessness is imputed to us and
21:37	so glad are the songs of salvation in
21:40	the tents of the righteous that’s you
21:42	the right hand of yahweh does valiantly
21:46	the right hand of yahweh exalts the
21:48	right hand of yahweh does valiantly and
21:51	then listen to these words written by
21:53	the psalmist hundreds of years before
21:55	christ
21:56	i shall
21:59	not
22:00	die
22:01	but i shall live
22:03	and i will recount the deeds of yahweh
22:07	are these not the same words that christ
22:09	said
22:10	to the women in john 11 i am the
22:13	resurrection in the life
22:16	he who believes in me though he die yet
22:18	shall he live and anyone who believes in
22:20	me will
22:21	never
22:22	die
22:23	it’s right here in psalm 118 the
22:26	psalmist says i shall not die and this
22:29	is true for all of us who are in christ
22:32	instead i will recount the deeds of
22:34	yahweh the lord he has disciplined me
22:37	severely and that’s the discipline we
22:40	receive from a loving father but he has
22:42	not given me over to death open to me
22:45	now the gates of righteousness so that i
22:48	might enter through them and give thanks
22:50	to yahweh and this then is exactly what
22:53	each and every one of us have to look
22:55	forward to on that day when the lord
22:58	stands on the earth at the end
23:01	the new jerusalem will come down out of
23:04	heaven and the gates of righteousness
23:06	will be thrown open for you
23:09	for me
23:11	so open to me the gates of righteousness
23:13	so that i might enter through them and
23:15	that i might give thanks to yahweh this
23:18	is the gate of yahweh the righteous
23:20	shall enter through it and that is all
23:23	of you i thank you that you have
23:25	answered me and that you have become my
23:27	salvation the stone that the builders
23:30	rejected has now become the cornerstone
23:33	this is the lord’s doing and it is
23:35	marvelous in our eyes
23:36	this is the day that the lord has made
23:39	so let us rejoice and be glad in it
23:41	today is the first day of the new
23:44	creation
23:47	blessed is he who comes in the name of
23:48	yahweh we bless you from the house of
23:51	yahweh yahweh is god he has made his
23:54	light to shine upon us so bind the
23:57	festival sacrifice with cords up to the
23:59	horns of the altar you are my god and i
24:02	will give you thanks you are my god and
24:04	i will extol you o give thanks to the
24:07	lord for he is good for his steadfast
24:10	love
24:11	endures
24:12	forever
24:14	Christ is
24:15	risen in
24:18	amen

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