Call to Worship
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Let all the earth tell of God’s glory!
Let all creation sing with gladness!
May all voices on earth and in heaven proclaim:
Glory to our risen Lord!  Alleluia!

Unison Prayer
The curtain is torn in two.
The power of sin is shattered.
The chains of death are broken.
The reign of Christ has begun.
Allelula forevermore!  Amen!

Words of Assurance
This is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil;
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Opening Song: Hillsong Worship, “What a Beautiful Name”

Sunrise Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10, Good News Bible
After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men. The angel spoke to the women. “You must not be afraid,” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. Come here and see the place where he was lying. Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him!’ Remember what I have told you.” So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Peace be with you.” They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to them. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Sunrise Sermon

On Friday morning, I went outside to take a walk and was instantly surprised at how cold it was. Hadn’t it just been 70 degrees only a couple days before? I thought, maybe I should just go back inside. It was kind of an Eeyore day when I wanted it to be a Tigger day. But then I noticed how beautiful the dew was on the grass, and the incredible diversity of birdsong in the trees. Even a week before, there hadn’t been this many birds. And I said to myself, “What a wonderful world.”

I am not fluent in birdsong, but here’s what I doubt the birds were saying:
“It’s so cold! Why are we out here?”
“We should have stayed in Florida!”
“Did you hear Pam Bondi got fired?”
“How would I have heard that?”
“Didn’t you get my tweet?”
“Didn’t you get my tweet?”

Instead, here’s what I would guess they were saying:
“It’s morning!”
“Good morning, other bird!”
“Good morning, we made it back!”
“I’ve got some new chicks!”
“I think I see a worm!”

When I dream of Christmas, I dream of a white Christmas. When I dream of Easter, I dream of a warm and sunny Easter. That’s a lot to wish for, since Easter can be anytime from late March to late April. But at least it’s not a white Easter, which many states are experiencing this morning, and that wasn’t on anyone’s playlist. Instead, it’s rainy and cool. Does this ruin Easter? No more than a Christmas without snow ruins Christmas.

The disciples were depressed on that first Easter. They were depressed because they thought everything was bad, and they were unable to see the good. Still, the women at least pushed through it, acting out of love to visit the tomb. Their dedication was rewarded in a way they would have thought impossible, as they became the first witnesses to the risen Lord. But first they saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. He told them that Jesus had been raised, and they ran to tell the disciples, filled with joy. It’s important to note that they felt this joy before seeing Jesus; for them, the angel was enough. Then Jesus himself appeared to them. “Peace be with you,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

Here’s a phrase that sticks out to me this year; it’s found in both the sunrise reading and the 10 a.m. reading. The angel says to the women, “he has been raised, just as he said.” Jesus says to the men, “These are the very things I told you about.” In other words, Jesus gets to say, “I told you so,” which is one of life’s greatest pleasures. He had told them ahead of time that life would seem bad when it was actually good. All would seem lost, when the victory had already been won. If they had believed this in the first place, their fear, anxiety and doubt would never have surfaced. But in order to see this, they would have to open their minds.

For the last six weeks, our church has held a March Madness tournament of songs that are “comforting, positive, happy, uplifting, encouraging and/or inspirational, but that come from outside the Christian tradition.” 80 songs were nominated, and they were whittled down by weekly voting until only one was left. As you can guess by now, the winner is Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

All month long, we’ve been singing these positive songs. It’s been a joyful experience, but it’s also been a fascinating sociological study. With all sorts of encouraging messages to choose from, what would people gravitate to the most? What represents our hopes and dreams this spring? There’s a lot more to the answer than one would think.

First, and perhaps most surprisingly, anyone who thinks they remember liking “What a Wonderful World” when it came out is probably misremembering. The president of ABC Records refused to promote it, saying it was “too slow;” he even stormed out of the recording session and refused to promote it. The song sold less than 1000 copies in the U.S. and its highest chart position was #116. While it was a huge hit in the U.K., most Americans didn’t hear the song until it was featured in the movie “Good Morning Vietnam” in 1988 although even then, when it was rereleased, it only reached #32.

Here’s what co-writers Bob Thiele and George Weiss say about the song: “During the deepening national traumas of the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, racial strife, and turmoil everywhere, (we wrote this song for Louis Armstrong) because of his “ability to bring together people of different races.” Armstrong was in the final years of his life, suffering from a heart condition, “taking one last, appreciative look at life and taking stock of the simple things that most people take for granted.” And he believed in the song; he believed in it so much he went ahead and had it recorded secretly. The recording session went all night, ending at 6 a.m.

Jesus knew about all the sorrow in the world, all the trauma. But he also asked his disciples to consider the lilies of the field, to consider the sparrows, to consider the sunsets. He told them of wonders found in a mustard seed, in a crop and in its yield. He spent nearly all of his ministry outside: in fields, by lakes, on boats, under clear skies and in the midst of stormy seas. No matter what the weather, he continued to affirm his belief in a wonderful world, the one his Father had created and called good.

Louis sees trees of green, red roses too; he seems them bloom for me and for you. He sees skies of blue and clouds of white, the bright blessed days, the dark sacred nights, and he says to himself, “What a wonderful world.”

Jesus looks further; he looks into the heart of humanity, and there he sees fear, and selfishness, and cruelty. But he also sees beauty, and generosity, and faith. He sees a child who offers his loaves and fishes to those who have none. He sees a widow who gives all she has. He sees a soldier whose belief is so pure he tells Jesus, “Just say the word, and I will know that the miracle has occurred.” And he decides that people are worth dying for.

Louis Armstrong looks at people and sees friendship and love and all the colors of the rainbow. When he hears babies cry, he thinks of the next generation with gratitude and hope.

“What a wonderful world,” Louis Armstrong sings, the same words that Jesus has been saying all along, waiting for our minds to be opened, waiting for us to grasp this eternal truth. It can be dark and stormy or cool and drizzly. There may be rampant poverty, unchecked disease and nations at war. It may seem that all is lost, just like it did on that first Easter morning, just like it did in 1967, just as it may feel today. But “don’t be afraid,” Jesus says. “Peace be with you.” Look around you. Open your eyes. And even more, know that Jesus is alive in the midst of all this. He told his disciples everything that would happen, and they didn’t believe him, and then it happened anyway. He’s been telling us the same things throughout our lives, inviting us to see through his eyes, to believe in the goodness of the world that God has created, to believe in each other again, as he has believed in us.

Perhaps the hidden message of Easter is that it was a wonderful world after Easter, but it was also a wonderful world before. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Second Scripture: Luke 24: 38-45, Good News Bible
Suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. But he said to them, “Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have.” He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of cooked fish, which he took and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Second Sermon

Happy Easter, everyone!

Yesterday I had the honor of helping to decorate the church for Easter and Wesley Hall for the Easter brunch.  So my Easter began a day early, seeing the lilies, violets and tulips arrive ~ Lynn even made a second daffodil run; watching the snacks appear, especially Ruth’s tie-dye cookies (not made with real tie-dye); putting up the banners and the tablecloths.  Ray and Magda left for New Jersey this morning; Sandy is in Austria, which is why we were able to steal her daffodils; many of us are traveling or entertaining later.

While we were decorating, I started to think: what if the disciples had known Jesus was coming back on Sunday?  How would they have decorated?  What foods might they have prepared?  And yet, not aware that Jesus was going to return, the women went on Sunday morning to the garden, to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.  And there they got the surprise of their lives.

There’s a huge contrast between the agony of the cross and the wonder of the resurrection.  Yesterday I was wearing all black; today I’m wearing bright colors.  Three days ago, our joint choir sang at the Holy Thursday service, and we celebrated communion in groups of twelve.  Two days ago, we acted out the event of Good Friday with a series of monologues.  Afterwards, one of the other pastors wrote to me, “Rich, you did a great job!  You were so convincing!”  I wasn’t sure that was a compliment because I played Judas.

The Easter story unfolds with two sets of characters: first the women, and then the men.  Each part of the story contains the word “joy.”  After seeing the angel, the women are “afraid yet filled with joy,” and run to tell the men.  Then Jesus appears to them and says, “Don’t be afraid,” leaving only the joy.  The men are afraid and doubtful, until Jesus suddenly appears to them as well.  After this, they are “filled with joy and wonder.”  The women believe because of what they have been told; the men require proof. Even after all the women and all the men tell Thomas that they’ve seen Jesus, he still won’t believe until he sees it himself.  Looking back, one wonders if Jesus wishes he’d started with twelve women!

One of my favorite parts of the story is the fish.  Remember, Jesus hasn’t eaten since the Last Supper, and he’s been through a lot, so he’s starving.  He asks the disciples, “Do you have any cooked fish?”  And he eats it right away.  He doesn’t even pray before he eats!  A week later, the disciples are out on a boat when they see Jesus on the beach, preparing a fish fry.  He loves his fish!  

I also like the part where they think he’s a ghost.  This happened before, when he was walking on the water and they were more scared of him than they were of the storm.  Jesus must love that he can keep appearing out of nowhere and they keep thinking he’s a ghost.  It’s kind of his thing.  I think this may even be where we got the sentence, “Ah, Jesus, you scared me.”

These are the humanizing elements of the Gospel, reminders that Jesus enjoys being human as well as divine.  And each ends in an instance of joy.

Christmas offers comfort and joy; Easter offers joy and wonder.  Christmas offers the joy of a newborn baby, Easter offers the joy of life after death.  Christmas offers the joy felt as a story begins; Easter offers the joy of a happy ending.  Joy is threaded throughout.

I recently met a person who had never seen “Jaws.”  You may think I’m changing the subject, but in a way we’re still talking about fish.  She said, “It looks scary, and I never see a movie unless I know the ending.”  I told her, “The shark eats Quint, Hooper survives and Brody blows up the shark.”  She said, “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad, maybe I’ll see it.”

But after I thought about it, I realized that in a way, “Jaws” is the Parable of the Sower.  In the parable, some seed falls on the ground and is eaten by birds; some is choked by thorns; and some survives.  So Quint represents the people who hear the word and don’t believe it; Hooper represents those who start off well, but then go through the wringer; and Brody represents the good seed.  You can find parables everywhere if you know where to look … which brings us back to joy.

The Bible begins with the joy of creation and ends with the joy of recreation, and joy is sprinkled in-between.  Here are ten of the most famous Scriptures about joy, in order:

From the Old Testament:
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
In (God’s) presence there is fullness of joy.
Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

From Jesus:
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you.
I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

From the rest of the New Testament: 
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!
Count it all joy when you receive trials of many kinds.

Our religion is a religion of joy.  It is not, as some have tried to redefine it, a religion of war.  Jesus never said, “Smite your enemies.”  It is not a religion of judgment.  Ironically, the only people who Jesus judges in his earthly life are hypocritical religious leaders.  And it is not a religion of guilt, because any guilt we have is meant to lead to repentance, and repentance to forgiveness, and forgiveness to joy; as our communion service reads, “free us for joyful obedience.”

What if we all became people of joy?  I’m talking about the hundred plus who are here today.  What if we held on to the joy of Easter, and took it home with us, and applied it to our relationships, and then took it to work, and applied it to our jobs, or to school, and decided that our job was to learn while spreading joy, and applied it to our own thoughts, so that when they turned to the subjects that bring us down, we might wrench them back to joy, remembering the happy ending that awaits, believing the words that Jesus has said, not needing a personal appearance but trusting that others had it before us?  What if this joy were to make a visible difference in our lives, so that others might ask us, “Why are you so happy all the time?  Don’t you read the news?” and we might respond, “We do; we read the Good News.”  And what if then they wanted to learn more?  By capturing the joy of Easter, might we be able to replicate the success of the early church? 

It may be raining outside, or about to rain, but here in this building joy is apparent.  There’s joy in the flowers; there’s joy in the decorations; there’s joy in the hymns and the choir and the brass.  There’s joy in the Scriptures and the prayers.  There’s joy in the bagels and the eggs and the cookies.  We can smell the joy; we can see the joy; we can hear the joy; and in a few minutes, we’ll be able to taste the joy.  May the joy of the resurrection be yours, now and forever.  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!

Closing Song: Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”

Benediction
May the power of Easter rest upon you now,
and carry you through all your days, until all tears are gone
and we celebrate together in the Kingdom of God.
Amen.