James T. Cleland - Easter Sermon (April 14, 1963)
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| (organ pipe music) | 0:03 | |
| (church choir singing) | 0:04 | |
| - | Christ is risen. | 2:26 |
| - | He is risen indeed. | 2:28 |
| - | Let us pray. | 2:31 |
| Eternal God, before whom the morning stars | 2:40 | |
| first sang together, | 2:44 | |
| and who hold us in to thy hands | 2:46 | |
| the destiny of every living thing, | 2:48 | |
| we worship thee. | 2:52 | |
| Bless it be the name of Jesus | 2:55 | |
| who tasted death for every man. | 2:57 | |
| And blessed it be His glorious name | 3:00 | |
| that he is alive forevermore, | 3:02 | |
| and have the keys of death. | 3:05 | |
| We adore thee, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, | 3:08 | |
| who according to thy abundant mercy had to begotten us again | 3:14 | |
| unto a lively hope, | 3:17 | |
| by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. | 3:19 | |
| We confess our slowness of heart to believe the good news. | 3:25 | |
| We confess that like the disciples of old, | 3:30 | |
| we often do not expect great and mighty events | 3:34 | |
| in the realm of the Spirit. | 3:37 | |
| Forgive us for believe that the triumph of righteousness | 3:40 | |
| is too good to be true. | 3:44 | |
| All thou who are the Lord of life, | 3:48 | |
| we pray thee to come close to each one of us. | 3:52 | |
| And beyond the power of any human prayer, | 3:56 | |
| meet our secret inner needs. | 3:59 | |
| Especially, come to those upon whose lips | 4:03 | |
| the song of triumph is weak, | 4:06 | |
| who see no sunshine breaking through the clouds | 4:08 | |
| on their shadowed lives. | 4:11 | |
| Make some spirit radiant today | 4:14 | |
| that had not expected it. | 4:17 | |
| Surprise with hope, some who have not dared to hope. | 4:20 | |
| Bring life to some whose spirits are already dead. | 4:25 | |
| And from the grave of self defeat, | 4:29 | |
| let there be a resurrection here of love, | 4:33 | |
| and of joy, and of strength. | 4:36 | |
| Oh God, join to our company today, | 4:42 | |
| those whom we have loved and who now live with thee | 4:46 | |
| in the house, not made with hands. | 4:49 | |
| Gather us into the fellowship of thy church, | 4:53 | |
| both militant and triumphant, | 4:56 | |
| as we worship thee. | 4:59 | |
| Although to whom a 1000 years, | 5:03 | |
| are but as yesterday, when it is past. | 5:06 | |
| And as a watch in the night, | 5:10 | |
| speak to us in this holy hour, | 5:13 | |
| and refresh our souls with a new hope. | 5:16 | |
| Lift our vision above the griefs | 5:21 | |
| and the graves of this mortal life, | 5:23 | |
| and of this material world, | 5:25 | |
| until we can see and live in terms of thy glorious | 5:28 | |
| and eternal kingdom, | 5:32 | |
| we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, | 5:36 | |
| Who, when He walked among men, | 5:39 | |
| taught them when they prayed to say, | 5:42 | |
| our father who art in heaven, | 5:45 | |
| hallowed be thy name, | 5:48 | |
| thy kingdom come, | 5:50 | |
| thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | 5:52 | |
| Give us this day, our daily bread, | 5:56 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses | 5:59 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us, | 6:01 | |
| and lead us not into temptation, | 6:05 | |
| but deliver us from evil, | 6:07 | |
| for thine is the kingdom, | 6:10 | |
| and the power, and the glory, | 6:11 | |
| forever. Amen. | 6:14 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 6:53 | |
| (church choir singing) | 7:30 | |
| Let us continue to hear the word of God. | 19:07 | |
| Now, as we find it recorded | 19:11 | |
| in the Gospel According to St. John, | 19:13 | |
| in the 20th chapter, | 19:16 | |
| which is the record of the New Testament Church, | 19:19 | |
| and a witness to their faith | 19:23 | |
| and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, | 19:24 | |
| and a testimony to their belief | 19:28 | |
| that He is the Christ, living Christ of God. | 19:30 | |
| "Now, on the first day of the week, | 19:38 | |
| Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early | 19:39 | |
| while it was still dark, | 19:43 | |
| and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. | 19:45 | |
| So, she ran and went to Simon Peter, and the other disciple, | 19:50 | |
| the one whom Jesus loved, and said to the them, | 19:53 | |
| 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, | 19:56 | |
| and we do not know where they have laid Him.' | 20:00 | |
| Peter then came out with the other disciple | 20:03 | |
| and they went toward the tomb. | 20:05 | |
| They both ran, but the other disciple, | 20:08 | |
| outran Peter and reached the tomb first. | 20:10 | |
| And stooping to look in, | 20:13 | |
| he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. | 20:15 | |
| Then Simon Peter came, following him, | 20:20 | |
| and he went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths | 20:25 | |
| lying and the napkin, which had been on his head, | 20:28 | |
| not lying with the linen cloths, | 20:31 | |
| but rolled up in a place by itself. | 20:33 | |
| Then the other disciple who reached the tomb first, | 20:36 | |
| also went in, | 20:40 | |
| and he saw and believed, | 20:41 | |
| for as yet they did not know the scripture | 20:44 | |
| that he must rise from the dead. | 20:46 | |
| Then the disciples went back to their homes, | 20:50 | |
| but Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. | 20:53 | |
| And as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb, | 20:58 | |
| and she saw two Angels in white, | 21:02 | |
| sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, | 21:05 | |
| one at the head and one at the feet. | 21:08 | |
| They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' | 21:11 | |
| She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, | 21:17 | |
| and I do not know where they have laid Him.' | 21:22 | |
| Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, | 21:25 | |
| but she did not know that it was Jesus. | 21:29 | |
| Jesus said to her, | 21:33 | |
| 'Woman, why are you weeping? | 21:35 | |
| Whom do you seek?' | 21:39 | |
| Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to Him, | 21:41 | |
| 'Sir, if you have carried him away, | 21:44 | |
| tell me where you have laid Him and I will take Him away.' | 21:48 | |
| Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' | 21:52 | |
| She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni,' | 21:56 | |
| which means teacher. | 22:00 | |
| Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold me, | 22:03 | |
| for I have not yet ascended to the Father. | 22:06 | |
| But go to my brethren and say to them, | 22:09 | |
| I am ascending to my Father and your Father, | 22:11 | |
| to my God and your God." | 22:15 | |
| Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, | 22:18 | |
| 'I have seen the Lord.' | 22:22 | |
| And she told them, that He had said these things to her." | 22:24 | |
| And from the record of the Apostle Paul, | 22:30 | |
| in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians from the 15th chapter, | 22:35 | |
| his witness to the resurrection. | 22:39 | |
| "Now, I would remind you brethren, | 22:44 | |
| in what terms I preached to you the gospel, | 22:45 | |
| which you received, in which you stand, | 22:49 | |
| by which you are saved if you hold it fast, | 22:52 | |
| unless you have believed in vain. | 22:56 | |
| For I delivered to you as of first importance | 22:59 | |
| what I also received, | 23:02 | |
| that Christ died for our sins | 23:05 | |
| in accordance with the Scriptures, | 23:07 | |
| that he was buried, | 23:09 | |
| that he was raised on the third day | 23:11 | |
| in accordance with the Scriptures, | 23:13 | |
| and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. | 23:14 | |
| Then he appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time, | 23:18 | |
| most of whom are still alive, | 23:23 | |
| though some have fallen asleep. | 23:24 | |
| Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. | 23:27 | |
| Last of all, as to one untimely born, | 23:33 | |
| He appeared also to me." | 23:38 | |
| Amen. | 23:42 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 23:57 | |
| (church choir singing) | 24:05 | |
| Beloved, the Lord be with you. | 30:12 | |
| - | And also with you. | 30:15 |
| - | Let us pray. | 30:16 |
| Our Father, for the gift of thy son to mankind. | 30:19 | |
| (Mass responding) | 30:24 | |
| For the example of His life, | 30:26 | |
| and for His death upon the cross. | 30:29 | |
| (Mass responding) | 30:31 | |
| For the gospel of the resurrection, | 30:34 | |
| and the hope of new life which it brings. | 30:37 | |
| (Mass responding) | 30:40 | |
| For the gift of thy holy spirit. | 30:42 | |
| (Mass responding) | 30:46 | |
| For every impulse to follow the way of the cross. | 30:48 | |
| (Mass responding) | 30:52 | |
| Come into our lives and help us to triumph over all sin. | 30:55 | |
| (Mass responding) | 31:01 | |
| Amen. | 31:12 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 31:18 | |
| (church choir singing) | 31:54 | |
| Oh, God, as these gifts are given unto the man | 41:42 | |
| who shall use them throughout the Earth, | 41:45 | |
| may these men live yet not they, | 41:49 | |
| but Christ living and working in them | 41:54 | |
| for the good of mankind. | 41:58 | |
| Amen. | 42:00 | |
| - | Peace be to this house, | 42:27 |
| and to all the worship therein. | 42:30 | |
| Amen. | 42:34 | |
| Easter Sunday, is the birthday of the Christian faith. | 42:41 | |
| Therefore, this service of corporate worship, | 42:49 | |
| is a birthday party. | 42:53 | |
| Where our rejoicing are made manifest | 42:56 | |
| by trumpets and anthems | 42:59 | |
| By organ prelude and interlude. | 43:02 | |
| By sung, hallelujahs. | 43:07 | |
| And by very little preaching. | 43:11 | |
| Today we celebrate the nativity of the Christian faith. | 43:16 | |
| The central place of the resurrection | 43:24 | |
| is actually recognized every Sunday, | 43:26 | |
| Each Lord's day, which has been well named, a little Easter. | 43:32 | |
| For all services of worship stand four square | 43:39 | |
| on the confident belief expressed by the Apostle Peter. | 43:44 | |
| It was not possible, | 43:50 | |
| that Jesus Christ | 43:54 | |
| should be holden of death. | 43:57 | |
| This is the rock, on which the church is built. | 44:01 | |
| Now, some month ago, | 44:09 | |
| in a sermon on "The Two Marks of A Christian," | 44:12 | |
| we sat together to discover | 44:17 | |
| what distinguished a Christian from other folk, | 44:19 | |
| by examining the qualifications of Matthias, | 44:24 | |
| the one who was chosen to succeed, Judas Iscariot | 44:30 | |
| as an apostle. | 44:36 | |
| There were two qualifications. | 44:39 | |
| First, he must accompanied with Jesus | 44:42 | |
| during the Lord's earthly ministry. | 44:48 | |
| Second, he must have been a witness of the resurrection. | 44:52 | |
| Now, a valid criticism was made of that sermon | 45:00 | |
| by a shrewd listener. | 45:03 | |
| If it be assumed as it was, | 45:07 | |
| that these are still the distinguishing marks of a believer, | 45:11 | |
| then the first may be granted. | 45:16 | |
| We should know Jesus, by a careful study of the gospels. | 45:19 | |
| But the critic did not see how we today | 45:27 | |
| could be witnesses of the resurrection, | 45:31 | |
| as I try to answer his serious and legitimate question. | 45:37 | |
| A beginning to the answer is hinted at | 45:43 | |
| in the second part of our scripture lesson, | 45:45 | |
| 1st Corinthians 15: 1-9. | 45:49 | |
| "Paul records there, | 45:55 | |
| the accepted list of resurrection appearances | 45:57 | |
| as he had received them. | 46:01 | |
| Then he adds, last of all, | 46:05 | |
| as to one and timely born, | 46:10 | |
| Christ appeared also to me. | 46:14 | |
| Last of all, as to one untimely born, | 46:19 | |
| Christ appeared also to me." | 46:22 | |
| Paul does not hesitate to equate | 46:26 | |
| the appearance of Jesus the Christ | 46:30 | |
| to him on the way to Damascus, | 46:32 | |
| with the appearances to the other disciples | 46:35 | |
| in the 40 days following Easter. | 46:39 | |
| And yet, several years must have relapsed. | 46:42 | |
| Because Paul was not a follower of Jesus | 46:48 | |
| during his earthly ministry. | 46:52 | |
| For Paul then, the resurrection is not primarily posited | 46:55 | |
| on the testimony of the early disciples, | 47:01 | |
| But on the living, working presence of the spirit | 47:06 | |
| of Jesus the Christ to the believer, | 47:11 | |
| and finally in the believer. | 47:15 | |
| As Paul himself put it, "It is no longer I who live, | 47:17 | |
| but Christ who lives in me.' | 47:24 | |
| Paul was not an eyewitness | 47:28 | |
| of the resurrection as Matthias was, | 47:31 | |
| he was a witness to the resurrection | 47:36 | |
| to the living, working presence of the Christ within him. | 47:40 | |
| The earthly life of Jesus, had revealed the love of God. | 47:47 | |
| The resurrection of Jesus, had disclosed the power of God. | 47:55 | |
| And that love and power, were united for Paul | 48:03 | |
| in the spirit of Christ, | 48:08 | |
| who had captured his spirit. | 48:11 | |
| Daily expressed in a love made potent by the confidence | 48:14 | |
| that, that love was backed by the power of God. | 48:20 | |
| That's why he wrote, "Love never ends." | 48:25 | |
| "The greater of these, is love." | 48:31 | |
| "Make love your aim." | 48:36 | |
| Now, where do we today find the fact | 48:43 | |
| of the resurrection? | 48:47 | |
| Is it not in a person, | 48:51 | |
| who evidences the power of love in action? | 48:54 | |
| The proof of the living Christ | 49:00 | |
| is the daily expressions of goodwill. | 49:02 | |
| The author of the 1st Apostle of John knew that, | 49:05 | |
| "If we love one another, | 49:09 | |
| God abides in us, | 49:13 | |
| and His love is perfected in us." | 49:16 | |
| Such a person living lovingly, may not know that God is. | 49:22 | |
| He may not know who God is, | 49:29 | |
| but God, his father knows him. | 49:34 | |
| Love is the essence of God. | 49:40 | |
| Love was the gospel of Jesus the Christ. | 49:44 | |
| Love is the hallmark of a child of God, | 49:50 | |
| even of one who thinks that He is a spiritual orphan. | 49:55 | |
| He who loves is born of God, | 50:02 | |
| and kin to Jesus, | 50:06 | |
| and a contemporary witness to the resurrection. | 50:09 | |
| Do you see what all this means to us | 50:15 | |
| who are worshiping here and now? | 50:17 | |
| We are supposed to be those who have witnessed, | 50:22 | |
| experience the resurrection, | 50:26 | |
| and are now witnesses to it for others. | 50:29 | |
| We are the bearers even the incarnation | 50:33 | |
| of the continuing resurrection, | 50:38 | |
| we are the ones who are to express love, | 50:42 | |
| that is God. | 50:47 | |
| That is the indwelling Christ in action, | 50:50 | |
| powerfully in action, | 50:55 | |
| in word, in deed, in attitude, | 50:57 | |
| in our common day-by-day, | 51:01 | |
| almost unconscious behavior. | 51:04 | |
| This is the only contemporary witness to the resurrection. | 51:08 | |
| Moreover, it is the outcome | 51:15 | |
| and the vindication of the resurrection. | 51:18 | |
| This is the continuing message of the gospel, | 51:23 | |
| the good news once proclaimed and still proclaimed. | 51:27 | |
| "It is no longer I who live, but Christ, | 51:34 | |
| God Love, | 51:41 | |
| which lives in me." | 51:46 | |
| Therefore, I say to each and to all of you, | 51:50 | |
| witnesses to the resurrection. | 51:55 | |
| Many happy returns of Easter, | 51:59 | |
| the birthday of our faith. | 52:05 | |
| Amen. | 52:11 | |
| Let us pray. | 52:12 | |
| Praise be to thee oh, God, | 52:15 | |
| who through the resurrection of Jesus the Christ | 52:18 | |
| has given us a lively hope of the power of love. | 52:21 | |
| Grant us to be witnesses in word, and in deed | 52:26 | |
| to His continuing resurrection. | 52:31 | |
| Amen. | 52:36 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 52:40 | |
| (church choir singing) | 53:06 | |
| The God of peace, | 54:40 | |
| who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, | 54:43 | |
| that gray shepherd of the sheep. | 54:47 | |
| Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, | 54:51 | |
| working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight | 54:57 | |
| to His glory forever and ever. | 55:02 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 55:08 | |
| (church choir singing) | 55:12 | |
| (bell dinging) | 56:44 | |
| (organ pipe music) | 56:57 |
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