Each of the gospels tells the story of Jesus’ resurrection a bit differently.  But in each, the disciples are grieving, depressed, numb, hopeless, when suddenly news breaks out that Jesus is actually alive.  You can imagine the pandemonium.  It wasn’t neat and tidy; it was chaotic and messy.

Matthew reports that Easter morning arrived with an earthquake.  You can feel the impact of Easter morning as the Scripture was read at the beginning of our service.  Powerful, explosive, earth-shaking.  For us, Easter is not always like that.

Methodist bishop William Willimon was preaching in a little church in Alaska one time when an earthquake struck.  He wrote, “The earth heaved for a moment that seemed forever, the little church shook.  But the Alaskan Methodists sat there like it was another day at the office.  Their only response was the woman who said, ‘How about that, the light fixtures didn’t fall this time. 

Willimon quickly wrapped up his sermon.  He was shaken not only by the earthquake, but by those nonchalant Alaskans as well.  Afterwards, he asked the pastor of that church, “What on earth would it take to get this congregation’s attention?  I’d hate to have to preach to them every Sunday.”

        Easter is like an earthquake, only we have been through the routine so many times, we have grown kind of nonchalant about it.  Does the power of Easer really grab us, and shake us up any more?  We’ve heard it before and the surprise and the joy just isn’t as strong when you’ve been through it time and again.

        But what must it have been like that first Easter morning!

        Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go running, to spread the news.  Hiking their skirts to sprint back to the others—“He’s alive!”  Fear and great joy, Matthew says.  That’s what they were feeling.   Choosing to embrace the surprise that life has bloomed in the tomb, they go running.

        There are others however, who only feel fear.  And those who only fear, will not choose to embrace the surprise of life.   Instead, they will choose darkness, they will choose to sustain death, even if they must do it with a lie.   Hear the next several verses of the story:

Matthew 28:11-15

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²After the priests^* had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³telling them, ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” ¹⁴If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

         For us, Easter may be more like that church in Alaska that had experienced earthquakes so many times that they hardly noticed.   Resurrection—oh sure.   An empty tomb—of course.   But for those on that first Easter morning, it was such a shake up, that one could not simply ignore it.   Either one was filled with great joy, as the women were, celebrating life—or one was filled with terror and dread, as the chief priests were, sustaining the darkness of death.  Today, I believe Easter invites those of us who claim this story as the principle story of our faith, to celebrate life!

        After all, we are Easter people.  We worship on the first day, the day of resurrection.  We proclaim to all that death could not hold him, that death will not take hold of us!  “O Death, where is thy sting!   O Grave, where is thy victory!   Thanks be to God who gives US the victory over death and the grave.”

        We are Easter people!   Announcing that there is no greater power in the universe than the power of life!  And the power that gives life is God the Creator of the universe and the author of life. 

        For we understand, we realize that resurrection produces life in the midst of all that seems lifeless--produces hope in those situations that seems hopeless.   Resurrection, that is to say, EASTER, is an invitation to embrace living.  In all times.  In all ways.  With God’s help, Easter is an invitation to embrace life--even when the world maintains that death is the inevitable end.   That the grave is the final residence.  It is Easter that gives us the courage to say no.   No!

        A small boy was stricken with a fast growing, fatal cancer.   For some time, he endured every sort of treatment and chemo-therapy there was.   The family and the doctors gathered in the little boy's hospital room.   They had tried everything, and there was little hope for any medical breakthroughs or experimental treatments that would come in time.

        Finally the boy spoke up in a weakened voice. "What I really want to do is to go home and learn how to ride my two wheeler."
        The bicycle had been the boy’s  Christmas present.  A gleaming new bicycle with those little training wheels attached.  But before the boy had gained enough skill and confidence to go without the training wheels, he became sick.  The cancer advanced and he was taken to the hospital. 

        It just didn't seem possible that the boy could go home at all, let alone ride his bicycle.   He was already consumed with fatigue, physically exhausted.  Clearly it wouldn’t be possible for him to ride the bike very long even if he could succeed.
        But the boy insisted.  It was his consuming desire.  He prevailed against his doctors and his parents, and finally they reluctantly agreed that he could go home.  Plans were made to dismiss him right away.
        No sooner had they arrived home than the boy’s energy seemed to swell.  The boy walked through the house and directly into the back yard where his new bike had been parked for these past many weeks.  The father followed behind, and the boy insisted that his dad remove the training wheels and let him have a go riding it.
        The father took out his wrench and removed the training wheels.  He helped his small son straddle the bike, and held the seat to stabilize him as he began to peddle.   To everyone’s surprise, after only a couple bobbles, the boy was peddling and steering and balancing the bike, wobbling down the driveway.      After a few circles in the drive, a fall or two, and a pass up and down the street in front of the house,  the boy announced that he was ready to ride his bike by himself around the block.  Before anyone could stop him, he pedaled down the street and around the corner.

        The next few minutes were dreadful.  The parents and the boy’s little sister waited for him to reappear at the opposite corner.   After what seemed an eternity, they caught glimpse of him peddling steadily, headed for home, ,a magnificent smile spread from ear to ear.
        Riding back to the house, he was noticeably weaker.  He was puffing for air, and needed help lifting his leg to dismount from the bike.  The boy was taken directly to his room, and put down for a nap.  But before he would agree to get some rest, the little boy asked if  his dad could bring the shiny new bike into his room.  His father stood it in the corner so that the boy could admire it from his bed.  Then the boy asked if he could be left alone with his little sister. 

After his father shut the door, the boy turned to his sister and he said, "Listen, I’m not going to be needing this bicycle anymore.   I want you to have it.”   Then he added, “I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did."        

With the shadow of death looming, one small boy chooses not to simply succumb to the forces of death, but chooses instead to embrace life!

You see, Easter is not just a little tremor, not just a minor shift.  Easter is an earthquake that shakes the foundations of a world gripped in death.  Death is troubled, and beaten back by the possibility of resurrection--offering each of us hope for the future—each of us life right here and right now!  Easter shakes things up, and invites us to celebrate living!    That’s the invitation of Easter.  That’s the invitation of Resurrection!  To celebrate life when the world is betting on death.

Easter is an invitation to join the forces of life that oppose the forces of death.  To participate in those things which are life-giving.  Those things that are hope-building.  Those things that are future-making.  Those things that cause joy!   Easter is an invitation to discover life where we only thought the ashes of despair existed

        Easter is an invitation to reach out to heal old hurts.  Life is simply too short and too precious to hold onto bitterness, resentment, and disappointment.  There‘s something better waiting...

        Easter is an invitation to remodel our interiors.  To accept God’s help to break addiction, to quit harmful behaviors, and to rediscover a love for ourselves that perhaps has been long neglected.  There’s something better waiting...

        Easter is an invitation to work at renewing relationships we had given up all hope of ever saving.  There’s something better waiting...

        Easter is an invitation to act compassionately toward others.  To love not just in thought and emotion, but in deed and action.  There’s something better waiting...

Easter is an invitation to reach out to neighbors and acquaintances who, in our busyness and self-centeredness we neglect.   To form community—among those of every race, ethnicity, language, social status, and creed.  There’s something better waiting...

        Easter is an invitation to stand before the graves of those we love, and say that there is a new bright morning ahead, that there is a peace of God that cannot be understood, that there awaits for all who belong to Christ, life beyond the decay of death!   There’s something better waiting….

        Easter is an invitation to “renew our strength and mount up with wings as eagles; to run and not faint.”  There’s something better waiting...waiting for you....waiting for all of us...something better... waiting for us to accept the invitation from Christ, the risen Lord!          

And it’s high time, high time church, that we R. S. V. P.’d our response to this invitation!  Embrace life.  Choose Life!  Celebrate living!  Get up, get up and run—you have news to tell!   Our God is a God of Life!   Our Christ is the Christ of Life!   Hallelujah!   Hallelujah.  It’s Easter, Church!  Hallelujah.  Amen.