Pastor Kaden's Sermon Notes: Easter Sunday

The Hope Found in Easter

Pastor and author Charles Swindoll has shared a great story about an old man named Eddie. "Others who look at Eddie think he's a bit odd', writes Swindoll, because every Friday night Eddie, who lives near the ocean in Florida, carries a bucket of shrimp to the end of a fishing pier, but he isn’t going fishing. No, as Eddie nears the end of the pier, he becomes surrounded by a swarm of seagulls. Then Eddie starts tossing the shrimp to the seagulls. When Eddie has emptied his bucket those watching close by can hear Eddie say, "Thank you! Thank you!" to the birds".

You can now understand why people look at Eddie's activity and think him strange. "Why does Eddie go through this same ritual every week after week?" writes Swindoll. "Well, Eddie's full name is Eddie Richenbacker, a famous World War 2 hero. On one mission, Eddie and his crew were shot down at sea. Miraculously all of the crew survived the crash. They drifted at sea for a couple of weeks without food and water under the blazing sun. They all began to think they wouldn't survive until something happened, a seagull landed on Eddie's hat. Instantly, Eddie grabbed the bird, wrung its neck, and started plucking its feathers. It was a small meal, but it helped to restore the crew's strength. And, they used some of the insides of that bird as bait to catch some fish which provide more food and more bait. The crew was able to survive until they were rescued.

This is why Eddie goes through his usual Friday night ritual, says Swindoll, and why Eddie looks up at those birds and says, "Thank you, Thank you!"

That's how we should greet this Easter morning too. As we contemplate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we should look up into the sky and say, "Thank you" to God. "Thank you, Thank you, Lord for raising Jesus Christ from the dead!" And why should we do this? Well, it's because the resurrection of Christ provides us with new life, hope for living, joy and confidence, that regardless of the trials we face, because we serve a risen Savior who has triumphed over death and the grave, we know we have nothing to fear. Not even death can tear us away from the embrace and love of Almighty God.

Paul said in Romans chapter 8: 18, 28, 35, 37-38. "Nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"

An old country doctor was visiting one of his patients who was dying at home. The doctor always brought his dog along and would leave the dog outside in his truck. The dying man asked the doctor, "Doc, what's it like to die?" The doctor was taken aback, he didn't know what to say until he heard his dog scratching at the door of the man's room. The doctor said, "Sam, do you hear my dog scratching at the door?" "Yes, Doc I do". "He doesn't know what's on the other side of the door, but he can hear his master's voice and that's all he needs to know. That's what death is like, Sam. We don’t know what's on the other side, but we can hear our Master's voice and because we know He's there we can be confident".

That illustration captures so well the wonderful assurance God has given us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And there's only one fitting response, to shout in victory, "Thank you! Thank you, Lord for the glorious assurance that fills me with confidence in this life and for the next."

A joyous Easter to you all.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor George Kaden