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