Easter Day April 8, 2007

Sermon Outline

Easter Day Lessons

The Rev. Eric Williams

1.      Loved Superheroes as a Child

a.       Fundamental powerlessness as a child

b.      Fantasies of power reassuring

2.      Disappointed to find out that Adults feel powerless too

a.       Stress from job, family

b.      Powerless over addictions

c.      Global problems of war, economy, environment

3.      Deal with powerlessness in two equally destructive ways

a.       Overfunctioning (Bree Vandekamp)

b.      Giving Up (George Costanza)

4.      Do these things because we fail to trust God

a.       Still live as though God’s promise is not real, not true

b.      Live timid lives of fearfulness

c.      Like first disciples who reacted to resurrection with fear, doubt, disbelief, we still struggle to trust God.

d.      And that according to Paul is pitiful

5.      Instead of turning inward we need to turn to God—tap into his power

a.       The God who created the whole universe can recreate you.

b.      The God who raised Jesus can raise you.

c.      So what are you waiting for?

d.      Peter’s life changed after he looked into the tomb.  “We are witnesses,” he said, to the power of God.

6.      Resurrection life can be ours now if we trust God

a.       Dare to live without fear because God has already redeemed us.

b.      What are we really afraid of anyway?

c.      Rejection?  What does human rejection matter?  Christ was rejected and in Him God has already accepted us. 

d.      Failure?  In human terms Jesus was a failure, but in Him God has already won the only victory that matters.  “The right hand of the Lord has triumphed!”

e.      Death?  God has already conquered death and given us resurrection life.  It is life with him forever, but it starts right now if we can only trust God.

f.       Easter challenge is to really believe that God is in charge—Christ is even now defeating the last enemies.

7.      We can be superheroes—not in fantasy but in reality—not in our own strength but trusting in the power of God

a.       Able to embrace our own powerlessness confident in the power of God’s love.

b.      Able to live freely without fear

c.      Able to love freely without neediness

d.      Able to forgive freely without return

e.      Able to give freely without counting the cost

f.       Able to do what we can where we can without giving in to doubt and despair.

410 North Main Street, Jamestown, New York 14701

Phone (716)483-6405 * Fax (716)483-6406 * stluke@madbbs.com