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Christ is risen.
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Our text this morning brings us
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back to the first Easter Sunday.
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Luke 24:36-39.
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The talk was going around.
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Did you hear it?
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Did you hear it?
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Did you hear it?
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Jesus rose again.
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That was the conversation
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among his followers.
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Early in the morning,
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the women went to the tomb
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because they had prepared spice
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to finish embalming Jesus body.
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However, when they got there,
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the stone had been rolled away
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and Jesus body wasn't there.
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And then two angels,
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two men in white clothes,
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they appear and told them that
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why they're seeking the one that
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is living among the dead.
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And they return to Jerusalem to
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share the news with the eleven
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and all the others.
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Of course,
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the disciples were a little
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confused with this news
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and they
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didn't really believe in that
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witness that the women were
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sharing with them.
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Luke tells us that make
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no sense, that story.
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And Peter, of course,
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you know Peter, he says,
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I have to check that for myself,
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I have to go there.
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And he goes.
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And he didn't bring much good
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news either because the only
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thing he could see was the
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strips of linen laying
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by themselves.
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And he returned wondering what
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happened to Jesus body.
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But of course that was that
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conversation in Jerusalem that
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Jesus has risen from the dead.
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And then to make things a little
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bit more intriguing or
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kind of complicated,
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we have those two disciples that
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walk to emeas and they come back
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to town saying we not only walk
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with him, we talk to him.
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We had a meal with Jesus.
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You see, friends,
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death is one thing,
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but there's resurrection
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is another story.
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It blows your mind away.
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The disciples are confused.
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We get confused too when we
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hear things like that.
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I imagine you are familiar
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with the Nextdoor app.
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Some of you probably have that
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in your phones. I don't,
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but my wife does.
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And two weeks ago she
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got interesting
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post on that app.
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It goes like this a middle aged,
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very nicely dressed couple is
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going around knocking on doors.
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They knocked on mine but we're
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already walking down the road by
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the time I was able to
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get to the door.
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Anybody know what they want?
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A woman is wearing a skirt with
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pink blazer and the
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man a gray suit.
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That's the post.
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Now it's interesting to
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read the comments.
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I'm not reading all of them.
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Some like Jehovah Witnesses or
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politicians they have been
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walking over our area
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all the time.
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Then somebody else said
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church people,
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they're all over St.
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John actually very pleasant even
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though they know I'm not
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interested if they see me out,
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they always stop to chat.
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Another one said, sounds like
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Jehovah's Witness.
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If so they are nice but if you
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act too interested they will
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keep coming back and mailing
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a lot of stuff.
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But now we get to the comments
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that really brings to
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our topic today.
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Listen to this. We had people
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knock on our door asking
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if we found Jesus.
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Evidently he is lost.
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And then somebody else replied
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it's almost time for
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him to be a zombie.
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He is going to rise from the
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dead sometime next week or so.
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You see what I'm talking about.
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Death is one thing,
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resurrection is another story.
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You don't see people dying to
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them and coming back from
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their grave next day.
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I remember teaching confirmation
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class in southern Brazil and I
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was a pastor in a large church.
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We had this small church,
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rural area, St.
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Peter and in a traditional
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Lutheran church what you see you
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have a small fellowship hall,
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the church building and actually
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next to the church building is
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what the cemetery.
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It was a hot Saturday I'm teaching
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confirmation class.
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I opened the windows,
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there is no AC.
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And I can teach the confirmands
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here like you are sitting in the
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pews to my left I
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can see the graves.
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And you were talking about the
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resurrection of the body.
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The third article of
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the Apostles Creed.
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And I looked to my confirmands
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and I asked them do you
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believe do that
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everybody that's buried there
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pointing to the cemetery,
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you rise again one day?
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There was a pin drop silence
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in the church.
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The confirmands didn't say a
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word, but I keep poking them,
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you know, Pastor Prieto. I said,
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do you believe that people that
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are burying this cemetery one
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day going to rise again?
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Do you believe?
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What do you think?
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By 11-12 year confimands they
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are thinking like what happened
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with the pastor this morning?
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But then little by little the
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compliments start to kind
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of say a little thing,
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even without words,
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but with expressions like
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or
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I'm not sure,
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showing kind of a disbelief.
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Of course, the confirmands,
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like I told you,
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are 11-12 years old. Kids,
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they didn't have a chance
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to live too long.
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But they had lived long enough
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to know that they never heard in
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that village that somebody rose
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from St. Peter's cemetery.
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That is one thing, my friends,
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but resurrection is
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another story.
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You don't see people dying today
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and coming back from their
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graves next day or a couple
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of days after.
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And the disciples,
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they are confused.
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My confirmands were confused.
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Our Nextdoor neighbors,
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sometimes they are confused.
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They mock and they laugh about
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the resurrection of Jesus.
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However, in spite of confusion,
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doubt, weak faith,
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laughing or sarcasm,
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nothing deters the risen, Lord.
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You realize that.
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Nothing deters him.
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And Jesus knows exactly what's
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going on in the disciples minds.
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Luke tells us that they're
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talking about those events
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and Jesus himself
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stood among them and said
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to them peace to you.
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Peace to you.
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I want you to understand
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that it's not a wish,
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it is not something that maybe
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can happen to you.
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But Jesus is given them peace
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because what he had accomplished
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on the cross and the empty tomb.
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There is peace between us and
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God because of Jesus and what
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he has done for us.
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But the disciples reaction is
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not really what we expect
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would be right.
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Astonished and frightened,
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afraid.
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They thought they had seen in a
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spirit a ghost. And as we know,
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this is nothing new, right?
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When he was walking on the
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water, what they taught,
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there is a ghost coming
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against us.
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But then Jesus asked them two
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questions in our text.
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Are you troubled?
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Oh, of course, Jesus,
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we are troubled.
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That's what will be our answer,
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right?
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Yeah, they are troubled.
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There is doubt in your hearts.
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The disciples are not sure
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that he has risen.
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That's what I call about being
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subjective. You see,
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my heart is not sure.
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I don't feel that is right.
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I don't know.
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It's about me. Very subjective.
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It's you talking to yourself.
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But Jesus,
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He is objective.
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He is concrete.
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He says, See my hands,
00:10:14.069 --> 00:10:16.500
see my feet. It's myself.
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I'm not a ghost.
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Spirit doesn't have bone and
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flesh, as you see. I have.
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But Jesus doesn't stop there,
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does he?
00:10:28.890 --> 00:10:30.458
He showed them their hands,
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their feet.
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And disciples cannot believe
00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:35.834
what they're seeing. No,
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they cannot believe that,
00:10:38.910 --> 00:10:40.220
but it's true.
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Jesus is right there
00:10:43.569 --> 00:10:44.960
in front of them.
00:10:45.730 --> 00:10:48.510
Jesus in flesh and bone.
00:10:49.970 --> 00:10:50.910
The only difference,
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he has the scars in his hands
00:10:52.676 --> 00:10:54.450
and his side and his feet.
00:10:54.790 --> 00:10:56.546
But it's the same Jesus that
00:10:56.568 --> 00:10:58.434
they saw being crucified on Good
00:10:58.472 --> 00:11:01.266
Friday. Yeah, it's the same one.
00:11:01.448 --> 00:11:03.330
But now He is risen.
00:11:05.430 --> 00:11:07.700
And I have a body to show you.
00:11:08.230 --> 00:11:09.925
I have my scars. And by the way,
00:11:09.948 --> 00:11:10.386
I'm hungry.
00:11:10.418 --> 00:11:10.982
Do you have anything
00:11:11.036 --> 00:11:12.200
for me to eat?
00:11:13.610 --> 00:11:15.314
Yeah, we have some broiled fish.
00:11:15.362 --> 00:11:16.834
And they gave to Jesus
00:11:16.962 --> 00:11:18.200
and they're thinking
00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:21.980
it's him. He's back,
00:11:22.910 --> 00:11:24.300
he's with us.
00:11:24.910 --> 00:11:26.021
But, Jesus,
00:11:26.165 --> 00:11:28.060
he doesn't stop there.
00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:31.374
He continues with his very
00:11:31.412 --> 00:11:32.702
intentional way of
00:11:32.756 --> 00:11:34.110
being objective
00:11:35.170 --> 00:11:37.098
instead of pointing to himself.
00:11:37.274 --> 00:11:38.606
Now he brings what?
00:11:38.708 --> 00:11:40.350
He brings the scripture.
00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:45.164
And he gives the best Bible so
00:11:45.202 --> 00:11:46.076
that any of you could
00:11:46.098 --> 00:11:47.180
be attending.
00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.324
And he says,
00:11:49.521 --> 00:11:50.616
you know the scripture,
00:11:50.648 --> 00:11:51.644
don't you?
00:11:51.842 --> 00:11:52.792
The Old Testament
00:11:52.856 --> 00:11:54.030
talks about me,
00:11:55.760 --> 00:11:57.424
the law of Moses,
00:11:57.592 --> 00:11:59.520
the prophets and the Psalms.
00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:02.800
They all talk about me.
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This is not subjective,
00:12:08.210 --> 00:12:10.110
this is objective.
00:12:10.610 --> 00:12:11.870
It's not how you feel,
00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:12.960
how you think.
00:12:13.570 --> 00:12:15.360
Stick your nose in the book
00:12:16.450 --> 00:12:17.760
and read it.
00:12:18.530 --> 00:12:19.920
It's right here.
00:12:20.530 --> 00:12:23.440
And I'm telling you it's me.
00:12:24.290 --> 00:12:26.486
And then Luke tells us that
00:12:26.508 --> 00:12:28.934
Jesus opened their minds to
00:12:28.972 --> 00:12:30.870
understand the Scripture.
00:12:33.210 --> 00:12:34.742
We confess that in the third
00:12:34.796 --> 00:12:35.938
article of the Apostle Creed,
00:12:35.954 --> 00:12:36.710
don't you?
00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.854
I believe that what I don't
00:12:38.902 --> 00:12:41.290
believe. That's what we confess.
00:12:42.430 --> 00:12:43.820
And we need help.
00:12:44.670 --> 00:12:45.914
We always need help.
00:12:45.952 --> 00:12:47.610
Can you see the disciples?
00:12:49.390 --> 00:12:51.434
And the Holy Spirit comes to us
00:12:51.472 --> 00:12:53.646
and he opens our minds and our
00:12:53.668 --> 00:12:55.646
hearts that we can understand
00:12:55.748 --> 00:12:56.810
the Scripture.
00:12:56.970 --> 00:12:58.926
Now what is the Scripture is
00:12:58.948 --> 00:13:00.046
talking about? Jesus says,
00:13:00.068 --> 00:13:01.086
and let me tell you,
00:13:01.188 --> 00:13:02.630
in a snapshot,
00:13:02.810 --> 00:13:04.578
the Scripture says that Christ
00:13:04.664 --> 00:13:06.770
would suffer and die,
00:13:07.110 --> 00:13:09.006
that the third day he will rise
00:13:09.038 --> 00:13:12.194
again and then repentance and
00:13:12.232 --> 00:13:13.874
forgiveness of sins should be
00:13:13.912 --> 00:13:15.638
preached in his name
00:13:15.724 --> 00:13:17.430
to all nations.
00:13:18.250 --> 00:13:19.698
This is what the Bible,
00:13:19.794 --> 00:13:22.360
the Scripture is all about.
00:13:23.450 --> 00:13:24.978
This is what the church
00:13:25.074 --> 00:13:26.520
is all about.
00:13:28.990 --> 00:13:31.834
We preach repentance and
00:13:31.872 --> 00:13:33.290
forgiveness of sins.
00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:38.014
That's what we call
00:13:38.052 --> 00:13:39.390
Law and Gospel.
00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:41.486
We bring people to the
00:13:41.508 --> 00:13:42.910
foot of the cross.
00:13:44.050 --> 00:13:45.406
We show that the empty
00:13:45.438 --> 00:13:47.362
tomb and we say,
00:13:47.415 --> 00:13:49.250
your sins are forgiven
00:13:50.390 --> 00:13:51.506
in the name of the
00:13:51.528 --> 00:13:52.580
risen Christ.
00:13:55.050 --> 00:13:57.110
And this is the message that
00:13:57.180 --> 00:13:58.870
needs to be proclaimed
00:14:00.170 --> 00:14:02.150
to all nations,
00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:03.970
to the disciples,
00:14:04.130 --> 00:14:05.654
to my confirmands on that
00:14:05.692 --> 00:14:08.473
Saturday afternoon into our
00:14:08.512 --> 00:14:10.410
Nextdoor app neighbors.
00:14:10.910 --> 00:14:12.346
And Jesus says in our
00:14:12.367 --> 00:14:14.620
text today you are,
00:14:15.950 --> 00:14:20.380
we are witnesses of this.
00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:23.280
Christ has risen again.
00:14:26.330 --> 00:14:27.798
This past weekend I had the
00:14:27.804 --> 00:14:29.986
privilege to fly to San Antonio
00:14:30.178 --> 00:14:31.894
to spend Easter with
00:14:31.932 --> 00:14:33.480
my wife and my kids.
00:14:35.150 --> 00:14:37.034
And while I was there so I heard
00:14:37.072 --> 00:14:38.214
that a good friend of mine,
00:14:38.262 --> 00:14:39.370
Betty Amth,
00:14:41.390 --> 00:14:42.774
was really struggling
00:14:42.822 --> 00:14:43.450
with her health.
00:14:43.520 --> 00:14:44.586
She's battling cancer for
00:14:44.608 --> 00:14:45.819
the last three years.
00:14:46.750 --> 00:14:48.854
And really I want to see Betty.
00:14:48.902 --> 00:14:49.814
You don't know Betty,
00:14:49.862 --> 00:14:51.446
but when I was pastor
00:14:51.478 --> 00:14:52.214
in San Antonio,
00:14:52.262 --> 00:14:53.306
she was the president of the
00:14:53.328 --> 00:14:54.602
LWML she was the president
00:14:54.656 --> 00:14:56.822
of the LWML zone.
00:14:56.966 --> 00:14:58.258
And we always work together
00:14:58.304 --> 00:14:59.440
She could be my mom.
00:15:00.650 --> 00:15:01.200
And
00:15:02.930 --> 00:15:05.242
so every time I taught Bible
00:15:05.306 --> 00:15:07.946
class or I had the opening
00:15:07.978 --> 00:15:09.386
devotion for our meetings,
00:15:09.498 --> 00:15:11.022
at the end, she would say,
00:15:11.156 --> 00:15:14.000
Spot on, Pastor, spot on.
00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:18.244
Well, Sunday was Easter.
00:15:18.292 --> 00:15:19.876
I couldn't see Betty.
00:15:20.068 --> 00:15:21.204
But in the afternoon,
00:15:21.252 --> 00:15:23.224
I called Betty. Oh, sure,
00:15:23.262 --> 00:15:23.876
I called Betty.
00:15:23.908 --> 00:15:25.156
I talked to Kevin, her husband.
00:15:25.188 --> 00:15:26.140
Said, I need to talk to Betty.
00:15:26.180 --> 00:15:27.788
Oh, she's right here, Pastor.
00:15:27.964 --> 00:15:29.936
Then she comes and she talks to
00:15:29.958 --> 00:15:32.252
me, and we talk about Easter.
00:15:32.316 --> 00:15:33.404
We talk about Easter
00:15:33.452 --> 00:15:34.400
celebrations.
00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:37.776
And then at the end, I said,
00:15:37.798 --> 00:15:39.492
Betty, can I pray with you?
00:15:39.626 --> 00:15:41.140
Oh, sure, Pastor.
00:15:42.040 --> 00:15:45.030
And then we pray over the phone.
00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:47.092
And of course, my prayer was,
00:15:47.146 --> 00:15:49.472
what? To celebrate Easter.
00:15:49.616 --> 00:15:52.040
Jesus victory over the dead.
00:15:52.540 --> 00:15:53.944
And the victory, I said,
00:15:53.982 --> 00:15:56.404
that is His is also yours.
00:15:56.452 --> 00:15:58.840
Betty is mine, is our victory.
00:15:59.580 --> 00:16:01.396
This is the most beautiful gift
00:16:01.428 --> 00:16:03.130
we have from the risen Christ.
00:16:03.680 --> 00:16:05.020
Because he lives,
00:16:05.170 --> 00:16:06.940
we also live forever,
00:16:07.280 --> 00:16:08.990
eternally with Him.
00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:11.420
And I said, Amen.
00:16:13.040 --> 00:16:14.204
And then she come with
00:16:14.242 --> 00:16:16.270
her famous line,
00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:18.960
spot on, Pastor,
00:16:20.180 --> 00:16:21.410
spot on.
00:16:22.420 --> 00:16:24.530
The resurrection is everything,
00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:26.370
isn't it?
00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:30.752
And I replied to Betty, spot on,
00:16:30.806 --> 00:16:31.600
Betty.
00:16:32.260 --> 00:16:33.200
Of course,
00:16:33.350 --> 00:16:34.992
the resurrection is
00:16:35.046 --> 00:16:36.210
indeed everything.
00:16:36.900 --> 00:16:38.850
It's the only thing we have.
00:16:39.780 --> 00:16:41.360
Christ is risen.
00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:44.760
He is reason indeed. Hallelujah.
00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:46.180
Amen.