Monday, April 1, 2013

Questions


          We're using the Spill the Beans liturgy material put together by this group of Scottish folks from the Church of Scotland and other denominations again this year. We believe it's great material and that's why we keep coming back to it. 
          This lesson takes some of their words and a few of my own to tell the story to those who came to worship with us yesterday. My thanks to Roddy Hamilton and his friends and of course God for leading us to them. And by the way the stones have left the sanctuary to tell their "story" to this community.

          Every Easter Sunday don’t you have questions ricocheting around in your brain? I do.
          There was a stone rolled in front of the tomb and there were guards there to prevent anyone from stealing the body of Jesus…and yet the stone rolled. Didn’t anyone hear it?
          And those who went to the tomb early in the morning, what did they expect to find behind the stone? Why didn’t they plan on how they were going to move it?
          Haven’t you ever wondered, who folded the grave cloths and why were they left there? Who would have thought that after Jesus was risen that tidy and neat were important?
          And…how can death be turned back into life? Everyone saw that Jesus was dead. Joseph and Nicodemus carried the body to the tomb and wrapped it in spices. They surely knew that the stone was rolled into place and that guards were stationed at the front. 
          I guess no one ever said that it would be easy to believe the tomb would be empty.
          Have you ever wondered how people could go from yelling “alleluia” one day to “crucify him” the next day so quickly? Are people really that fickle? Didn’t they think it a little strange?
          Questions, that’s all there are. How can it be? How can Jesus be resurrected?
Do you think we’ll ever stop asking the questions?  I hope not.