April 12, 2020. Easter Day
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Jeremiah 31:1-6
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Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Colossians 3:1-4
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Or Acts 10:34-43
Sermon text: John 20:1-18
#Don’tbeDistracted : Staying Focused on Jesus
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Prayer of Confession
O Giver of Abundant Life, we call to you now because we have allowed thieves to come and steal, kill, and destroy human dignity and human life.
We have permitted poverty and pandemics.
We have permitted racism and sexism.
We have permitted homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia.
We have failed to love ourselves.
We have failed to love our neighbors.
We have failed to fully love you.
Yet, your love towards us remains.
Thank You for loving us, Holy One. Renew our hearts and our minds so that we might return to the power of love that you created in us.
Help us to use that power to call out and change systems that create poverty.
To care for the sick.
To prevent deadly outbreaks.
Help us to use that power to treat children and adults fairly and equally.
Help us to judge human beings by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. Not by who they love.
Not by their gender identity.
Not by their country of origin.
Help us, O God, to truly and unconditionally love you, ourselves, and our neighbors, and to express that love by acts of justice and acts of mercy. Amen.
"Don't be distracted by: people, power, persuasion, process, or broken pieces.
Keep your focus on Jesus!"
#DONTBEDISTRACTED
Text John 20:1-18 MSG
“Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”
Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?” “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?” She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.” Jesus said, “Mary.” Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “ Rabboni! ” meaning “Teacher!” Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.”
John 20:1-18 MSG
Very Simple Message this Easter DONTBEDISTRACTED THERE ARE MANY THINGS THIS Easter that could get your mind off the ministry of the kingdom there is a great deal going on we are still very much under a Stay at Home Order by the Governor of South Carolina our Bishop had closed churches until May and many of us are more concerned now with Personal health and nutrition them we ever have been.
On that great day of the church when felt like it was empty and the curtain had been distorted and destroyed when the Savior of humanity had been laced in a borrowed tomb. And all seemed to be lost Mary Magdalene came to the grave of Jesus but I have a word for you all this morning that think you are facing the impossible the insurmountable the Pandemic DontbeDistricted in other words don’t let things that you do understand confused things that you claim your Joy.
This was the first of the week the Sabbath was over and it was hot and there should have been Jesus Joy in the air instead there seemed to be a drain on Hope.
The Faith of the disciples was washed away and they where hidden in in discus from being out played by the religious scribes and Haters of the day. The Government had washed there hands and the leadership had allowed and innocence and righteous man be put to death in a inhuman and cruel fashion.
But in the Air should have also been a pronouncement just a little over the clouds Mary “its All Good” Mary DONTBEDISTRACTED.
Let’s walk through this thang this morning
#1 Don’t let the Borrowed Thumb fool you! Don’t allow people’s opinion of your situation financial or social or spiritual block your blessings. Sometimes when you see People struggling you might be tempted to say oh they don’t have it going on like we do!
But be-careful thanking that what a person has right now is all God is going to give them.
None of us have the right to look at flesh and then determine the statues of a person.
You Don’t have a clue what God is about to do! Folks could have looked at Jesus and said oh he saved others let him save himself, they could have been like he talked of his father having cattle on a thousand hill and he can’t buy a grave but come on church you have to know Jesus got it going on and you have to realize that
Jesus had a rich daddy and you can’t hate on me but that because you don’t know who my father is if you only had a clue how much my daddy got you ask me for water and I would give you living water.
# 2 Learn how to Work through your tears and heart Break! Mary was standing at the grave of Jesus and some folk would say she had been punked out because she was crying.
There is Power in Brokenness there is Power in Being Broken-hearted there is Power in the ability to release .during injustice and Oppression.
Were some folks see weakness understand that weeping and grief and even sadness does not undo the power to rule.
Yet other folk who had following along with this sermon would say she was missing the Angels because she was crying.
Yet others like my self might say even though she seemed week she was strong, even though she seemed broke she was righteous. Even though her face was wet with tears and her demeanor seemed off. If you know anything about women and worshipers you will understand that every tear ain’t a surrender and sometimes when I cry I’m building up on the inside for what God is gonna used me for in a little while as Ian a Vansant said some years ago God uses your mean times to get you ready for your next miracles.
As I herd Bishop Swanson Say yesterday if we get through the mean time God has something for us. Oh and I don’t want y’all to miss this don’t get distracted because of my angels and start thinking my Angels are my GOD YEA=ANGELS are shinny yes angels sometime seem bigger then life but at the end of the Day church Angels are just angels and sometimes your problem is so big so complicated that you need God the three and One to Show up.
Sometime even in the presence of the angels you still need to hear form God. Sometimes the Student and the messages will do but sometime when the storms of life are ragging and the Rona is in your House you need the Teacher to say Mary Why you Weeping?
#3 Sometimes You Got to Let Go and Let Gods Work Loose! When she understood that it was Jesus and that he was risen like manny of us she wanted to hold on to the knowledge, she wanted to grad ahold of the lord and just stay there in the moment letting her inner peace be-filled, She wanted to celebrate and you all know, I like a celebration like the best of them. However sometimes you got to stop the party and stop the Protest March and get out your pulpit and off your soapbox and get back to work.
Jesus Said Don’t Hold on to me, You go tell the Good News. Church this Easter Sunday I don’t know how you gonna do it but its time to let loose and Go tell the Good News of Jesus Christ. Find a way too leave this Place and go tell the Good news of the savior of the kingdom of Heaven, get out of here are let the disciples and everyone else’s know he lives. Yes He Lives and Because Hee Lives I can Face tomorrow Because he lives all fear is goon.
Prayer:
Creator in your infinite mercy and grace give us the strength and courage to be doers and not just hearers of your word.
Let us be swift to stand against the empire and the injustices we see.
Let us not continue in our complacency of playing it safe while the breath that you gave to your people is being deflated each day by the systems of poverty, racism, militarism, ecological devastation, our nation’s distorted moral narrative and christian nationalism.
Help us, Great Liberator to set our face towards injustice like Jesus set his towards Jerusalem.
Lead us as we go down like Moses to places of injustices and declare boldly, “To let our people go.”
Grant us the spirit of Esther that said, “I will go unto the King and if I perish, I perish.”
Make us steadfast like Stephen who continued to confess your word even in the face of death.
Strengthen our backs like Fannie Lou Hamer who declared “Sometimes it seems like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I’ll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I’m not backing off.”
Solidify in us which side we will be on like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who declared — “I choose to identify with the underprivileged. I choose to identify with the poor. I choose to give my life for the hungry. I choose to give my life for those who have been left out. This is the way I’m going. If it means suffering a little bit, I’m going that way. If it means dying for them, I’m going that way.”
Ignite in us a holy fire like Harriet Tubman who encouraged those escaping enslavement, “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”
Mold in us the mindset like Mother Jones who professed, “I am not afraid of the pen, or the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please.”
Organize us so that we can declare like Ella Josephine Baker, “we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”
Help us Holy One, to keep our eyes on the prize until we see justice roll down like a mighty stream.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
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