My Gutsiest Easter Sermon Introduction Ever
One of the perpetual challenges of preparing sermons for Easter is figuring out how to tell a familiar story in a fresh way.
Today is Thursday, and it’s April Fool’s Day. But in 2018, April 1st fell on Easter Sunday, and I used that fact to my advantage in my Easter sermon that year. Please take a few moments to watch this brief video, and then read on below. (my apologies for the pre-COVID video quality!)
I probably milked that a little too long— I saw several faces in the crowd looking genuinely worried! And this particular approach only worked because of the quirks of the calendar that year.
But the “what if” question that I raised in that sermon is a really helpful one to consider, if only as a thought experiment in your own Easter sermon preparation.
If preaching on the resurrection (yet again!) feels like a chore to you, then inevitably it will feel like a bore to your congregation.
So here’s the question: How can we as pastors restore our own awe and wonder at the empty tomb? How can we once again appreciate in our hearts what we know to be true in our heads—that the resurrection was the most transformative event in human history! Well, one way is to ask this “what if” question.
As human beings, we tend to take things for granted until we lose them. Sadly, it’s often only then that we truly appreciate their value. So just as an experiment, let’s pretend that the resurrection never happened. What difference would that make? How would that change our lives? There are any number of answers we could give in response to that question, but here are just a few:
If Jesus never rose from the dead…
- Then we would have entrusted our lives and our eternal destinies to a liar and a fraud (since He predicted His resurrection).
- He would therefore be powerless to save us, and we would be destined for an eternity in the lake of fire.
- His Holy Spirit could not indwell us and empower us with His strength, comfort, and guidance in our daily lives.
- We would have no hope of being raised in glorified bodies and enjoying God’s presence forever in His perfect kingdom.
- This difficult life and this troubled world are as good as it will ever get.
Of course, there are many other things we could add to this list, but pause for a few moments to let your mind take in this hypothetical resurrection-less world. Feel the betrayal of being lied to. Feel the weight of God’s wrath on your soul. Feel the fear of suffering forever in the lake of fire. Feel the weakness of your flesh without God’s indwelling Spirit. Feel the incurable hopelessness and emptiness of life in this fallen world.
Okay now—that’s enough! Before you decide to end it all, go ahead and let yourself wake up from this awful dream. Now, feel the relief and the joy of the resurrection reality. Appreciate all over again the loving supremacy of Christ over all creation, the joy and the power of His indwelling Spirit, the eternal hope that is ours beyond the grave, the assurance that all that is wrong will one day be made right, and the amazing privilege that is ours as pastors to declare these wonderful realities to people who desperately need them.
Now, go get back to your Easter sermon preparation. Lean into one or more of these profound realities, let them grip your soul all over again, and carry them with renewed passion into your pulpit this Sunday!
What are some things that you’ve done in your preaching to help your congregation see the familiar story of the resurrection through fresh eyes?
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Remind me never to play poker with you!
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