+ The Resurrection of Our Lord – April 20^th, 2025 +

Series C: Isaiah 65:17-25; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

“Surprised By Easter”

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Not every movie or book can pull it off, but every once in a while you come across a good story that has a great plot twist or a surprise ending you didn’t’ see coming. Like the ending of Planet of the Apes where Charlton Heston falls on the sandy beach where the Statue of Liberty stands in ruins. Or when Luke Skywalker finds out Darth Vader is his father. Or when you get to the end of the Lego Movie and find out the whole thing has been taking place in a young boy’s imagination.

Easter Sunday is that kind of story as well. It’s the story of a surprise ending we – and the women at the tomb and the disciples – didn’t see coming. It’s the greatest of all plot twists. A plot twist of grace and joy that sounds too good to be true. It sounds crazy. We all know dead men tell no tales. Except today one does. And it’s all true.

Because here’s the thing about this story. It isn’t science fiction or fantasy…and it didn’t take place in a galaxy far, far away. But in Jerusalem, nearly 2000 years ago, with eyewitnesses who saw Jesus crucified, dead, and buried on a Friday afternoon. This story happened in real human history for real people like you and me. A real death on a real cross for real sinners with real sin. A real burial in a real tomb for us all. And…spoiler alert. His tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away. Christ is risen.

And yet… this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Jesus had told his disciples many times exactly what he was going to do. Like Babe Ruth calling his homerun with an outstretched bat, Jesus told them he was going to be betrayed, handed over to the religious authorities, mocked and shamefully treated, then crucified, dead, and buried and on the third day rise again.

And yet, the women came on that first day of the week, at early dawn, to the tomb, taking spices they had prepared to finish Jesus’ burial from Good Friday. And yet, the disciples when they heard the women tell them the unexpected, joyous good news, thought it was an idle tale, a nonsense story, something too good to be true.

They had forgotten that when it comes to God’s saving work, he is the king of the gracious and the unexpected endings. He is the author of more plot twists than any New York Times best seller. He has pulled off more surprise endings than anyone in history.

This is the God who gave Abraham and Sarah the unexpected, promised son Isaac when they were old and barren. And now the Seed of Abraham has sprung forth with new life from the barren wasteland of the grave.

This is the God who spared Isaac on the mountain of sacrifice so that one day he could give his Son, His only-begotten Son as a sacrifice for the world on the mountain where he was crucified for you.

This is the God who led his people Israel, with the abyss in front of them and Pharaoh’s hordes behind them, through the Red Sea on dry ground. And now this God in human flesh has made a greater exodus through death and out alive again three days later.

This is the God who swallowed up his prophet Jonah only to spit him out again on a beach three days later. And now the Greater Jonah has swallowed up death by his death and the earth has spit him out again in resurrected glory.

And today, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Jacob, and Jonah, reveals that he is still the God of surprise endings and plot twists of grace for you.

What did the women find when they came to Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning? Something unexpected. A surprise ending they didn’t see coming. The expected to find the body of Jesus. But instead. They found the stone rolled away. And when they went into the tomb they did not find the body of Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, …they witnessed the greatest surprise ending in all of history. They heard the announcement of the plot twist to top all plot twists that had come before and would come after. They heard the unexpected, yet gracious and joyous good news.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

The women heard the word…and they remembered. Like that aha moment you have when you figure out your favorite surprise ending had been foreshadowed all along. Only now in the light of the resurrection does it all make sense though. Only through the word do the women believe. Only through the word do we believe as well. Jesus’ word does for us what it did for the women and his disciples. His word creates faith. That trust in his promise – he gives that…plants it like a seed and waters and nourishes it. He who worked the greatest miracle and surprise ending of them all – his resurrection from the dead – also works the great miracle of faith and trust in his word for you as well. And he does it the same way: from doubt and despair to peace and joy; from death to life.

You see, not only is Jesus’ resurrection the greatest surprise ending of the greatest story of all. This changes everything…and not just for the women and the disciples. But for you.

This story is yours as well. Jesus’ death is yours. Jesus’ resurrection is yours. Jesus’ cross was for you. The punishment for sins was for you. His blood shed for you. His cry of “it is finished” for you. His burial for you. His rest in the tomb for you. His glorious resurrection for you. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection the story of our lives ends with a plot twist of God’s grace as well. The story of your life doesn’t end in the grave. That’s only a resting place. Until that great and joyous day when Christ returns – as he promises – and calls out our name as he did for Lazarus and Jairus’ daughter and Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones. And then the angel will sound the trumpet on yet another surprise ending, the resurrection of all flesh. your resurrection in the body. Out of the grave and into the new heavens and the new earth. Out of this old creation and into a new creation. Out of this story of fallen and broken things and death and tears and into a never-ending story in the presence of our crucified and risen Lord. A story and kingdom and feast that has no end…and which goes on forever. In which every chapter is better than the one before.

A blessed Easter to each of you…

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.