Jesus of Nazareth, age 33, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, April 19. Preceded in death by his father Joseph, he is survived by his mother Mary, several sisters and brothers, and many close friends.

Jesus worked for many years as a union carpenter but left that trade three years ago to become an itinerant preacher throughout the regions of Galilee and Judea. Known for his provocative sermons and inspiring stories, he taught a simple religion that called upon people to love God and each other. He was especially committed to helping the poor and destitute and was said to have healed many people. He enjoyed eating with friends and strangers alike, hiking in the mountains, and sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

A memorial service, originally planned for Sunday, April 21st has been cancelled because…

________

Hmmm.

Can YOU fill in the blank?

Wouldn’t you love to read an obituary like this – an obituary that did not describe the ending of a person’s life, but the beginning of something too wonderful to even describe? Wouldn’t you love YOUR obituary to say that about you?

“The Memorial Service has been cancelled because…”

Here we are on Easter Sunday, and we add our voices to those who over the centuries have made an amazing claim: Jesus of Nazareth has conquered death. Those who knew him and were closest to him didn’t believe it at first. They – like you and me – knew full well that death is the ending of life and not a beginning. They – like you and me – felt that hollow empty feeling that comes when a loved one dies – like you’ve been kicked in the gut. They – like you and me – knew about the stages of grief, journeying from denial to anger to bargaining to depression and finally, to acceptance. Everybody knows that dying is the ending of life. So we write obituaries, and plan Memorial Services, but…

In a graveyard just outside Jerusalem a stone has been rolled away, a tomb is empty, and the women who came to preserve a body find only a young man – they came to believe it was an angel – who said, “He is not here. He is risen! Go and tell the others!”

And one of the women, Mary from Magdala, is overwhelmed by this news. She does not know what to make of it! So she wanders out into the flowery gardens of the cemetery, weeping. Have you ever done that? I have.

A person draws near to Mary. “Why are you weeping?”

“They’ve taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where to find him.”

And then the stranger says, “Mary!”

She looks up…and through a veil of tears recognizes a familiar face.

“Master!” she cries. She throws out her arms to embrace him. But he says:

“Don’t hold onto me as though I’m dead. But go and tell the others!”

And over and over again that day and in the days that followed the experience is repeated – in Jerusalem, up at the Sea of Galilee, in peoples’ homes, behind locked doors, and along the roadway to Emmaus. Grief is interrupted by something no one ever imagined:

Jesus has overcome death!

Now that’s a tricky thing to say:

Jesus has overcome death!

You can put the accent on JESUS and say “JESUS overcame death,” but all that really gets you is a happy ending to what would otherwise be a tragic story. It’s sort of like the regular ending to that old TV show “Lassie”. Remember that? If you don’t, it’s about this fantastic collie dog named Lassie who – in every episode – saves Timmy – the most obnoxious, snotty-nosed little kid who ever lived – from whatever dangerous predicament he’s managed to get himself into that week. And in the final scene, thanks to the heroism of Lassie, Timmy is back safe and sound with his parents. And they all look into the camera with smiles on their faces, and Timmy says, “Good girl, Lassie!”, and Lassie barks, and everyone laughs, and all is well with the world.

Easter is like that for many people. We’re all happy for Jesus, that all the bad stuff that happened to him has been overcome, he was dead but now is alive, so let’s get Lassie to bark, everyone laugh, and let’s go home and eat some ham and have an Easter Egg Hunt, hallelujah! For many people, Easter is simply a happy ending to the story of Jesus. JESUS has overcome death.

But let’s try those words another way: Jesus has overcome DEATH!

Perhaps you are wondering, “What difference will it make to say it that way?”

Well, it makes a difference to Don whose wife Peggy suddenly died last week, and to all of us who have lost loved ones. It makes a difference that Jesus has overcome DEATH! It makes a difference to those of you who are facing serious illnesses that may not be cured. It makes a difference to the grandmother I spoke with one Good Friday who told me about her grandchild who was murdered. It makes a difference to all of us who care about the tragic and senseless deaths caused by war, and poverty, and natural disaster.

If JESUS overcame death, well good for Jesus!

But if Jesus overcame DEATH, that means there is hope for US AND OUR LOVED ONES too!

“Go and tell the others,” the risen Jesus says to the women at the tomb and in the garden. “Go and tell the others.”

Why do you suppose Jesus said that?

Because Jesus overcame DEATH, and he overcame DEATH not only for himself but for you, and me, and everyone! Life now overflows with new hope and the possibility of new beginnings for EVERYONE!

You see, if Jesus overcame DEATH, your failures cannot hold you anymore. You can rise above them. You can be liberated from your past and set free to create, with God’s help, a new future for yourself! If you are here today carrying the weight of some great failure, you can start turning the corner today because Jesus overcame DEATH!

If Jesus overcame DEATH, you can rise up above your limitations of body, mind and soul and, with God’s help, find new meaning and purpose even in your weakness!

If Jesus overcame DEATH, your sins can be forgiven, you can come home to the God who loves you, and you can have a chance at a new beginning.

If Jesus overcame DEATH….

Poverty can be eradicated.

War can be eliminated.

Racism can be overcome.

Injustice can be set right.

All of these things, you see, are the symptoms of DEATH in our world, but Jesus has overcome DEATH!

If Jesus overcame DEATH, we don’t ever have to settle for endings, failures or the dehumanizing things of this world anymore. We are given the gift of new beginnings.

So what can you take with you into your life this week because of Easter Sunday?

I hope you will take these four things:

First, leave here today with a new understanding of death. Yes, everyone dies, but death is no longer an ending, but a hope-filled beginning – for yourself, and for those you love. Death cannot and will not hold us and our loved ones.

Second, leave here today with a new understanding of yourself – not as a completed or finished person for better or worse – but as a person who can change and can become and accomplish far more than you ever imagined.

Third, leave here today with a new understanding of the world – a world that awaits and needs people like you who will not give up on it in the face of adversity – but who know that, with God’s help, wrong things can be made right, broken things can be made whole, and sad endings can be transformed into joyful new beginnings.

And finally, leave here today knowing that God loves you, and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, has given us the gift of eternal life. All you have to do is accept the gift.

“Jesus of Nazareth, age 33, passed away unexpectedly last Friday…”

That’s how his obituary begins.

But it’s not how it ends!

Christ the Lord is risen today!

Alleluia!