Jesus Returned to Share Eternal Life

Easter Sunday        April 1, 2018     

Acts 10:34-43  Psalm118:1-2,14-24

Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10

Once upon in the town of Hope, located near the desert and the mountains,  a very wealthy person John Divine,  decided that he wanted to attract people to come to the town, so he announced that he was going to host a major obstacle race.  He said, "Anyone can come and enter the race at any time.  And if you complete the race you will receive a wonderful and great surprise."   John Divine began to advertise this obstacle race on television and on the internet.  And many, many people began to come to the town of Hope to find out about the obstacle race.

And many decided to try to complete the obstacle course race.  But was not really a race because you were not competing with anyone and how long it took you to complete was not important.  The only important thing was that you finish the race.

So the young and the old began the race.  And the race seemed long and difficult.  And it seemed to be so difficult that all of the participants would quit and turn back.  They complained to John Divine that the race was too hard.  They said that he was tricking them.  They said that he just wanted them to come to the town of Hope as tourists and spend their money.  But John Divine kept advertising the great obstacle Race of the town of Hope.  And people kept coming and they kept failing and they kept complaining about the Race.

But one day, something happened, a man came back from the Race.  His name was Joshua Life.  He announced that he had made it to the end and he had won the prize.

The people did not believe him.  They said that John Divine wouldn't believe him either.  All of the people in the town of Hope followed Joshua Life to the big office of John Divine.  They wanted to know if John Divine would disqualify Joshua Life.

But when Joshua Life came to see John Divine, John Divine shook his hand and said, "Joshua Life, you are the winner.  You completed the race and you have returned to Hope."

All of the people said to John Divine, "How do you know that Joshua finished the Race; he may be lying to you."  But John Divine said, "I know because my helicopter and my drones followed Joshua on his journey.  And they took pictures and they proved to me that Joshua completed the trip."

But then the people shouted to Joshua, "Why did you come back?  If you won the prize why didn't you stay there?"

Joshua said to them, "Well I had a choice to stay there.  I won a beautiful new big house to live it.  It was a perfect place to live."  The people said to him, "Then why did you come back?"

Joshua said, "When I arrived at the end of the race, a nice person showed me the wonderful new home that I had won.  He said to me, "You can stay here forever, but if you want, you can go back to the town of Hope and show others how to get here too.  Just look up the mountains; there are many more homes that need people like you to live in."

Joshua Life said, "I did not want to live alone in that perfect place in the mountains, and I know how to get there; I know the short cuts and I know the best ways to go.  So I decided to come back and lead others on the best way to get there."

The people said, "You should not say that so loudly.  John Divine might hear you and try to keep you silent."

But John Divine said, "No, I am glad that Joshua came back; that is what I really wanted him to do.  And now he can lead many more people to go on the obstacle course and find the way to their new perfect homes.  Everyone give Joshua Life a big hand and thanked him for coming back to show us what the prize is and to show everyone how to get there."

This story can help us understand Jesus and the Resurrection.  Jesus went on a very difficult journey, the same journey that all of us are on.  Jesus arrived at his death on the cross.  But he came back to life.  He journey from death back to life, to show us that we can make the journey of life as we walk in the love and kindness of Jesus and when we die, we can arrive at the perfect place of eternal life."

This is why we say "Yeah God" on Easter Sunday with the special word, "Alleluia."

Alleluia.  Christ is Risen.  The Lord is Risen, Indeed.  Alleluia.  Jesus came back to get all of us and show us the way to everlasting life.  Amen.