Church Requel
The Greatest Surprise Ever
What if the greatest surprise ever stops feeling like a surprise. What if we aren't surprised anymore? Actually that's the wrong question. What if the surprise just keeps on surprising?
Locations & Times
Church Requel
2 Marion Ave, Mansfield, OH 44903, USA
Sunday 11:00 AM
Why "Requel?"
Here at Church Requel we want to celebrate the good news of Jesus in a way that makes sense and relates to every day people. From the songs we sing (contemporary) to the clothes we wear (casual) to the language we use (understandable) we want to be “requel” in our approach. We want to retell the story that has been around for more than 2,000 years in a new, fresh way with a message each week that is straight from the Bible. We invite you to join us as we sing, pray, celebrate and learn from the Word of God.
Donate To Church Requel
Use the link below to make a one time donation to Church Requel using your debit or credit card. We want to make sure you know that we provide this as a convenience for those who use the debit or credit card responsibly in their financial lives. It is not our intent for you to go into or add to credit card debt to give to CR. We appreciate your ongoing financial support of our ministry!
https://churchrequel.ccbchurch.com/trx_submit.php?type=public_giftChurch Requel's Website
Here is your online link to everything Church Requel on the Internet. Each week our pastor writes in his online blog. You'll find all of our pictures, our Facebook page and our Twitter feed. You can even connect with other Church Requel folks in our online community!
http://www.ChurchRequel.com/
The Greatest Surprise Ever - John 20:1-20
It had been a really lousy, stinking day. It had been a super bad day. A day of shocking disappointment. Every hope dashed. Every plan ruined. Every expectation disillusioned.
Mary couldn’t sleep. The shock of Friday had given way to the normalcy of Saturday. Except it wasn’t normal and never would be normal again. Her body couldn’t register her thoughts. How could it all have turned so bad so quickly? She couldn’t even give a proper burial because on top of everything else, the Sabbath overrode every other inclination of what was right and proper.
So she tossed and turned and laid awake that Sunday morning. Even though the sun wasn’t up yet, there was nothing to do but get up and start walking.
#1 - The Tomb REVEALED.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” John 20:1
The stone was gone! The stone that was so heavy no mere human alone could easily move it. The stone that had been sealed shut so nothing and no one could go in or out. The seal was gone. The stone was gone.
Why had the stone been removed? Mary assumed it was to remove a dead body. Not the case! The stone had been removed not to take out a dead body but to let a live body in to see that there was no dead body. The stone had been removed to reveal the empty tomb!
The newest revelation created quite the stir. Suddenly the sleepless wandering turned into running excitement. Lots and lots of running! Mary runs to Simon Peter and John. Peter and John run back to the tomb. Who could get there the fastest? It was the race for the empty tomb and recorded for all of history to remember that John ran the fastest. John got there first, but stopped short of going in. Not so Peter.
#2 - The Strips of Linen UNBOUND.
“Then Simon Peter… saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head.” John 20:6-7
Have you ever wondered about the strips of linen? Why is this detail so important to be recorded for the past two millennia?
We have to understand the burial process. The body would be tightly wrapped in linen cloths. If someone wanted to place the body in the tomb… Or later, if someone wanted to remove the body from the tomb, the tightly bound strips of cloth would hold the body together. It would be easier to move the dead weight of a dead body. Surely no grave robber would bother to remove the linen strips from a dead body.
Who, then, removed the strips of linen? The awakened Jesus! The binding linen strips would have restricted the movement of his living limbs. It’s hard to walk and move when there are strips of cloth binding your legs together and binding your arms to your chest!
What is the most logical explanation of the linen strips left behind? That Jesus removed them and left them behind!
Of course none of this would have been the first thing than Peter or John or Mary (or you or I) would have thought about. Why? Because up until that moment there was one rule of mortality that trumped all other rules. Dead was dead! And so Mary stood outside and cried…
#3 - Weeping Turned Into CRY OF LOVE.
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying… Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).” John 20:11,16
You’ve heard that “seeing is believing.” Not true. Even when we see something right in front of us, our minds try to make sense out of the sense of seeing. The tomb is empty. The strips of linen are laying about. The facecloth is neatly folded nearby.
Yet Mary cries. She can’t understand it. This doesn’t make sense. She looks in at the empty tomb again. This time the tomb isn’t empty! Now there are two angels sitting there! If ever you wondered about the stress of that moment upon Mary’s mind, wonder no longer. She responds as if nothing is out of normal. They ask her why she is crying. She talks to them like she’s asking for directions! “Do you know where they have laid my Lord?”
In this account, we have no words from the angels. Perhaps a hand gesture? However it is communicated, Mary turns and sees Jesus standing there! But she doesn’t recognize him. Why not?
Again, seeing is not believing! Her mind makes up a believable fiction that he must be the gardener. She even hears him speak to her. Listening isn’t believing either! What causes her eyes to open to see the truth? What causes her ears to open to hear the truth?
One word, spoken by Jesus: her name, “Mary.” Suddenly her tears of anguish turn into tears of love and joy…
#4 - Locks of Fear Turned Into OVERJOY.
“With the doors locked for fear, Jesus came and stood among them… The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” John 20:19-20
It had really been quite the day! Mary was insistent on what she saw and heard. Her Lord had risen. Jesus was alive! But somehow Peter and John had been there too and they weren’t exactly sure what happened. John believed but seemed more reticent than Mary. Peter really just wondered.
The overall emotion in that locked, closed, sad room was F-E-A-R! Never more did that acronym earn its reputation than that day of all days - False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.
John - who earlier admitted his own belief - records this for all to know. The doors were locked because of “fear of the Jews.” By this they meant the powerful, the authorities, the “man,” the religious right. Who were these anyway? The ones who condemned the innocent to death but who were unable to keep death in place? The ones who couldn’t even keep dead “dead”? This is who they had to lock the door against?
Suddenly and without unlocking any locked doors, hope replaced fear, life replaced death, joy replaced sorrow. Suddenly and without unlocking any doors, Jesus was inexplicably in their midst. Suddenly and without unlocking any doors, Jesus replaced their turmoil into the sweet relief of inner peace with his words, “Peace be with you.”
“Peace be with you” from Jesus wasn’t like when you or I say it or hear it in church. When we say it or hear it, there is an unspoken “May” that goes along with it… May peace be with you. I wish peace upon you. Because of years and years of hearing this in church, when we read this from Jesus’ lips, this is what we also tend to hear: a benevolent, nice benediction upon the day from the Master Pastor.
That’s not what happened. That’s not how it was said.
Peace BE with you! These are the same lips that said, “Peace!” to the storm on the lake. Who said, “Throw your nets on the other side.” Who said, “She is not dead, only asleep.” Who said, “Lazarus! Come out!”
This “Peace BE with you!” was a command for fear to be gone, for worries to be gone, for uncertainty to be gone, for sorrow to be gone, for death to be gone. “Peace BE with you!” And suddenly it was so. Fear, anxiety, worry, uncertainty, sorrow, death… all gone… all replaced with… Jesus! For PEACE indeed could be said to BE with them. In the midst of that locked room.
Maybe for someone here, it’s been a lousy stinking year, highlighted by a really horrible week, punctuated by a day of shocking disappointment. There may be some seated here, who on this Resurrection Sunday, would admit in your heart of hearts, your inward self you don’t let anyone else see, that your hope is dashed. Your plans ruined. Your expectations disillusioned. What once registered as “shock” has turned into “normalcy” and you expect nothing more. The only “surprise” you know is the surprise of even greater disappointment.
This Easter is for you! This surprise from Jesus is for you! Maybe you’ve known Jesus all your life, but today you need to be surprised again by hope. Today you need to be surprised again by freedom. Maybe your heart has turned to stone… and the stone needs to be rolled away. Maybe the knots of your past have you all tied up and you need to be released. Maybe your weeping has long filled your emotions with sorrow and turmoil. Maybe your heart is well locked down with fear.
Jesus wants you to know - today of all days - that you can again be surprised with hope. That you can again be surprised by love. That you can again be surprised by joy. That your feet can again run with the spiritual energy that you can’t explain the how or the why, but the certainty that somehow God has got this!
That once more you can hear the tender words of Jesus in your mind commanding the demons of fear and anxiety and uncertainty to be gone with his words, “Peace BE with you!” Maybe today is the day you once again hear Jesus whisper your name into the inner ear of your life! Maybe today is the day you discover that Jesus still wants to grant you the greatest surprise ever!
It had been a really lousy, stinking day. It had been a super bad day. A day of shocking disappointment. Every hope dashed. Every plan ruined. Every expectation disillusioned.
Mary couldn’t sleep. The shock of Friday had given way to the normalcy of Saturday. Except it wasn’t normal and never would be normal again. Her body couldn’t register her thoughts. How could it all have turned so bad so quickly? She couldn’t even give a proper burial because on top of everything else, the Sabbath overrode every other inclination of what was right and proper.
So she tossed and turned and laid awake that Sunday morning. Even though the sun wasn’t up yet, there was nothing to do but get up and start walking.
#1 - The Tomb REVEALED.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” John 20:1
The stone was gone! The stone that was so heavy no mere human alone could easily move it. The stone that had been sealed shut so nothing and no one could go in or out. The seal was gone. The stone was gone.
Why had the stone been removed? Mary assumed it was to remove a dead body. Not the case! The stone had been removed not to take out a dead body but to let a live body in to see that there was no dead body. The stone had been removed to reveal the empty tomb!
The newest revelation created quite the stir. Suddenly the sleepless wandering turned into running excitement. Lots and lots of running! Mary runs to Simon Peter and John. Peter and John run back to the tomb. Who could get there the fastest? It was the race for the empty tomb and recorded for all of history to remember that John ran the fastest. John got there first, but stopped short of going in. Not so Peter.
#2 - The Strips of Linen UNBOUND.
“Then Simon Peter… saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head.” John 20:6-7
Have you ever wondered about the strips of linen? Why is this detail so important to be recorded for the past two millennia?
We have to understand the burial process. The body would be tightly wrapped in linen cloths. If someone wanted to place the body in the tomb… Or later, if someone wanted to remove the body from the tomb, the tightly bound strips of cloth would hold the body together. It would be easier to move the dead weight of a dead body. Surely no grave robber would bother to remove the linen strips from a dead body.
Who, then, removed the strips of linen? The awakened Jesus! The binding linen strips would have restricted the movement of his living limbs. It’s hard to walk and move when there are strips of cloth binding your legs together and binding your arms to your chest!
What is the most logical explanation of the linen strips left behind? That Jesus removed them and left them behind!
Of course none of this would have been the first thing than Peter or John or Mary (or you or I) would have thought about. Why? Because up until that moment there was one rule of mortality that trumped all other rules. Dead was dead! And so Mary stood outside and cried…
#3 - Weeping Turned Into CRY OF LOVE.
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying… Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).” John 20:11,16
You’ve heard that “seeing is believing.” Not true. Even when we see something right in front of us, our minds try to make sense out of the sense of seeing. The tomb is empty. The strips of linen are laying about. The facecloth is neatly folded nearby.
Yet Mary cries. She can’t understand it. This doesn’t make sense. She looks in at the empty tomb again. This time the tomb isn’t empty! Now there are two angels sitting there! If ever you wondered about the stress of that moment upon Mary’s mind, wonder no longer. She responds as if nothing is out of normal. They ask her why she is crying. She talks to them like she’s asking for directions! “Do you know where they have laid my Lord?”
In this account, we have no words from the angels. Perhaps a hand gesture? However it is communicated, Mary turns and sees Jesus standing there! But she doesn’t recognize him. Why not?
Again, seeing is not believing! Her mind makes up a believable fiction that he must be the gardener. She even hears him speak to her. Listening isn’t believing either! What causes her eyes to open to see the truth? What causes her ears to open to hear the truth?
One word, spoken by Jesus: her name, “Mary.” Suddenly her tears of anguish turn into tears of love and joy…
#4 - Locks of Fear Turned Into OVERJOY.
“With the doors locked for fear, Jesus came and stood among them… The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” John 20:19-20
It had really been quite the day! Mary was insistent on what she saw and heard. Her Lord had risen. Jesus was alive! But somehow Peter and John had been there too and they weren’t exactly sure what happened. John believed but seemed more reticent than Mary. Peter really just wondered.
The overall emotion in that locked, closed, sad room was F-E-A-R! Never more did that acronym earn its reputation than that day of all days - False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.
John - who earlier admitted his own belief - records this for all to know. The doors were locked because of “fear of the Jews.” By this they meant the powerful, the authorities, the “man,” the religious right. Who were these anyway? The ones who condemned the innocent to death but who were unable to keep death in place? The ones who couldn’t even keep dead “dead”? This is who they had to lock the door against?
Suddenly and without unlocking any locked doors, hope replaced fear, life replaced death, joy replaced sorrow. Suddenly and without unlocking any doors, Jesus was inexplicably in their midst. Suddenly and without unlocking any doors, Jesus replaced their turmoil into the sweet relief of inner peace with his words, “Peace be with you.”
“Peace be with you” from Jesus wasn’t like when you or I say it or hear it in church. When we say it or hear it, there is an unspoken “May” that goes along with it… May peace be with you. I wish peace upon you. Because of years and years of hearing this in church, when we read this from Jesus’ lips, this is what we also tend to hear: a benevolent, nice benediction upon the day from the Master Pastor.
That’s not what happened. That’s not how it was said.
Peace BE with you! These are the same lips that said, “Peace!” to the storm on the lake. Who said, “Throw your nets on the other side.” Who said, “She is not dead, only asleep.” Who said, “Lazarus! Come out!”
This “Peace BE with you!” was a command for fear to be gone, for worries to be gone, for uncertainty to be gone, for sorrow to be gone, for death to be gone. “Peace BE with you!” And suddenly it was so. Fear, anxiety, worry, uncertainty, sorrow, death… all gone… all replaced with… Jesus! For PEACE indeed could be said to BE with them. In the midst of that locked room.
Maybe for someone here, it’s been a lousy stinking year, highlighted by a really horrible week, punctuated by a day of shocking disappointment. There may be some seated here, who on this Resurrection Sunday, would admit in your heart of hearts, your inward self you don’t let anyone else see, that your hope is dashed. Your plans ruined. Your expectations disillusioned. What once registered as “shock” has turned into “normalcy” and you expect nothing more. The only “surprise” you know is the surprise of even greater disappointment.
This Easter is for you! This surprise from Jesus is for you! Maybe you’ve known Jesus all your life, but today you need to be surprised again by hope. Today you need to be surprised again by freedom. Maybe your heart has turned to stone… and the stone needs to be rolled away. Maybe the knots of your past have you all tied up and you need to be released. Maybe your weeping has long filled your emotions with sorrow and turmoil. Maybe your heart is well locked down with fear.
Jesus wants you to know - today of all days - that you can again be surprised with hope. That you can again be surprised by love. That you can again be surprised by joy. That your feet can again run with the spiritual energy that you can’t explain the how or the why, but the certainty that somehow God has got this!
That once more you can hear the tender words of Jesus in your mind commanding the demons of fear and anxiety and uncertainty to be gone with his words, “Peace BE with you!” Maybe today is the day you once again hear Jesus whisper your name into the inner ear of your life! Maybe today is the day you discover that Jesus still wants to grant you the greatest surprise ever!