by Charles Henrickson

Gospel: Mark 16:1-8

Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)

And you say that with such conviction! As you should. The announcement of Christ's resurrection elicits from us a hearty response of faith and joy. And rightfully so. This is the heart of our great hope as Christians, that Christ our Lord has conquered sin and death for us and has secured for us the sure and certain hope of our own resurrection and everlasting life.

Which makes our Gospel reading today a little strange. It doesn't end the way we would like it to end. We want those woman at the tomb, who had just heard those great words, "He has risen" - we want them to join us in a hearty "Alleluia!" We want them to go away from the tomb with a spring in their step and hearts full of confidence and assurance, ready to tell everyone they meet the good news they just heard. But they don't. That's not how this reading ends. Instead, it ends with them being seized with trembling and astonishment. It ends with–and Mark's whole gospel ends with - what seem to us these most unlikely words, "for they were afraid." Now really, Mark, is that any way to end the story? Boo, we demand a rewrite!

But this morning I want to tell you that this ending does work. It's an ending we can relate to. It's an ending Mark's original hearers could relate to. And really, it focuses our attention on the basis for our faith and our hope, and that is, the sure and certain words of Jesus. That comes through in this little phrase that the angel uses, when he says, referring to Jesus, "Just as He Told You."

So let's take it from the top. It's Sunday morning, the first day of the week. It's very early on Sunday morning, just as the daylight begins to show the way to the tomb. These women set out, bearing spices with which to anoint the body of their beloved Master. They want to get there as soon as possible, because Jesus' body had been placed in the tomb just before sundown on Friday, but then they could not do anything on Saturday, since it was the Sabbath. So the "Spice Girls" want to get there as soon as they can, before the body deteriorates any further.

But when they get to the tomb things are not what they expect. The stone covering the tomb has been rolled away. They look inside, but they do not see the body of Jesus. Instead, they see a young man sitting there, dressed in a white robe. It's an angel, of course. And whenever angels appear to humans in the Bible, the humans are always afraid. It's a natural reaction, I suppose, when confronted with the supernatural, in the form of an angelic being. So there's that, plus they're confused and perplexed by the absence of Jesus' body. What's going on here? And so these women were, as it says, "they were alarmed." But the angel immediately tells them, "Do not be alarmed."

OK, up to this point, we can understand the women being alarmed. What happened to the tomb? What happened to Jesus' body? And who is this young man sitting here? It's all very confusing and, well, alarming. But now you would expect the mood to change, with what follows next.

The young man in the white robe begins to tell them why they should not be alarmed. He says: "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him." Alright, the resurrection announcement! "He has risen, that's the reason he is not here!" You came to the right tomb. This is where they laid him. But he has been raised from the dead.

Well, this is good news indeed! The body has not been stolen. It's not been taken. No, Jesus is alive! Death could not hold him! What could be better than that?

And now the young man in the white robe continues: "But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." Now the women have an assignment to carry out. The good news they have just received they are to pass on to others. To the disciples, in particular. Jesus' closest followers, the ones who had been with him since the beginning. Naturally, they'll want to hear this.

But wait, these are the same guys who deserted Jesus in his hour of need, just a couple of nights earlier. When Jesus was betrayed and arrested, they all ran away. Peter, who had boasted that he would never do that–Peter even denied Jesus three times. So it's significant that the angel makes a special point of mentioning Peter. In other words, Peter has not been thrown out and cast aside. No, Jesus wants him to be included on the good news. All of them, really, Jesus is forgiving them for their failure that night, and he wants them to know it.

"But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." "Just as he told you." Yes, Jesus had told the disciples that that is what would happen. He had said this just the other night, on Thursday night, when he had predicted that they would all fall away when he is arrested and killed. But, Jesus added, saying to them, "After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." See, disciples, everything is going along "just as he told you."

So we think back to the words of Jesus. Remember how, earlier in the day on that fateful Thursday, Jesus had sent two of the disciples into Jerusalem, where they would see a man with a water jar, and he would lead them to a house where there would be a room for the Passover? What happened then? And they "went to the city and found it just as he had told them." "Just as he had told them."

What else had Jesus told them? Well, three times he had told them that they were going up to Jerusalem where he, the Son of Man, would be handed over and be killed. But Jesus added each time, the words, "And after three days he will rise." You see? Just as he told you.

Do you get the point? You can rely on Jesus' words. If Jesus says he will rise from the dead, he will rise from the dead. If Jesus says he is going before you to Galilee, and there you will see him–well, you can pretty well be sure you will see him in Galilee. If Jesus says he is forgiving and restoring those who had let him down, that is what he will do. Jesus' words are sure and certain.

And now these words of Jesus are being relayed to the women by this young man dressed in a white robe. He has risen, just as he said. He is going before you, and you will see him. Just as he told you.

And this is where the situation of the women matches your situation here today. They had a young man dressed in a white robe telling them that Jesus had risen and that they would see him. You, likewise, you have a–well, not a young man–you have an old man dressed in a white robe telling you the same thing. Just like the women at the tomb, you have God's authorized messenger passing along to you the good news. This is a message you can count on. You can rely on it. The words of Jesus are true and sure and certain.

You see, the resurrection validates everything Jesus has said and done up to this point. And that includes what Jesus had said about going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Why would he do that? Jesus told us: "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." The cross is where he did that. Jesus, the Messiah, the very Son of God, died on that cross to pay the ransom that sets us free. Christ our Lord has redeemed us by his holy precious blood, setting us free from the burden of our sin, rolling the stone away from the grave that awaits us. Because, with our sins forgiven, death no longer has any hold on us. We will share in Christ's resurrection. We have Jesus' word on it, and that is certain.

And so we come away from Easter the same way the women came away from the tomb. With the words of Jesus passed along to us, the good news, the gospel, ringing in our ears. We haven't seen the risen Christ, but we know we will. He has gone before us, into heaven, and there we will see him.

OK, fine. But then why do the women go away scared, trembling and astonished and afraid? Well, think about it. Everything was so new and different from what they had expected. The reality of it all had not yet sunk in. And maybe there would be things to be afraid of now. Realize, the enemies of Jesus were still around. They had just killed Jesus. Now what about his followers? Would there be danger in store for them?

Yes, there well could be. Both back then and still now. Maybe you saw in the news, just the other day, on Thursday, over in Kenya, Muslim terrorists gunned down 148 students at a university. And they specifically made a point to kill only the Christian students. They let the Muslim students go. But they killed 148 Christians, precisely because they were Christians. Life can be dangerous for the followers of Christ. It's no wonder we can be a little afraid.

But in this dangerous world, be assured. Be comforted. Do not be alarmed. Christ has overcome death and all the evil that anyone can do to us. The victory remains with life. This life is yours. It is the gift of Christ your Savior. No matter what, Jesus does forgive you. No matter what, Jesus is risen, and you will share in his resurrection. No matter what, he has gone before you, and you will see him. Just as he told you.

And I'd say that's a pretty good ending.

About Pastor Charles Henrickson

by Scott Hahn, Ph D.

Scripture:

Acts 10:34, 37–43
Ps 118:1–2, 16–17, 22–23
Col 3:1–4
Jn 20:1–9

The tomb was empty. In the early morning darkness of that first Easter, there was only confusion for Mary Magdalene and the other disciples. But as the daylight spread, they saw the dawning of a new creation.

At first they didn't understand the Scripture, today's Gospel tells us. We don't know which precise Scripture texts they were supposed to understand. Perhaps it was the sign of Jonah, who rose from the belly of the great fish after three days (see Jonah 1:17). Or maybe Hosea's prophecy of Israel's restoration from exile (see Hosea 6:2). Perhaps it was the psalmist who rejoiced that God had not abandoned him to the nether world (see Psalm 16:9–10).

Whichever Scripture it was, as the disciples bent down into the tomb, they saw and they believed. What did they see? Burial shrouds in an empty tomb. The stone removed from the tomb. Seven times in nine verses we hear that word - "tomb."

What did they believe? That God had done what Jesus said He would do - raised Him up on the third day (see Mark 9:31; 10:34).

What they saw and believed, they bore witness to, as today's First Reading tells us. Peter's speech is a summary of the gospels - from Jesus' baptism in the Jordan to His hanging on a tree (see Deuteronomy 21:22–23), to His rising from the dead.

We are children of the apostles, born into the new world of their witness. Our lives are now "hidden with Christ in God," as today's Epistle says. Like them, we gather in the morning on the first day of the week to celebrate the Eucharist, the feast of the empty tomb.

by Msgr. Charles Pope

It is curious that upon rising from the dead the Lord appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women before appearing to the Apostles, His chosen witnesses. It is even stranger that He sent the women to the Apostles as witnesses, given that women were not considered valid witnesses at that time. Indeed, the Apostles do resist their testimony, considering it fanciful. While this behavior makes many modern people wince, it is not presented as a way of approving those reactions, but in order to highlight the curious fact that the Lord would send the women to the Apostles.

A common modern tendency (and I would say error) is to interpret the Lord's actions sociologically and with a kind of revolutionary meaning. Many today prefer to see the Lord as an ancient version of a 1960s radical, so that in sending the women He was dismissing and overthrowing the social order of the time. They then continue by claiming that the Lord was pointing toward our far more "enlightened" times and would have us go even further, by ordaining women for example.

Aside from the radical revolutionary elements, the sociological interpretation has some validity. The Lord is in fact bypassing the norms of His day in sending the women to the Apostles.

But it is refreshing and enlightening to consider the action of the Lord theologically and spiritually as well. This seems a more likely purpose of the Scripture than as a sociological commentary or a tool for cultural revolution.

In his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas considers the meaning of Jesus sending the women, summarizing the interpretation of others and adding his own thoughts. St. Thomas' teachings are presented in bold, black italics, while my comments are shown in plain blue text. The sections shown below are all from the Summa Theologiae Part III, Q. 55, Art. 1, Obj. 3.

St. Thomas' replies to an objection that it was not in fact fitting for Christ to appear first to the women and then send them to the Apostles. Thomas records the objection to his teaching as follows:

Objection 3 … Now [the apostles] bore witness by preaching in public: and this is unbecoming in women, according to 1 Corinthians 14:34: "Let women keep silence in the churches": and 1 Timothy 2:12: "I suffer not a woman to teach." Therefore, it does not seem becoming for Christ's Resurrection to be manifested first of all to the women and afterwards to mankind in general.

The stated objection is not without merit and should not simply be dismissed as misogynistic. The texts referenced from First Corinthians and First Timothy are underreported today, likely because they make modern people uncomfortable and because many commentators dismiss them as merely cultural artifacts.

But in these writings, St. Paul (and the Holy Spirit who inspired him) does not appeal merely to custom or culture. He gives a theological reason for the inappropriateness of women giving the official teaching of the Church in the Liturgy and other such gatherings. He writes, For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor (1 Tim 2:13-14).

In this passage, St. Paul is reflecting the teaching of Genesis, which describes the roles of Adam and Eve in the first sin differently: When confronted by the Lord, Eve responds, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Genesis 3:12). But the text says that Adam's response was "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate" (Gen 3:11).

So Eve was deceived and then was able to tempt Adam. This is at the heart of why St. Paul says that a woman should not teach officially in the Church. Although politically incorrect today, Paul argues that women are generally more easily deceived by the evil one. Also implicit in the Genesis text, a woman (perhaps through her beauty) can unduly influence men, who are often weak in this regard.

This sort of reflection elicits many objections today, both rational and emotional, but the sacred texts from St. Paul and Genesis should not be simply set aside as cultural artifacts. They are also theological reflections and deserve our attention. I have written more on this topic here: How is Adam's Sin Different from Eve's?.

St. Thomas makes an important distinction and shows why, despite the texts of Scripture, the objection does not hold in this case. He writes,

Reply to Objection 3. A woman is not to be allowed to teach publicly in church; but she may be permitted to give familiar instruction to some privately. And therefore as Ambrose says on Luke 24:22, "a woman is sent to them who are of her household," but not to the people to bear witness to the Resurrection.

Thus the objection is set aside in this case because although a woman should not give magisterial teaching in the sacred assembly, it is certainly fitting that she should witness to and give instruction within her household.

St. Paul also mentions many women (Lydia, Chloe, Nympha, Apphia, Mary, Persis, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Priscilla, Euodia, Syntyche, Phoebe, and Junia) participating in extended roles of service and in the work of evangelization. Outside the liturgy and other modes of official teaching, St. Paul's teaching of women remaining silent does not seem to apply.

St. Thomas here reminds us of an important distinction. While a woman is excluded from giving the official teaching in the liturgy, in the familial setting she is still called to be among those who teach and bear witness. St. Thomas implies that the Apostles and first disciples form a family, hence there is no violation of the norms.

St. Thomas then turns his attention to another reason that it was fitting for the women to see Christ first and then to announce this to the Apostles:

But Christ appeared to the woman first, for this reason, that as a woman was the first to bring the source of death to man, so she might be the first to announce the dawn of Christ's glorious Resurrection. Hence Cyril says on John 20:17: "Woman who formerly was the minister of death, is the first to see and proclaim the adorable mystery of the Resurrection: thus womankind has procured absolution from ignominy, and removal of the curse."

Here is a great reversal of the order of Original Sin. Whereas Eve was deceived and then enticed her husband, now woman is offered the opportunity to see first and then to call man back from darkness and sin to behold the grace of the resurrection glory.

St. Thomas then adds a third teaching:

Hereby, moreover, it is shown, so far as the state of glory is concerned, that the female sex shall suffer no hurt; but if women burn with greater charity, they shall also attain greater glory from the Divine vision: because the women whose love for our Lord was more persistent - so much so that "when even the disciples withdrew" from the sepulchre "they did not depart" [Gregory, Hom. xxv in Evang.] - were the first to see Him rising in glory.

Love more quickly lays hold of the beloved than does mere affinity or friendship. The intensity of the women's love described in the scriptural account makes them more tenacious and the Lord rewards such love, sending them to men of the family of disciples. Indeed, many a man has been saved unto the Lord by the devotion of his wife and her constant call for him to join her at the Lord's feet.

Beyond theology, it is a culturally observed phenomenon that women are more naturally spiritual and intense than men. And while this may have disposed Eve to be too willing to succumb to the deceiving appeals of Satan, it is also what made Mary Magdalene and the other women more able to see him first.

by Michael K. Marsh

Gospel: Mark 16:1-8

Several years ago a woman told me that her great-grandson asked why she had so many wrinkles on her hands. "I'm old," she told him. "Do you know what happens when you get old," he asked. "You die and they bury you in the ground." Before she could say anything he added, "But that's ok; God comes and unburies you."

What more is there to say? He's just told the Easter story. It's that simple. We get buried by the circumstances of life and God unburies us. Over and over God comes to the tombs of our lives and unburies us. That's Easter. That is the power and love of God. It is as true as it is simple.

That truth speaks louder than the reality of our burials. There are so many ways in which our life gets buried: sorrow and grief, death and loss, fear and anxiety, perfectionism, anger, guilt, regret, resentment, self-hatred, the things we have done and the things we have left undone. Those are the stones that block our way. Those stones mark the many in ways in which we have suffered death, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

With each stone we ask, "Who will roll away the stone? Who will do for me what I cannot do for myself?" That's what the three women are asking as they walk to the tomb. It's not really a question as much as it is a statement about their life and what they expect. Their life has been buried in loss, pain, and death. And they expect it to stay that way. They expect a stone of death too big, too heavy, too real for them to do anything about.

I wonder how often we live not only expecting to get buried but expecting to stay buried. We too quickly forget that for every burial there is an Easter. That's what the women discovered as soon as they looked up. The stone of death, the stone that blocked their way, had already been rolled back.

That's why we show up this day, year after year. We want to know that the stones of our tombs have been rolled back. We want to hear the story again and be reminded that the tomb is open and empty. We want to know ourselves as unburied. We want to hear one more time, "Christ is risen!"

"God unburies you," he told his great-grandmother. The young man in the tomb told the women, "He has been raised. He is not here." The Church proclaims, "Christ is risen!" However it is said, it is the good news we want and need to hear. Those are sacred words; words of hope, life, and resurrection. Everything has changed. We are a new people.

Recall the stones that have blocked your way.
Christ is risen and they are removed.

Name your loved ones who have died.
Christ is risen and they are unburied.

Count your sins.
Christ is risen and you are forgiven.

Stand before God.
Christ is risen and you are loved.

Removed, unburied, forgiven, loved. These are God's Easter words to us, not just today but everyday. God has been enacting words of salvation, hope, and love to God's people from the very beginning. It happened when we were created in God's image and likeness. God's Easter words parted the Red Sea and drew the Israelites into a new land and life. Those same words transplanted in humanity a new heart, a new spirit, and made us God's people. Ezekiel stood in the Valley of Dry Bones watching God open graves and breathe life into dead skeletons. It never ends.

In just a few moments God will again enact those words of life and love in the baptism of GK. We will witness little GK be buried in the baptismal waters of death, be unburied, and made a new creation in Christ. I want you to look at him and see his life: the innocence, the possibilities, all that might be, the love, the beauty, the goodness. Those are not just about GK. He is a mirror of your unburied life. What are the very best hopes and prayers you have for him? Name them. They are the same hopes and prayers Christ has for you.

Today Christ offers GK, you, and me his unburied life. One day you look up and see that the stone of death has already been rolled away. Christ is risen. The unburied life comes to us in a thousand different ways. You overcome bitterness and anger, reconciling with another person. That is life unburied. You feel the presence of a loved one who has died but you weren't even thinking about him or her. That is life unburied. You look at the world and weep with compassion for its pain. That is life unburied. You respond to another's harsh words or actions with forgiveness rather than your own harsh words or actions. That is life unburied. You love without fear, holding nothing in reserve, offering all that you are and all that you have. That is life unburied. You feel a new sense of Jesus' presence, a reality and connection that move beyond beliefs. That is life unburied.

Life unburied always presents itself as a new creation. So it is that the women in today's gospel go to the tomb on the first day of the week, the day creation began. Everything is being made new. The sun has risen. It is the dawn of a new day declaring that the Son has risen. If Christ is risen then so are we. This new day is also our day, the day of the holy and unburied people of God.

by John Piper

Scripture: Philippians 3:20–21

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

These verses assume something stupendous. And we must make that plain before we marvel at what is here. And that is my goal - that you would marvel at what is here. That you would marvel at the One who is spoken of here. And that is not just my aim. It's God's aim for you as well. I say that because in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians (1:10) God's word says concerning Christ's second coming, "He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed." The aim of history is: the people of God marveling at the majesty of Jesus Christ. So that's my aim this Easter Sunday morning—that you will marvel at what is revealed of Christ in Philippians 3:20-21.

But something is assumed here, and we must make that plain before we can marvel with understanding. And that is the only kind of marveling that matters. Marveling with understanding. If someone tricks you into marveling and makes you think they've done something great when they haven't, your marveling doesn't make much of them, it makes a fool of you. Only marveling with understanding makes much of the One who is true and beautiful.

So something is assumed here in Philippians 3:20-21. What is assumed is that Jesus was raised from the dead and is now alive and very powerful—to put it mildly. The reason Paul can assume this here is that he said it in chapter two. So we should go back there and make it explicit and clear. Philippians 2:6-11 describes the eternal deity of Christ, the incarnation of Christ, the obedient death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the reign of Christ over all the universe. It is an amazing passage. You will never read anything anywhere in any literature more sweeping and important and true than this:

Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So Christ was and is equal with God. He is God. He became also a human being. He obediently suffered and died. Obediently. That means God the Father told him to do it. That means it was a planned death. And the point of the plan was that the Christ be a substitute for the damnation of all human sinners who would trust in Jesus. As it says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." He bore our damnation as a substitute. This was God's loving plan for the salvation of sinners like us who deserve hell. That's why it says in verse 8, "He was obedient to the point of death." He wasn't just dying. He was obeying. God had a plan. God gave a command. The Son was fulfilling it, willingly, obediently. The plan was, "Be a substitute for the damnation of all who will believe in you. Bear for them my holy and just curse, and I will make them my children—fellow heirs with you of everything I own."

And then in verse 9, you see the greatest "therefore" in the Bible. "Therefore, God has highly exalted him." In other words, because of his obedient and successful life and death, God raised him from the dead and gave him great glory as the Lord of the universe. That is the stupendous assumption behind Philippians 3:20-21.

So now let's go there again. "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (and now we know how he got to heaven: he was raised from the dead) who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body (and now we know how he has a body in heaven: he was raised bodily from the dead), by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Now we are prepared to meditate on this and marvel. Here are three focuses for our marveling on this Easter Sunday morning: 1) Marvel at the power of the risen Jesus today to subject all things to himself. 2) Marvel that one day, at his coming, he will use this power to transform your body into a body like his. 3) Marvel that today your citizenship is in heaven where Christ rules—or if it's not, put it there today.

Marvel at the Power of the Risen Jesus Today to Subject All Things to Himself

Verse 21b: ". . . the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." In one sense Christ has the right to rule the universe because he is God, not because he died and rose again. He did not have to die and rise in order to be what he was. And what he is from all eternity is God. This gives him the right to exercise authority over all things. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" (John 1:1-2). Christ is God, and as God has all authority to submit all things to himself.

But in another sense God the Father decreed that it would be most fitting, appropriate, beautiful, good, and right for the one who rules the world of fallen humankind, and everything that relates to humans in their suffering, would be One who bore their likeness, and endured their temptations, and suffered their pain, and died their death. God decreed that the one who would rule in power would be a redeemer who suffered with us and for us in this world. God decreed that the lion of Judah when he comes in power and great glory to bring judgment on the earth will have been a lamb slain for sin on that earth (Revelation 6:16).

Here is one verse in this regard: Hebrews 2:10, "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." The Lord and Judge and Savior over all the universe was tested and found perfect through human suffering. Now he is doubly suited for his role as Lord of the universe: he is God with natural rights, and he is Redeemer with purchased rights. He can put his foot on Satan's neck not just because of raw divine power—which would have been enough—but also because he exposed himself to Satan's temptations and to his final weapon, death, and broke it on Easter Sunday morning. So he is doubly suited to rule. He has Creator rights and Redeemer rights.

And now with all that in mind we read in Philippians 3:21 that he has "the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." In order to marvel at this power of Christ today, consider 1) its scope, 2) its process, 3) its pervasiveness, 4) its triumph, 5) its finality for man, 6) its duration, and 7) its final base of operation.

1.1. Marvel at the scope of Christ's power today.

After his resurrection, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." There is no higher authority than Christ's, not on the earth, not in heaven. And Philippians 2:10 adds, not "under the earth." There is no place or sphere of reality or dimension of existence anywhere in the universe that is not under the absolute authority of Jesus Christ.

When the world doesn't look like it is under the authority of Christ, it would be wiser for us to marvel at the mystery of his ways (the way Paul does in Romans 11:33) than to question the scope of his power.

1.2. Marvel at the process of Christ's power today.

While Christ has absolute authority and power over all things, he does not yet use that power to completely subdue his enemies. Not yet. His kingdom advances by the preaching of the gospel and by the sacrificial love of his people. In this way unbelief and spiritual darkness and demonic deception are defeated by the power and beauty of Christ. When this process has gone as far as God wills, Christ will step in and finish the victory.

Here is the way Paul said it in 1 Corinthians 15:24-27:

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet."

"He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." So his power and authority are complete. But the process of subjection goes on at the pace he chooses. Our job is not to know the times and the seasons which the Father has set by his own authority (Acts 1:7). Our job is to marvel at the scope and process of his power, and speak the gospel.

1.3. Marvel at the pervasiveness of Christ's power today.

Christ's power pervades the universe from the largest to the smallest elements of reality. Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." And Hebrews 1:3 says, "He upholds the universe by the word of his power." Christ's authority is absolutely pervasive. No galaxy, no atom, no demon would stay in being without the authority of Jesus Christ.

1.4. Marvel at the triumph of Christ's power today.

1 Peter 3:22 says, He "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." When Christ died and rose again, he was triumphant over all the powers of hell. He knew this triumph was coming, so he said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, "I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." In other words, hell cannot defeat Jesus. His triumph is sure. He will accomplish all his purposes for the church and for the universe.

1.5. Marvel at the finality for man in Christ's power today.

Jesus said in John 5:27, "[God] has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man." The God-Man has the right to act as God in judging men. And he will. And it will be final. There is no court of appeals above Christ. And John 17:2 shows how this authority is full of hope for those who belong to Jesus, "You [God] have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him." Both judgment and eternal life are in his hands. For every human being. Marvel at the finality of the authority of such a judge.

1.6. Marvel at the duration of Christ's power today.

In Revelation 11:15 loud voices in heaven said, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." There will never be another chapter after Christ. Nothing comes after Christ. His power and authority last forever. Don't be found an enemy of that power. Marvel, don't mock.

1.7. Marvel at the final base of operation of Christ's power.

Namely, the earth. It will be renewed. All sin and sickness and satanic power will be removed. It will be a new heaven and a new earth. But not another one. The same one renewed. That's why he comes back in power. Matthew 24:30, "Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Marvel, therefore, that the scope and process and pervasiveness and triumph and finality and duration of Christ's power by which he subjects all things to himself will be based finally on the earth.

That is the first focus for our marveling at Christ this morning. Marvel at his power to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:21b, ". . . by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Marvel That One Day, at His Coming, He Will Use This Power to Transform Your Body into a Body Like His

Philippians 3:21a, "[He] will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." All that power that we have just seen, Paul says, will take your decomposed body and raise it from the dead. No longer to be sick or disabled or frail or mentally ill or addicted or weary or tempting or tempted, but rather it will be like his glorious body.

Don't over-spiritualize this or under-spiritualize this. You would under-spiritualize it if you thought it could be explained merely in the categories of physical, material reality that you experience now. It is not identical to what we now have. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:44, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." It will be perfectly suited to bear the weight of the glory of perfect spiritual souls.

But you would over-spiritualize it if you thought you couldn't eat fish or be recognized by your friends after the resurrection. Jesus was recognized in his resurrection body by his disciples (Luke 24:31). And he said in Luke 24:39-43:

"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

And that is what you will do. If you belong to Christ by trusting in him, he will give you a new spiritual body, and you will be recognized by your friends and you will eat and drink with him in the kingdom of God (Matthew 26:29). Marvel therefore that Christ will use his infinite authority and power to raise you from the dead and give you a body like his.

Marvel That Today Your Citizenship Is in Heaven Where Christ Rules

Philippians 3:20, "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." If you are a believer in Christ, you do not have to wait for the second coming of Christ to know where your home is: heaven or hell. When you trust Christ your name is sealed on the citizen roles of heaven.

Not because you will live there forever instead of on the new earth. But because your king is there. And when he comes, your citizenship comes with him. Where he is, there you have the privilege and the right to be.

And so you will be with him forever. And your marveling will never cease. It will only increase forever and ever.

Is your citizenship in heaven? Have you laid down the arms of unbelief and rebellion against Christ? Have you received the blood-bought amnesty that he offers to all rebels? Have you bowed the knee of submission and loyalty to the king of the universe? Do it today. And join the citizens of heaven in "awaiting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."