New Creation - Easter Morning — Michael Flowers

Jesus as the New Adam in John's Creation Narrative

I want to speak about new creation. The past week, we journeyed through the rhythms of Holy Week, the week of Jesus' passing. In John's Gospel, the sixth day of Holy Week, Jesus is accused as the man to be condemned.

Pilate says, under unconscious inspiration, Behold the Anthropos. The same word used in the book of Genesis, in the Greek Septuagint. The man, the new Adam, who is coming to effect new creation. Behold the man.

In the sixth day in Genesis, human beings are created. And then creation is complete. On John's sixth day, Good Friday, Jesus, the second Adam, offers himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

And on John's sixth day, the new Adam, identified as the man, is better understood as the human being. But representative of all human beings. On the seventh day of Genesis, he rests from his works, his labors, etc.

And on the seventh day, which is Holy Saturday, Jesus, crucified, died and buried, rests in his tomb. An unknown man, for a moment, descends into the realm of the dead. At least that's somewhat the icon to my left.

Darkness Before the Empty Tomb

And now we come to the first day of the week after his passion. And as darkness is over the surface of the deep, on the first day of creation, so too, in John's first day of the week, we begin in great disillusionment.

Literal darkness, for sure, because it's early in the morning. These intimate followers of Jesus, disillusioned in their mourning and grieving. On the first day of the week, begins our reading this morning.

John chapter 20. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb, very early, while it is still dark. Illustrating that the One who spoke all creation into being, the Word, the Word, in the beginning was the Word, descended into the womb of Mary, and became a human being.

Jesus Christ, the Word, made flesh. And the very purpose of this descent into the inner life of humanity is to make all things new. Creation is John's whole storyline. Throughout his whole gospel, he's riffing, as it were, off of the story of Genesis.

And he's pairing the first Adam and the second Adam, and the events of creation, and showing that Jesus, our Creator, through whom all things were made, is the second Adam, the new humanity, coming to make almost a re-creation.

It's new creation. And this work of new creation begins in the glorified Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of the renewal, the beginning. In the glorified Christ, the risen Word, is the beginning of new creation.

Resurrection Joy and the Heavenly Feast

What new creation is like? Mary saw that the stone had to grow away from the tomb, and it was empty. And yes, we celebrate this morning, and we enter into the story, not a story of a mere past, but we're entering into the eternal story that is now in the eternal realm, with saints and angels and archangels.

And Christ has brought us there. If you have been risen with Christ, keep seeking the things. And in this risen Christ, we have come to the spiritual Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, around the throne of God.

And we shall partake this morning of that great feast, the feast of the resurrection. Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. It's good news. You can ring a bell. Come on. Yeah, there we go.

You can ring a bell this morning for an amen. It's okay with me. Make some noise. I'm used to that in my past life, right? I'm the noisy guy. Last night, I still buzzed. All right. It's a joyful noise.

That's a biblical noise, right? To be able to sing on key. Right, by the way? Yeah. That's right. That's right. I'm sorry, but you can't sing on key. No, no, no. I just wanted to make sure. Right? Okay.

Rejoicing While Living in a Broken World

And that joyful noise, sometimes it's a joyful noise in the midst of a very dark place where you live. Perhaps right now, this morning, there's a paradox going on. We're here rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ.

But we all know that we're not dealing with just heaven and life right now. We're living where God came into our existence and experienced what we experienced. You see, He's not a God who is some sort of spirit being in heaven.

He came down in the flesh, in human flesh, and became one of us. And He is able to sympathize with all of our great weaknesses. I am in touch with one of my weaknesses. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

And in our weakness, Paul says, He is me. So it's okay. It's all right. God chose to come so that we could become like Him. So that we might become. Now that's on a continuum, brothers and sisters, until we see Him in the twinkling of an eye.

Growing into the Image of Christ

So we're striving more every day. Based on this is the day that the Lord has acted. That we can, by faith, live into the sin that is only in Christ. And He shares His holiness, His being with us. And we are becoming more and more like Him.

In the image of light. It's a beautiful. Christianity is not a one-off. Oh, you know, I prayed the prayer and now it's over. No, you pray the prayer and it only begins. You keep praying the prayer. And you are in a constant state of becoming more and more like Him.

Because of this day. This is the day that the Lord has acted. Amen? Amen. Let me hear it again. But again, we go up and down in this, right? Great darkness is on His face. The dawning of the first creation and the dawning of the new.

And His closest disciples didn't get it. They were heartbroken. In the midst of all this rejoicing, it's okay to be heartbroken. Because Mary was. And the first disciple. There's hope in our hearts. And you may not even be in touch with that hope.

That's okay, too. Because you're in the right place hearing about it. And receiving. There's a stone there, too, you guys. And it symbolizes the great barrier. The great separation that death introduced.

Mary Magdalene and the Confusion of the Empty Tomb

It increases the lack. It just increases the lack of closure that His closest ones wanted to have in Him. There is no closure. And Mary Magdalene, present in Jesus in His travels, crucifixion, and resurrection.

She's mentioned 12 times in the four Gospels. More than most of you. Mary Magdalene carries a dramatic testimony of deliverance. From having to be delivered by Jesus from satan. And now it would appear that the darkness of the morning points to the darkness of the moment.

The emptiness of the tomb. The heavy stone removed from the tomb. She begins to run. She ran. Came to Peter. John said, they have taken away the Lord. They've taken Him out of the tomb. And we don't know where they've laid Him.

Defeat. It seems for all of Jesus' followers, including Mary. That what was so hopeful, so promising. Is turning back to time. Death's dark reign seems to have the final word. Everyone seems to be running in this early morning light.

His followers have not yet understood the true message of the empty tomb. They were racing to it. This frantic movement in the midst of darkness. Doesn't it say something about our... Trying to just make it through sometimes when things are not clear.

And it's cloudy and it's... While they despair. Christ is the victor. He's the victor over sin and death. While we grieve. While we despair. Christ is the victor. At this very moment. Over sin. Peter and John run to the tomb.

And swoop down to see. Neatly folded cloth. Something about deacons. It's not like my office. Or my door. My door always stops. I know. Because I know you're a disciplined person. And I aspire to that.

I'm hopeless this morning. I'm in great despair. Because if I were to pull out your door. And I'm going to have to stand in the street. He's from Boston. He can handle this kind of stuff. But I guarantee your door doesn't look like this.

Yeah. First of all. Because it's going to have Boston team on the side. Amen. That's great. And so. Notice this. Those two running together. Peter and John. Peter runs sluggishly. Weighed down with guilt.

His three denials. Runs more apt. But John is less troubled. And upon arrival. John defers. Even though he gets there first. John defers to the father of Peter. Peter. And allows Peter to enter the tomb ahead of him.

Two disciples. See the same scene. But with differing conclusions. Peter is weighed down with this failure. He sees the clock. Fails to understand. And scripture says. And he believes. Who would rob a tomb.

And clean up behind it. It doesn't make sense. You don't have to be spiritual. Everything out of my glove box. And everything is just all over the place. Where he's missing. You don't have to be spiritual.

Yay! Okay. That's what he missed. And yeah. So. But they both run away. They both run away. And abandon Mary. Right there in her grief. See the guys leave. And then the angels come. That's what happened.

Mary as the Apostle to the Apostles

They left her. Some pastors. They left her. Right? They would become better. But they failed to care for her. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. And live with me. They will scatter. These two super apostles.

And Mary is alone. Peter and Esther are questioning any words here. She wants to know Jesus. From the past. He does not appear vindictive. He's not reappearing to go back into Jerusalem. And show them who's boss.

He said when he crossed out. He called down what? 10 ,000 angels or something? He called a whole host of angels. Resurrection. Continue to have. Resurrection. He is the vine. He is the true vine. And we are his range.

And he does some pruning. Yeah. Let the gardener do it. It's out of love. It cuts things off. We look barren. You ever feel like what the Lord has done in your life. You feel barren. Year after year. Discovers what season.

Barren. Season of sin. He discovers a new ship now. That we all have. He is told to announce the gospel to the one. Who abandoned him. Think about it now. You're a woman. You're Mary Magdalene. And you're the one to go back to the super apostles.

Instead of saying. Hey after you left. The Lord appeared and showed up. And I had a couple of angels too. Too bad you left. That's not the message. The apostle to the apostles. Because apostolos means sent one.

The sent one to the sent ones. The apostle to the apostles. Being the first to see the resurrected Christ. Because she hung out. That's why we were the last. We were the last three to leave last night.

But it was only rain. Because we were so humble. We parted families. Yeah. That's what humility does for you. Right? We didn't do that. No we ran out of barbeque. It was really good. Right. So you get the message don't you.

The Resurrection Proclaimed in the Liturgy

Christ has died. Christ is risen. He's coming in between. The final coming. There's many comings. But there's one great. I'm going to end with something here that I think you'll enjoy. I found this recently.

From the liturgy of Saint Basil. I just want you to hear the proclamation of the gospel. Be glad O heavens. Sound trumpets O foundations of the earth. Sing gladness O mountains. Behold Emmanuel has nailed our sins to the cross.

Granting life his slain dead. He has resurrected Adam as the lover of today. Hell cries out groaning. I should not have accepted the man born of Mary. He came and destroyed my power. He shattered the gates of brass.

As God he raised the souls that I had held captive. Glory to your cross and resurrection O Lord. Today hell cries out groaning. I received a dead man as one of the dead. But against him I do not. From eternity I have ruled the dead.

And behold he raises all. Because of him I have lost my resurrection. Today hell cries out groaning. The shepherd is crucified and Adam is raised. I have been deprived of those whom I ruled. Those whom I swallowed in my strength I have given up.

He who is crucified has empty glory to your cross and resurrection. It was mystically foreshadowed this day. When he said God bless the Sabbath day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day on which the only begotten Son of God rested from all his work.

By suffering death to fulfill the plan of salvation. He kept the Sabbath in the flesh. By returning again to what he was. He has granted us eternal life through his resurrection. For he alone is good and the lover of humanity.

Glory to the Father and to the Son. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.