If I told you at this moment that I have won the lottery of 670 million dollars and after taxes I would be giving each person who came to church today in this place a million dollars; would that be good news? Would you want to tell someone when you got home today? You may be even using your cell phone on the way home to tell that kind of good news!

If I told you that I have the power to make you the age of your choice, give you the looks you desire and the body that works to peak performance 100% of the time; would that be news good enough to tell?

When you tell good news what is usually the subject?
You! Something good has happened to you or someone you love and you want to share it.

The disciples scattered in the upheaval of what happened on Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested. Peter and John had stuck together and had witnessed the chain of events that took place from that moment on.

There is some evidence that the disciple John may have been somehow related to the family of the High Priest, for he got himself and Peter into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. It was in this place that Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

There is no Gospel account of Peter's presence at the cross, only that of John when Jesus committed the care of Mary, his mother, to John.

The Gospel account we read a few moments ago says Mary from Magdala and another Mary, as followers of Jesus, went to the tomb of Jesus. They were there at the cross and would have seen Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take the body of Jesus down from the cross and carry it there for burial.

Early in the morning, sun-up on Sunday, ended the Sabbath and it would be acceptable among the religious for the women to go to the tomb. They were expecting to find the body of Jesus in the tomb.
They thought perhaps they could sit there awhile in the presence of the body of Jesus and gain some kind of comfort.
Perhaps if they could see him resting in peace they could gain some kind of peace. Many of us have known the healing comfort of visiting the grave of a loved one.

When the women arrived the tomb was empty. They knew right away what had happened. Someone had moved the body of Jesus. Perhaps it was stolen by the authorities so the followers of Jesus could have no shrine, and thus their memory of him would fade quickly.

Matthew tells about the Temple officials' fear of Jesus' followers stealing his body. They asked Pilate to place guards there and put a Roman Seal on the tomb. Pilate agreed. To break the Roman seal would have meant death. Surely if the body was stolen Rome had it. The women knew his followers did not steal the body.

Did the Romans steal the body? Why would the Romans want the body? They were in the process of trying to prevent a riot. Stealing the body would only cause more trouble!
Rome wanted every Jew to know that their King was dead. That sign Pilate had put above Jesus as he hung on the cross said, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" The presence of Jesus' dead body would be testimony of what Rome did to anyone who thought he was the Messiah plotting to overthrow Rome.

Matthew says early in the morning when the women went to the tomb, there was an earthquake. An angel came and rolled away the stone. The soldiers fell to the ground as if they were dead.
An angel of the Lord appeared. His presence was magnificent. The angel said, "FEAR NOT" does that sound familiar? He said that Jesus was not there but risen from the dead.
The angel said that the women should GO AND TELL the disciples that he would meet them in Galilee.

The women hurried off and while they were on their way, Jesus appeared to them and repeated the words but gave the ultimate commission, "DO NOT BE AFRAID GO AND TELL MY DISCIPLES I will meet them in Galilee."

It is one thing if I tell you don't be afraid to spread the word that Jesus has risen from the dead. How awesome would it be to have an angel appear here in the choir loft and say, "Fear Not. For the Christ you seek has risen from the dead. GO AND TELL."?

That WOULD be very convincing indeed, but suppose it was Jesus himself who walked into that entrance door and came up to each of us individually and reached out his nail-scarred hand to touch ours and said, "I know there are lots of things that confuse and scare you. Don't be afraid, I have risen from the dead. GO AND TELL."

Why don't we do it? Why don't we go and tell? We don't because we are afraid.

While John Mitterer and I were in Mississippi on the mission trip this past January, there wasn't much wild life, although our camp was close to the Pearl River. It was cold and most everything was trying to find protection. One creature that was around was the little chameleon lizards.

They were cold and usually curled up under something until the sun broke through the clouds. The amazing thing about those little lizards was that they could become the color of whatever they were near. They blended in with their surroundings. That is their protection.

For many Christ followers that is exactly what we do. Because we are afraid we blend in. We don't want to be the one to be identified as "different." Although we pride ourselves on being a nation that allows people to speak their mind and stand up for what they believe in, few of us will take a stand that makes us look different.

If we are with one group we will talk about the church, but in another group we may agree to meet them in a bar. When we are with our friends at school, all that matters is that they think we are cool and fit in. It may not be cool to be respectful of teachers and do what is expected, although we know it is the right thing to do.

At work when the foul-mouthed person has the floor we try to melt sheepishly into the background.

All of us are in the same boat in this area. How do I know? Because this would be a different town, this would be a different church, this would be a different school system, a different work environment, a different nation, and a different world if we actually believed the good news that Jesus Christ rose from the dead appearing to his followers saying, "The days of hiding are over. Come out into the open. Stop being so afraid! GO AND TELL."

Listen to these words that were written some 700 years before Jesus from the prophet Isaiah chapter 53

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Did you hear Isaiah say it, "Who would have believed what we now report?
Who could have seen the Lord's hand in this?"

Here is the good news. Christ has risen from the dead. Christ has conquered death. No longer do we see it as the end of our relationship with God, but we see it as the beginning of eternity in God's presence.

The question is, "Do you believe the report?"

When those women went to the cemetery that day, they believed that Jesus' body would be in the tomb.

When they heard the message of the angel, and after they had seen the resurrected Christ, they believed it and went immediately to tell the disciples.

When we try to tell the good news, or even live our faith we are met with skeptics who say they need more proof.

This Jesus came not to convince the world by making some rational argument, but he came to die for the sins of anyone who would believe in the fantastic love of God. Then he beat death by rising on the third day.

The question we must wrestle with today is; "Do I believe it? Do I trust in Christ as the payment for my sins, the one who opened the possibility of my knowing God both in this life and forever in God's presence in the life to come?

When those women encountered the resurrected Christ, they believed. He told them to "go and tell". Christ's message is the same for us.
The only way the message survives, the only way the good news spreads is when Christ's followers tell the good news.

Better than news of my giving you a million dollars,
Better than the news that I could make you the age of your choice, is the news the Jesus Christ is alive.

With our faith in him, it is Jesus Christ we celebrate today and because of Easter the resurrection of Jesus Christ we celebrate him every Sunday at worship. We always want our friends and family with us in worship.

Forgiveness for our sins, a relationship with God, eternal life; that is surely a victory worth celebrating! That is news worth telling! Amen.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
(From the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.)

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