Lutheran Church
RESURRECTION
Lay ministers serve RLC
Resurrection Lutheran Church welcomes Rev. John Hazzard as its next pastor. Pastor John has been a member of Resurrection his whole life. On Nov. 2 he was ordained by the North America Lutheran Church Bishop Dan Selbo and installed by Pastor Tim Loehrke. After retiring from Port Clinton Schools, Pastor John followed finalized his dream to become a pastor.
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Sermons
Psalm Sunday Sermon March 29, 2026
Sermon Text: Matthew 26
Pastor John Hazzard
"The Passion of Jesus"
Grace and peace be unto you from God the Father and from our Crucified and risen Lord and Savior— Jesus Christ.
On Palm Sunday, the King of kings—God Himself, Jesus Christ—entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey to announce that history’s greatest and most essential battle was about to take place, and that a great temporal and eternal victory would be won for us. As Jesus rode into the city, a large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and laid them before Him—showing, by the grace of God, that many understood His message.
During the Roman occupation, the Holy Land—which was never really known as a place of materail wealth—was in even worse shape, and the garments laid in Christ’s path were not insignificant; they were costly and showed a deep personal pledge of allegiance to the Christ as the Savior. The palm branches themselves proclaimed life where life seemed impossible. With a lifespan reaching beyond 200 years, the palm tree stands against the odds, a powerful symbol of life and immortality for God’s people.
The Divine Conqueror was proclaimed by the voices of the Passover crowd who went out to meet Him, crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” “Hosanna” is the heartfelt cry, “O Lord, save us.” “He who comes in the Name of the Lord” is the long-promised Messiah, and “Son of David” is the name given through the prophets by which the people of God would recognize Him. In both word and action, God delivered His Gospel message through His people.
On that first Palm Sunday, the Word of God—spoken through those gathered—identified Jesus and placed him in the context of the most important events in human history. The proclamation was so vital that, had the people been silent, the very stones would have cried out. Yet, God did not need the stones—He spoke through His enlightened people. The King of kings and Lord of lords came riding on a donkey—the humble work animal and bearer of burdens—to carry the weight of humanity’s sin and separation from God to the cross, there to conquer sin, death, and the devil for us.
However, even in that moment of triumph, the shadow of the cross was already falling across the path before Him. Though He entered Jerusalem as King, welcomed with praise and celebration, within only a few short days everything would change. The same city that cried “Hosanna” would cry “Crucify Him.” One of His own disciples, Judas Iscariot, would betray Him, handing Him over to His enemies. The glory of Palm Sunday would give way to suffering, rejection, and death, revealing how quickly human hearts can turn and how different God’s plan is from human expectation.
Still, what appeared to be defeat would become the greatest victory ever won. The true triumph did not come through earthly power, but through what seemed to be Jesus’ death. As Martin Luther reflected on the Passover celebrated during Holy Week, he pointed to God’s command to the Hebrews: to sacrifice a spotless lamb without blemish and mark their doorposts and lintels with its blood. In doing so, they were spared when the angel of death passed over their homes, bringing judgment upon the firstborn of Egypt. This act foreshadowed Christ. Jesus is the ultimate spotless Lamb, whose blood is not placed on wooden doorframes, but instead was dripping down the cross of our salvation—as it covers our lives saving us from eternal hell and damnation. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are delivered not merely from temporal death, but from eternal separation from God, and are made righteous in the very presence God.
The miracle is that God loves us enough to accomplish all of this. Being in the very form of God—because He is God—Christ became the vulnerable flesh and blood Savior. Remaining fully God, He also became fully human, so that He might serve all humanity. This is the miracle of divine love we celebrate at Christmas and are called to remember throughout the year. Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. In Him, God came among us as the vulnerable Christ, becoming the ultimate servant of every human being—whether we accept His gift or not.
When we think of Jesus giving His life on the cross, we often focus on His suffering and death. But His servanthood—His complete self-giving—began long before Calvary. What humility it was for God to take on human likeness and to live as a servant! It is obvious that His entire earthly mission was to pour himself out in service of fallen humanity.
What a perfect example He has given us. As He taught in the Sermon on the Mount, He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them completely. He lived the perfect life we could not live, showing us what it means to walk in right relationship with God. This is the same Law that unmistakably reveals our weakness—our inability to live as we were created to live. It shows us our need for Christ not only as our example of godly life, but as our Savior. We need Him to restore the relationship with God that our sin has broken. We need Him as the perfect sacrifice. In love, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death—even death on a cross. In doing so our Lord and Savior fulfilled not only the Law, but also every promise and prophecy of God, and that fulfillment led Him to Calvary.
On that terrible instrument of death, Jesus—the perfect High Priest—offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our salvation and redemption, now and forever. The crucifixion was not an accident or a tragedy without purpose; it was the climax of a life lived entirely in service, the final act of perfect obedience and love given for you and for me.
And so, Palm Sunday cannot be separated from the cross, nor the cross from the empty tomb. The King who entered Jerusalem in humility is the same Savior who conquered through his perfect sacrifice. The shouts of “Hosanna” find their true fulfillment not in earthly deliverance, but in eternal salvation. In Christ, we see the fullness of God’s love—humble, sacrificial, and victorious. He bore our sins, fulfilled the Law, kept every promise, and secured our redemption. Because of Him, what began with palms and praise leads us to the cross—and beyond it, to an everlasting relationship with God.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our Crucified and Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. He who comes in the name of the Lord to gain our eternal salvation.
Fifth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2026
Gospel Text: John 11:1-45
Pastor John Hazzard
“Lazarus is Raised”
GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR – JESUS THE CHRIST.
At the end of Chapter 10 in John’s gospel, we were told that Jews were trying to stone Jesus, despite the signs and miracles he performed, because he claimed to be God. Jesus traveled beyond the Jordan River to the place where John baptized people at the beginning of his ministry to avoid being seized and executed. The exact location of this place is unknown, but it is important to understand that Jesus was a two days journey away. We can only assume that it was either 100 miles somewhere to the North of Jerusalem or 100 miles to the northeast. The reason I say this is that in Jesus’ day they were able to travel about 50 miles a day. The scripture tells us that it took Jesus two days to make his way back to Bethany just outside of Jerusalem, once he decided to finally respond to Mary and Martha’s plea to help Lazarus who was deathly sick.
The sisters sent for Jesus saying, “Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.” And when Jesus got that message, he said told those around him that this sickness would not result in Lazarus’ death. Instead, the purpose of this sickness was for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified, demonstrating exactly who he was beyond a shadow of a doubt. Normally when we speak about glorifying God as the Church today, we mean that we worship and honor God. Here in our gospel text John is speaking about glorifying God by manifesting Himself through his only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
Our scripture text goes on to say, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that he was sick, Jesus stayed two more days in the place where he was.” Jesus “drug his feet” for two days after he heard how sick Lazarus was. This doesn’t make any sense. You would think that if Jesus really loved Lazarus and his sisters as much as our scripture suggests, that he would have left immediately. Why did Jesus do this? Surely Jesus had a good reason. As we read on in the text, we find out that he most certainly did. Jesus explains, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Jesus clearly tells His disciples that Lazarus is dead, but his death will serve as a blessing because it will be a means of belief for all who witness the miracle He was about to perform.
“Now when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.” This is not a minor detail in John’s Gospel; it is deeply significant. In the rabbinic understanding of that time, it was commonly believed that the soul lingered near the body for three days after death. By the fourth day, the soul had departed completely, and death was considered final and irreversible.
Now we begin to see why Jesus delayed His coming. By waiting four days, our Lord removes every possible doubt. What He is about to do cannot be explained away. It was not a case where Lazarus was resuscitated, it was not a coincidence; it was a divine act. It reveals exactly who Jesus is, our Lord and Savior, the second Person of the Trinity, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the One through whom all things were made.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered with the confession of Israel’s hope: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Then comes one of the most powerful declarations of all of Scripture. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Martha responds with one of the clearest and most beautiful confessions in all the Gospels: “Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” What an incredible confession of faith, a faith that clings not to circumstances, but to the promise and the person of Jesus Himself. There can be no doubt, In Christ all things are possible.
This is an amazing promise. Jesus teaches that for those who believe in Him, death is not truly death. Though the body perishes, the believer lives. To “never die” means that the moment we take our last breath in this life, we immediately pass into the presence of God. As Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” And again, the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” So, for the Christian, death is not a lingering uncertainty—it is an immediate passage into the presence of Christ. The grave is not the end. Jesus Himself is the resurrection and the life, and all who believe in Him share already in that life, even now.
Then Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave, with a stone laid across the entrance. When Jesus said, “Take away the stone,” Martha hesitated. “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Everything in her experience told her that death had already done its work—that it was final, irreversible. Jesus gently calls her back to His promise: “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So, they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and prayed, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the sake of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Then with a loud voice, full of divine authority, He cried out, “Lazarus, come out.” And at His word, the impossible happened. The man who had died came out, still bound in burial cloths, his face wrapped. Death itself yielded to the voice of its Creator. And Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews who witnessed this sign believed in Him.
This is what it all means for us. What Jesus did for Lazarus is not merely a miracle of the past, it is a revelation of who He is for us today. He is still the resurrection and the life. His Word still has power over death. Just as He called Lazarus out of the tomb, so He calls each of us from death to life through faith. For those who believe in Him, death no longer has the final word. The grave is not our end, but only a doorway. When we die, we go to be with Christ, and on the last day, at His command, our bodies too will be raised. This is our hope, our comfort, and our certainty. So, when we stand at the graveside, when we face the reality of death in this fallen world, we do not grieve as those without hope. For we know that the One who stood before the tomb of Lazarus, the One who wept and then called him forth, is the same Lord who has conquered death and the devil for us. And one day, we too will hear His voice, and we will rise.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts in minds in Jesus Christ: Our crucified and risen Lord and Savior. Amen.
Second Sunday of Easter April 12, 2026
Gospel Text: John 20:19-31
Pastor John Hazzard
“The Peace and Power of Our Resurrected Christ”
God’s peace and blessing to you from our Crucified and Risen Savior, Jesus the Christ.
As I watch athletic events on television, like the recently played NCAA basketball championship, I sometimes hear the commentator say that one team has imposed their will on the game, that they refuse to be defeated. It is as if the game was decided, not merely by effort, but by a kind of confident, unshakable dominance. At times, the Christian life can feel just like the opposite of this. It can seem as though sin has the upper hand, as though death and the devil have us in their grip, as though the outcome is totally out of our control. However, the Scriptures give us a different reality. “Thanks Be to God” tells us something very different. The will that governs all things, the supreme will, is not ours, nor the devil’s—it is God’s. And that will has already been imposed and accomplished in Jesus Christ. The empty tomb in John chapter 20 declares it. The living hope found in 1 Peter 1 proclaims it. And the bold witness of the apostles in Acts chapter 5 confirms it. All we have to do is to look to His hands and His side, look to Him crucified and risen, and see; it is finished. Our Triune God has imposed His saving will upon the world through His Son, and by His Holy Spirit He has sealed that victory for you and for me.
Scripture tells us in John 20, “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” “He breathed on them.” As Adam’s life came from God, so the disciples’ new spiritual life comes from Jesus.
On the evening of that Sunday, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Under ordinary circumstances, this would not have been a very peaceful or calm experience. Jesus appears out of nowhere. Can you imagine how surprised and shocked they must have been? This alone might have caused racing heartbeats. So, he says, “Peace be with you.” Then he shows them his hands and side. Again, this probably would have been more cause for fear than for peace. They saw what happened to Jesus, and they had their minds set on the fact that they needed to figure out what to do next as they hid behind the locked doors fearing the same thing might happen to them. So, again Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” I can only imagine what the disciples were thinking at that moment. I am sure it was all overwhelming. Some may have been thinking how can we go out to do this. The moment we are discovered we will probably be arrested, or even worse, put to death. At this point, Jesus breaths on them and gives them his Holy Spirit to empower them as they were sent into the world. Without his Spirit, they would not have been able to do what the Lord was calling them to do, to be a witness to the fact that…that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
It is because of the great mercy of God that he has caused us to be reborn. Nothing we did or will ever do can earn us forgiveness. It is simply the great love of God for us that causes him to be merciful. This is what we must preach; this is law and gospel in a nutshell. Just as Saint John so boldly declared, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” We deserve a terrible fate, but God, being rich in mercy has extended grace instead. Saint Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience… 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God… This is why Christ came to earth. It is why he died and rose again — so that through the preaching of this pure Gospel, people may be saved through faith and so be born again. This is God’s will for us, now and forever. Nothing can frustrate the will of God. No one can ruin the victory of His kingdom. God does not give up, and there is no power strong enough to defeat Him. That should be a great comfort for us who are brothers and sisters in Christ.
The apostles knew this, even when life was hard. In our first lesson we heard how they were beaten for speaking about Jesus. But how do they respond? They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His Name, and they kept right on teaching and preaching that Jesus is the Messiah. This should give us great courage to share our stories. To share how we came to believe or why we believe. Our witness does not depend on our own strength, but on God, who is at work in us. All we need to do is share our story with those who are given to us to listen. God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will do the rest in its due season.
Jesus gives us the same gift. He comes to us and says, “Be at peace. Trust in me and trust in my Father. His promises are true, and He is faithful. Whatever you face, do so with faith, knowing that everything is already finished. Live in the forgiveness I have obtained for you and take it out the door into the world for others.” This is the life we are called to live, possible only by God’s grace.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our Crucified and Risen, Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen
4th Sunday of Easter April 19, 2026
Text: Luke 24:13-35
Pastor John Hazzard
“Jesus Makes the Pieces of Our Life Fit”
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
I recently read about a father who wanted to keep his child busy, so he tore a map of the United States out of the newspaper, ripped it into pieces, and then challenged his child to put it back together. He assumed that this would be a challenge for the child. To his surprise, the child returned just minutes later with the map perfectly tapped back together again. “How did you do that so fast?” the father asked. The child replied, “When I turned it over, there was a picture of Jesus on the back. When I put Jesus together, everything else fit.”
Anyone who has spent time with young people in the church knows that—no matter what question you ask young children or teens, the answer they give more times than not is “Jesus.” And the truth is they are not wrong. Jesus is the answer. Yet knowing this doesn’t always mean we understand how all the pieces of our life fit together. We don’t always recognize God’s presence in the ordinary moments or the confusing circumstances we face in our day-to-day lives.
Confusing circumstances is exactly what those two disciples were experiencing on the road to Emmaus. They had their minds set about who Jesus was and what He was going to do, and they never thought that he would willingly and humbly allow himself to be executed on a Roman Cross.
Even though no fault was found in Him, Jesus was still executed out of political expediency. You see it was far easier for Pilot to put an innocent man to death than to deal with the unrest and upheaval of the crowd that demanded he be killed. The irony of all of this is that Mount Mirah, the place where Isaac’s life was spared at the last moment as he was about to be sacrificed by his father Abraham, is the same place called Golgotha where Jesus, God’s Son was sacrificed for us. No one was there to give Jesus a last-minute reprieve. Jesus, the perfect vulnerable flesh and blood messiah, was left all alone to take the punishment we all deserve. The punishment that leads the non-believer to eternal death. All the disciples were able to see in that moment was the teacher they loved as well as their hope being nailed to that wooden cross.
On the evening of the resurrection, two of Jesus’ disciples walked along the road discussing everything that had happened. They were desperately trying to make sense of it all. In just a matter of a few days their entire lives were turned upside down. They suddenly went from celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry on Palm Sunday and the Passover—with the teacher they loved and assumed would redeem Israel from Roman persecution—to losing him for what they thought would be forever.
The two disciples walked to Emmaus burdened with confusion and grief as they tried to make sense of everything that happened—Jesus’ suffering, His death, and now the strange reports that He was alive. What they believed had been lost seemed to be gone forever. Then a stranger came alongside them and joined their journey. They were kept from recognizing Him, though we are not sure why. Yet in that hiddenness, something remarkable began to unfold.
As they spoke, He opened the Scriptures to them. Beginning with Moses and continuing through the Prophets, He showed them that everything which had taken place was not a tragedy outside of God’s plan, but the very fulfillment of it. Piece by piece, He reassembled the picture they had failed to see. He brought them back to the promise in Genesis, that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. He recalled God’s covenant with Abraham, that through his descendants all nations would be blessed. He pointed to the promise that the Messiah would come from David’s line, born in Bethlehem as the prophet Micah foretold. He unfolded the words of Isaiah, revealing the suffering Servant who would bear the sins of many, be pierced for transgressions, and yet see life again. He even showed how the prophets, like Hosea, spoke of restoration and life on the third day.
These were not new texts to the disciples; they knew the Scriptures well. But they had not yet seen how all these promises converged in one person, in one work: the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Their hearts began to burn within them as the Scriptures were opened, yet they still failed to realize that it was Jesus who joined them on their travels that evening.
It was not until He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them that their eyes were opened. In that moment, they recognized Him. The scattered pieces came together like the pieces of a child’s puzzle. The Scriptures, the promises, the cross, and the empty tomb all formed one clear and undeniable picture: Jesus is the vulnerable flesh and blood Christ, the fulfillment of the Old Testament, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
What they didn’t see before was not due to a lack of information, but a lack of revelation. Like the child told her father, “when you put Jesus together, everything else fits”. It was Christ Himself who made Himself known—through the Word and in the breaking of the bread. And so we know: the Old Testament is not a collection of disconnected promises, but a unifying witness to Jesus Christ, who is both the center and the fulfillment of God’s saving plan.
Just as Jesus revealed himself in the Holy Scripture that day on the road to Emmaus, He continues to give us a pattern for our life together in worship. Through His Word and Sacraments, He continues to reveal Himself to us. As the Scriptures are read and preached, He gathers the scattered pieces of our understanding. In the water of our baptism, in the bread and in the wine of Holy Communion, He comes to us to deliver the promises He has made. Again and again, He brings clarity, faith, and meaning to our lives.
And like those disciples, we are then sent out into the world. Having seen and received Christ through his Holy Word and Sacraments, we are empowered to carry that same message into the world, trusting that He will also put the pieces together for others. Because God is gracious and merciful, He does not leave us in sin and death but comes to us with forgiveness, life, and salvation. What Christ has accomplished is not distant or abstract—it is given to us and for us. In Baptism, God joins us to the death and resurrection of Jesus, putting our old sinful nature to death and raising us as new creatures, regenerated and born again. What was once ours—sin, death, and condemnation—is buried with Christ, and what is His—righteousness, life, and communion with the Father—is now given to us.
This means we are no longer defined by what we were, but by what we have been given in the person of Jesus Christ. We are restored to walk with God, not as strangers or enemies, but as His children, living already in the promise of the “land of the living.” Through the Holy Spirit, who is given to us in the Word and Sacraments, God creates and sustains faith, comforts troubled consciences, and conforms us more and more to the image of Christ. The Spirit does not merely point us to Christ; He delivers Christ and all His benefits into our lives here and now.
In Holy Communion, this same gracious Lord feeds us with His own body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Here, Christ does not merely remind us of His sacrifice—He gives us His very self. In this sacred meal, we receive the assurance that His death is our death to sin, and His risen life is our life before God. Strengthened by this gift, we are sustained in faith, united with Christ and with one another, and prepared to live as His people in the world.
This is why it was necessary for Christ to suffer and then enter His glory: so that His glory and power be perfected in us during our glorious resurrection. Through Christ, we are brought into the life of God Himself—so that through him, we too may enter the glory of God’s eternal presence, as he always intended.
The peace of God that surpasses all human understanding, keep you hearts and minds in our Crucified and Risen, Lord and Savior; Jesus the Christ: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Fourth Week of Lent March 15, 2026 Gospel Reading: John 9:1-41
Pastor John Hazzard
“The Blind Will See”
GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR – JESUS THE CHRIST.
In our Gospel reading from John chapter 9, we first learn that suffering is not always a direct result of a person’s own sin but can become an occasion through which the work and glory of God are revealed. Secondly, this chapter exposes the sharp contrast between genuine faith and religious pride. True faith receives what God does in Christ, while religious pride uses outward religion to advance our personal agendas and as we seek honor for ourselves rather than giving glory to our Lord and Savior.
In this Gospel reading we see how Jesus Christ heals a man who had been blind from birth. This miracle becomes more than an act of compassion. It reveals who Jesus truly is and calls those who witness it to respond in faith. This passage also leads us to reflect on the relationship between sin and suffering. Many people still wonder why some individuals seem to suffer so greatly in this life. In the time of Jesus, it was widely believed that misfortune or illness must have been caused by a specific sin. People often assumed that if someone experienced suffering, it was because that person—or even their parents—had done something to offend God. Yet in this case we learn that such assumptions are not always correct.
Make no mistake about it, this man was a sinner, just as we all are. But to suggest that he suffered blindness because he was somehow a greater sinner than others, or that his parents committed some terrible sin that caused his condition, is simply wrong. How do we know this? Because Jesus Himself made it abundantly clear that the man’s blindness was not caused by sin. Instead, we are told that God allowed this man to be born blind so that the works of God might be revealed through him when Jesus healed him. This miracle would serve as a powerful sign that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament.
Even today people often ask the question, especially those outside the faith: Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a difficult question, but Scripture helps us see the issue more clearly. The truth is that none of us are truly good in ourselves. All people sin. If we only received good things based on how good we are, we would have nothing good at all. Everything we receive—every blessing, every mercy—is given by the grace of God our Creator.
At the same time, it must also be acknowledged that sometimes suffering does come because of our own sinful choices. The habits we form and the decisions we make can place us in danger or lead us into situations that bring harm. For this reason, God has given us His Law, especially in the Ten Commandments, to guide our lives and restrain what would otherwise destroy us. Yet God has given us even more than His Law. As Christians we also have His Word and the presence of His Spirit dwelling within us to guide, strengthen, and protect us. Because of this, we should seek to be attentive to the leading of God in our lives. As we come before Him in prayer and worship, we should carefully listen to His Word and allow His Spirit to shape our thoughts, decisions, and actions.
There are also times when suffering occurs simply because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jesus Himself referred to such an event when He mentioned the tower in Siloam that fell and killed eighteen people. Interestingly, this is the same place where the blind man in our Gospel reading was sent to wash his eyes. The collapse of the tower was not a special punishment for those individuals. Rather, Jesus used the incident as a reminder of the frailty of human life and as a call for all people to repent and live their lives for the glory of God.
No matter the cause of our infirmities, trials, or tribulations, Scripture teaches that the suffering believers experience is never meaningless. God uses even hardship for our ultimate good. The apostle Paul the Apostle writes in his epistle to the Romans that “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). This does not mean that suffering itself is good, but rather that God, in His providence, can bring good even out of our suffering. God uses weakness, sickness, and hardship to accomplish His saving purposes. Because believers are united to Christ through faith, they share both in His sufferings and in His life (Rom. 6:3–5). Through trials God humbles us, strengthens our faith, and conforms us more closely to the image of His Son. The Christian’s hope is not found in escaping suffering but in remaining in Christ, who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Even our tribulations serve our salvation and sanctification because we belong to Him.
The healing of the blind man, however, soon leads to conflict with the religious leaders because it took place on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had gradually corrupted God’s Law by adding many human traditions to it. What God had originally given as a gracious day of rest had been turned into a burdensome system of rules. Instead of allowing acts of mercy and love, they insisted on rigid regulations that prevented people from helping their neighbors. In this way the Pharisees resembled the deception that occurred in the garden when Eve added to God’s command by saying that the fruit must not even be touched. Adding human rules to God’s Word does not protect it—it distorts it. The Pharisees believed they could see clearly because they were descendants of Abraham and students of Moses. Yet in their pride they had become spiritually blind.
Their blindness prevented them from recognizing the One who stood before them—the true Messiah, the great “I AM,” who existed long before Abraham or Moses. Jesus warns the religious leaders about this very problem. Those who believe they see clearly may actually be blind, while those who recognize their blindness are the ones who truly come to see.
In verses 4 and 5 Jesus says, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” During His earthly ministry, Jesus was the Light of the world in a direct and visible way. As He traveled from place to place performing miracles and teaching, people witnessed the light of God’s truth with their own eyes. Even today Christ remains the Light of the world, and all who come to Him will not walk in darkness either now or in eternity. By healing the blind man, Jesus quite literally brought light into his darkness. At the same time, Jesus knew that His earthly ministry would last only a few short years before He would go to the cross as our flesh-and-blood Savior.
When we turn our attention to the blind man himself, we see that he is a remarkable individual. After Jesus placed mud on his eyes and told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, the man obeyed without hesitation. Instead of doubting or complaining, he made his way to the pool and did exactly as Jesus commanded.
Later, when he was brought before the Pharisees and questioned about what had happened, the man gave a simple yet powerful testimony. In essence he said: “Here is who I was. I was blind. Then Jesus came into my life, and now I see.” This simple testimony provides a pattern for sharing our own faith. It is difficult for others to dismiss a personal story of transformation. Such testimony can plant seeds that God may later bring to fruit.
Another example of the man’s courage appears when the Pharisees tried to challenge him. When they realized they could not deny the miracle, they attempted to attack the character of Jesus, claiming that He could not be from God because He healed on the Sabbath. The formerly blind man responded with remarkable clarity: “This is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes… If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Unable to refute his reasoning, the Pharisees resorted to insults and expelled him from the synagogue.
This brings us to an important lesson for us today. Like the blind man, every one of us was born spiritually blind because of sin. Left to ourselves we cannot see the truth of God or recognize our Savior. But when Christ comes to us through His Word and Spirit, He opens our eyes so that we may see the truth of the Gospel. At the same time, this passage warns us about the danger of spiritual pride. It is possible to be deeply religious, to know Scripture, and even to hold positions of authority, yet still be blind to Christ if our hearts are hardened by pride.
Therefore, the lesson of this Gospel is both comforting and challenging. It comforts us because it reminds us that our suffering is not meaningless and that God can use even our hardships for His glory and our good. It challenges us because it calls us to humility—to recognize our own blindness and to trust completely in Christ.
In the end, the question this passage asks each of us is simple: will we respond like the blind man who came to see and believe, or like the Pharisees who believed they could see but remained in darkness? Only those who come to Christ in faith will truly see the light of the world.
THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSES ALL HUMAN UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS – OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR – THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME. AMEN.
Second Sunday of Lent March 1, 2026
Sermon Text John 3:1-17
Pastor John Hazzard
“A Secret Meeting with Jesus”
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
In the third chapter of John’s Gospel, we are confronted with one of the most profound conversations in all of Scripture—a secret nighttime meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus. It was during this meeting that our Lord reveals that salvation is not achieved through knowledge, status, or religious effort, but through a new birth “from above.” He teaches that this rebirth comes by water and the Holy Spirit, fulfilled in baptism, made possible through His being lifted up on the cross, and received by grace through faith. From the wilderness serpent in Book of Numbers to the obedient faith of Abram in Book of Genesis, Scripture consistently points us to the same truth: we are saved not by our own understanding or works, but by trusting in God’s promise and responding in faithful obedience. Salvation is nothing less than being united to Christ, reborn by the Spirit, and brought into communion with the living God.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee whose job it was to rule, give council, and teach the Jewish people, came to Jesus to engage in a serious theological discussion. Nicodemus rightly recognized that Jesus was “a teacher sent from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.” And perhaps as a teacher, Nicodemus wanted to gain important insight that only a prophet sent by God could give. Nicodemus had no idea about how right he was about that. However, despite his education, Nicodemus did not realize that Jesus was the Incarnate Son of God, in the flesh, right in front of him. He was like many of the people we hear today who express that Jesus was a great man, a man that taught us important lessons about what it means to be “a good person.” All of these sentiments fall far short of who Jesus is; Jesus was and is God.
In our gospel text it seems at first that the answer Jesus gave was in no way connected to what Nicodemus had just said. Jesus was saying, “you came to me for teaching and understanding, but what you really need is to be “born anew” be “born again.” This is where we all have to begin. We all must be born from above otherwise it’s impossible to understand or be apart of the kingdom of God. Jesus then revealed the way for Nicodemus, and us, to enter God’s eternal Kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jesus makes it very clear; He tells us that we must be “born again.” This is a rebirth from heaven above that is made possible by the waters of baptism and the Holy Spirit. “Unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (3:5). From the very beginning, the Church recognized the water to be the water of baptism and the Spirit to be the Holy Spirit. However, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that this whole notion of being born of water, and the spirit is so much more than just being sprinkled, poured, dipped, or totally submerged in a baptismal pool. The water Jesus is referring to, cleanses us all the way to the core of our heart and soul. It is the regeneration that takes place in us by the grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit when we are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is a rebirth into a life where we can and desire to turn to God our creator and away from the things of this world that separate us from Him. This means that this new birth that Christ told Nicodemus about is the result of the anointing that takes place when we are joined to Christ in the renewing waters and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—which all leads to our salvation, only possible because of Christ Jesus and the work of the cross.
Jesus then continues to explain what makes it possible for a person to be born again. Nicodemus critically responds in response to Jesus’ declaration that a person must be born again to be saved. Nicodemus sarcastically asks, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus lovingly responded with the answer, “I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Here Jesus pointed to the Holy Scripture that Nicodemus knew all too well. He tells the account of how the children of Isreal were wandering in the wilderness and became discouraged and impatient as they waited on God’s promise and Moses' return. They complained against God and tried to take matters into their own hands instead of trusting in the Lord. As a result, God punished them by plaguing them with venomous serpents and many died. When God’s children turn from their wrong doings and cried out to the Lord in repentance, He gave them a way to be healed and made whole again. The Lord told Moses to make a brazen serpent and raise it on a pole so that anyone who was bitten could look to the serpent and be miraculously healed.
Jesus quoted scripture as He so often did, to explain how the new birth takes place. Mankind in their fallen nature have been bitten by the viper of sin and are doomed to eternal death as the result. The serpent of brass is a foreshadow of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Jesus was lifted on the cross on Calvary in the same way. He bore the judgement that we deserve so that when we look to Him in faith we may be saved. Jesus, He who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made righteous before God, washed clean by the blood of our Savior.
Christ’s apostles remind us in their epistles, that the new birth is necessary for our salvation. We die to sin and are buried with Christ as we enter the baptismal water only to emerge united to Him and His body, the Church. We are cleansed, justified, and sanctified—all in our baptism. Paul tells us that through our baptism we receive, “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tts. 3:5) This is only made possible through our faith and God’s grace. That is why by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone we are saved.
So, why did God do this for us? Jesus has an answer for this as well, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. Even though we know how much God loves us we still deny and hide from the truth that we are sinners.
This saving faith, given to us by grace and sealed in our baptism, is not a passive belief but a living, active trust in the promises of God. The faith that unites us to Christ is the same kind of faith that has always marked God’s people: a faith that hears His call and responds in obedience. Long before the fullness of redemption was revealed in Christ, we see this very pattern of faith in the life of Abram.
In Book of Genesis 12:1–9, we see that when God called Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, Abram went, without a detailed map, a guaranteed timeline, or visible proof of what lay ahead. He responded to God’s promise with immediate obedience, trusting the One who called him more than the comfort of what he was leaving behind. Abram stepped into uncertainty because he believed in God’s character and covenant. When we come to faith, we are invited into that same kind of trust: a faith that moves, that obeys, and that is willing to leave familiar ground in order to follow God’s leading.
Abram’s journey also shows that faith is not just a single decision but a continual walk. As he traveled through the land, he built altars and called on the name of the Lord, demonstrating dependence and worship along the way. Likewise, genuine faith today is more than a moment of belief, it is a life shaped by trust, obedience, and worship even when the full promise has not yet been fulfilled. Like Abram, we are called to anchor our confidence not in what we can see, but in the faithfulness of the God who leads us forward.
This should allow us to then understand that salvation is so much more than just the forgiveness of sins or some simple intellectual acknowledgement of Jesus and His teachings. Salvation is nothing less than participation in the life of God Himself. In Christ, we are granted communion with God, restored to a right and living relationship with the Holy Trinity, and renewed in our very humanity. All of this is possible because divinity and humanity have been united in the person of Jesus Christ. That’s why when we are saved, born again if you will, it is at that moment that we are in union with God, a union only possible because we are in Christ and Christ is in us. (Col. 3:3) Paul compares this union to the intimate all-encompassing union that is experienced when a wife is joined to her husband in holy matrimony.
The intimate relationship that we experience as born-again children of God comforts and sustains us for all eternity. Day after day, year after year, each of us must walk through the wilderness of this fallen world. Sometimes that wilderness is the grief of losing someone we love. Sometimes it is the sting of hatred or rejection. At other times, it is our own sin that has tangled our lives and brought pain to ourselves and others. And often it is the heavy burden of illness, our own or that of someone dear to us. The realities of life in this broken world can press in so deeply that we begin to wonder whether joy will ever return, whether life will feel meaningful again.
`“Don’t give up” can sound hollow when the pain is real. Yet faith in Jesus Christ truly changes how we endure these trials. It does not remove suffering; this side of heaven, a world corrupted by sin cannot be free from sorrow. But faith gives us something the world cannot—hope. We need not live in fear, because we trust in Christ and in His sure promises. We remember that He gave His life for us on Calvary’s hill. And the story did not end in death. On the third day, God raised His Son from the grave, triumphing over sin, death, and the devil.
So, lift up your eyes to the hills. Remember that through the death and resurrection of His only Son, God has conquered all. In Christ, He has made us more than conquerors. He has set all things right. As Psalm 121 proclaims, “The LORD is your keeper… The LORD will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will keep you going out and you’re coming in from this time forth and forevermore. ”What does all of this mean for you and for me? It means that Christianity is not merely about being moral, informed, or religious—it is about being made new. It means that we cannot rely on our background, our knowledge, or even our good intentions. Like Nicodemus, we must be born from above. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we must look in faith to the One who was lifted up for our healing. Like Abram, we must trust God enough to follow where He leads. It means that in our baptism we have been joined to Christ’s death and resurrection, and therefore our lives are no longer our own. We are called to live as people who have been reborn, people who walk in the light rather than the darkness, who turn from sin, who trust in God’s promises even when we cannot see the outcome.
Most importantly, it means that our salvation rests not in what we have done, but in what Christ has done. Because He was lifted up on the cross, because He rose again, because He pours out His Spirit, we have life—real life, eternal life—even now. And so, we live in confident hope, anchored in His grace, walking by faith, until the day when the new birth we have received is brought to its fullness in His eternal Kingdom.
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father, You who so loved the world that You gave Your only begotten Son, we come before You this day in humility and thanksgiving. We confess that we cannot enter Your kingdom by our own wisdom, effort, or righteousness. Like Nicodemus, we often seek understanding, yet what we truly need is to be born from above. Grant us anew the gift of Your Holy Spirit, that we may trust wholly in Christ, who was lifted up for our salvation. Lord Jesus Christ, as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so You were lifted up on the cross for us. When we are burdened by sin, doubt, suffering, and fear, turn our eyes again to You. Teach us to look upon Your cross in faith, to rest in Your finished work, and to rejoice in Your resurrection victory over sin, death, and the devil. Holy Spirit, You who bring about the new birth through the waters of Holy Baptism, stir up within us a living and active faith. Strengthen us to walk as children of the light. When we journey through the wilderness of grief, illness, temptation, or uncertainty, sustain us with the sure promise that we are united to Christ and held securely in the Father’s love. Keep us, O Lord, in this saving faith until the day when the new birth You have given us is brought to its fullness in Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our crucified Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Third Sunday of Lent March 8, 2026 Gospel Reading: John 4:5-26 Pastor John Hazzard
“Jesus is Our Living Water”
Grace and peace to you in our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
This week in our sermon text, we heard about another encounter Jesus had with a woman at Jacob’s well. The Gospel of John is well known for recording many of the personal encounters that Jesus had with individuals from all walks of life. In this case, it was not only a woman but a Samaritan woman—someone who was considered immoral because she had been married several times and was now living with a man who was not her husband.
Just last week we heard about the meeting that took place between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus was a Jewish leader and a member of the Sanhedrin. Now we are allowed to eavesdrop on a conversation between Jesus and this woman who was considered something of a social outcast. This conversation should not surprise us because we know that Jesus did and does care about people no matter how they are preserved by society. Jesus Himself told us that he came to save the sick rather than the healthy. The reason this encounter seems unusual is that she was a woman, and in that culture, women were not normally involved in mixed-gender public conversations. Secondly, she was a Samaritan. And third, her personal life—having had several husbands and living with a man who was not her husband—caused many people to view her as morally compromised. These factors would have caused her to be seen as a social outcast in both Jewish and Samaritan circles. Jesus and His disciples had left Judea and were heading north to Galilee. To reach Galilee they had two choices. They could take the shorter route through Samaria, or they could travel around it, which many Jewish travelers chose to do because of the deep animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans.
The roots of this tension go back centuries. When David became king, he moved the center of Israel’s political and religious life to Jerusalem. Later, King Solomon built the famous Temple there on Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount). That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and later rebuilt when the Jewish people returned from exile, eventually being expanded during the reign of Herod.
After the kingdom of Israel was divided into the Northern and Southern kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom began to recognize Mount Gerizim—located in Samaria—as their sacred place of worship. Mount Gerizim was associated with important events in Israel’s history. It was near the place where Abraham was believed to have been prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and it was also the location where Moses instructed the Israelites to assemble for a covenant ceremony before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:12).
In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom. Many Israelites there began intermarrying with surrounding pagan peoples. Later, when the Southern Kingdom was taken into exile by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Jews from Judah resisted intermarriage in order to preserve their identity and religious heritage. Because of this difference, many Jews came to view the Samaritans as people of mixed ancestry and compromised faith. The hostility became so strong that some Jews even included a harsh petition in their prayers: “Lord, do not remember the Samaritans in your resurrection.”
Yet in this morning’s Gospel account, we see something remarkable. Jesus deliberately travels through Samaria and ministers to this Samaritan woman—someone who was marginalized both socially and morally. Jesus speaks with her, reveals truth to her, and treats her with dignity and compassion. This moment shows us the depth of Christ’s infinite love, not only for this woman but for all people including you and me.
Later in this narrative, we learn that although Jesus was on His way to Galilee, He stayed in that Samaritan town for two more days. The people urged Him to remain with them, and during that time He continued teaching and preaching. Many of them came to believe that He truly was the promised Messiah. It is clear that Jesus went out of His way to minister to this woman and used her to bring the gospel to the Samaritan community.
This story is a powerful reminder that it does not matter how broken, rejected, or lost a person may feel. The Samaritan woman had been defined by her past, her reputation, and the divisions of her society. But when she encountered Jesus, she discovered truth, grace, and new life. In the same way, no matter where we have been or the burdens we carry, we can be found and restored in the truth of Jesus’ word. His love reaches beyond our failures, beyond social boundaries, and beyond the labels that others place upon us. In Christ, even the most unlikely person can be seen, known, and redeemed. This encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman points us toward a deeper truth about who Jesus is and what He offers to all who come to Him.
Later in the Gospel, Jesus makes a powerful declaration recorded in Gospel of John when He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jesus is not simply someone who teaches truth. He is the truth. He is the way that leads us to the Father, and He is the source of the life that our souls so desperately need. The Samaritan woman was both physically and spiritually thirsty that day. Consider just how thirsty she must have been—how empty her life and her soul must have felt. This does not mean that she was passionately pursuing the things of God or hungering and thirsting after righteousness. In fact, the evidence suggests otherwise. Yet we can reasonably imagine that she was searching for meaning and peace. Otherwise, she would have come to the well in the early morning with the other women in order to avoid the heat of the day. Instead, she came alone at noon. Her isolation suggests that something in her life was deeply broken. It is clear that this Samaritan woman was seeking peace, even if she did not yet know where to find it.
Theologian Thomas Aquinas once responded to someone who observed that many people who were not Christians seemed to be seeking God. Aquinas replied, we see people all around us desperately seeking peace, desperately seeking relief from their guilt, desperately seeking something to fill the emptiness of their souls and their lives. And we look at them and think that they must be seeking for God who has the power to heal them. The truth is that they were only searching for the things that God could give them, while at the same time fleeing and avoiding the Lord Himself. It is only by the grace of God as Christians that we have the power to seek God. Jesus knew this to be true about the Samaritan woman. He knew that the woman’s life was a wreck. He knew the brokenness of her life. Her story revealed a pattern of searching for happiness in the wrong places. She never stopped trying to find happiness. She was married five times, each time she thought this is the one that will make me happy, this is the one that would last. Yet each attempt left her empty again and again. The truth of the matter is that we must turn to our Lord and Savior instead of depending on the things of this world. Her experience reminds us of a truth that still applies today: the things of this world cannot fill the deepest needs of the human heart.
That day, the woman came to the well looking for ordinary water—something that could only satisfy a temporary physical need. But Jesus offered her something far greater: living water that would satisfy the deepest thirst of her soul. In the same way, people today search for meaning, peace, and fulfillment in many different places. Yet true life is found only through Jesus Christ and through the truth of His Word. That truth is revealed to us through the Scriptures and made alive in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we spend time in prayer, meditation, and reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds so that we can understand God’s will and hear His voice speaking into our lives.
This is why time spent in God’s Word is never wasted. When we step away from the noise and distractions of our busy lives and spend quiet time with the Lord, something important happens within us. Our hearts grow still. Our faith becomes stronger. And we are reminded once again that Jesus is the way that leads us, the truth that guides us, and the life that sustains us.
Just as Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well and spoke truth into her life, He continues to meet us today through His Word. In moments of prayer and reflection, the living Christ still speaks to His people. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are drawn closer to Him and renewed in the grace and truth that only He can give.
Take time today to come to the well. Open your Bible. Spend a few quiet moments in prayer. Lay your burdens before the Lord and allow His Word to speak into your heart. If you have been searching for peace, fulfillment, or direction—turn to Jesus and receive the living water that only He can give. Let Him fill the emptiness of your soul and lead you into the life that truly satisfies.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen, Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Easter Sunday April 5, 2025
Sermon Text: Matthew 28:1-10
Pastor John Hazzard
“Jesus is Risen”
GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR – JESUS THE CHRIST.
On the first day of the week, the third day Jesus lay in that airtight tomb, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken from the tomb.
You may recall that the last view we had of Mary Magdalene in she was at that same tomb with a couple of Jesus’ followers who were doing what they could to prepare His body for burial before the sun set which would prohibit them from any further preparations.
With the setting of the sun, the Sabbath began and that meant no further contact with the dead was permitted. This sabbath was the high Sabbath, the Sabbath of Passover. This meant they had to leave and come back to finish their preparations when the sun rose on Sunday morning.
The time before that when we saw her, Mary was on Golgotha at the foot of the cross – seeing her Savior tortured to death in the most horrible forms of punishment ever conceived by mankind.
On the first Easter, Mary Magdalene’s day began while it was still dark, with only the first reflected light of the sun about to appear on the horizon. The day began with heavy darkness that covered her heart, leaving her to wonder if there would ever be light in her world again.
There was a chill within her that bit far deeper than the chill of that dark Jerusalem morning. There was an emptiness that refused to be filled and in Jesus’ death, she must have been wondering how she could ever go on.
Without Jesus there is only death. Without Jesus we cannot experience the life God intended for us to have as we live in Jesus and He lives in Us, all by the power of the Holy Spirit that unites us. Mary was given a glimpse of this wonderful life. Jesus had restored Mary’s very life when He lifted her from the depths of despair and told her what it means to be a true child of God, and then in her mind Jesus was dead.
Walking at sunrise to the tomb, she could still see the crucifixion in her mind’s eye. I can only imagine the horrific images that must have been replaying in her head: the anguish and sorrow she saw on Jesus’ face… the crown of thorns placed mockingly upon His brow and pressed down to draw blood ... the sweat and blood that ran down His Face... his eyes, red, stinging, and swollen from the many torturous hours he went without sleep ... his mouth and cheeks bruised and swollen from pounding of the soldier’s fists. Mary couldn’t hold back the tears beneath the cross, and I am sure they flowed just as freely on her way to the tomb that morning. But, before the morning was over, Mary Magdalene would be the first person to see the resurrected Jesus.
Mary Magdalene would be the first person to celebrate Easter, face to face with Jesus. Suddenly her deep sorrow and despair turned into joy and elation as she clung to Jesus and realized that he indeed lives once more. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!
Just as Mary experienced something of her own death as she mourned Jesus, she experienced a feeling of rebirth as she witnessed the Resurrected Jesus. That day, that Resurrection, gave Mary and us, justification and the eternal relationship that God had always intended us to have with Him.
Then Mary did what she was told. She ran and told the cowardly disciples that Jesus Has Risen Indeed! Then either in disbelief or in the excitement of what could be true, Peter and John went to the tomb. John, who came to the tomb first, went in after Peter. John saw and believed. John, that first disciple to see and to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, like Mary, had been at the tomb as Jesus was brought there from the cross and had been at Golgotha. His journey to the empty tomb had taken him through Jesus’ crucifixion and burial as well. For John, a new birth was beginning.
In Jesus’ Resurrection there was a moment when John started to see a clear picture of what Jesus had been saying all along. Jesus was saying I must, I must do this. With this realization it is no wander that the elven disciples and Deacon Stephen were emboldened to confess and continuously preach Jesus as the crucified and risen Messiah, for all people. They never quit proclaiming the Gospel even as they were experiencing their own horrible, tortured deaths as martyrs.
Mary Magdalene and John made their journey as eyewitnesses that blessed morning. Our journey is through the enlightenment of The Holy Spirt and the Word of the Holy Bible, but it is as much a journey for us as it was for Mary and John. We need to find time for prayer and scripture. We need to trust that Holy Spirit will work in and through us as individuals and as members of the Holy Christian Church. We must understand that we simply need to turn our lives over to Jesus Christ as we totally trust in His tender love and mercy, knowing that God’s love and providence always prevail. The kind of love we are called to share with Christ was the absolute love he demonstrated on Good Friday when He personally bore everything this evil world could pile upon Him and gave His life as the spotless Lamb of God to pay the total penalty for our sins. He completely and utterly emptied himself as he willingly took all of our unrighteousness so that we could be freely given his righteousness- a righteousness none of us deserve.
Now comes the trumpet blast of Easter, the proclamation of the ultimate victory. JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD! HE IS RISEN INDEED! JESUS IS RISEN WITH THE GIFT AND THE GUARANTEE OF ETERNAL LIFE FOR US ALL! Easter tells us that a tombstone is not the difference between life and death. Because of Easter, the difference is Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Savior.
Jesus told Nicodemus one night, and all of us through JOHN 3, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” When Jesus declares His Easter victory, He bestows upon us that blessed rebirth. Whoever believes and is baptized has that gift now and eternally.
When Jesus spoke to Martha concerning her brother who had been in an air-tight tomb for four days, He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” “I am” is present tense. Not He was, or He will be, but He is right now. Jesus brings us new life, abundant life, eternal life, today at this very moment!
The divine life that has come down from heaven to become flesh and blood totally vulnerable human being, True God and True Man, and to sacrifice that perfect human life for us. Christ rose from the grave to give us eternal Life and to invite us into His eternal presence. The promise that surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever is fulfilled as God’s love, God’s goodness, and God’s grace carried Him in human flesh and vulnerability to the cross for each of us and then, resurrected on the third day, He most powerfully and miraculously appeared in front of the empty tomb as our victorious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are all here in God’s house this glorious morning to celebrate the Sonrise - the Resurrection of the Son of God – that sunrise! Our own future resurrection was made possible because of the perfect love and tender mercy God our father has for you and for me.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your heart and minds in Jesus Christ, our crucified and Risen, Lord, and Savior: the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the whole world. Amen