Sermon for Sunday 19th April 2020

Part Three - By Keith Finch, Nelmes URC

New Testament Acts 2.14a, 22-32
Peter gives a powerful sermon on the day of Pentecost, addressed to ‘Israelites’.
He offers an argument as to why the resurrection affirms that Jesus is the Messiah from the line of David: David foresaw that the Messiah would rise from the dead. The resurrection is defined as a vindication: ‘God raised him up’ (vv.24, 32) and as a confirmation of Jesus’ unique identity: ‘it was impossible for him to be held in its [death’s] power’ (v.24). For those who followed the Jewish faith as taught by the Pharisees, belief in the resurrection was a familiar doctrine but it would have been commonly understood as something that would happen to everyone at the end of time (cf. John 11.23-24), not something that would happen to the Messiah as soon as he had died. Note that Peter puts the emphasis on the resurrection as the event that reveals Jesus’ identity, not his death on the cross. Do we sometimes put so much emphasis on the meaning of the cross that we miss the significance of the resurrection? Extract from Roots 19thApril 2020
 
Now more than ever we need to hold on to our faith, we all have doubts, we all have low points but Jesus lifts us up, yes we all need that fantastic front line help from the NHS and all those that help and support us, but we also need to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, his resurrection was real as is our trust in him, so let’s all keep strong in the Lord & reach out the hand of friendship (we all by now know what social distancing is but we can still be socially connected).

As the disciples in the locked room reached out and touched you, 
let us reach out and touch you today, living Lord Jesus.
Let us feel your scarred hands and feet.
Let us put our hands in your side.
Let us be still and know that you are our Lord and our God.
Amen