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Resurrection of our Lord 2026
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
April 5, 2026
Acts 10:34-433, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

First thing Sunday morning, following the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary head to Jesus’ tomb.  We learn from the Gospels of Mark and Luke that the women are bringing spices to anoint Jesus’ body and are worried about who is going to roll back the stone for them. What are they expecting to find?  They are expecting to find Jesus’ dead body in the grave, sealed with a stone, and guarded by soldiers.  They expect to find dead Jesus despite the fact that Jesus told His followers many times… Matthew 16:21 (ESV) 21 … that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 

Jesus told them He would rise, but the reality of the world is so powerful that it can snuff out hope.  Dead is dead.  The two Marys expect to find dead Jesus and are hoping the guards or someone will help them roll back the stone so they can properly complete the rushed burial preparation that happened on Friday.  They expect dead, decaying Jesus.  What they encounter is so beyond expectations.  Matthew 28:2–4 (ESV) 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.”

            An angel of the Lord, shining with God’s glory, descends and rolls back the stone with such power and might it makes the earth shake. The guards faint with fear.  God’s messenger delivers the greatest message of all time.  Matthew 28:5–6 (ESV) 5 … “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen…”  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  As the Marys depart the tomb, Jesus greets them and they take hold of His feet and worship Him.

            Matthew 28:6 (ESV) 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” He is risen, as He said.  The angel tells the women, you should have known He would rise from the dead.  You should have expected to find Jesus alive.  You should have expected the unexpected.

            Mary Magdalen and the other Mary should have come to the tomb expecting the stone to be rolled away and Jesus to be there to greet them.  And it certainly was not just the women whose hope was smothered by the realities of the world.  The disciples should know, for certain, that Jesus would rise from the dead and they should be waiting for Him on Sunday morning.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus should know that Jesus would rise, but as they prepare Him for burial they act like He is going to decompose and stink like any other dead body as they wrap Him with myrrh and aloes.  All of these people know that Jesus does the unexpected, but the realities of the world extinguish their trust in Jesus’ Words. It is far too easy to fall into friendship with the world and trust the ways of the world.  The Lord’s brother James warns…James 4:4 (ESV) 4 …Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

            This happens over and over with Jesus and His disciples.  The disciples do not expect the unexpected when 5,000 people are hungry and there are just five loaves and two fish, or when they see Jesus walking on the water and think it is a ghost, or when Jesus is asleep in the boat during a storm and they become afraid that they will die, or when Jesus is being bothered by little children who have no power or influence, or when a man is possessed by a legion of demons, or when a man born blind comes to Jesus for healing, or when Lazarus has been dead in the grave for four days.  It is too easy to think that the reality of the world is too much for Jesus.  So when they do not believe that Jesus will rise from the dead it is one more time that the realities of the world have quenched their trust in the Lord.

            You live on the other side of all these events.  You know for certain that Jesus rose from the dead, you have the eyewitness accounts.  You know Jesus can do the unexpected — and yet, the powerful realities of the world can still dampen your faith in Jesus’ promises. 

            When you stand by the grave of a loved one, the reality of the world tells you that this is the end, that they are gone forever. But Jesus promises the unexpected. Those who die in Christ will rise from the dead to eternal life.  Because Christ has risen from the dead, you will rise from the dead.  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! 

            Life as a follower of Jesus is a life of the unexpected. You know Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to forgive the sins of the world.  You know Jesus offers forgiveness to all people, but this is so unexpected the world rejects it.

            Through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, you know that you are, by nature, sinful and unclean, and that you cannot do anything to save yourself.  You know it has all been done by Jesus.  But the world tells you that you get what you deserve.  You get what you earn.  If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  There is a great temptation to reject Jesus’ undeserved grace and to think that you have to do something to add to what Jesus has done. The world wants you to believe that you have to repent well enough.  You need to pray enough.  You need to read the Bible enough.  You need to give enough.  You need to do enough good works to deserve forgiveness. 

            The world wants you to ask, “how can Jesus possibly forgive people who are honest-to-goodness real sinners like tax collectors and prostitutes, and the prodigal son.”  The world thinks Jesus should only forgive those who deserve it.  That is what the world expects.  But Jesus does the unexpected.  Not only does Jesus forgive real sinners, but there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. 

            The way Jesus delivers forgiveness in baptism, in His Word, and in the Lord’s Supper seems like foolishness to the world.  It does not make sense.  How can water do such great things?  How can a bit of bread and a sip of wine accomplish anything?  How can words change anything?  The world says that things have to make sense; that is what we expect.  But Jesus does the unexpected.  Jesus delivers forgiveness directly to you in your baptism, in the words of absolution, in His Body and Blood at His altar.  Your sins are forgiven in unexpected ways.  Unexpectedly, your real sins are really forgiven.

            You have been forgiven.  You have been transferred from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of Heaven.  You have been declared to be a holy, righteous, pure child of God because Jesus has given His righteousness.  Jesus has conquered sin and death for you.  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! 

It does not makes sense, but even while you still struggle with sin and temptation from the devil, the world and your own sinful nature, you are, right now, a saint of God.  You are, at the same time, a sinner and a saint. 

As God’s saint you are called to live in unexpected ways.  You love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. You turn the other cheek.  You know that freedom is not found in doing whatever you want and indulging your every selfish desire.  As a saint of God you know that freedom is found in following God’s commands and loving and serving others. 

You live in joyful thankfulness for all the Lord has done for you in good times and hard times.  You are generous in helping those in need.  You loan money at no interest without expecting repayment.  You love and serve others as Jesus loves and serves you.

            As a holy, righteous child of God you live in unexpected ways.  You give up your right to get even with others and instead forgive them, because Jesus gave up His right to get even with you and instead forgives you.  You do the unexpected.  You give up your lazy Sunday mornings in order to gather together with your brothers and sisters in Christ to hear the Good News and receive forgiveness from Jesus.  Each Sunday you humble yourself before God by getting on your knees and pleading guilty of sinning in thought, word and deed, by what you have done and by what you have not done that you should have done.  In generous thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for you, you give a first-fruits sacrificial offering to the Lord to continue to spread the Good News of Jesus here and around the world.  You come to the altar of the Lord with people from all walks of life to kneel together in complete unity to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. You love the unlovable and forgive those who do not deserve it.  You are a part of the body of Christ unified in one Lord, one faith, one baptism.  You are one body together: young and old, rich and poor, workers and bosses, male and female.  There are no worldly distinctions; you are one in Christ.

            Expect that Jesus will do what the world does not expect.  Live your life in ways unexpected by the world because Jesus did the unexpected for you – He rose from the dead.  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! Amen.