The text for this Easter celebration is Colossians 3:1-4, which reads, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

CHRIST IS RISEN!!!! (He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!)

What a day, huh? It’s finally here. Oh, I love Easter Sunday so much! I love it because it epitomizes spring and new life for me. I love the smell of the flowers, I love the beautiful music of the Bells, the choirs, the Brass, I love being able to say or sing Alleluias again! And, of course, more than any of all of that, it is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. He was put on the cross by our sins and He hung there and died for your sins and for mine. But that was not the end of the story. He rose again, conquering sin, death, and the power of the devil forever. Death no longer has a hold on us. We have been set free. We have been saved. We have been promised eternal life in heaven with our Savior, Jesus. What a glorious day!!!!

But what about tomorrow? What about the next day? Or the day after that? What about later on today and tonight? Does Easter Sunday really make that much difference in our lives? Sure we got up this morning for this special service, and sure we really enjoy Easter for its celebrations, its music, its joyous occasions. But does Easter Sunday really make much difference in the way we act, the way we think, the way we live our lives? Is Easter more than just a few good smelling flowers and nice sounding brass instruments? Or does life get back to normal right after we leave here today? Have we heard the message of Easter so many times that it doesn’t make any difference any more?

To the Colossians, the events that happened on that first Easter Sunday DID make a difference, but not much. You see, some of the Colossian Christians didn’t want to give up all of the “fun” parts of their old life. They didn’t want to give up the “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed.” They wanted to keep the “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” on their lips. And yet they wanted to be believers in Jesus, too. They wanted their proverbial “cake, and eat it, too” life. They wanted to be Christians and yet still hold on to their old life, their old way of doing things. They wanted it both ways. They wanted the old life and the new life at the same time.

They wanted to be Christians in name only, all the while still acting like the Pagans that they were before they heard about Jesus! Man, oh man, did those Colossians have problems, huh?

Of course, I say that very sarcastically because the Colossians are definitely not the only Christians who have ever tried to live the double life. We do it all the time. We come here every Sunday, or we come here every Christmas and Easter, and we go through the motions. We say the prayers, we sing the hymns, we stand up and sit down at the right times. We may even be beyond acting like we enjoy it. Perhaps we truly DO enjoy it. And maybe we go to a Bible Class on Sundays or during the week. We do all the right things to show that we are good Christians. But when we are away from church; when we are away from Bible Class; when we are away from other Christians; do we always continue to act like one? Do we show that Easter makes a difference in our lives at work, when we are with friends, when we are not here? I daresay everyone in this room fails at that from time to time.

And, of course, you can say, “But Pastor, you have it easy. You work at the church. You are surrounded by Christian people: a vicar, fieldworkers, a secretary, and board members, and church officers, all of whom are Christians. You don’t have to work in an environment that is filled with non-Christians.” And if you say that you are right that the majority of my contacts during the day are with Christians. But if you think that really helps me or the Vicar live like a Christian all the time then you really don’t know either of us. Both of us can sin with the best (or worst) of sinners. We all have this problem of wanting to be Christians and yet not always acting like it. It is so tempting to try and live both lives – the life of the Christian and the old life of the sinner. We can surround ourselves with Christians and it wont help. We can have Christian Barbers, and Christian auto mechanics, and Christian Plumbers, and Christian Grocery Store owners. We can make it so that we never come into contact with a non-Christian at all during our daily life, and we will still fall into sinful living. We can’t get away from it. It is part of who we still are. Yes, we are saved. Yes, we are God’s Children redeemed at the Cross. And yet we are still sinners tempted by the devil to return to our life before we believed.

But God says to us, through the Apostle Paul, “Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” God wants Easter to make a difference in our lives. Jesus came down to earth, lived a perfect life, and then suffered and died on the cross so that we don’t have to. He died to forgive our sins and cleanse us from any impurities that we have. And then on that first Easter morning He rose from the death proclaiming His victory over death to all the world. Everyone was to know that the Christ who died was now alive. DEATH WAS CONQUERED! This should mean something to us! We may have heard it over and over again. We have heard it every Sunday or every Christmas and Easter, but we need to hear it over and over again until it means something to us again.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” We died with Christ. When He died, our sins died with Him. They were nailed to the cross and they are gone. Sure we will still fall into sin every day, but as far as the Father is concerned, they are gone—wiped away. They can hurt us no longer.

So now what? Our sins are gone, our old sinful self was killed, and we were raised with Christ in His Resurrection. So now what? How shall we live our lives?

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Paul is telling the Colossians and us very clearly that we cannot live the double life. We cannot be Christians, while at the same time pursuing things of the old life. Sure, we are simultaneously saints and sinners, as Luther would say. We are going to fall into sin. But not on purpose. If we are actively pursuing things that are not of God then we are not pursuing after God’s own heart, as we ought to be doing. Easter should make a difference in our lives. People should be able to notice the difference in us—not that we are perfect, but that we are working very hard, with the help of the Holy Spirit to be the best Christians we can be.

But we have one more line in our text. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Take a look at the cross pictured on page 7 of the bulletin. This is known as the cross of Glory, or the Cross of Victory. The splendid rays of the sun are seen behind the cross, but the sun itself is not visible. So our glorious future with our Savior in Heaven is not visible. It is hidden now with Christ, who was crucified on Good Friday. But His resurrection on Easter Sunday, sends us the hope of glory. For we, too, will share in that Glory. That’s why He did all this for us. That is why He came, and suffered, and died, and rose again. He did all of that so that we can be with Him in Glory. He did all of that so that on our last day we can hear Him say to us, like He did to the thief on the cross, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

And so I say again: What a day, huh? It’s finally here. Oh, I love Easter Sunday so much! I love it because it epitomizes spring and new life for me. I love the smell of the flowers, I love the beautiful music of the Bells, the choirs, the Brass, I love being able to say or sing Alleluias again! And, of course, more than any of all of that, it is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. He was put on the cross by our sins and He hung there and died for your sins and for mine. But that was not the end of the story. He rose again, conquering sin, death, and the power of the devil forever. Death no longer has a hold on us. We have been set free. We have been saved. We have been promised eternal life in heaven with our Savior, Jesus. What a glorious day!!!! Amen.