My notes for my talk at Ivy on Easter Day this year –

Feel Free to download in Word and adapt this for your own church/context!

HAPPY EASTER!! 

What a great day for us to celebrate – and maybe you’re not even sure beyond the eggs and a Bank Holiday why I or anyone else should get so excited about it but the reason – and today’s title – is simple: 

Easter changed everything!

What happened 2000 years ago that first Easter Sunday didn’t just change something…

It means everything can change – for anyone.

It wasn’t just that a few people who got changed – because since then it’s changed the lives of billions of people and it can change ANYONE. 

Easter Changed Everything.

And here’s how:

Easter changes everything – 

when it changes: 

our focus

our fears

and our forevers

Let’s step into Luke’s gospel Chapter 24 as I read it try to imagine if we can what was going on in the minds of these three women – what they were thinking and feeling and what changed for them. From verse 1: 

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven apostles and to all the others.

So as they came to that garden, where Jesus’ body had been placed into a tomb – given up for him to be buried in by a friend called Joseph of Arimathea I’m sure they were not really thinking straight, in their awful sadness – heads down, they were focusing on what they’d lost. 

Picture these women walking to the tomb… not just carrying spices that they hope somehow they might be allowed to anoint the dead body and weighed down by grief because they’ve lost so much of what’s really important to an of us. 

1. They lost their friend: Jesus – the one they followed, trusted, loved.

He’s Gone. They saw him die because they didn’t run away at the cross like the men did. 

2. They lost their courage:

all kinds of fear can take over and verse 5 says lost their courage and then (number 3) 

3. They lost their hope: 

They hoped he’d not die, but he did. They hoped he really was the Messiah, the Son of God, but he was crucified for saying that! So now all that hope had drained out of them. 

Where were they going to look now, for God, for meaning and purpose? Where could they find joy and courage and hope? 

Well notice what the angels told them – THEY WERE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE! 

They come to the garden and to the tomb… the grave… 

But if they remembered what he’d told them so many times before they’d realise that they’re looking in the wrong place; 

The angels asked one of the most powerful questions in the Bible:

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

Great question for us too! Because we do the same thing.

We look for life…

in things that can’t really give life.

We look for peace in the few things we can actually control

We look for identity in our success or possessions

We look for hope in our circumstances

And keep coming up empty, because we’re looking for the living…

Among the dead.

I said EASTER CHANGES EVERYTHING. 

You might wonder how that happens, even today. For us. 

And the HINGE here, where everything changes – 

is when after the angels say, ‘Remember what He told you would happen..’ 

Then it says this:

“THEY REMEMBERED HIS WORDS”

Everything changes at that one moment. With one phrase.

 “Remember what He told you.”

THEY REMEMBERED. 

That’s the hinge of the whole story, it changes everything – because they realise:

Jesus had already told them – before Good Friday, everything that would happen, clearly and in various ways, in advance – look – 

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’

You read this, over and over in all the gospels; HE TOLD THEM! 

(They just couldn’t get it or didn’t want to because it was just too horrible to think it could happen) that He’d be handed over, to the Romans, die on a cross for our sin – and on the third day… He’d rise again! 

When they saw him die – they didn’t remember, they forgot.

They thought they’d lost their friend, their courage and hope forever – because they lost their focus.

They forgot His words… 

But when they remembered His word… everything changed!

Their sadness turned to joy.

Their fear turned into faith.

Because death had been exchanged…For life.

🎯 (Interactive moment – kids)

Now we’re going to do something to help us see this.

We’ve hidden some eggs…

And inside each one is a word.

A reminder.

—

Go and find them…

(allow moment)

—

And here’s the point:

Just like those words were hidden… sometimes God’s truth feels hidden to us. Especially when something comes out of the blue and knocks us… 

—

But when we find his promise … remember his power … and trust his Word…

Everything changes. Anyone here know what I’m talking about?

(Look at the eggs and comment). 

—

The reason we Christians, all over the world, make such a big deal of Easter and celebrate it today is that EASTER CHANGES EVERYTHING! 

Let me say it again: Easter changes everything.

Because if Jesus is alive… not only does that prove he’s God… so what He says about life and death and life forever is the Truth –

Because He’s alive, then you can talk with him and encounter Him like they did and when you remember His Word, whatever you are going through that would make you sad and anxious and confused – when you remember, your focus changes – you stop looking in the wrong places, because you found…Him.

That’s when your fears change – because He is with you! 

And your forever changes, and your future is with Him too –

if you follow Him and trust that He really is the Saviour, the Substitute and Sacrifice for our sins – because for anyone who does, death is not the end – He made it the way to everlasting life!

YOUR RESPONSE

So now it comes to you, because you’ve heard what the Bible calls ‘the gospel’ – the good news!

And it’s not news like on your feed you can just scroll past and look at another thing because if this really happened in history – and it did –

and if it’s really true – and it is –

That changes EVERYTHING – for everyone, who will let it change them. 

What will YOU do with this good news?

The women went off and told everyone! Soon their friends, like Mary and Peter and John came and found out too for themselves and eventually as they checked it out – everything changed for them, when they met Jesus. He changes everything!

Because he went to the cross – we can know we can have all our sins forgiven, if we ask God to do that. 

Because he rose again – you can know he’s the one friend you will never lose. He’ll always be there, He’ll never not care. 

So today, we’re making the response to this good news simple: 

You’ve got three options if you look at the card, same as those ladies at the tomb did with what they were told. They could believe and be changed, or not believe, and stay the same:

Everyone’s welcome here and if you’re visiting you’re especially welcome, but we wouldn’t be doing what Jesus told us to do if we didn’t invite you to personally follow him too.

Like any invitation – you get to choose – so some people for you it may be a NO thank you: 

🔴 Red Light. 

“I don’t believe this.

I’m not interested.

I don’t want to know more.”

If that’s you, thanks for coming, Happy Easter. Enjoy the rest of the day, we’re really glad you came. If I’m honest though I’m praying there will soon come a time when that light changes and you’ll want to investigate more because honestly I believe this is the greatest news you’ll ever hear and maybe then it would go to 

🟠 Amber light.

Where you say “You know what… 

“I’m not sure…

But I want to explore this. 

I want to understand if it’s true – and why if it is, it could matter to me.”

If you fill that in we’ll get in touch and let you know what we do around here to help people in that position with your questions, no pressure – more information. 

And because Easter is for everyone, I do want everyone to fill in a card today – even if you’d say “I’m already a full on, all in, Jesus follower” – OR if today’s the day, when I invite us all to pray now and give your life back to God, your Creator, to Jesus, your Saviour – then for sure, you make sure you tick the 

🟢 Green light. 

Saying, “YES – I believe this changes everything, it’s changed everything for me, and I want Jesus to keep on changing me…”

Or tick that if today you’re saying … “I want to believe! I’m trusting Jesus and believing his words are true.”

So please start filling the cards in everyone, and we collect them in we’ll swap them for a chocolate as if you needed any further incentive this Easter! That’s our little gift but the Bible says the greatest free gift of God is eternal life – and you only get that when you get Jesus!

Fill in the card now please –

We have a poster out there that’s been asking everyone passing 

What if it’s true? Jesus is God. He Died and rose again? 

What’s your response? 

To What Jesus says…

To Who He is…

And what He’s done for us – for you? 

🙏 (Prayer)

Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You are alive.

Thank You that Your words are true.

Help us to remember them,

To trust them,

And to respond to You today, 

Because when we do – it changes everything.

Amen.

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IF You have read this and responded with a Green or Amber Light – I am SO Happy about that I’d love to connect with you! Please email info@ivychurch.org saying ‘I said YES to Jesus the I read Anthony’s blog’ and I’ll pray for you and give you some cool stuff and ideas of what to do next.

📥 Download this sermon as a Word document (for personal use or church settings) by clicking the link: Feel free to use or adapt this in your church or context.