“THE LOVE THAT DOESN’T FALTER, FAIL OR
FADE AWAY”
MATTHEW 16:1-10
28:1 After the sabbath, as the first
day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning,
and his clothing white as snow.
4 For fear of him the guards shook
and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for he has been
raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you."
8 So they left the tomb quickly with
fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said,
"Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be
afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will
see me."
Love
is a wonderful thing. It’s there when a mother gazes into the eyes of her
newborn baby. It’s there when a husband and wife are still holding hands
after fifty years of marriage. It’s there when a friend takes the time
to listen because you’re having a really bad day. It’s there when you let go of the bitterness in your heart and
forgive someone.
Love
is a wonderful thing, but you and I both know that love doesn’t always work out.
Sometimes it falters. It fails. It fades away. Unfortunately, people get divorced and go their separate ways. Arguments break friendships up that used to be special. Someone close to you keeps getting into trouble and your patience finally runs out. Sometimes love just
isn’t there at all. We can all probably remember a time when it felt like
we were all alone in the world and felt like nobody cared. It’s the same way an elderly woman felt. It seems that the elderly woman never got married and that unfortunate reality led her to leave some unusual
instructions in her will. The elderly woman made it clear that she didn’t
want any pallbearers at the funeral. Why?
The answer was simple. The elderly woman wrote in her will, “If
they wouldn’t take me out when I was alive, I certainly don’t want them to take me out when I’m dead.”
Our
love isn’t perfect. God’s love on the other hand is perfect. God’s love never falters, fails or fades away. The women found that out when
they went to the tomb. They saw it when they got there and found the stone rolled
away from the entrance to the tomb. God’s love rolled that stone
away not to let Jesus out but to let them in. They saw it when they went into the tomb and the angel said to them, “He
is not here for he has risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay.” They
saw it when they ran from the tomb in fear and with joy and Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers
to go to Galilee; there they will se me.” (RSV)
All of that says one thing loud and clear. It tells us
that God’s love doesn’t falter, fail or fade away. That message suddenly became very important to me this past
week while I was eating some applesauce. That’s right I did say applesauce. Let me explain. This past January I received one of those phone calls that you hope
you never get. I suddenly learned that my mother who had been
Now, I’m sure you know what that’s like. You’ve
all been there. It’s a very painful place to be. That empty tomb though cries out with a message that can get you through
those moments when you’re discouraged and your heart is full of despair. The message is simple. God’s love doesn’t
falter, fail or fade away.
God’s love made sure that the story didn’t
end with the nails in our Lord’s hands and feet. It ended with a glorious resurrection and shouts of alleluia. It ended with the disciples being forgiven and the gates of everlasting life being
opened to all who believe. Even today God’s powerful resurrection love
is at work. It’s always there working to bring something good out of your
pain and suffering. No matter how unworthy you may feel, it’s always there pleading with you to come home. God’s resurrection love is always there rolling the stones away that keep you trapped in the clutches
of fear and frustration.
A number of years ago, Dr. W.A. Criswell, pastor of the
First Baptist church in Dallas, Texas had a very moving
conversation on an airplane with another passenger. The man told Dr. Criswell how his son came home from school one day with
a fever. That fever got worse over the next few days and eventually turned out
to be a very dangerous form of meningitis. By the time they realized what was
going on it was too late. Before he knew it the man found himself sitting in
his son’s hospital room. “Daddy,” the little boy said, “it’s
getting dark isn’t it?” “Yes,” the father said, “it’s
getting dark, very dark.” “Daddy,” the little boy said, “I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep
isn’t it?” “Yes,” the father said softly, “it’s
time for you to go to sleep.” At that point the little boy closed his eyes
and said, “Good night daddy. I’ll see you in the morning.” By now the man was staring out the widow of the plane.
Finally, after a minute or so he turned to Dr. Criswell and with tears in his eyes said, “Dr. Criswell, I can
hardly wait till the morning.”
Because God’s love was strong enough to roll the
stone away and raise Jesus Christ to everlasting life and glory the morning will come. Personally, I don’t know if there’ll
be any of my mom’s applesauce in heaven, but I do know that God’s love doesn’t falter. It doesn’t fail and it doesn’t fade away.
Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
March
27, 2005 – Easter Sunrise Service
