Easter: The Power of Life - Pastor Eric Skelton

If you’ve been stuck in the same cycle, trying harder but still feeling like it’s not enough… this one’s for you.

This Easter message is a reminder that real change doesn’t come from pushing more, but from letting go and trusting God to do what we can’t. It’s not just about the moment we celebrate, it’s about the life we step into because of it.

You’re not defined by your past, your mistakes, or your struggles. There’s more for you than that.

Lean in, and let this message speak to where you are right now.

At The Neighborhood Church, we believe faith is lived out in everyday rhythms of love, grace, and purpose. Learn more and connect with us at https://theneighborhoodchurch.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, happy Easter. He is risen.

unknown 0:04

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

It's good to be with you. Thank you for joining us today. We've got a lot of places you could pick and choose to go, and we're thankful that you're here. As was mentioned, there's make sure you you find one of those blue tables because we do want to connect with you. We want to get to know you. That's why our name is the neighborhood church. We want to be part of your family. We want to be good neighbors. And so part of being a good neighbor is learning your name. And so we would love to get to know you and fellowship with you and just be in relationship. That's why, uh that's why we're here. He came to be in relationship with us. And so that's why I love the fact that we're not, he's not just some good prophet, like some folks claim, but that he is alive and well and in our hearts today. Yes? I don't think he's just in our heart. He's here with us today. Would you agree? Did you enjoy our worship time earlier? Thanks for the work and effort that our team has placed and put in. It's been powerful this morning so far. And I'm glad to be with you. All right. This is not going to be your regular traditional Easter Sunday morning sermon. You okay with that? Yeah? Let's see here. It's 11:15. Trish said I have to be down there with the kids by 11:45. So that's we got an hour. Um, I'm teasing. We won't be that long. It's good to be with you. Uh, so I have a question for you as we begin. Are you ready? Have you ever had one of those moments where everything uh in your life looks good on paper, but something still felt off? You ever had one of those moments? Maybe it's where you are right now, maybe you've experienced that before, maybe you've watched others walk through that. Like like if someone asks you how you're doing and you say, Oh, I'm good. I'm fine. Husbands, men, if your wife responds, I'm fine, is that the correct answer? No, we know this. Marriage counseling later. Um, no, that's not the correct answer. I'm fine. Yeah, right. Sure. You just you keep telling yourself that. No, no, no. But but have you ever felt like something is just off? Because if we're really honest, there's probably something underneath that is unsettled. Yes. There's, and it's all different things, but I think for a lot of folks, a lot of people in our world today, there's this a kind of emptiness. But it's not a loud black hole emptiness. It's this quiet, subtle emptiness. Kind of like when there's this low hum of a maybe a generator or electricity that you can just kind of just barely hear. You know what I'm talking about? Like, where is that noise coming from? It's enough to bug you, but not enough to make you change. Yeah? Or maybe it's like our uh smoke alarm that was chirping. It's enough to bug you, but not enough to make you get the ladder out and change the battery. And what that thing says, at least maybe, maybe it's just me. I might just be preaching to myself this morning. But that low hum, that low noise that bugs us, but maybe isn't enough to make us, it's kind of helps me ask the question there's gotta be more than just this life right now. And the truth is that feeling doesn't just belong to people who are far from God or those who really don't know God. I think if we were all honest with ourselves today, there's probably some of us right here, right now, that are searching. Yeah? There are probably some that have been following Jesus for years, but here's the thing searching, following Jesus for 80% of your life, we can all still still feel stuck. Does that make sense? Like life is moving, but something inside you is not moving. This is where Easter meets us. This is where Easter steps in. Not just in celebration. Celebration is good, and I love celebration. I love having good breakfast and all the fun stuff and the picture wall and the Easter bunny and the egg hunt and family and friends and wearing a tie. I love it all. I'm fine. But this is where Easter meets us in that tension, in that stuckness. Does that make sense? If we think back to that first Easter, that first Easter, the Easter story that we read in Scripture, I don't think it felt like Easter does today. Would you agree? I think that first Easter Sunday felt more like Saturday. It was quiet. He was dead. He was in a grave. Let your mind think about that for a second. That first century Judea, uh, they were worn out. They were exhausted. They had seen leaders rise up and fall. Rise up and fall. Uh they would a gathering would start, people would follow, and then they'd get crushed by the Roman Empire over and over and over again. And so when Jesus was crucified, if we look historically at the whole context of everything, it wasn't just heartbreak, it was almost of a, well, here we go again. You ever been in that mode in your life where you something happens and you're just, oh, here we go again. Have you been there? Another hope buried, another dream smashed and sealed behind a stone. And that stone, it wasn't just sealing over a tomb, it was making a statement. And I think we experience this statement in our own lives today. Nothing really changes. This is just how life is. Wow, that's super encouraging for Easter Sunday. Let that kind of sink in, though. And if we're honest, doesn't that sound a lot like the world we live in today? Maybe, maybe it's just me. I don't think it's just me. Here's the thing: we've got more access, we have more comfort, we have more opportunities than ever. We're living in the one of the greatest times our world has ever seen. But people are tired. They're exhausted, they're lonely, they're anxious. We've built a culture that says if you don't produce, if you don't perform, if you don't prove yourself, then you don't matter. That's the world that we live in. So to combat that, we stay busy. We keep moving. We say, I'm fine. It's fine. Everything's fine. But then it gets quiet. You know, you know the quiet I'm talking about, right? Yeah. And that question shows up again. Is this all there is to this life? Some of you might be asking that for the first time. Some of you may have learned how to silence that a little bit, to stay busy or to do this or that. But if we're gonna be real honest, that question and that silence is still there. This is where this is where the apostle Paul steps in. And if you have your Bibles or your phones, your tablets, and you want to turn and open up to some scripture, open up to the book of Romans, chapter eight. Like I said, this is not your traditional Easter Sunday morning scripture passage. But Romans chapter eight, and we're gonna look at just a couple of verses, verses one and two. And Paul writes to people in the heart of the Roman Empire. And he says this Romans chapter eight, verses one and two. He says, There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. I want to say that last line one more time. Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Two laws, two forces, two ways of living. The law of sin and death. Let's talk about that one just for a minute. This is this is kind of a cycle that all of us know way too well. We mess up, we feel shame, we try harder, we mess up again, more shame, and the cycle repeats itself. Hopefully that doesn't sting too much. And honestly, it doesn't matter if we're if we're new to faith or we've been in church for 30 years, it doesn't matter. That cycle can still have a grip on you. Yeah. And so if if you're new to faith, or if you're searching, or if you're asking questions, I think this explains why being a good person never feels like enough. Yeah? And for those that maybe you're a seasoned believer or Christian, or you've been sitting in the same pew for 25 years, and somebody else sat in your pew this morning, so you had to move, and you're just, ugh. This explains why you can love Jesus and feel still still feel stuck in the same patterns. It's like trying to fly by flapping your arms. You ever tried it? No, it doesn't work. I did some research before. Don't, it don't, it doesn't work. You can try harder. You can be more matern, more. My goodness, words are hard this morning. You can be more determined. You can practice, you can study, you can read more books, you can surround yourself with the right people, you can do, but here's the thing gravity is still gonna win. Slap in your arms, it's not, you're not gonna take off. And honestly, if it worked, I don't think I'd be here right now. The law of sin and death, it just goes in a cycle, right? Over and over and over again. And we feel trapped, we feel stuck. But Paul says there's another way, and Jesus actually exemplified the other way and then gave us the pathway to the other way. The spirit of life. This is where Easter, again, smacks us in the face. This spirit of life is the resurrection power. It's not about you trying harder. It's not about you trying to be a better person. This is about God lifting you up. That's the power of life. Kind of like a dad picking up his kid. That's a good thing, right? The child isn't overcoming gravity. They haven't defied gravity. Instead, they're being carried. They're being carried. And some of you, especially those who've been walking with Jesus for a long time, you're gonna get this. You don't need more effort. You don't need just to try harder or work harder or give more or do this or do that. No, no, no. All you need to do is surrender. All you need to do is say, okay, here I am. You don't need to flap your arms harder. You let the Spirit carry you. You let the Spirit carry you. And it's this resurrection moment that we celebrate today, that we remember today, that we rejoice in today, that where everything shifts in life. See, God steps into a world that says death wins. And if we're honest and we were to take a poll of our world today, most would say death is the end. That's the cutoff. You're in, you're out, done. But that's not the truth because of what took place on Easter. Resurrection Sunday shows up and says death does not win anymore. In the biblical account of the resurrection story, Mary shows up at the tomb. Mary Magdalene shows up at the tomb and she's grieving. She's confused. She had brought the spices and all the stuff with her to fix and do and all the stuff. And she's just overwhelmed. And at first sight, she does not recognize Jesus. She doesn't recognize him. She thinks, oh, that's the gardener. And it's not a sermon that changes anything. Jesus doesn't stand up and begin preaching to her, right? You know the story? He doesn't, he doesn't go over and and and touch her and some supernatural thing happens. No, no, no, no. It's not anything like that at all. And it's really not a big, deep theological question. It's one word. You know what Jesus says to Mary in that moment? You ready? You ready for it? It's gonna change your life. He says Mary. That was not the response I was just hoping for. Let's try it again. No, I'm Tisa. He looks at her and he says, Mary. He says her name. He called her by name. Most psychologists will tell you that the sweetest sound you can hear is definitely not a baby crying. It's a nice sound every once in a while. But the sweetest sound a person can hear is their own name. In fact, they've done studies and they've put those weird helmet things on, you know, and they stick to your head and they they read and brain activity and all that stuff. And when a person hears their own name, those things fire and flash and light up like crazy. I think God designed us on purpose that way, because he knew at that moment when Jesus had come out of the tomb, because remember, God is creator and he knows all. And Mary is coming, and Jesus, who Mary didn't recognize, she thinks he's the gardener. He doesn't have to do a thing. All he has to do is say, Mary. And in that moment, everything changed. Because it wasn't just about information, it wasn't just about head knowledge. Everything is about relationship. Everything is about relationship. I've seen this play out, I can't tell you how many times. In real life. Folks, maybe they've been stuck in addiction cycles, trying, failing, trying, failing, trying, failing again and again until finally they realize something. Not because maybe they got it all together or they went through the right program or they did this or that, but because they understood this. God wasn't chasing their performance. He was chasing them. I don't know what you might be, the cycle you might be stuck in today, but it's not about how good you do. It's not about what you think you can accomplish. It's about who you are in relationship with. That's why this is so important. That's the power of life that is given to us. Your name is no longer failure. Your name is no longer defeat or addict or divorced or anxious or not enough. Your name is no longer that. Now your name is beloved. You are loved by the king. How cool is that? How awesome is that? See, the stone wasn't just rolled away so he could get out. It's Jesus. I mean, come on. Right? If he wanted to flap his arms, he could have flown. Do you know why the stone was rolled away? It's so that you and I don't have to stay buried. We don't have to stay buried underneath that shame any longer. We don't have to stay buried under that guilt. Under that stuff that we hide in that corner closet that we don't want anybody else to see. That's why the stone was rolled away.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

And that's how much he loves you. Your name is now beloved.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

So take a moment. This is a fun, fun exercise. It's really not. But take a moment and think about your past. And don't think about the good things. Wow, super. This is a great Easter Sunday morning. Good job, Pastor Eric. Think about it. God's blessed us with memory. I am so glad that when he forgives us, he does not. Because when he forgives, he forgets. So as you think about those things in your past, know that he does not define you by your past. He defines you by the one that you are in relationship with. Are you in relationship with Jesus? Failure, addict, divorce, screw up, no good, whatever. That's no longer your name. Your name is Beloved. So now we come to how we celebrate that. As you entered in this morning, or maybe as you were sitting, some folks walked around and passed out uh these little elements to you. Yours might look a little bit different. I wanted to use this one so I could explain how to how to work it. Open the bread first, not the juice, otherwise you're gonna spill it. But we want to celebrate communion together. Because our name is no longer mess up, our name is now loved by the King of Kings. See, in the early church, the communion supper, the Eucharist, whatever you want to call it, whatever background you might have, it was referred to by a different name. It was referred to as the love feast. Have you heard that before? It was referred to as a love feast. And it was this radical thing that was unlike anything else in its day. Because at that feast, whatever you were, slave, free, rich, poor, male, female, young, old, none of that mattered. None of that mattered. In fact, at that love feast, the only label that mattered was who you were in. Relationship with. Because at the foot of the cross, the ground is level. No one is above or below anyone else. That's where we are today. We're here one. And if you're here and you're not sure what you believe, I want you to be assured in this. You don't have to have it all figured out. Do I need to say that again? You don't need to clean yourself up first. You don't need to have all the answers. You don't need to look the part. And if you've been walking with Jesus for years, don't let this become routine. Because it should never be routine. See, in this little this little kit, this little pack, there's two elements: there's bread and there's juice. The bread represents a savior who knows your pain, who knows your anxiety, who knows your doubts. And the cup that contains the juice represents, it represents a love that has refused to give up on you. Folks, you don't need a perfect past. Because if that's the case, then all of us are doomed. You don't need a perfect past. You just need a real hunger. And like I said earlier, to those maybe who, oh yeah, this is just communion. We we do this and we take the bread, we take the don't let it become routine. Don't let it become mundane. Don't let it become just another moment. That same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is alive in you right now. Let that wrap around your mind for a second. That same spirit that had the power to raise Jesus from the dead is alive in you right now. Right now. So we're not just remembering something that happened. There's a piece of that, but we're not just remembering something that took place two thousand years ago. In fact, as we take the bread and the cup, we are actually participating in something that is happening right now because that same spirit is with us right now. So today we come to the table. We come to the table. Not because we have it all together, not because we know everything. We come to the table because we don't. Because if, let's be honest, if we had it all together, we knew everything, there's no reason for us to gather like this, right? This is not a table for the perfect. It's a table for the hungry. Are you hungry? Are you searching? Are you looking? Are you hungry for more grace? Are you hungry for more freedom in your life? Are you hungry for something real? See, Scripture reminds us that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and after giving thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. It's the bread we hold today. And this bread reminds us that Jesus didn't stay distant from our pain. He didn't stand off and watch. He stepped into it. Right into the middle of our mess. And he carried it. See, he allowed his body to be broken, to be broken, so ours could be made whole. In the same way after supper, he took the cup and he said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. And so this this morning, this cup reminds us that his love didn't just stop at words. Didn't just stop there. Instead, that cup was poured out fully, completely for you, for the person on your right, on your left, for those neighbors next door, behind, across the street, for that coworker in the cubicle over that you can't stand, that same one you poured out for all. So today, if you're searching, I want you to know this table is open to you. If you're questioning, I want you to know that he loves you with every ounce of who he is. And that he wants to be in relationship with you. And if maybe you've been walking with Jesus for a long time, that's awesome. I'm so glad. But don't rush the moment. Don't rush it. That same spirit that raised Christ is in you. And so this is not just a remembrance. Not just a remembrance. This is renewal. This is renewal this morning.