Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 To Know, Know, Know Him Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018

Isenheim Altar (Mattias Grunewald)

Luke 24:1-12 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;  5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

Luke 24:1-12 6 He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

Luke 24:1-12 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Easter Sunday (Resurrection) and a series on Spiritual Formation from 2 Peter 1:2-8 Looking for a way to blend them . . . So far, from 2 Peter 1:2-8, we’ve talked about: The marriage of faith and diligence Virtue or “moral excellence” (Greek: Arete) The third idea is “knowledge”

2 Peter 1:5-7 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

Knowledge Looks different through a Greek or a Hebrew lens The first is more rational, more abstract The second is more experiential When people ask Jesus a question, He says, “Come and you will see” (John 1:39) When others ask how to know if what He is saying is true, He says, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God . . .” (John 7:17)

Easter Jesus endures the darkest of days, Good Friday, the death of waiting on Saturday, and the rising to new life on Sunday He has many interactions with people He has known after He rises from the dead Some like Peter, marvel and find healing; some like Mary Magdalene rejoice; some like Thomas doubt; some like James are strengthened; some like Paul are washed with forgiveness and given new meaning in life— “Go and tell people that God is for them, not against them!”

Knowledge Each one enters more deeply into the knowledge that he or she needed It’s the same for us God is ready and willing to enter more deeply into our circumstances and our lives We, too, go through our Good Fridays, our death in waiting, and our rising to new life

The Four Degrees of Loving God by Bernard of Clairvaux (AD 1090-1153) The First Degree of Love: When Man Loves Himself for His Own Sake The Second Degree of Love, When Man Loves God for His Own Good The Third Degree of Love: When Man Loves God for God’s Sake The Fourth Degree of Love: When Man Loves Himself for the Sake of God

Father Richard Rohr Order—Disorder—Re-order

This is one of the ways we grow We face difficulties in life We face the very real prospect of loss of something we value We learn that we can endure the suffering that is caused We come through—in some way, in some fashion, we break through to a new way of seeing or to a new life FAITH helps in this process . . . It’s like opening the heart to a new and surprising strength even before things change

Philippians 3:10-11 10 that I may know Him (Christ) and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

To know, know, know Him To know Him in our Good Fridays, our disappointments and struggles To know Him on our Holy Saturdays, our long nights of waiting To know Him on our Resurrection Sundays, our break- through to a new way of seeing, a new way of being in the world

He is not here, but He has risen . . .